Towing in Queens Safety Tips – Rapid NYC Towing

It’s difficult to resist the temptation of the freedom of the highway, particularly when you can hook up a camper trailer and enjoy a relaxing weekend or take your boat to a popular fishing area. However, before you attach a trailer to your vehicle or SUV and get on the road, think about these six tips for safe towing.

1. Stay Within Your Limits. Examine the towing capabilities of the vehicle you’re using and ensure that it can carry your truck’s load. Overextending the towing capacity could result in unsafe handling, inadequate brakes, or severe damage to the suspension, engine, and drivetrain. Alongside ensuring that your vehicle’s capacity to tow is adequate for the trailer, you’re bringing. Also, ensure that your trailer hitch can handle the weight of your trailer. Your hitch must be labeled with the maximum towing capacity and weights that it can safely support. Based on the trailer’s weight, you must adhere to the manual’s instructions for weight-carrying and weight-distributing hitches.

2. Pack your trailer properly. It’s crucial to remain within the maximum load capacity and equally important to ensure that any cargo is placed correctly. It’s not just about having approximately 60 percent of the trailer’s weight put on the front portion that is the front of the truck. Still, you must also be loading it in a manner that produces an average tongue weight for traditional hitch trailers, which is about 10-15 percent of the total weight of the trailer loaded. Ensure that the weight is evenly distributed across both sides of the truck. After the load has been properly spread and the tongue weight is reached, All cargo must be secured to stop the load from moving.

3. Check your tires. This applies to both your tow vehicle as well as your trailer. Tires that aren’t correctly inflated can adversely affect the handling. In addition, tires that are not properly inflated can result in more rolling resistance, which can cause an engine to perform harder and use greater fuel. It also increases the temperatures of the tire and can lead to blowouts. Look up the tire pressure labels on the driver’s doorjamb to determine proper inflation pressures to the tow vehicle. Also, make sure you look up the speed rating of your vehicle towing and trailer tires and don’t exceed the speed while driving.

4. Check your lights. The markers and tail lights on your trailer might seem unnecessary; however, they’re vital. The weight of your trailer or load could block the tail lights of your vehicle towing it. If the tail lights on your trailer do not have lights, the other drivers might not be able to see your vehicle, especially in the dark. Accidents can happen if the tail lights aren’t functioning or connected correctly. A second person should stand in front of the vehicle when you are in the park to verify that the lights turn, taillights, and brake lights are working properly.

5. Check Your Brakes. The lighter, smaller trailers might not require brakes on the trailer; however, larger trailers, specifically those specifically designed to transport more weight, will typically include a brake system for trailers. If your trailer is equipped with electric or hydraulic surge brakes, ensure that your emergency “breakaway” cable is properly connected to the tow vehicle. If your trailer cannot connect to the hitch, the cable is intended to activate an engine on your vehicle to rapidly bring it to a stop.

6. Adjust Your Mirrors. Before you leave towing, ensure your side-view mirrors are set to provide an unobstructed view that extends toward the finish of your trailer. Based on the model of your vehicle, GMC may offer mirrors specifically designed to tow that extend to widen the view of the mirror.