Different Easy Ways to Prevent Trailer Sway

There are different types of trailers, which include general hauling utility, vehicle hauling car, camping and enclosed cargo trailers. There are times when they have this unwanted back and forth motion called sway, which can lead to an accident if it gets severe. You can prevent this from happening when you know how to properly set up your trailer and tow vehicle. It also depends on various factors, such as tire pressure, the hitch, the coupling, weight and tongue weight so you need to have a friction sway device and an air pressure gauge.

You ought to keep in mind that 10 to 12 percent of trailer weight must be on the tongue that is found at the front of the vehicle. The sway can happen once there is too much weight at the back of the vehicle so it is important to weight your trailer at a truck shop before loading it. The shop attendant can help out to split-weight your trailer in order to know what weight your tongue is. You can reorganize the load to get correct tongue weight by taking out some items if overloaded and weighing it gaining.

Be sure to read the manufacturer’s manual to make out the maximum load capacity. It will also indicate the appropriate class hitch for the vehicle so that your tow vehicle won’t get overloaded. The total weight of the cargo, trailer tongue and passengers need not go over the vehicle’s weight capacity.

It is also important to have correct air pressure in your trailer and tow vehicle tires. The owner’s manual has a suggested exact tire pressure both for the vehicle and the trailer. You can check the tire pressure using the air pressure gauge but the tire should already be cold during checking. If you have just been driving the vehicle, you should allow the tires to cool down before checking the pressure.

You should not drive the trailer during extreme windy conditions to avoid being blown over. When there is a forecast of severe weather condition, delay your trip until it is calm. Your tow vehicle must be driven only during cool weather so it won’t get blown away.

You can request your dealer to have a friction sway device installed in your vehicle while having a test drive taken to make sure that everything is correctly installed. If sway is still there, you should rotate clockwise the adjustment handle until it is gone and the trailer is stabilized. The sway control device can already be installed on each side of the hitch if you have a large trailer.

When towing, your driving speed should be changed as the extra heavy weight does not tolerate fast driving. When you see that sway begins, stay away from highways, changing lanes frequently or passing tractor trailers. These instances will trigger the trailer to sway and this can result in a road accident.

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