Towing a Trailer - First Time hints and tips

[R0G]

mph1977 said:

despite the fact that 'freebie' B+E leads to the carnage seen on every road to the coast every year as idiots over / mis load caravans and demonstrate that their ego exceeds their ability with a trailer on the back.

no doubt you'll say the same aobut 7.5 tonners despite the sagas that Horseboxes and spot hire 7.5s cause ...

Many who passed after 1996 tow a caravan on a B licence legally

Example.....
Licence = B
Vehicle
GVW 2100
Kerb 1600
Towing capacity 1600

Caravan MPTLM/MAM 1400

[mph1977]

R0G said:

mph1977 said:

despite the fact that 'freebie' B+E leads to the carnage seen on every road to the coast every year as idiots over / mis load caravans and demonstrate that their ego exceeds their ability with a trailer on the back.

no doubt you'll say the same aobut 7.5 tonners despite the sagas that Horseboxes and spot hire 7.5s cause ...

Many who passed after 1996 tow a caravan on a B licence legally

Example.....
Licence = B
Vehicle
GVW 2100
Kerb 1600
Towing capacity 1600

Caravan MPTLM/MAM 1400

that's true ROG but iirc this is derogation and not the intention of the underpinning EU directive ( same as driving some D1s on a cat B)

[surveyor]

Towing is all about smotheness. I find it more relaxing towing than not as I don't feel that if I press on I'll get there faster.

Few exceptions for me:

Caravan crapped it's lights in heavy rain. Rush to beat darkness. I surprised one or two Sunday drivers that day. a 3.2 diesel E class is still fairly quick.

Had nipped to Cornwall from Bristol to pick up my parents caravan. A 1.8 petrol laguna not very quick in these circumstances, but it was 'change over' Saturday, so quickness not really an option. Eventually got to M5 and in get back mode moved into Lane 3. Couple of minutes later noticed the caravan in the mirror. Pulled back and tried to ignore the outraged faces passing me.

ETA - I don't agree about the kink. I prefer to start the reverse straight. If I have a brain fart and steer the wrong way I'll recognise it sooner.

[MX51ROD]

R0G said:

If I have it correct then its 2200 kgs towing capacity so as long as the actual weight of the trailer + the car on it is not more than that it should cope very safely with a driver on a B+E licence

I am ok with my licence , I passed when Jesus was still in nappies , also passing a M/C test the year before on a moped ,and only ever used a moped
So can drive anything on 2 wheels ( frightening isn’t it ) , tracked vehicles , and any vehicle up to 7500kg . including towed trailers .

[blueg33]

Thanks Guys - the trip went without any issues.

The tailer was huge - 16ft bed plus drawbar etc so about 19-20ft long. It was pretty easy to reverse as long as I could watch what the back of the trailer was doing. I reversed it onto my tight drive twice.

The journey was mostly motorway at a steady 60mph, I actually improved on the car's usual average mpg!

[MGJohn]

blueg33 said:

Thanks Guys - the trip went without any issues.

The tailer was huge - 16ft bed plus drawbar etc so about 19-20ft long. It was pretty easy to reverse as long as I could watch what the back of the trailer was doing. I reversed it onto my tight drive twice.

The journey was mostly motorway at a steady 60mph,I actually improved on the car's usual average mpg!

When I first discovered that using a similar sized, braked twin-axle trailer loaded with a medium sized family saloon, I posted my findings on a car web site. Some folks thought I was a liar or had miscalculated. They, not me, were wrong!

Reversing a trailer. As with so many things, practice makes .... becomes second nature with experience.

[dutchgray]

MGJohn said:

blueg33 said:

Thanks Guys - the trip went without any issues.

The tailer was huge - 16ft bed plus drawbar etc so about 19-20ft long. It was pretty easy to reverse as long as I could watch what the back of the trailer was doing. I reversed it onto my tight drive twice.

The journey was mostly motorway at a steady 60mph,I actually improved on the car's usual average mpg!

When I first discovered that using a similar sized, braked twin-axle trailer loaded with a medium sized family saloon, I posted my findings on a car web site. Some folks thought I was a liar or had miscalculated. They, not me, were wrong!

Reversing a trailer. As with so many things, practice makes .... becomes second nature with experience.

Although if you drove as you did when towing all the time the normal average mpg would be much greater. I cant tow as I'm too young and am not allowed on my licence but I would be allowed to get a tractor and tow with that, and the gross train weight then is something silly like 20 tons.

[R0G]

dutchgray said:

I cant tow as I'm too young and am not allowed on my licence

You can tow on a B licence providing the trailer plated MAM is not more than vehicle kerbweight and the vehicle GVW plus trailer plated MAM does not add up to more than 3500 kgs

Vehicle
GVW 2000
Kerbweight 1500
Towing capacity 1500

Trailer
MAM 1500

Legal on a B licence

[MGJohn]

dutchgray said:

MGJohn said:

blueg33 said:

Thanks Guys - the trip went without any issues.

The tailer was huge - 16ft bed plus drawbar etc so about 19-20ft long. It was pretty easy to reverse as long as I could watch what the back of the trailer was doing. I reversed it onto my tight drive twice.

