First time towing

[-VY LoVeR-]

Hey guys,

so this weekend going away camping and taking down a trailer with me but never towed before. I borrowing one from a mate of mine which is only a 6x4 so nothing too big and going there on thursday to pick it up and have a drive around and get some practice in.

Just wondering about any tips you blokes could give me. And also what kind of changes i need to make to my car beforehand. I have a VY Commy Equipe S2 so not overly sure what changes i need to make and i wanna make sure nothing screws up.

Cheers

[Adds_05]

id say theres not too many changes to make to the car, just drive a bit more careful,ie slow down a bit earlier than usual, dont go racing along with the trailer on the back etc.
Id double check the tow bar/tow ball is tight also,just so your sure.

[Hangman]

Yeah keep the extra weight in mind when you have to slow down. Will take longer to stop with a trailer on.

And remember the trailer when going round corners, probably have to swing wider than normal depending on the corner.

And make sure everything in the trailer is secure.

[Stan003]

if u dont have to, dont reverse... cause unless u really know wat ur doing, u can really #### up ur car

[-VY LoVeR-]

yeah im going to be getting some reverse practice in an empty car park. Ill have people outside the car to shout if anything goes wrong.

My only worry is im allowed to take this trailer but if i want it i need to take it to the dump to off load all the crap thats in it now. So bit concerned that my first time towing is with a loaded trailer

[Hangman]

One way to learn mate, may as well jump in at the deep end.

If you're gonna be reversing, it helps if you can see the trailer out the back window. If it's too low, put something on it that sticks up like a flag or pole or something, either in the centre of the tailgate or both back corners, so you know what position it's in.
I say put it at the rear as then you'll know how far it is off stuff if anythings behind you.

[Adds_05]

it should be fine,i remember the first time i towed a trailer,it was an older traailer and it wasnt a tight fit onto the towball so it banged around abit,sounded like the bastard was gonna disconnect itself from the car,had me worried the whole time but you get used to it.
i know i thought it was going to be hard towing buts its actually not,most of the time you dont really know its there apart from the occasional light bang/squeak here and there...

[-VY LoVeR-]

Yeah i know im gonna need an adaptor to connect the trailer to the commy wiring. I live in SA and dont have one and unless any kind members on here could lend me one im gonna have to fork out some dough for an adapter for a plat plug to a round

[Hangman]

Should be able to get the adaptor reasonably cheap at supercheap etc. I borrow the father-in-laws when I need to tow, but I'm usually borrowing his trailer as well.

Also, make sure the safety chain is connected, not just the towball.

[Brett_jjj]

This probably doesnt count just for a camping trip,but if you ever have to carry heavy loads in a trailer,make sure the heaviest part of the load located is just forward of the trailers axle(s),otherwise the weight can unload the rear end of the car excessively when going over bumps in the road, which can then cause the car to pivot and spin out.(a jackknife).

[som]

Check and lubricate your wheel bearings (don't over grease them-90% air,10% grease).Post a thread if you're not sure how to do this. Check that all your lights are working and make sure that you have a spare wheel and a jack that will fit the trailer.Enjoy.

[m1lky]

Your better to put the heavy things in the car and lighter things in the trailer.

As above take corners wide (at intersections etc) and don't rush things. 90% of the time it will make no difference, trailer should pretty much follow the rear wheels of the car

[edals]

First Time towing was when a had to pick up my new trailer 8x5, I was put in the deep end straight away into full peak hour traffic. I had no clue on braking etc. But after a few mins it was quite easy. Just leave a extra second or so for braking as its needed due to the extra weight. The commodore says 500KG un braked. But the trailer is 750KG and i had a full load a few times when we had to move, say about a ton all up. Braking was still quite easy the VX had no issues at stopping.
If you have to reverse up a gutter or something similar be prepared for burn outs lol
But really just remember to drive a little wider around tight corners, Drive a little slower then normal, and merge with lots of space lol.

[monkeys437]

Ive only towed once in 7 years of driving. The only issue I had was my torque converter kept locking and unlocking at weird times meaning the trans kept jumping around gears between 3-4 gear. I figured out to either sit at 115kph in drive, or 85kph in 3rd and it was all sweet.

Couldn't reverse for crap tho and it put a smile on my missus face because shes never seen me fail at anything haha

[Richie217]

Only ever towed a couple of times but it wasn't hard. Reversing took a little getting used to. Just take it easy and leave plenty of room for braking.

Ive only towed once in 7 years of driving. The only issue I had was my torque converter kept locking and unlocking at weird times meaning the trans kept jumping around gears between 3-4 gear. I figured out to either sit at 115kph in drive, or 85kph in 3rd and it was all sweet.

It's recommended to leave the car in 3rd (in A4) rather than drive when towing. I assume it is to avoid the above happening.

[monkeys437]

Yeah Richie that would make sense in hindsight

[EDGE3]

Mate your better off towing with a loaded trailer it will be alot easier to drive with a bit of weight in it cause an empty trailer goes all over the place when your trying to reverse it if your not used to it.I tow a trailer for a living so its easy for me but once you get the hang of it you will be ok,reverse it very slowly as you dont want it to jackknife

[Drawnnite]

try to load the trailer evenly if possible. otherwise the back of your car could sit up high or down very low.

and pretty sure if the trailer starts flailing around behind you, you should not put the brakes on, just cruise out of it, or was that to put the foot down...
but do not slam the brakes on

oh and make sure its hitched up properly. including chains...
i remember at work someone backed up a trailer, which wasnt hitched on properly and a bump sent it flying off and rolling back (was a tandem, full but light load), luckily no one was in the way

[sweefu]

Check your tyres for pressure, bump them up to accommodate the extra load you are carrying.

[Adds_05]

usually its increase speed if it gets the wobbles,didnt help with my ss on the back of a trailer though behind a $250 ea falcon.