Trailer Towing Tips

Those of you who regularly pull a boat or travel trailer probably already know about all you need to know about towing.  But for those who are new to towing or who only tow boats or trailers occasionally, you might find some value in the tips in this post.

Trailers can be a useful addition to just about any outdoor enthusiast's resources.  As your family grows and/or your accumulation of equipment increases, you may exceed the cargo capacity of your regular vehicle.  When you do, a trailer can conveniently add lots of additional load carrying capacity.  Many trailers also add extra capabilities.  Tent trailers, for example, get you up off the cold, bumpy ground and provide quite roomy and comfortable respite from unpleasant weather.  Trailers can carry bikes, tents, OHVs, and all kinds of extra equipment and supplies.  Trailers are often your only option for bringing along boats and personal water craft.

First of all, proper preparation of both the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle is critical.  Towing puts an extra load on just about all parts of the vehicle doing the towing:  engine, transmission, differential, brakes, cooling system and even the suspension and the frame.  ALWAYS be sure the vehicle and the hitch are rated to tow the weight being towed.  I have seen the results of attempting to tow a trailer larger than the towing vehicle is rated to handle.  They range from overheated engines and transmissions to spectacular accidents that totally destroyed both tow vehicle and trailer.  I saw a half-ton pickup towing a 28' travel trailer flipped by high winds like it was light as cardboard.  Both were totally destroyed.  The trailer fell apart to where the only thing left visible above the frame was the generator.  The rest was essentially nothing but kindling.

Avoid overloading your trailer.  You've all likely seen overheated vehicles pulled over on long grades, often the result of overloading.  Overloading will significantly increase fuel consumption and create very real safety hazards, and increase the risk of overheating, especially when negotiating mountain roads.  Many trailers are large enough that they can be easily loaded beyond their safe weight capacity.  Keep track of what you load and don't exceed the maximum weight rating.  Don't forget about how much stuff you might have loaded into you boat when you trailer it.  Boat trailers ideally are capable of handling more than the weight of the boat they are designed to carry but it would be a very good idea to weight your boat and trailer with it fully loaded with equipment and supplies to be sure you aren't exceeding either the trailer or tow vehicle weight rating.

Make sure all the tires on all vehicles, trailer and tow vehicle, are properly inflated and have a safe amount of tread and have not aged out.  Verify engine oil, transmission fluid, and coolant levels on the tow vehicle.  Know the condition of the brakes and wheel bearings and tires on the trailer.  Make certain the hitch you are using is rated to handle the load you'll be towing.  Hitch pins typically come in both 1/2" and 5/8" diameters.  Using a 1/2" hitch pin in a hitch with a 5/8" hole will result in unwanted movement and clunking of the hitch, possibly creating excess wear that may cause a premature failure.  Secure all loads (inside and out) so they won't be blown around at highway speeds or tossed around during changes in speed or direction.

Towing means you will need to make adjustments to your normal driving patterns.  First of all, your combined vehicle length and weight will be greater than you are used to and you need to compensate, -- slowing down earlier, giving yourself more room for accelerating, turning, lane changes, and stopping.  It may be difficult to judge when it is safe to pull back in after passing another vehicle when you have something in tow.  If necessary, err on the side of caution and give yourself plenty of room.  If someone towing a trailer passes you, you can help them by flashing your lights when it is safe for the to pull in front of you.

You also need to pay attention to what you are towing while you are towing.  Frequently check your rear view mirrors or backup camera.  A significant change in the side to side angle may indicate a flat tire.  Flat tires may also cause smoking and a rumbling feeling transmitted through the hitch.  If you suspect a flat tire, slow down and find a safe place to pull over as soon as possible.  Better safe than sorry.  If you don't find anything wrong,  you will have only lost a few minutes, but if you fail to pull over you will greatly magnify the potential damage.  Left unattended,  a flat tire can cause significant damage to a trailer and perhaps to other vehicles following or passing you.  One careless driver started wildfires all across Idaho and Washington because he continued to drive with a burning tire!  He was held liable for millions of dollars worth of damage and fire fighting costs.

