Posted by Russ/Wyo on Thursday, August 26, 2004 at 4:34PM :
In Reply to: Need advise on trailering for the first time.... posted by dave on Thursday, August 26, 2004 at 8:43AM :
In the past, my trailer was 'borrowed' twice by people who thought they could just hook on, do a quick haul and return it without having to bother to ask. Both times, the trailer was wrecked. Both people who used the trailer had 1/2 tons for towing, so that gives you a clue about using a light tow vehicle.
One smart guy thought his 2-inch ball was OK with the 2 5/16 coupler on the trailer, so he launched it all the way across I-80 with another 1/2 ton pickup boomed down on the trailer. He was very lucky and missed all on-coming traffic and didn't bend too much on the trailer or the load.
The other smart guy managed to jack knife the trailer slowing down for an off ramp and rolled both tow vehicle and trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup boomed down onto the trailer. There was a bunch of damage from that accident to all vehicles. This guy didn't have a brake controller in his truck, so the trailer pushed his truck around when he braked for the off ramp.
I used to tow with a 3/4 ton CTD Dodge with good brake controller, but I was still very nervous about the load. I now tow with a 1 ton dually CTD Dodge and have much better control and wouldn't consider going back to a 3/4 ton tow truck.
Bottom line is 1. Use the biggest tow vehicle you can get your hands on. 2. Make sure you have excellent trailer brakes and controller and use them properly. 3. Place your load properly to get the right tongue weight (I use a tape measure to measure the tongue height empty and loaded to make sure there is enough tongue weight - about 1.25 inch drop with load for my truck). 4. Drive slow! You can accellerate quicker than you can brake. When going down hill, go much slower than you think you need to. I often put the transfer case in 4-Lo with the front hubs unlocked and pull the transmission into the lowest gear on real steep grades. Let the other traffic just go around, it's quicker to make it to the bottom of a mountain pass 15 minutes later than spending several days in the hospital or longer in a cemetary. 5. Check your binders or straps often. They will always come loose when least expected. 6. Check your hitch pins and keepers often. I still sometimes find that I haven't locked the hitch coupler upon rechecking everything before driving off! 7. Have very good mirrors. You will often be surprised by someone coming out of nowhere even with good mirrors, so expect the worst at all times. 8. There are a bunch of other things to keep in mind that I can't think of now. Towing really is hazardous most of the time. Good luck if you tow.