Millions of cars are towed each year. Usually it’s for unpaid parking tickets, a lapsed registration, or simply being parked in one place for more than 72 hours.
Several common towing mistakes trigger serious accidents and deadly injuries on roadways. Knowing your truck and trailer’s capacities can help prevent them. Reach out to Phoenix Towing for expert assistance.
The payload of a towing vehicle is the maximum amount of weight that can be carried on its axles. This includes the vehicle’s own weight, passengers & cargo. It does not include the weight of a trailer or camper. In addition to calculating your truck or SUV’s payload capacity, you should also take into account the weight of the trailer you are pulling and its tongue weight.
Manufacturers often advertise high payload capacities for their trucks on TV ads, with numbers splashed across the screen & dramatically growled by husky-voiced announcers. However, these advertised figures are often misleading & can lead to costly mistakes. For example, if you buy a truck that has a advertised payload capacity of 10,000 pounds but don’t consider the weight of the trailer you will be towing, you could overload your vehicle. This can cause serious damage to your vehicle & put you and other drivers at risk.
Driving a vehicle over its payload capacity can damage the vehicle’s suspension, brakes & structure. It can also increase wear on the tires & axle bearings & reduce fuel efficiency. In some cases, exceeding the payload limit may void your vehicle’s warranty. Additionally, overloaded vehicles tend to have lower value at resale & can be more difficult to sell. Sticking to the vehicle’s specified payload limit is essential for safety & reliability. It can also help to maintain the value of your vehicle & make it easier to find buyers for its resale.
Weight Distribution
The weight distribution of your towing vehicle is important to keep in mind. A weight distribution hitch helps to distribute the tongue weight of your trailer evenly between the front and rear axles of the towing vehicle. This can help to prevent the front axle of your vehicle from being overloaded, which can lead to loss of steering control and braking problems.
If you’re unfamiliar with towing lingo, some terms like “GVWR,” “GAWR” and “GCWR” might sound confusing at first. GVWR stands for gross vehicle weight rating and refers to the maximum weight that your towing vehicle can carry on its own, including the weight of the engine and cargo in the cabin and bed of the truck. GAWR, on the other hand, refers to the maximum weight that a particular axle can hold. Each axle is given its own ratings, which are the FR or front rating and the RR or rear rating.
To determine your trailer’s tongue weight, find a sturdy, level board or block and place it under the trailer tongue. Then balance the board, and stand on it to measure your weight. Subtract your weight from the total board weight to get an estimate of your trailer’s tongue weight. If you’re using a weight distribution system, it should also help to increase your trailer’s stability on the road by spreading out the tongue weight more evenly.
Brakes
Whether you’re new to towing or a veteran, the forces of inertia can cause some serious swaying and braking power is needed on both sides to bring everything to a safe stop. That’s why you need to have a good set of trailer brakes and a dependable system to control them.
Depending on the type of trailer, these may be mechanical or electric. Mechanical trailer brakes use a sliding shaft that when pushed by the vehicle slowing down exerts pressure directly on mechanical brake drums (mechanical brakes) or through a hydraulic actuator (hydraulic brakes). Electric trailer brakes require an electrical connection to a tow vehicle and are typically controlled with a small remote knob mounted somewhere within reach of the driver, usually under the dash or in the center console.
Proportional trailer braking systems are preferred and typically operate with sensors or accelerometers that monitor your vehicle’s primary brakes, then send a proportional amount of power to the towed car’s brakes via wires. This ensures that your towed car stops at the same rate as your motorhome, making it easier to maintain control.
A new option is the Elecbrakes proportional trailer brake controller, which is installed on the trailer itself rather than in the tow vehicle. The compact device features a high-speed microprocessor connected to sensors that continuously sample the operating parameters of your brakes and communicate wirelessly with an intuitive smartphone app to provide simple, robust, secure and cost-effective trailer braking.
Tires
Getting the right tires for your towing vehicle is crucial in ensuring safe and reliable towing. Tires should be rated for the weight of the trailer and its contents, and have a strong tread pattern to handle acceleration, turning, and braking with ease. Additionally, tire size should be appropriate for the load and speed that you plan on traveling, as larger tires will distribute the weight of the trailer more evenly.
The first thing to consider is the tire’s load range and load index, which tells you how much weight each tire was designed to safely carry when inflated to its recommended pressure. This information is usually printed on the tire’s sidewall.
For towing vehicles, it is also important to select tires that have a high ply rating and are made from durable materials to withstand the stresses of hauling. The higher the ply number, the more layers of fabric or plies that are in the tire, which makes them stronger and more resistant to punctures, cuts, or abrasions.
Another important consideration is the tire tread pattern, which should be durable and designed to grip the road in all weather conditions. Additionally, look for all-season or special features tires that provide good traction and stability in wet or snowy conditions. Lastly, check the tire brand’s reputation for quality and longevity, as it will likely impact how long your tires last.
Lights
Whether they’re a conventional tow truck or a flatbed, the lights of a towing vehicle are vital for making them visible to traffic and ensuring safety. In addition, they also serve to warn drivers that the towing vehicle may need to stop or slow down while loading a car.
Tow truck lights are generally red and often feature an amber light bar. However, many states allow the use of oscillating and strobe lights on tow trucks. Before installing these on your truck, check your local and state laws to find out what colors you’re allowed to use.
Before a trip, double-check that all the lights on your towing vehicle are working properly. If any lights are flickering or out, it could indicate a wiring problem or a burned-out bulb. You can also check the trailer’s brake lights by having someone step on them to see if they glow. If not, there could be a problem with the brake circuit or bad ground.
It’s important to remember that towing vehicles are long and heavy, which can affect their handling and braking distance. Therefore, drivers should adjust their driving habits accordingly to accommodate these factors. For example, they should leave more space between their vehicle and other cars while driving on the highways. They should also ensure that their hazard lights are properly aimed to maximize visibility. Finally, they should keep spare bulbs and fuses for their towing lights on hand in case of an emergency.
Wiring
The wiring of the towing vehicle and trailer is one of the most difficult and prone areas for problems. Use only quality components and use the proper wire gauge for the application. It is wise to apply a little Corrosion Block to any exposed cable connections to help prevent corrosion and keep the electrical current flowing in the correct direction. Always check the connections on a daily basis and be sure all lighting functions are working.
Most state and provincial law requires a standard lighting system on towed vehicles which includes a taillight, brake light and turn signal. The most popular method of wiring this is by using a 4-wire harness which sends the stop, turn and brake signals along different wires to the rear of the towed vehicle.
There are some exceptions to this. For example, many newer vehicles have a special wiring system known as PWM (pulse width modulation) which allows multiple lighting functions to be controlled through a single wire simply by changing the intensity of the signal on it.
Also, some vehicles have a 5th pin on their socket that disables the hydraulic surge brakes in reverse. This is not shown in the wiring diagrams above, so if you are using a 6-pin connector, then ignore the blue wire (it’s usually labelled as Reverse Lights on most connector applications). Some people have used it to feed the aux power for a trailer light or even an electric jack but be aware that it may draw significant current and can cause damage to the towed vehicle’s electronics if fed with too much power.
