• Home
  • Services
    • Flatbed Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Long Distance Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Motorcycle Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Heavy Duty Towing - Mesa Towing Services
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Services
    • Flatbed Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Long Distance Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Motorcycle Towing - Mesa Towing Services
    • Heavy Duty Towing - Mesa Towing Services
  • Contact Us

Towing a trailer: Tips for First Timers

4/5/2021

5 Comments

 
Picture
You've just bought your first camper, horse trailer, boat or cargo hauler, and now you have to tow it from the place you bought it to where you're going to store it. Don't get caught unprepared. While towing might seem intimidating at first, the following tips, coupled with the right equipment and practice, can make you a master tower.

Understand the language of towing
Towing has a language all its own, and you need to learn it for buying, towing and following the law in your state. There are many acronyms in trailering and most have to do with weights and capacities. Below are just some of the most important:
  • Max tow rating - The maximum weight that a rig can tow safely as recommended by the tow vehicle market
  • Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) - The total amount of weight a fully loaded truck can tow safely.
  • Gross combined weight rating (GCWR) - This is the total allowable weight of a fully loaded tow vehicle and trailered vehicle that includes all tow vehicle occupants, cargo, fluids, tongue weight and accessories. 
  • Gross trailer weight rating (GTWR) - The GTWR is often found on the metal tag, somewhere on the trailer frame. 
  • Gross axle weight rating (GAWR) - This describes the maximum weight a single trailer axle can safely carry, independent of the rest of the rig.

Hitch balls are critical safety gear
The hitch ball is attached to the tow vehicle receiver hitch. Many vehicles come with a factory-installed receiver that is typically attached to the frame or reinforced section of a unibody. Higher-quality aftermarket hitches are available as well, but all should be clear about exact weight rating capabilities. The ball itself supports some trailer weight and couples the trailer with the truck or car. Trailer hitches are categorized by tongue weight, and as hitch numbers climb, so does the tongue weight it can handle.

Always use safety chains
Nobody who wants to tow safely would fail to make sure the trailer and tow vehicle are attached, not only between ball and tongue, but also with strong safety chains. Experienced towers cross the chains under the trailer tongue so in case of a catastrophic separation, the trailer and the hitch are less likely to separate. Be sure there is enough chain slack to make turns, and always be sure the chains will not drag on the pavement.

Trailer load balance is important
Most manufacturers recommend you distribute 60 percent of the weight of the trailer load over the front half of the trailer. After you have the load balanced correctly, make sure that cargo is secured with straps or tie-downs. When cargo shifts, your load becomes unbalanced, making your trailer unstable and less predictable.
​

Driving with a trailer
At the risk of oversimplifying the point, driving with a fully loaded trailer — when done properly and safely — is not much more difficult than driving your tow vehicle empty. However, do not confuse the two as the driving techniques and vision strategies are very different. Most people tow a boat, a camper or perhaps a car trailer to a show or race.

5 Comments
Adam Golightly link
5/3/2021 04:06:06 pm

My cousin has been thinking about taking a trailer on a vacation in order to have more fun, and she wants to tow it herself. She would really like to get some help from a professional to make sure that she has the right kind of hitch. Thanks for explaining how the hitches should be clear about what weight they can take, and what weight the tongue takes.

Reply
Auto Body Shop link
6/1/2021 11:23:11 am

Auto body repair expert will only be proficient in dealing with the auto body to remove and dents, scratches, and to get it a new paint.

Reply
kate hansen link
7/20/2021 01:12:33 pm

It's good to know that you need to have the cargo secured. My husband and I want to look into getting an enclosed trailer in a couple of weeks so that it can help us with moving our furniture to our new home, and we want to make sure that we know how to use it properly. We'll make sure to keep these tips in mind once we find an enclosed trailer to use!

Reply
Charlotte Fleet link
6/6/2022 03:50:08 pm

I am glad you mentioned how it is crucial to balance and secure your cargo on your trailer properly. My dad is planning on moving some old furniture across the state to my uncle's house using a trailer. Along with proper balance, I think it would be smart to have my dad take his trailer to a company that can service it and makes sure it is prepared for the trip.

Reply
https://johnsoncitytowingservice.com link
2/2/2023 08:48:43 pm

As someone who recently started towing a trailer for the first time, I would just like to thank you for this post. It gave me so much insight into the process and I was able to successfully tow my trailer without any issues. Your tips on making sure the trailer was properly balanced, checking the tire pressure, and the importance of having the right equipment were invaluable. Thank you for taking the time to write this post - it really helped me out!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    August 2022
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Mesa | Gilbert | Chandler | Tempe | Phoenix | Queen Creek | Apache Junction
www.MesaTowingServices.com

​MESA TOWING SERVICES
229 West Vine Ave.
Mesa, AZ  85210
(480) 351-4360



​
Copyright 2015-2021.  Mesa Towing Services.  All Rights Reserved.