Whether it’s a trailer, a boat or your home away from home, there are many reasons you may need to tow something at some point! However, your tow vehicle can only carry so much weight. If your vehicle is overloaded then both the vehicle, and whatever is being towed can cause a whole heap of problems – such as failing brakes, broken suspensions, overheated transmissions, or blown-out tires. None of these things make for happy campers, and some can be very dangerous.
We’ve put together a list that will hopefully help you avoid any issues whilst towing!
Check Your Regulations
Before you do anything with a towing vehicle, the most important thing is to make sure your car is capable of towing your trailer or boat. Small cars under 2000cc can be ruled out immediately. New Zealand Transport Agency guidelines state that the laden weight of an unbraked trailer should not exceed three quarters of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. Additionally, holders of a Class 1 Drivers Licence are only allowed operate a combined weight of the tow vehicle and loaded trailer up to 4500 kg. Combined loads in excess of this will require a Class 2 Drivers Licence, so if your boat or trailer is on the larger scale, you may require additional driver training in order to be able to tow it legally. AA have a great guide on towing restrictions which you can check out here.
Low-Pressure Tires
Maintaining the right the right pressure on both your tow vehicle and trailer will give you even tire wear, even tire wear means you’re less likely to have blow-outs from overheating. This can be a significantly dangerous scenario when it happens to your rear trailer tires so they need a lot of attention. Tires degrade more quickly when not in use. Before you hitch and go, remember to always inspect your tires and pressure.
Not Checking/Maintaining Brakes
When it comes to towing, and actually just in general – brakes are the most essential and the most overlooked safety system The brakes on your trailer won’t self-adjust the way the brakes on your tow vehicle do. As a result, the need to be manually adjusted by you. In addition to this, the brakes on your trailer will wear out like any other brake, so make sure you are regularly checking for wear and tear.
Wrong Weight Distribution Bars
If you don’t have your weight distribution bars set up right then it’ll be likely that you have your trailer and vehicle bouncing from each other which will mean a bumpy ride and possible damage to the hitch and frame. It is important to note that when it comes to weight distribution bars, bigger is not necessarily better. The bars with chains are tunable and come in various strengths and weights. If you properly load the correct bar size, they’ll be parallel to the trailer’s frame.
The Right Equipment
When it comes to towing anything you need to make sure you have the right gear. If you are using a ball then you need to make sure that your coupling hitch and tow ball are the same size. The different sizes in balls each have a different weight rating. Using the wrong mount or ball will pitch your trailer up or down on your axles and it also puts extra stress on your brakes and tires, which eventually reduces your braking ability.
If you are using a tow bar – there are typically three to choose from with self-aligning receivers – self-aligning towed vehicle-mounted receivers and the rigid A-frame tow bar. Of these three, the optimal set-up is a self-aligning coach-mounted-receiver tow bar. Since it’s self-aligning, the receiver can be adjusted from side to side, allowing for a less-than-perfect approach between the vehicles when hooking up the car for towing.
We hope these tips save you any drama when it comes to towing your boat or trailer! Til next time.