The journey was mostly motorway at a steady 60mph,I actually improved on the car's usual average mpg!

When I first discovered that using a similar sized, braked twin-axle trailer loaded with a medium sized family saloon, I posted my findings on a car web site. Some folks thought I was a liar or had miscalculated. They, not me, were wrong!

Reversing a trailer. As with so many things, practice makes .... becomes second nature with experience.

Although if you drove as you did when towing all the time the normal average mpg would be much greater. I cant tow as I'm too young and am not allowed on my licence but I would be allowed to get a tractor and tow with that, and the gross train weight then is something silly like 20 tons.

Precisely. If ever I acquire sufficient willpower to do that whilst 'driving normally', I believe my fuel consumption figures would be improved considerably. However, I will never tire of using that turbo boost most journeys. It is more than a tad addictive.

[GreigM]

MGJohn said:

Precisely. If ever I acquire sufficient willpower to do that whilst 'driving normally', I believe my fuel consumption figures would be improved considerably. However, I will never tire of using that turbo boost most journeys. It is more than a tad addictive.

and me....I could hypermile and double my normal consumption.....but that ain't much fun is it!

[tehguy]

Avoid engine braking if you can, slow down with the footbrake then change gear when you are at your new speed (including block changes).

The mechanical overrun type brake on most trailers does not act instantly when you apply the brakes on the car, as it needs the trailer to 'run into' the car. Therefore when applying the brakes quite hard you will feel a sudden jolt as the trailer first pushes against the car, then applies its own brakes and pulls back on the car. A well maintained trailer should lock up all of its brakes when you brake hard in the car. This said, you should absolutely avoid braking during turns whilst towing.

Remember you will be much longer and quite possibly wider, so take extra effort not to cut corners. Reversing is very easy, no need for stupid assistance systems just use the mk1 eyeball and look at where the trailer is going, then turn the wheels accordingly.

When loading the trailer make sure the load is well distributed and very well secured - it should not shift at all under braking or cornering. Keep the weight spread evenly over the axles, biased ever so slightly forwards so that you get as close to the maximum hitch weight of the tow car (normally 75kg).

Make sure all the lights on the trailer work, the jockey wheel is stowed correctly whilst travelling and absolutely make sure the breakaway cable is attached to a suitable point on the tow car.

[MGJohn]

tehguy said:

Avoid engine braking if you can, slow down with the footbrake then change gear when you are at your new speed (including block changes).

The mechanical overrun type brake on most trailers does not act instantly when you apply the brakes on the car, as it needs the trailer to 'run into' the car. Therefore when applying the brakes quite hard you will feel a sudden jolt as the trailer first pushes against the car, then applies its own brakes and pulls back on the car. A well maintained trailer should lock up all of its brakes when you brake hard in the car. This said, you should absolutely avoid braking during turns whilst towing.

Remember you will be much longer and quite possibly wider, so take extra effort not to cut corners. Reversing is very easy, no need for stupid assistance systems just use the mk1 eyeball and look at where the trailer is going, then turn the wheels accordingly.

When loading the trailer make sure the load is well distributed and very well secured - it should not shift at all under braking or cornering. Keep the weight spread evenly over the axles, biased ever so slightly forwards so that you get as close to the maximum hitch weight of the tow car (normally 75kg).

Make sure all the lights on the trailer work, the jockey wheel is stowed correctly whilst travelling and absolutely make sure the breakaway cable is attached to a suitable point on the tow car.

Superb advice particularly :~

tehguy said:

.
you should absolutely avoid braking during turns whilst towing.
.

Not to do so is the stuff "Jack-knifing" is made of.... very scary!

So, worth repeating from my previous post on the thread :~

MGJohn said:

.
Above all allow yourself time and space to ensure all/most of your braking is in a straight line. Also, do not enter a roundabout or bend slowing so that the trailer is trying to jack-knife. That can be asking for trouble if you have to brake as some plonker jumps out in front of you. Lose speed BEFORE the roundabout or bend and pass them at a level even speed, never slowing. Very slight acceleration is OK out of a curve but slowing on any curve or bend can be asking for trouble.
.

[MGJohn]

doogz said:

Why avoid engine braking?

Not how I was taught, plus if you're rolling down a big hill, you probably don't want to completely cook your service brakes before you get to any potential hazard/corner at the bottom.

I'm generally not a fan of the IAM method of doing all your braking, then looking for the correct gear, over being in the correct gear for the speed and conditions at the time.
.

Precisely ... 100% Agreed all aspects. Used sensibly, engine braking is an asset driving normally or whilst towing ~ Best in a straight line as with any braking when towing.

Reminiscent of some Alpine descents, coming down the long descent of the notorious nearby Crickley Hill on the A417, past the Air Ballon Pub at the top with a loaded trailer, I always use the engine for braking. Otherwise you can easily cook those brakes and induce severe fade.

Notorious because hardly a week passes without an 'incident' in the Radio5Live traffic reports where some commercial has come unstuck, sometimes a daily occurrence.

