I'm getting my first tow rig very soon. Up until last month I knew relatively nothing about towing. Now I've done lots of homework and learned a lot but found there isn't much info on this site. I'm hoping we can make this into a thread for people to share any tips or experiences they have. I know lots of people on here tow so you must have opinions on trailers, brake controllers, methods of securing the rig, or whatever else pertains to towing.

-Steve

Get a long wheelbase tow rig with a FF rear axle. Go with a tandem axle trailer with electric brakes and use chains and binders, not straps to bind the load down. Stay away from single axle trailers, surge brakes, short wheelbase tow vehicals, and nylon straps.

What's wrong with nylon straps?

We use the 3" chain extention straps like is shown here:

http://www.tie-downs-ratchet-straps.com/id21.htm

We also have 4 sets of of the different size hooks that are put in the frame, but we dont use those on the K5. Never had any problems with them. Chains and boomers are a pain in the ass and I've had thrown them more than once. The worse that will happen with the straps is they'll get a bit loose. Every time you stop check your straps, tighten them up, and check your tires....

Use Electric brakes, and get a good in cab brake controller. I like the Tekonsha line, especially the digital ones. Make sure your trailer has safety chains or cables. The only coupler to go with on a trailer is a hammerblow Bulldog. The others work ok but they let loose now and then and you get to try out your safety chains.:D

Remember it'll take you at least twice as long or more pressure to stop, so drive looking way out in front of you. Just use common sense. Keep your air pressure high on both the tow vehicle and trailer, near the max. Take a spare for the trailer and a means to jack it up with a load on it. I recommend a hi lift...:D


Have fun with it.
:rasta:

Ditto on most of the above. Long wheelbase tow rig is a must for safe, controlled and comfortable towing. Many folks say diesel. They are nice, but I use a Chevy 2500HD with the 6.0 and it tows my rig very nicely and it's my DD.

Dual axle trailer, electric brakes on at least one axle, good tires, safety chains, Bulldog coupler.

I've used both chains and straps to attach the rig. The chains are nice. I currently use four 10,000-pound straps to attach my rig and have never had them loosen or move at all.
Dion

make sure you have at least on GOOD spare. trailer tire like to get flats.

i carry two spares because there are lots of pallet nails on the lake bed where we camp.

As for straps vs. chains & binders - I use a long ratchet strap to the rear axle, and a pair of chains and binders for both front corners.

I tow with a '99 Tahoe 5.7L and it does well for my Jeep/trailer.

Also I've found a cheap source for wheels/tires is any Jeep owner who's upgraded. I use stock Jeep (the cheap steelies) wheel/tires on my trailer. They last a lot longer than the trailer designated tires and you can usually get them real cheap.

Originally posted by Capn Insano
[B]What's wrong with nylon straps?

Nylon straps will tend to stretch and loosen, especally when it gets warmer. They also tend to get nicked up easily on sharp corners. Nylon is o.k. if done right, most people don't. How many rigs do you see lashed down with undersize or torn straps? Put one chain in the front pulling down and forward, one chain in the rear pulling down and back. Stop and check it after five or ten miles, and It will stay tight the rest of the trip. 3/8 chain is rated around 20K test, a little overkill but it will last you forever.

I use 4 chains on my Jeep.

2 on the rear that are run diagonal. 1 wrapped around the axle by the passenger spring to the drivers side rear of the trailer. 1 drivers side to passenger side. I fit them to the correct spacing to get a tight pull on both chains and make sure I have reasonable tongue weight.

I then drive forward slightly to fully tighten the chains.

Then I put 2 chains on the front diagonally. These chains need load binders to hold the chains tight against the rear chains. I also use wire to hold the chain binders so they don't inadvertantly pop open when bouncing around.

Proper tongue weight is essential to safe towing. 15% of the total weight of the trailer and load should be on the hitch. For my Jeep trailer combo that works out to ~900#.

