Your Guide To Trailer Towing
The first rule of thumb for safe towing is to slow everything down. Reduce your speed by as much as half when you’re towing a trailer. Turn more slowly, accelerate slowly and steadily and try not to brake suddenly.
Remember to give yourself much more space when compared to driving without a trailer. Take corners wider as the trailer will have a tendency to cut in, leave more space between you and the next driver as breaking distances will be longer, allow for a slower acceleration when over taking and give yourself extra space when entering a line of traffic.
Make sure you have a good towing vehicle with enough capacity to tow the trailer. If you need to tow anything over 2,000 pounds, it’s safest to use a SUV or a pickup truck rather than a standard car (even if this is rear wheel drive). Most quad trailers designed for a single quad bike or ATV, can be pulled with a standard car. Make sure the towing hitch is in good condition and is rated to take the Gross Trailer Weight you are planning. Note that the tongue weight is normally calculated at around 10% of the Gross Trailer Weight.
The most popular hitches are made of two parts, the receiver part (make sure this is welded into the frame of the tow vehicle and not just attached to the bumper) and the draw-bar that contains the trailer ball. The receiver and ball are engaged using a pin that slides through both parts and is locked with a pin. Single axle trailers tend to be supplied with a single safety chain while most tandem trailers have two that should be crisscrossed under the draw-bar.
Heavier trailers are often sold with trailer brakes. Surge brakes work hydraulically and electric brakes have a controller in the tow vehicle that sense brake pedal pressure. If you are carrying a load that is greater than 2,000 pounds, it make sense to use a trailer equipped with brakes.
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