Avoid sway.  Swaying can be caused by a number of things.  Wind often plays a significant part as do gust from passing trucks.  An anti-sway bar help reduce sway.  It consists of a friction bar between the hitch and the trailer tongue that dampens sway.  Having too little weight on the tongue can increase the risk of sway.  Make sure the weight on your trailer is properly distributed.  Boats with outboard motors hanging off the back shift a lot of weight off the tongue so removing the motor and carrying it in the tow vehicle or in the cockpit of the boat will help with weight distribution.  Our sailboat started swaying really badly on the way to the lake just 1 mile from home.  One of the wooden bunk boards that supported the boat had broken, letting boat fall down onto the fender, pushing it into the tire and creating significant drag on that side. If your trailer starts to sway, slow down until it stabilizes.   Pull over as soon as you can find a safe place to do so.  Try to determine what triggered it to start swaying.  Things to consider:  over steering, wind gusts, un-level roads, poorly distributed weight.  There isn't much you can do about roads or winds except slow down so they have less effect but if you caused the problem by over-correcting, speeding, or changing lanes too quickly, learn your lesson, drive prudently, and always make  small, smooth, slow changes.  If weight distribution appears to be a factor, shift some of the load to put more weight on the tongue.  If  you have a sway bar, try tightening it down more to increase the amount of friction inside of it.   Anti-sway bars typically have two parts.  One slides inside the other.  One is hooked to the hitch, the other to the trailer tongue.  One of the parts includes a friction material like that used on brakes.  There is a lever that adjust the amount of pressure and thus the amount of friction within the sway bar.  Note that sway bars on boat trailer might get wet and be less effective until they dry out.

Slow down!  The extra weight puts more strain on your tow vehicle and can seriously affect handling.  Trailers are more likely to sway or fishtail at higher speeds.  Maintaining a slower speed reduces the risk of fishtailing.  If you see or feel your trailer start to swerve behind you slow down right away!  You may have seen the speed limits U-haul imposes when you rent their trailers.  That has come from years of experience and hundreds of thousands of miles of towing.   In some states, such as California, vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55 mph, even on freeways with much higher normal speed limits.  In addition, slow down right away at the first sign of trouble.  If your trailer starts to sway, you feel an unusual vibration, hear strange sounds, or see smoke near the wheels and tires, slow down and pull over and locate and correct the problem before it becomes catastrophic.

State laws governing towing may differ so be sure you understand the limitations before you find yourself getting pulled over.   Some states have limitations or restrictions on passengers riding in a travel trailer.   Where is allowed it often requires two-way communication such as walkie talkies or some kind of intercom between the trailer and the driver of the tow vehicle.  Overall length and weight limits may also vary.  Some states prohibit towing more than one trailer while in others it may be permitted.  California, for example, prohibits towing more than one trailer but when I moved to Utah it wasn't unusual to see a large pickup pulling a travel trailer pulling a boat.

When is a trailer not a trailer?  In California where towing multiple trailers is prohibited I saw one-wheeled motorcycle trailers being legally pulled behind travel trailers.  That is because the one-wheeled "trailer" was not "articulated", that is, it was connected to the tow vehicle in at least two places, making it legally an extension of the tow vehicle instead of a trailer.

Trailer licensing varies from state to state also.  Some states required license plates on all trailers.  Some only required them on trailers over a certain loaded weight.  Trailer licenses typically follow the same renewal pattern as motor vehicles, but not always.  When I lived in California they introduced a "Perpetual Trailer License" that did not have to be renewed each year.  Typically you will be OK if the license status of your trailer is proper for the state of your residence, allowing, for example, an Oregon resident to tow a light weight, unlicensed trailer with his/her Oregon licensed vehicle and driver's license in another state even if that state requires all trailers to be licensed.

Tow away!