I also recommend a load leveling hitch. That helps redistribute the load onto the tow vehicles from suspension and keeps the rear springs from sagging. I also find it handles a lot better on the road.

If you are running an automatic use an auxiallary tranny cooler and a trans temp gage.

I also recommend 2 axle brakes on your trailer.

A nice long wheel base and dually if so desired. I don't like duallies for daily driving but they sure are nice on long trips.

Good extended mirrors.

This was mentioned earlier but it takes a lot more to stop a fully loaded truck/trailer than an unloaded vehicle. Keep your eyes ahead and leave a lot of space between you and the next person.

I've seen a few camper trailers with the whole side peeled off where the new owner wasn't paying attention at the gas pump and hit the metal posts when turning.

Make sure your trailer bearings, lights, and tires in are good shape. Check them everytime you stop. Touching the hub will tell you if one is getting hot and it may be a bearing going bad.

put a lock or pin in the hitch lock hole. Some hitches will come unhooked when the truck/trailer bounces without the lock in place.

Finally grease your balls. Sounds weird but that is a metal to metal joint and the grease will keep the squeaks down will reduce wear on the ball/hitch. If you are using load levelers grease the mating surfaces.

heres my input....

1) This is opposite of what a few have posted but ... Put chains at the rear and straps/rachets at the front.

I always ran it backwards from that till an engineer friend pointed out the obvious...

- how many G are you pulling on acceleration..... maybey .5 if your lucky
- how many G do you see on a colision ? lots....
Maybe im still wrong dono... ?

2) this is a common sense to many but i "almost" got burnt when a non-towing experienced friend was helping out...

simple rule, if your not sure ask ! Everyoen set up is different !

but if you lower the tonge onto the ball YOU are responsable for attaching the coupler and chains at a minimum. Now I always double check reguardles of who is "helping"

3) carry extra chains, straps rachets etc. they all break when you need em most... tarps too !! always picking up junk !

4) at least 1 GOOD spare, holding air doesn't mean its good !

5) carry wheel chocks... I always end up dumping my trailer somwhere to take side trips....

6) after a few hours on the road, when you pit. Touch each tire and wheel hub. tires and bearings usually give notice before they give up completly.

7) when towing in a group have someone behind you check your trailer from time to time. Most who tow do it with out thinking about it, but ask as many arnt aware...

8) Use a 4x4 post cut at an angle as a jack when you pop a tire. Pull/back onto the "ramp" and it will lift the other tire enough to change it....

9) some more common sense but make sure your lug wrench will fit the trailer lugs

10) grease is cheep !!! grease the damn wheel bearings once and a while !

ok thats it from me
-yager

Does anybody have any good pictures of the way they are attatching the Jeep to the trailer. Some of you are saying use 4 straps, 2 chains-2 straps, 4 chains ect. ect. Like me some some people need pictures to help see the whole picture.

I didn't make it clear in my post but Zukipuke is absolutely correct in his first point.

The fixed chains should be in the rear. You are pretty limited in how fast you can accellerate, but braking and, god forbid, hitting something can cause rapid decelleration.

I need to move my Jeep out of storage and into my shop so I'll have it on a trailer this weekend. Will post pics then.

Originally posted by lt1yj
I didn't make it clear in my post but Zukipuke is absolutely correct in his first point.

The fixed chains should be in the rear. You are pretty limited in how fast you can accellerate, but braking and, god forbid, hitting something can cause rapid decelleration.

I need to move my Jeep out of storage and into my shop so I'll have it on a trailer this weekend. Will post pics then.

What type of chain do you use? Do they make a special chain with some sort of attatchments to wrap around the axle?

I use come-a-long to tie it down, works fine IMO

I had Draw-tie brake controller, my dad gave me his old Techosha (sp?) seems like it enagues smoother and nicer then the drawtire one

Also, i know this is basic, but i see it all day, check your air in you trailer tires, i mean i see soo many parked at loon with flat or under inflated trailer tires

I use standard 3/8 link type chain. I don't remember the rating but it's over 20,000#.

