First time towing......

[NShadbolt]

Just got my truck just over a month ago and this is going to be my first time towing. I am towing a car carrier with a camaro on top and going from NY to SC. I know nothing of towing on the road besides the basics. I work at a golf course and I am always moving trailers and equipment around at work but never on the road. What do I need to know? Do I have to stop at weigh stations?

 

[Dean Upson]

Leave plenty of room in front of you so you can stop. Watch the idiots coming onto the interstate and the lane changers. You do not have to stop at the weigh stations unless you are commercial.



Dean

 

[mbaston]

Scales are for commercial trucks. That means, for hire. There is also a minimum weight. I don't suspect you are hiring out so you wouldn't have to stop. Call your state's commercial vehicle enforcement division to find out for sure.

If everybody towing a trailer had to stop at a scale, it would be crazy. Could you imagine all the RVs etc. piled up waiting to be weighed?

If your new to towing, a few suggestions

1. Slow Down
2. Does the trailer have brakes? If so, make
sure sure you have a controller to use them.
Its bad when your trailer gets ahead of you.
3. Be carefull of where you go. A long curvy
DEAD END road can cause many headaches
when you have to back out.
4. Check tires and wheel heat when you stop.
There can be problems with underinflated
tires, bad bearings and sticking brakes.

5. Its going to take longer to stop and a greater
distance to turn.

6. Use your mirrors.

I am sure others will have recomendations also.

Enjoy the trip. What year Camaro. To this day I kick myself for selling a 69 RS I had.

 

[RBSOB]

NY to S.C.?

For this trip, if at all possible, drive at night. Make sure all your lights and brakes work well and leave after 8 pm. Drive all night and be in S. C. in the morning. Time your return trip to miss rush hours from D. C. thru NYC. Early Sun. morning is OK Trust me on this one, stop and go for hours on end is bad enough with just a new truck, put a trailer behind it and inexperience and you will wish you hired this job out:{ . Have a good and safe trip, Va. and the Carolinas are great places in May. Jim G.

 

[klenger]

Check the trailer wheel lug nuts for proper torque a few times. They can loosen and cause big problems. Be carefull and use common sense (not the kind common people use though).

 

[dewdo]

I purchased a handy little device to keep a watch on tire and wheel bearing temperatures. I bought it on line, but I think the NAPA stores sell them as well. It is a hand held laser temperature gauge that all you need to do to check a tire or hub temperature is to point the beam at it. Each time I make a rest stop I check the tire temperatures as well as the hub to make sure they are at the temperature they should be. Managed to catch an inside flat tire one time. Saved the price of the device on that alone.



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[wcjp]

Do you have electric brakes? Does the car hauler have electric brakes? I like my Tekonosha Prodigy. Others on this board are very happy with the Jordan. Either way you'll need an electric brake controller.

 

[parcher]

Check and re-check the tie-down straps! You would be amazed how loose they get in 100 miles. Put the car far enough forward so you have some tongue weight (have someone watch and see that the truck squats just a little) this will make it much more stable to tow. I second the motion to do this at night ... . I-95 sucks! And remember the trialer will turn tighter than the truck, so swing wide!