Car Trailering question???

[BlueLimited87]

Thinking about trailing my car to INDY. I have free access to a enclosed car trailer and the use of my fathers Nissan Titan (which is equipped for towing) to pull.

Concern I have is that I never trailered anything before (i.e. boat, camper) and need some advice. Is this something I should even consider?? How difficult is it and what are some the dangers??

My biggest worry is manuvering.......like around gas stations and parking lots. I know you kiinda have to make wide turns when turning and backing-up is very tricky too, but its hard to pass up free use of a truck and trailer.

If I do this, I am going practice first...........which I'm sure would be advisable.

 

[wagon]

Slow and easy.
How big is the trailer.
Make sure you can see with the mirrors. If not, then get the extended ones for pulling a trailer.
Take corners wide, and keep looking. Get a spotter for backing. When you pull into places, pay attention. You don't want to trap yourself. Always try to park so that you can pull straight out.
The most important thing to remember is that everyone will thing you are slow, and will cut you off constantly at the last moment, thinking you can stop just like a little car, so you will have to leave yourself lots of room. Hopefully the trailer has brakes. Does the truck have a brake controller? If not, get one. Have fun.

 

[jpratt]

Remember that you are pulling the GN and it can go fast so you need to go slow while pulling it. Make sure that the weight is not all in the back or in the front, it needs to be centered. I once pulled a small trailer with all the weight in the back and wound up upside down in the middle of the interstate. Totalled the truck. TAKE IT SLOW.

 

[TurboDave]

I agree with all the above comments. One thing; What's the towing capacity of a Titan???? Is it enough to legally pull the GVWR of the trailer.
If the trailer's a 24'r then it's GVWR is likely 9900#. I don't think a Titan is rated to tow that much.

 

[no-nos]

Slow and easy.
How big is the trailer.
Make sure you can see with the mirrors. If not, then get the extended ones for pulling a trailer.
Take corners wide, and keep looking. Get a spotter for backing. When you pull into places, pay attention. You don't want to trap yourself. Always try to park so that you can pull straight out.
The most important thing to remember is that everyone will thing you are slow, and will cut you off constantly at the last moment, thinking you can stop just like a little car, so you will have to leave yourself lots of room. Hopefully the trailer has brakes. Does the truck have a brake controller? If not, get one. Have fun.

just as he said, slow and easy youi should be ok

 

[72firebird]

As others have said slow and easy, check your GVWR, center the weight, check your mirrors and it helps to have a passenger to help you double check the passenger side, and trailer brakes with a conotroller. I want to add one thing though, especially when towing with a smaller truck like a Titan. I would get a hitch with sway bar hook ups if the trailer and everything is setup to use them. We just towed my TTA to Indy in a 28' enclosed aluminum trailer with my dad's 02 1500HD Crew Cab. Now you would normally think it shouldn't be too bad with such a big truck but while we were driving the chains for the sway bars settled and everything loosened up a little making so they really didn't have any effect on the trailer to keep it stable, and let me just say that it was all over the place and you had to be on top of it at all times, little bumps would upset the trailer or even little gusts of wind. Once we got the bars readjusted it made a world of a difference, and would really be a great help especially for a beginner. Good luck with the towing but I would talk to someone local with some good experience to help you set everything up and make sure you understand how to handle it.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

I believe the COMBINED weight of the passengers,trailer,car,tools and such is going to be over the towing capacity of your vehicle.
The GCWR might be 9500, but your at the end of the legal towing capacity rated for that truck...
Truck 5000 Trailer 2500 does your buick weigh 2500 lbs?

If your going to try and tow it with that small of a truck, please get a 10,000lbs ball and hitch at walmart, since your there at walmart, get some new underwear and put them in the glove box.

BW

 

[UNGN]

I won't tow anything more than 4000lbs without a Class IV weight distributing hitch and electric trailer brakes with an in cab controller.

Even with a 2500 Truck.

With a class IV hitch, you can put the car a little further forward in the trailer (the further forward the more stable it tows) without crushing the tow vehicle.

The worst everyday situation for a towing Newbie is off and on ramps. Take them EXTRA SLOW.

 

[krom]

With that truck it will be wind gusts and going down hills that will be the problem.

 

[TexasT]

Rent a heavier duty truck

I'll have to concur with the warnings. I personally would not pull an enclosed trailer with a 1/2 ton truck. I use a K2500 Suburban but considered a van before we purchased.

Sway control and a load leveling hitch setup is manatory. The cam type sway control made a night and day difference in my towing. I use Reese but there are other brands and they are worth every penny.

As Quick6'n'-K.C. said get some new underwear and put them in the glove box if you chose not to get the sway control. Also electric brake controller is mandatory. You'll never get it stopped without it.

Too much stress on the truck and driver if your equipment isn't up to the task.

As far as driving, always and I mean always park where you can pull straight out and not get parked in. You should get fuel when you can and not try to squeeze into a station that is to small for your rig. Usually the stations near the highway have bigger lots as bigger rvs and such get fuel there. Don't try to save a few pennies at the 'tight' station as scraping the truck and/or trailer up just isn't worth it.

Practice, practice, practice take your time this isn't a race.

 

[UNGN]

Another hazard of modern towing with enclosed trailers is flat tires. The way trailer suspensions work, if you don't have the Hitch at the right level and the trailer sits perfectly level going down the road, you can easily overload the front or rear set of tires (depending if the hitch is too low or too high).

Overloaded tires will quickly blister, blow out and turn into a clown collar.

Always have 2 spare trailer tires, because very often what gets one tire will get the other AND if you lose a tire and keep driving (with a good tow vehicle and an enclosed trailer, its sometimes hard to tell) the other tire of the set will rapidly overload and begin to blister and fail.

I used to never have flats towing in the 80's and 90's, but with the speed limits of 70 mph now adays, I plan on at least 1 a year.