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3/25/2012

Trailer Hauling Tips for Newcomers


 Someone told me they thought this article had some merit, 
so I re-posted it here,     you decide.   


Trailer hauling tricks and no no's
Just because it's on a trailer, doesn't mean you should haul it down the highway

Windrose, New Bombay pilothouse 31 tsunami rescue on trailer
See the Bombay Project for a blow by blow description of this tsunami rescue

I tried to find a suitable article written by someone with firsthand experience pulling trailers.  All the ones I found were pretty worthless so I wrote an article myself.  I have many years hauling around construction equipment, boats and camp trailers.  Rather than try to put together something sensible, I will just do a Q&A thing. This article may entertain you old timers and help a few newbie’s.  If you disagree with something, feel free to post comments.

  • First frequently asked question is “how much can my car/truck haul?  The answer requires more  questions. Do you mean safely? Without voiding warranty? How far? Any big long hills? Auto or clutch? Make model and condition?  As you can see it’s a complicated question, so let’s cut to the chase.  On the door jamb of your car is a tag with the factory approved weights your vehicle is designed to carry and tow.  If you are trying to limit your liability in an accident you should heed the numbers.  You can easily exceed load limits without being aware, if you do you may shorten the life of your automatic transmission, you may overheat, you may not have the experience to stay out of trouble.

  • Next; “ how much tongue weight should I have”One rule of thumb is    click on "read more"