Tow Far, Tow Good: Essential Tips

Towing a trailer is not as simple as some might think. On the other hand, it's not an overly difficult skill to learn either. The following tips can help to ensure that your towing experience is a positive and safe one, whatever your level of experience. Our first part will cover items to check and practice before heading out, and the second part will go into detailed tips on handling.

Know Before You Go
The idea here is to avoid being in transit while wondering if your brake lights work, or if you cinched the tie-down straps, or raised the trailer jack, or any other key aspect of maintenance.


Look into all those things and then some, before you even pull out of the driveway. To do this effectively, it's good to have a literal "pre-flight" checklist written on a tablet or piece of paper that you keep in the tow vehicle's glove box. In the real world, however, most folks are not likely to do that, so at the very least, go through a mental checklist before hitting the road. Surprisingly enough, it's often the experienced tower that gets overconfident and develops a lackadaisical attitude.


Your checklist should include items such as making sure all lights work properly, the hitchball is secure, all wheel nuts are tight, and tire pressure is adequate (including the spare). Also, make sure the coupler is secure (running a bolt through the coupler hole will ensure it won't pop open), the trailer jack is raised and locked in place, the trailer's emergency brake cable (or breakaway cable) is connected to the tow vehicle and the safety chains are hooked up.


Incidentally, safety chains should be crisscrossed so that if the trailer comes loose from the hitchball, the chains form a cradle to catch the loose trailer tongue and keep it from digging into the pavement and flipping over. Additionally, make sure the load is properly positioned and secured on the trailer.