Driving with a trailer - any hints?

[bennyboydurham]

For some reason I've made it to the tender age of 36 without ever towing a trailer. All this changes tomorrow as I'm due to drop a livestock trailer (loaded with a marquee thankfully, not livestock!) off in Northallerton, about an hour from here. Tow car is my MiL's Freelander 2.

I'm somewhat apprehensive about this. Any towing hints/advice/dos or donts fellow PHers?

[Stu R]

Smooth inputs, don't try and turn too sharply, and don't crash anywhere near Chester Le Street or Durham, I need to use the motorway in the morning

FL2's are fine tow cars, you'll barely know it's there, which brings me on to my final point, don't forget it is.

[davepoth]

You know how you've left a lot of extra room to clear the corner? Leave twice as much.

[andy-xr]

Bit more room round corners, avoid reversing if you dont have to, and watch the rear of the trailer if you do have to, or get someone to spot you

Also keep an eye on speed limits, it's easy to forget sometimes that you're towing

[CR6ZZ]

Make sure your tow ball and coupling are compatible and make sure you are properly hitched up with safety chain on (sounds common sense but I've seen people come to grief too often to not check those things). Make sure all the trailer lights work. If the trailer has hydraulic brakes, inactivate them before trying to reverse....

[4key]

Use all of the available road, if youre turning left hug the white line to your right before you turn. Wind the jockey wheel up before you drive off, see lots of people do that one.

[Hasbeen]

Check the wheel alignment of the trailer if possible.

As Stu R says keep it smooth. On the highway, always put on too little turn of the wheel for the curve you are going around, & keep tightening your turn as necessary. Turning in too much, taking off some wheel, then turning in again is what gets the trailer swaying.

[4key]

Dont forget thay the back corner on the side that you cant see swings out when you are turning tight

[Pontoneer]

Remember to allow additional stopping distance , and that lower speed limits sometimes apply to vehicles towing trailers .

[230TE]

I suspect that most accidents with heavy trailers happen when going downhill. A vehicle/trailer combination is a lot less stable going downhill, power off, than going uphill or on the flat. Be careful with steep descents, keep your speed down. Generally I knock about 10 - 15 mph off my normal towing speed before the start of even a modest descent, if I have a loaded trailer on the back.

[Viperzs]

It's easier than you think really.

Once it's all hooked up, have a look around and get a feel of the size of it. Chances are it won't add any width to the car. With that in mind it should give you more confidence passing things as you know you're not sticking out.

Other than that, everything you do, the trailer will do. And as said, don't forget you've got the trailer

[TallbutBuxomly]

make sure the trailer is evenly loaded too much forward back or left or right will make it more prone to wag it's tail.

Make sure you put the safety chain on the toward bracket rather than round the tow ball.

jockey wheel up brake off check all lights function.

The longer the trailer the wider the arc at the rear when you turn.

Remember you have reduced turning circle so don't try a you turn style turn the way you would without the trailer as the trailers a bar will connect with the rear of your car.


If the trailer starts to sway. DO NOT PANIC. Stay calm don't actively try correct the sway through steering you will only make it infinitely worse.


I can't remember as its second nature to me whether you accelerate to cancel out sway fairly certain it is.

Reversing left is right right is left.

[dreamer75]

If you have to reverse, put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go. Useful until you get used to which way the trailer goes when you turn the wheel ! Also when going backwards, small inputs make a big difference to the trailer - a lot of people over steer when reversing with the trailer on

If the car is up to th ejob and the trailer relatively light, its scarily easy to forget the trailer is there.

No outside lane on the motorway, 50mph max on a single carriageway NSL, 60 on a dual/motorway.

Check the lights before setting off, remember it takes loads more room to pull out to overtake on a dual carriageway/motorway, but really it's easy. If I can do it, anybody can !

[Rawwr]

Don't use it to carry dead bodies, drugs or guns.

[Denis O]

A little tip I learned when reversing is that the trailer goes in the same direction as the bottom of the steering wheel.

i.e. turn steering wheel to left lock, the bottom of the wheel goes right so the trailer goes right.

Reversing is really the only major issue as it is counter intuitive. The rest is just like driving a much longer vehicle so take the obvious precautions.

[Denis O]

Obviously the same trainer as dreamer!!!

[thinfourth2]

Best advice is forward planning

Try not to get into a situation where you have to reverse.

But after picking up the trailer head for an empty carpark and have a play at reversing.

Also if you go near a supermarket do you best to get into the bad parking thread by taking up 4 spaces

TallbutBuxomly said:

Remember you have reduced turning circle so don't try a you turn style turn the way you would without the trailer as the trailers a bar will connect with the rear of your car.

Basically rubbish

I've never seen a trailer that hits the back of the towcar at full lock

[4key]

thinfourth2 said:

Basically rubbish

I've never seen a trailer that hits the back of the towcar at full lock

They do if you are going backwards

[TallbutBuxomly]

thinfourth2 said:

Best advice is forward planning

Try not to get into a situation where you have to reverse.

But after picking up the trailer head for an empty carpark and have a play at reversing.

Also if you go near a supermarket do you best to get into the bad parking thread by taking up 4 spaces

TallbutBuxomly said:

Remember you have reduced turning circle so don't try a you turn style turn the way you would without the trailer as the trailers a bar will connect with the rear of your car.

Basically rubbish

I've never seen a trailer that hits the back of the towcar at full lock

Basically... Not rubbish. I have been towing trailers since I was a teen and as a kid spent a lot of time caravanning with my parents and have seen numerous people do so as poster above says normally backwards but have seen it done forwards as well.

Edited by TallbutBuxomly on Tuesday 21st August 08:38

[kambites]

I'd not come across a trailer with a short enough draw to touch the back of the car at full lock until I bought our little box trailer. There's a small scratch on the bumper in testament to the fact that that will.

To the OP: Just be careful and remember that it's there.