I loop the chain over the axle and then hook the end to the main length of chain. Then I run the other end through the stake pockets and hook the second hook back to the main chain body. I built my trailer and welded the stake pockets myself so I know they are never coming off.

I painted my axles 4 years ago when I installed them and the finish only lasted one season. They have a nice brown color now that's mostly surface rust from the winter salt. If I had nicely painted axles I'd probably wrap the chain with something before wrapping it around the axle tube to keep it from scratching it.

There is a product I saw, might have been Summit, that was a reinforced web type strap that went around an axle tube and connected to a hook or clevis on a chain. It had some liner material that kept the axle tube from getting scratched up and made it easy to connect a straight chain to it.

I have thought about welding some brackets on the axle with holes in it to attach the chain to like I have on my bumper but I've always had a lot more pressing repairs to make instead.

how do you lock up your trailer when you're not using it? I don't have a garage so I will probably have to keep my trailer outside and will most likely keep my trail rig parked on it...what's the best way to keep someone from hookin it to their pickup and driving away with everything? Also as far as the rig is concerned, i'm getting a new F250 crew cab, so i should be set there as it's rated for over 12,000lbs i believe.

-Steve

they sell locks for every type of hitch in the book, u haul has them or a trailer supply house. it locks on the the coupler so no one can just hook up and haul ass. i like the idea of chaining the rims together if it is in a real bad spot. but you can only do this on a few rims. o yea, i much prefer short chains and boomers. i have about 6 5' long chains that i hook up to the rig and the trailer and then boom it down. boomers are a pain in the ass with long chains. mike

for axle attachment you can use. Axle straps. (make sure it has a protective covering on it) or just chain around the axle, or j-hooks, i use regular 3/8" chain from northern its comes in 24' lengths and i just choped it up to my lengths and used pin'd clevices and hooks,

over all shot
http://www.yager.net/zukin/projects/DSCF0011.JPG
(pre toy axle swap)

I have a chain loop that wraps all the way around the frame. BTW my trailer is a 5k# utility trailer but works fine for me. I just had to add chains to the corners/frame.


http://www.yager.net/zukin/projects/DSCF0015.JPG


last one you can see part of axle strap , the large hook and the rear loop then the "center" chain i use to adjust . Like someone else mentioned i have a mark on the trailer i pull up to, hook up the rears (marked the rear chains also) ease it up tight and tie the front down. Check the front rachet strap when ever you stop.

http://www.yager.net/zukin/projects/DSCF0013.JPG

Everyone has their preference...here's mine.
I use 4 10K rachet straps to secure the vehicle and 2 chains on the axles as safeties.
After I load the truck on the trailer I leave it in neutral with no brake. On level ground! I attach the rear straps to the FRAME and tighten loosely. 1 strap each from the frame to that corner of the trailer. I then attach the front to the frame. Again, 1 strap each to the corresponding corner and crank em down. I pull it down about 1/2 the distance to the bumpstops. (I have a buddy that uses the Drings in his front bumper and goes all the way to the stops, but he has flatter springs than I). After I have done the fronts I go to the rear and crank them down. I then run the chains around the axles snugly, no boomer, as a safety should the rig be massively and suddenly decelerated. This way the rig on the trailer is not bouncing around when the trailer hits bumps.
Last thing I do is set the Ebrake and put the truck in 4low-1st. Putting it in gear doesn't really do anything but it makes me feel better.

How do you measure the tongue weight of the trailer?

Northern Tool sells these big orange J hooks just like the tow truck guys use, they are about 18 inches long, and about 3/4 inches thick. They sell them with or without chains. I bought mine without chains for around 10 bucks each and use a clevis to attach to the chain. They fit right over the axle tube and are a lot easier and nicer than wrapping the chain around the axle.

