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Ten
Tips For Safe Towing
Whether it’s a car, a
boat, your personal watercraft, a house
trailer or your trash to the dump, towing
requires attention to details. Here are ten
key details to pay attention to for safe
towing and longer vehicle life.
1. Weight
Make sure your trailer and whatever you're
hauling is within the tow capacity of your
vehicle. Check the owner's manual to find
the trailer types that your vehicle can haul
and the maximum load weight it can pull. Use
the right trailer hitch and make sure it is
hitched correctly.
2. Weight Distribution
If you experience fishtailing, where your
trailer sways while accelerating, back off
the gas and see if it stops. If it continues
when you accelerate again, check to see how
the weight is distributed on the trailer. It
may not be distributed evenly from side to
side, or else it's too far back to put a
sufficient load on the hitch ball. You want
to try to carry 5 to 10% of the trailer load
on the hitch. Redistribute the load as
necessity dictates before continuing.
3. Lights
Connect brakes and signal lights. Double
check to make sure the trailer's brakes,
turn signals and tail lights are
synchronized with those of the tow vehicle.
4. Tires
Avoid hauling too much weight for the tires.
Blowouts can be bad news. Be sure you keep
the proper air pressure in your tires, too.
5. Handling
When towing, you're operating a vehicle
combination that's longer and heavier than
you're used to. So you'll want to make some
compensating adjustments in your normal
driving practices.
Backing up is tricky, but
it is a skill you can learn. Till you're
experienced, have someone direct you from
outside in those tight spots or places where
you have limited visibility.
When barreling down the
highway, avoid sudden turns.
6. Buckle Your Seat Belt
In case your tow vehicle ends up upside
down.
7. Stopping
It's a matter of physics. When towing, you
have more momentum than you would without a
trailer. Be sure you keep in mind that it
therefore takes more time and distance to
stop. Avoid tailgating and pay attention to
what's happening a little further down the
road than you normally would.
8. Check Things Out As You Go Along
Maybe you forgot to fasten a chain, forgot
to clamp the hitch or forgot to tie your car
down. You're in a hurry to get home after a
long night. Things like that can happen.
Once you're on the road, make sure
everything looks good back there. You really
don't want to be up all night trying to get
your car out of a ditch somewhere.
9. Use
AMSOIL
Synthetic Transmission Fluid
What kind of lubricant are you using in the
transmission of your tow vehicle? Towing is
one of the most demanding activities on a
vehicle's drivetrain system.
In fact, because of the
heat generated, towing is probably the
number one killer of transmissions. For this
reason many people install an oil cooler. An
alternative is to use a high end synthetic
lubricant. As a result of the reduced
friction, the tranny will run cooler, and
transmission life will be lengthened
considerably. Tests have shown that
AMSOIL
synthetic automatic transmission fluid
provides useful service up to three times
longer than conventional fluids.
10. Pay Attention To Details
Right now many states, including Minnesota,
are calling for stiffer penalties when there
are accidents caused by trailers that break
loose. It will be criminal negligence, not a
mistake. Pay attention to the details,
including hitches, safety chains, signal
light hookups, handling, weight, the
capacity of your tow vehicle, tires and all
the rest. |