Many hills carry a roadside sign advising commercials to use lower gears on the descent. Good advice.

[MGJohn]

doogz said:

MGJohn said:

Precisely ... 100% Agreed all aspects. Used sensibly, engine braking is an asset driving normally or whilst towing ~ Best in a straight line as with any braking when towing.

Reminiscent of some Alpine descents, coming down the long descent of the notorious nearby Crickley Hill on the A417, past the Air Ballon Pub at the top with a loaded trailer, I always use the engine for braking. Otherwise you can easily cook those brakes and induce severe fade.

Notorious because hardly a week passes without an 'incident' in the Radio5Live traffic reports where some commercial has come unstuck, sometimes a daily occurrence.

I'm confused, do you or don't you condone engine braking when towing? You're agreed with 2 completely opposite views in the last 2 posts!?

I absolutely use engine braking, both when driving normally and when towing ... sensibly. I advise against, not condone, braking by any method when towing except in a straight line. Certainly circumstances mean that is not always possible but, I complete many long towing journeys without having to brake except in a straight line. You simply drive to allow for that possibility always in mind.

When towing, you are in charge of what is effectively an articulated truck and Jack-knifing is to be avoided.

[_Neal_]

doogz said:

Why avoid engine braking?

Not how I was taught, plus if you're rolling down a big hill, you probably don't want to completely cook your service brakes before you get to any potential hazard/corner at the bottom.

I'm generally not a fan of the IAM method of doing all your braking, then looking for the correct gear, over being in the correct gear for the speed and conditions at the time.

To be clear, the IAM method does not preclude using engine braking to control speed where appropriate (like on a long hill) but you should generally not overlap braking and changing gear. Approaching a long hill can be an exception to this. Being in the correct gear for speed and conditions is a key part of the IAM approach too.

On topic, interesting thread - never had to tow so far, but seems like good advice above.

[Zoobeef]

_Neal_ said:

but you should generally not overlap braking and changing gear.

So I shouldn't be heal and toeing with a trailer?

[MGJohn]

Zoobeef said:

_Neal_ said:

but you should generally not overlap braking and changing gear.

So I shouldn't be heal and toeing with a trailer?
.

Only when going for the Lap Record ..

[_Neal_]

doogz said:

Yes, it was specifically the braking and changing gear I was really referring to. I'll change down and rev match as I'm braking, so that if the road should open up or anything else should happen, I've got some 'go' under my right foot by being in the correct gear, as opposed to drawing up to a junction/give way/slip at 15mph in 5th.

Fair enough - IAM method would say (as I was taught it) effectively "don't pick the gear until you're going to use it" - so if you know you're going to have to stop (e.g. a Stop line/line of traffic) stop in the gear you're in, and if you may have to use some "go" then pick the right gear for that instead. It certainly isn't the case that you crawl up to junctions/give way lines/slip roads in a meaningless high gear and then have to grab the gear at the last second.

Sounds like you and a good driver using the IAM system would drive in a pretty similar way and end up in the same (hopefully correct!) gear at the same time - albeit that you heel and toe. Personally, I don't tend to overlap my braking and downshifts - I do rev match though, and will "block" downshift rather than going through every gear on the way down the 'box.

As for heel and toeing with a trailer, can't really comment as have never towed - but as I say heel and toe isn't the textbook IAM way, due to brake/gearchange separation. If you can heel and toe well it'll be smooth, so that's a good thing.

[mph1977]

doogz said:

Why avoid engine braking?

aside from the wear and fuel factors in normal driving

if you are driving with a trailer that has overrun brakes you need the trailer to 'run into' the towbar with sufficient force to apply the trailer brakes

[quote]
Not how I was taught, plus if you're rolling down a big hill, you probably don't want to completely cook your service brakes before you get to any potential hazard/corner at the bottom.

i also wonder if there is a terminology difficulty

'engine braking' in modern driving instruction and discussion of AD practice is about actually 'braking' using the driving train rather than being in the correct gear

this is not the 1950s ; drastically improved brake fluids, disc brakes vs drums...

also the rare situations where even with modern braking systems that 'engine braking' is required rather than being in the appropriate gear


[quote]
I'm generally not a fan of the IAM method of doing all your braking, then looking for the correct gear, over being in the correct gear for the speed and conditions at the time.

it's not the 'the IAM method' it's the correct practice in all forms of driving instruction basic, vocational and advanced recognising that braking systems have progressed somewhat since the war .

also overlap if done poorly (by the majority of drivers who are unconsciously incompetent - as the DSA standard does not teach to a sufficiently high level , or becasue their DSA instruction was decades ago ) destabilises the vehicle...

[RenesisEvo]

blueg33 said:

Trailer is a tilt bed and I will load the Alp rear first so that the CoG is slightly forward of the trailer axle.

It's not always a good idea to load cars rear first on the trailer - by and large cars are not designed to do 60mph backwards. Nevermind the horrendous drag caused by towing the car the wrong way around, you can risk losing mirrors/mirror casings and other bits. I'd suggest putting the car on in the intended direction, then finding other means to get the weight right.