My 15 year old Teshoka controller just gave up, what controllers are you guys happy with?

Originally posted by ChiScouter
My 15 year old Teshoka controller just gave up, what controllers are you guys happy with?

You just answered your own question... your 15 year old Tekonsha.

For a pendulum type controller, they are top-o-the-line.

That is a good point on putting the chains in the rear. That makes good sense and I will have to do that next time.
Another thing that I have been told that seems to make sense is to not attach to the frame or body, but make sure that your rig is secured by the axles first and formost. The logic behind this is that if you hit a big bump while towing and your rig bounces on the trailer, it won't rebound and bust your straps. If it is secured by the axles, this can't happen.
I know of several people that use the short axle straps to secure there rig and they work really well. Basically they are 4" or wider nylon straps that are 2 feet long that have two d-ring looking connectors sewn in to attach a chain or rachet strap.
I use a U-Haul (I think Draw-tite) controller, but I have heard really good things about Tecumseh.
Also make sure that your rig is centered or sligthly forward in relation to your trailers axles. That is all I can think of for the moment. HTH Thomas

"new F250 crew cab"

Spend the extra couple hundred and get the 350.

Ron

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
How do you measure the tongue weight of the trailer?

Good question, been thinking that myself.

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
How do you measure the tongue weight of the trailer?

with the bathroom scale.

Originally posted by FYRMAN
with the bathroom scale.

Ya, cause everyone has a bathroom scale that is rated for thousands of ponds right? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Always so helpful fyrman!!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster


Ya, cause everyone has a bathroom scale that is rated for thousands of ponds right? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Always so helpful fyrman!!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:


my trailer weigh's 56 pounds on teh tounge when empty and sittin perfectly level :flipoff2:

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster


Ya, cause everyone has a bathroom scale that is rated for thousands of ponds right? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Always so helpful fyrman!!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

If your tongue weight is a thousand pounds you better think about re-positioning your load!:D

I use 2 chains, two binders.
In back, run one chain over the axle tube, under the third member, and over the other axle tube. hook onto the trailer, and boom down.

In front, same thing.

BTW, these are Hi-Tensile 1/2 inch chains i'm using.

any one ever use there winch cable to the front of the trailer as just some sort of extra security. I do this every time to make for sure it wont roll off the trailer. just my two cents:skull: , oh and when you tow dont drink :beer:

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster


Ya, cause everyone has a bathroom scale that is rated for thousands of ponds right? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Always so helpful fyrman!!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:



Yes, very fawking helpful, ass. You think I was joking? I'm dead fawking serious. I forget what the math is so I just left it as "the bathroom scale."

Lay a piece of 2x6 under your trailer tongue with one end on a brick and one end on a bathroom scale. By distributing the load between the two, you cut the weight of the tongue in half, thereby not maxing out your scale and shooting the springs across your lawn. So if I remember right, you just multiply the weight shown on the scale by two, and you have the tongue weight. The part I don't remember is if the lenghth of the board comes into play or any of that other technical bullshit. I've never been good at remembering details like that.

Maybe one of these engineers on here could sort out that part.



And, DemoMike was right. If your trailer tongue weighs thousands of pounds, you have already broken the six 1/2" bolts that hold on your bumper hitch. Look at your ratings on your hitch. It should only be rated for 500-1000 pounds on a class 3 hitch.


EDIT: I forgot a couple of these: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

The math is pretty straight forward:

If you use equal distances multiply the scale weight by 2 and you get the tongue weight.


I use a slightly different approach:


............Tongue
.................[]
____________________________
[].................................................. .[]
[]......1'.......................... 2'.........[scale]

(disregard the dots, I couldn't keep my crude pic in line without them)

Then you multiply the scale reading by three and get the tongue weight.


Someone posted a tongue weight of 56# on level ground. That is rediculously low. That is essentially no tongue weight and the trailer would sway all over the road. A typical car trailer is around 1200-1700#, a minimum tongue weight of 10% or 120-170#.


