We wish you a safe and incident free journey when towing one of our trailers (whether behind your vehicle or ours!) We trust you will find the following tips very helpful in this regard. Slowly drive forward to get the trailer and tow vehicle in-line. By using a weight distribution hitch you are transferring some of the tongue weight to the front axle of your tow vehicle when you set the chains on the bars of the weight distribution hitch. Have your mechanic or other serviceperson check out all the moving parts to make sure your trailer is functional and safe to tow.
If the trailer is heavy, it will lead to greater momentum and pushing the brakes hard could lead to an accident. Routine checks of your tow vehicle and caravan or trailer will reduce breakdowns and will ensure your safety and that of others. The problem is that parking when towing service a travel trailer can be difficult.
To figure out if you need to fit a tachograph to your vehicle, simply add the gross vehicle weight of the van and the trailer together. Always attach the emergency brake cable, at least in the unlikely event the trailer comes unhitched it will stop itself.
If you haven't already purchased a tow vehicle you can tailor its specifications to your towing needs. If your car is too light to tow, say, a large family caravan, then you will have to change it for something more substantial to stay within the law and safe limits.
In case your trailer somehow disconnects from the hitch, this cable is designed to trigger the brakes on the trailer and quickly bring it to a halt. Swaying trailers are almost always the result of insufficient tongue weight, because adding tongue weight adds stability.
Balancing the load to maximise trailer stability takes some practice but generally if the car and trailer sit pretty close to level with the load aboard you have done OK. What you don't want is the trailer forcing the back of the tow vehicle to droop significantly, resulting in wandering steering and poor brake performance.
An essential tip is to drive slow, as the increased weight means you need more distance to accelerate and brake. When you're getting used to driving with a trailer in tow, give yourself generous amounts of space between cars ahead of you, and always be very proactive about signaling to other drivers on the road, as well as checking your own blind spots.
