{"id":3162,"date":"2021-10-18T21:13:39","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T08:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2021-11-25T14:48:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T01:48:15","slug":"how-to-tow-a-trailer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/how-to-tow-a-trailer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to tow a trailer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Towing a trailer is a real power move. Not a lot of people can do it, even fewer can do it well. If you want to know how to tow a trailer we can tell you how to do it safely but it\u2019s really up to you to practice. 

As a Kiwi, \u201cbacking the boat\u201d should be a national qualification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to tow a trailer below. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. Make sure it\u2019s hooked up properly. That means: 
    – The hitch is on the towball and when you bounce the drawbar up and down it doesn’t detach.
    – The safety chain is shackled to your car, usually with two different chains connecting to two different areas.
    – The lights are connected and you\u2019ve tested them. That means brake lights, indicators and hazards.
    – You\u2019ve adjusted your mirrors to see past your car and to the back corners of the trailer.
    <\/li>
  2. Distribute the weight in the trailer properly. You want the heavier stuff in front of the trailer axle and the lighter stuff behind. This helps make the trailer stable when cornering and stop \u201ctank slapping\u201d when snap inputs are made. Keep the weight distribution low to also help with stability. Obviously don\u2019t throw everything in front of the axle due to tongue weight limits. Also, if anything can depart the trailer, even a one in a million chance, strap it down.
    <\/li>
  3. All of your driving inputs should be smooth. That\u2019s turning a little later, braking sooner and accelerating slower. You\u2019re longer than normal and you can\u2019t drive like normal as a result. Don\u2019t put too much load through the tow hitch and if the trailer doesn\u2019t have brakes then make sure you\u2019re braking nice, early, and firmly. Don\u2019t exceed the recommended speed, it can lead to \u201cslapping\u201d where the trailer starts violently swinging back and forward.
    <\/li>
  4. Use the right tow vehicle. You can\u2019t tow a 6 meter boat with a Nissan Micra. Make sure that your car is suitable and rated to tow the trailer and weight that you\u2019re using. Don\u2019t overload the trailer either. That can lead to a very unstable and unsafe towing experience.
     <\/li>
  5. Make sure the tow vehicle has everything you need to tow the trailer. That means, plenty of fuel, good brakes, a jack and spare tyre in case the trailer has a blowout and always double check the trailer\u2019s brake fluid. You don\u2019t want to be stuck on the side of the road, out of gas with a trailer. Make sure you have the right tow ball and better yet, make sure you have a towbar. It\u2019s hilarious how many people don\u2019t check and then rent a trailer. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If you are going to be doing a lot of towing, then it\u2019s best to make sure the towing car is well maintained. We can help with that, book in your car for its service here <\/a>to get your car everything it needs to run properly and tow safely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Towing a trailer is a real power move. Not a lot of people can do it, even fewer can do it well. If you want to know how to tow a trailer we can tell you how to do it safely but it\u2019s really up to you to practice.  As a Kiwi, \u201cbacking the boat\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3244,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"single-wrapped-thumbnail.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[155,12,156],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-3162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-how-to","tag-my-auto-shop","tag-towing-a-trailer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3162"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3787,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions\/3787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myautoshop.co.nz\/info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=3162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}