Boat Insurance

Boat insurance is usually required if you keep your boat in a marina and, like auto insurance or rv insurance, provides liability protection in case of an accident, and may protect your investment in your boat.  Liability insurance protects you and the marina operator and your fellow boaters if there is an accident in the marina or on the water.  Requiring liability insurance also protects you by making sure other boaters have coverage should they cause an accident that damages your boat or injures you.   So the insurance requirement is both understandable and reasonable.  Including comprehensive or "full coverage" protects you by paying for the damage to your boat if  you are at fault in an accident or the boat is damaged by storms, uninsured boaters, etc.  and is usually required by the lender if your boat is financed.   If someone else is at fault when your boat is damaged they should be liable for repairing your boat.

One thing I noticed when I purchased our boat insurance was it asked for a "declared value" for the boat.   The declared value will be the most the insurance company will pay out if your boat is totaled.  You may want to verify the value of your boat from time to time.  I used what I had seen as asking prices for similar boats to determine the value of my boat, but that was prior to investing a considerable amount of time and money in fully restoring both the boat and the trailer.  Once that was done I should have increased the "declared value".   A couple of years later a problem with the trailer dumped our 24' sailboat onto the pavement on the way to the lake, destroying both the mast and the swing keel.  Since it is a vintage boat, replacement parts are somewhat difficult to come by and the estimated cost of repairs quickly exceeded the "declared value" of the policy.   Re-evaluating the value at the time of annual renewal to account for the reconditioning might have given us a larger margin for repairs or replacement.   The real market value of a boat is likely to change over time.  Usually, like most other personal assets, it will probably depreciate.  A lower declared value might lower your annual premiums, but not always.  The default for declared value when I insured my boat was $10,000.  I reduced the declared value, hoping to lower my premium, but the premium remained the same and at that point the web page wouldn't let me change the declared value back to the default!    If, by chance, your boat increases in value due to improvements or market demand, you will want to increase the declared value to ensure adequate coverage to repair or replace it if something does happen to it.  If you can't do it on the web, call an insurance agent.

Boat  insurance may also include an allowance for personal property.  This allowance covers anything you might have in the boat -- clothing, bedding, tools, special equipment etc.  It would behoove you to keep a record of the personal property together with receipts or other proof of cost in case it is lost or damaged in an accident.  The electronic navigation equipment and other modern electronic amenities are often quite pricey, so having receipts showing the value is worth the hassle if you ever need to file a claim.

The amount you have to pay for boat insurance will depend on several factors, including but not limited to the type and value of your boat and where it is normally kept along with the coverage you select.  You probably won't find as many carriers who offer boat insurance as there are that offer automobile insurance, but you should still be able to shop around to get the best value.  Always look at the coverage as well as the premiums.  Getting the lowest price does not always mean you are getting the best value.

On the water towing is an option often offered along with your insurance.  Before paying for on the water towing, make sure such services are available where you use your boat.  You will probably find them at most ocean harbors but they are less frequently found on inland lakes.  No sense paying extra for a service you can never use!

Making a claim is about the same as making a claim on your auto insurance.  Call the phone number on your insurance card.  You will need your policy number, the year, make, and model of your boat, the date, time, and location of the accident, a detailed description of the accident, and the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.  You may also be asked for a police or law enforcement case number so the incident should be immediately reported to the proper authorities.  In many cases making a claim can increase your future premiums so you don't want to file a claim for trivial damage, even if you have a zero or low deductible.  If your boat is financed the lender will want to make sure it is properly repaired.

Insurance is good to have if something unexpected happens.  But, of course, it is always better to avoid accidents in the first place.  Keep all of your equipment in good repair and inspect it before each use.  Avoid operating your boat or towing it when under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication or when you are unusually tired or stressed.  Always be alert to conditions around you and plan ahead for what you will do if something threatening occurs.  Our accident was caused by failure of one of the bunk boards the boat rested on on the trailer.  They were only two years old and I had upgraded them from the original 2x4's to pressure treated 2x6's for an extra margin of safety.  Why one of them failed is still unknown, as they were made of treated lumber and were largely protected from weather since installation.  Perhaps a defect in the integrity of the tree they were cut from I guess.  Maybe a closer inspection of the boards when I purchased them might have prevented the accident -- if the flaw was visible.

Ensure that you are properly insured!