I try to stay in the 10-15% range and my total trailer and load is ~6200#. At 10% that is 620# and 15% is 930#. I'm usually around the 750# range and I use a weight distributing hitch to even the load on the tow vehicle's suspension.

Another point that is completely wrong is the strength of a 1/2" bolt. 1 bolt has a clamp load of 12000# and a joint shear capability of 1200#. This is not the failure point just the joint slip condition. I don't have a proof load in front of me but I'd guess somewhere in the 18000-20000# range.

Suffice it to say you will not fail 6 bolts with 1000# of tongue weight, or even 2000#.

Originally posted by lt1yj


Someone posted a tongue weight of 56# on level ground. That is rediculously low. That is essentially no tongue weight and the trailer would sway all over the road. A typical car trailer is around 1200-1700#, a minimum tongue weight of 10% or 120-170#.

Why is that ridiculously low??? Remember, the trailer tongue weight is designed around being loaded with a 3K to 8K vehicle depending on trailer rating.

Did you read the rest of the post?

Too low of tongue weight on an empty or loaded trailer causes the trailer to sway at speed. It also has more of a tendency to buck or kick against the tow vehicle.

A range of 10-15% is recommended to keep the trailer stable and to evenly load the trailer axles.

A typical tandem axle car or utility trailer weighs between 1200-1700#. Some are heavier. 10% puts it in the 120-170# range empty.

Just for grins go to a new trailer dealer and try picking up the tongue on an 18' car trailer. You won't find any in the 56# range.

I would be much more inclined to believe 56# scale reading or 112# tongue weight. Even that seems a little low.

I use a 2X6 and a bathroom scale to measure the tongue weight. I nailed a piece of 2X3 underneath the end opposite the scale to make the 2X6 level with the scale, and nailed anothe 2X4 1/4 of the distance from the end of the 2X6 furthest away from the scale to set the tongue on. I then multiply the scale reading by 4 to get the actual tongue weight. And yes, the formula checks out. I don't weigh the trailer every time - I know where to line up the Jeep and how much gear I can pile on the front of the trailer.
As far as brakes go, finally getting rid of the surge brakes and switching to electric was the best thing I've done with the trailer.

Originally posted by FYRMAN







And, DemoMike was right. If your trailer tongue weighs thousands of pounds, you have already broken the six 1/2" bolts that hold on your bumper hitch. Look at your ratings on your hitch. It should only be rated for 500-1000 pounds on a class 3 hitch.




shiat man, you scaring me!:eek: What about the 4 3/8" bolts holding my winch on?:flipoff2:

Fyrman, the reason i responded like i did was because i was asking a serious question, and i didn't take your answer seriously. That's because way up at the top lt1yj added a nice long, and informative post, which included a tongue weight of 900#. That's why i said "everyone has a bathroom scale that is rated for thousands of pounds".
And i hadn't thought of using a scale in the fashion that you, and others had described. (If i had, i wouldn't have asked my question in the first place.)
And if you noticed, in my response, i added a heathly dose of :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: , as i was responding in a sarcastic manner to a post that i thought was in itself was sarcastic.
Clear as mud??
Anyway, some of you have mentioned tongue weights approaching the 1000# mark, so with the board and bathroom scale method, even taking only 1/2 the weight, the scale has to be able to support nearly 500#. I think the most i've ever seen a scale measure up to is like 350# or there abouts..... Do ya gotta go to a special fat-guy store to buy these heavy duty scales? :D :D

Oh ya, i've got a class VI hitch on my Dakota, i'll have to check what tongue weight it's rated for.

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
...so with the board and bathroom scale method, even taking only 1/2 the weight, the scale has to be able to support nearly 500#. I think the most i've ever seen a scale measure up to is like 350# or there abouts..... Do ya gotta go to a special fat-guy store to buy these heavy duty scales? :D :D

If you put the tongue 1/4 of the distance from the fulcrum (pivot point) to the scale you multiply your scale reading by a factor of 4.

