6 Safety Tips
1. Recheck All Straps And Tie-Downs
Keeping a load under control is kind of like securing a houseful of gear during a simultaneous earthquake and hurricane. Continuous vibration, bouncing, pulling and pushing tends to shift cargo with every bump, stop and start. The resulting load spikes will inevitably stretch tie-down straps and loosen the hardware holding everything tight. Meanwhile, the 60-mph windstorm going on outside is fraying ropes, and battering covers. Next thing you know, something is flapping in the wind, your load is unbalanced, and there is smoke pouring out of your rear axle. Get in the habit of retightening all straps and tie-downs at every fuel stop.
Under-inflated tires generate...
Under-inflated tires generate heat, and become prone to failure. It's essential that they be pressurized to the maximum psi shown on the sidewall, and that you use a reliable tire gauge to check it.
2. Be Fanatical About Tires
You can't be cautious enough about checking tire pressures, especially when towing on the highway where heat builds up quickly. All it takes is one blowout on a truck or trailer to ruin your weekend. We've heard of people using pyrometers to check tires at rest stops, to find out if any are building up heat. If one tire is hotter than the others, there is always a reason why.
3. Grease Check
If your trailer's tires are good, and the brake and signal lights are working right, you may still need to repack bearing grease. Bearings are a weak point in trailers, because the hubs get hot in a very short distance. In a boat trailer, when the wheels are submerged, the hubs suddenly cool, sucking in water and grit. On other types of trailers, especially if they are not used regularly, condensation moisture can seep into hot hubs as they cool, which causes rusting and lubricant failure. Bearing grease is usually colored-coded by temperature rating. The higher temperature greases cost more, so you can balance the type of grease you need against the amount you tow.
4. Don't Borrow Trailers
For starters, your buddy's tandem- or triple-axle trailer will turn a much wider arc and handle very differently from your single-axle trailer. Driving technique aside, the issues that arise when slapping on someone else's trailer include brake controller compatibility, hitch hardware compatibility, electrical compatibility, and all the usual concerns about maintenance, weight and balance. You may have carefully worked these out for your own truck and trailer. Change trailers, and you have to start all over again.
5. Do A Pre-Flight Walk-Around
Before you hook up and take off, just take one more look around for peace of mind. Check the tie-down straps one more time. Make sure the tow truck looks good, lug nuts tight, and the trailer safety chains are crossed, with enough slack so you can turn. Make sure the locking pin is in place on the tow ball lever, that the breakaway cable is plugged in. Wheel chocks stowed? Tongue load looks good? Tongue jack is raised and locked, so it can't drop down while you drive? OK then...drive with confidence.
6. Towing Is Easy...
...stopping is hard. With a boat or trailer behind you, stopping distances are exponentially increased, even with properly proportioned electric trailer brakes. The basic rule is to allow a following distance of about 4 seconds when towing, and 6 seconds if the road is wet or visibility is compromised. At 65 mph, that's as much a 576 feet, almost three football fields. Sounds like a lot, but if you don't believe it, take your truck and trailer out on a deserted road and try a few panic stops. Assuming you survive, you'll choose to give the next guy plenty of room.
Improving Towing Capability
If you find your truck is overmatched, it may not be practical to try to upgrade, but there are a few things you can do. By installing lower (numerically higher) gears, you may be able to get a maximum-rated load rolling without stressing the transmission, rear axle, and cooling system quite so much. But you will have to tow at lower cruising speeds because of it, and mileage may suffer. Or theoretically, you could swap in a new, much heavier, set of axles that would allow for a little more tongue weight and GVWR.
Unfortunately, swapping in a new axle will also add weight that will go against your Gross Combined Weight limitation, which will not change. Another tactic would be to add cooling power, which might include a bigger/better radiator, or if turbocharged, a high-performance intercooler. If you do not already have one, an oil cooler and/or transmission cooler would be a smart move regardless. The transmission, another limiting factor, can be beefed up with a billet torque converter, and re-programmed using a chip that allows you to lock up the torque converter on hills. With the transmission not hunting between gears so much, it will live longer. Unfortunately, all these things cost real money. By the time you add it all up, plus labor, it might just be better to trade in your old truck for one built to handle the load.