South-East Queensland is one of the best places in Australia for exploration and camping. In the pursuit of that adventure, you’ll more than likely be towing either a trailer or small camper. This post provides some quick – but essential – tips on ensuring your experience is a safe one for yourself and other road users.
All tyres have a manufacturing date on them; it’s next to the rim, usually with an asterisk on either side. Trailers, and vehicles, are both commonly sold as ‘new’ but have old tyres which can be unsafe if too old. Whether buying or hiring, it’s best practice to check. With highways connecting the best locations, transit is often at high speed. This makes the reliability of the tyres critical to the towing safety.
You need to know your numbers. The weight your vehicle can tow, the trailer tare weight (empty), and the load weight (aggregate trailer mass, ATM) are pivotal to avoiding mechanical/structural failure. Don’t take it for granted that your vehicle is able to tow heavy loads, know what you can safely tow. Inspect the ID plate on the trailer for the general towing mass.
If towing long distances, it’s a good idea to buy towing mirrors to extend your field of vision. You can also buy weight distribution hitches – highly recommended for long distances – to prevent the load wandering.
When loading, check the trailer and the vehicle sit flat. If the vehicle is high in the rear, the load is too far back in the trailer. This will affect the handling/steering and breaking of the vehicle. For a full guide, see this RoadHitch article and see the video on this page. Try to position the load in the centre of the trailer, above the axles.
Another precaution to take is to only tow 80% of maximum towing specification. If frequently towing, this will work to prolong the life of your tow vehicle. Brake controllers, heavy duty suspension, and heavy duty tow bars should also be considered for rougher terrain.
Set yourself a plan to drive to road conditions, especially in wet weather. Take your time, slow down while towing as your vehicle acts differently with a load behind it: it will affect both your breaking and handling/steering. This is the second highest impact to towing safety.
It’s a good idea to travel 20% slower in wet and unstable conditions (e.g. gravel roads). This will avoid jackknifing if you have to stop quickly. When towing you need to allow more room for your turning circumference. Go as wide as practical on sharp corners to avoid collision with curbs, pedestrians, and telephone poles.
However, if you’re safety conscious or hesitant to move precious goods, that’s where we can help! Quicktow Titltray Transport is more than capable of getting the job done across South-East Queensland. For further checks and tips on towing check out Caravan towing for beginners, 5 Tips to safely tow a trailer and 6 Tips to trailer reversing. Feel free to email a quote 24/7 or contact us on Facebook.