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
Oh ya, i've got a class VI hitch on my Dakota, i'll have to check what tongue weight it's rated for.

Class VI on a Dakota?

First.. is there a Class VI? ;) If there is, it's rated for WAYYY more than a Dakota should attempt to pull.

I have a Class IV on my 1T IH.. rated for 10,000lbs, though I've seen tag-along hitches to 15,000lbs, IIRC.

I'm going to install a gooseneck hitch in the bed for 25k to haul a two-rig gooseneck.

My race Scout weighs 3700lbs. With it on the trailer the trailer axles weigh in at 5500lbs, and the truck's rear axle (with a two extra transmissions and a bunch of other gear in the box) was 3800lbs, IIRC. Empty the rear of the truck is just under 3000lbs.

Probably in the 500-600lbs tongue weight range.

Towed great.

I'll weigh it again this summer now that the extra crap in the box is gone.

I've been using a load binder and chain on both front spring hangers down to the center of the trailer - mostly because I haven't bought a longer chain to go around the front axle (I'd prefer to secure to the axles).

In the rear, from one corner of the trailer up over the axle, under the diff, over the axle tube, and back to the opposite corner with a load binder.

Much easier to crank down on the binder from the rear than from the front, where the tire-rack is.

Originally posted by withamc


If you put the tongue 1/4 of the distance from the fulcrum (pivot point) to the scale you multiply your scale reading by a factor of 4.

Actually, you would multiply it by three. If your tongue is 1/5 the distance, then you would multiply it by 4.

Pete

EDIT: withamc is correct, I was wrong. Just editing this so as not to confuse anyone, I'll leave it here to preserve the continuity of the thread, though.

PC

Originally posted by tsm1mt
Class VI on a Dakota?

First.. is there a Class VI? ;) If there is, it's rated for WAYYY more than a Dakota should attempt to pull.



Well, the highest weight that these trucks can be outfitted for towing is 6700#, (I should have gotten the 3.92 gear set, but kept the standard 3.55) at least that was the upper limit when i bought mine, they may have increased it a bit in the past 3 years.... Probably not though.
Anyway, it is a Class IV hitch. It may be rated for 10,000 but the truck isn't. And what's wrong with having some stronger than required gear on your rig? I would think most guys go bigger, than "just enough". :D :D
But thanks to everyone that cleared up the measuring with the bathroom scale, very helpful.

Originally posted by pcorssmit


Actually, you would multiply it by three. If your tongue is 1/5 the distance, then you would multiply it by 4.

Pete
Don't make me break out the physics books! If it's 1/4 of the distance, 3/4 of the load will be on the fulcrum and 1/4 of the load will be on the scale.

Originally posted by withamc

Don't make me break out the physics books! If it's 1/4 of the distance, 3/4 of the load will be on the fulcrum and 1/4 of the load will be on the scale.

Oops, brain fart, you're right. :eek: I was thinking of finding the reaction at the fulcrum, not the total, which would be the rection (3x the scale reading) plus the scale reading, so yes, you would be multiplying by 4, not 3.

Incidentally, this is how I figured mine out when I first got the trailer (using your math, not mine from earlier today). :smokin:

Pete

Originally posted by lt1yj


Just for grins go to a new trailer dealer and try picking up the tongue on an 18' car trailer. You won't find any in the 56# range.

I would be much more inclined to believe 56# scale reading or 112# tongue weight. Even that seems a little low.


Depending on wether the tongue is above the centerline of the axles, or below, I can pick up an 18 foot car hauler and move it. If the tongue is below the centerline, it is much easier to pick up and move than if the trailer is already up in the air. I'm only 5' 9", 250 lbs. of beer guzzling white guy. I work at a dealership.

Whoever mentioned the bolts, you are right. The bolts wouldn't break before they ripped out of the frame.