G & G AUTOMOTIVE TRAILER SAFETY WITH GIL GOLDSTEIN

Many people pull trailers behind their vehicles in their occupation, for recreation or towing other vehicles. Whether you pull a livestock trailer, an enclosed or open trailer loaded with tools, equipment, classic car or motorcycle, or you pull an RV to go camping, there are many variables to consider. In trailers it’s the size, length, width, load capacity, 5th wheel, gooseneck, or bumper pull. Whatever you are towing, the vehicle used to pull it must be able to handle the job. Trailer dealers want to sell you trailers, they may not consider or even know whether your current vehicle is capable of towing what you are looking to buy. A trailer too large or too heavy for the vehicle towing it will put stress on the engine, transmission, drive train, brakes, and can be very dangerous and stressful to drive while towing.

If you pull a trailer or plan on buying one— let’s talk about safety!

What is your vehicle’s tow rating? How old is it? What type of trailer will you pull? What is the length and weight loaded? What about tires and brakes? Do you need a dual rear wheel truck?

At G & G Automotive, Gil and Rosie Goldstein frequently travel with their horse trailer and camper combo around the country. They often see truck and trailer combinations going down the road where the trailer weight far exceeds the capacity of the truck towing it. You can see that the trailer has compressed the back of truck down towards the ground and the front of the truck is high in the air. The most dangerous part of that is reduced steering capability. The tail is wagging the dog, so to speak or in this case: the trailer is driving the truck. In addition to that, the truck’s braking ability is greatly reduced because as much as 70% of braking is done by the front tires. By hauling a trailer that weighs down the back of the truck and raises up the front, you are reducing pressure to the road it reduces the steering and braking capacity of the truck which can be very dangerous, especially around corners or at high speed.

People often only consider the tongue weight to judge towing capacity. Just because a truck is rated by a manufacturer to support the tongue weight of a trailer or RV, that does not mean it is capable of towing, steering or stopping that trailer, especially fully loaded.

The type of hitch can also be a variable and there are several: bumper pull, gooseneck or 5th wheel.

Bumper pull design has the hitch ball extended way past the rear axle of the vehicle which amplifies the effect of tongue weight over rear suspension. This is also the reason it lifts the front of the vehicle reducing tire contact to the ground because the weight is pivoting on the rear axle. Sometimes a weight equalizing hitch is installed to help, but it is only a band aid for a poor trailer design and puts major stress on the front frame rails of the trailer to force tongue weight onto the truck suspension. The only advantage to a bumper pull hitch is it steers and turns quickly, it’s maneuverability is greater and quicker and it does not take up any space in the bed of the truck like the gooseneck and 5th wheel hitches do.

Gooseneck and 5th wheel designs connect the trailer in the bed of the truck either centered over, or slightly ahead of the rear axle center line. This concentrates the tongue weight more centrally in the vehicle chassis, allowing the full suspension of the truck to carry the tongue weight, which is applied 3 to 4 feet further forward on the truck than bumper style hitch, providing a much better weight distribution and safer towing.

At G & G Automotive, Gil recommends if a trailer’s overall weight exceeds 10,000 lbs, it should be towed by a dual rear wheel truck, and here is why. Imagine the gooseneck or 5th wheel trailer is connected and you have a single rear wheel truck. All the weight of the truck and trailer is sitting on a small ‘tire to ground’ contact patch, and the sidewalls of your tires ... and that is when it is standing still. At highway speeds during turns, curves and braking your trailer is still trying to move straight forward and all that force is being transferred through the sidewalls and contact patch of tread to the ground. The truck and the tires have to be able to control the trailer. This is where dual rear wheels become a major safety factor.

Tongue weight is NOT the criteria by which you should match your truck and trailer. It varies by the length of the trailer and the position of the rear axle on the trailer. The true criteria should be the length and fully loaded weight of the trailer. That is critical for determining what your truck is capable of towing. There is no substitute for power and good brakes when it comes to safety in towing. Having more horsepower, better brakes and better tires than your trailer package requires will give you safety, comfort, and peace of mind.

Manufacturers exaggerated the tow rating and power capacity on many older vehicles for sales purposes, so be careful if your truck is older than 2015 as it may have exaggerated ratings. Today’s rating systems have changed to keep up with safety standards and are much more realistic.

The single greatest failure issue in towing is exploding tires due to under inflated tires and or the poor quality of offshore manufactured “trailer tires.” What this means is they can be manufactured cheaply using lesser quality materials because they are not on passenger-occupied vehicles. They may not even be round!

Gil recommends premium quality D rated or LT tires depending on trailer weight. LT is a 10 ply rated tire, used on ¾ and 1 ton style trucks and is superior on trailers. Trailer tires need to be balanced just like the tires on your vehicle. A great item to have is a tire pressure monitoring system. Most new trucks will have this as standard or optional equipment. Aftermarket systems consist of new valve stem caps for the trailer tires and a handheld Bluetooth monitoring system that reads the tire pressure and temperature while traveling down the road.

Before every trip you should do a walk around your truck and trailer and check the tires, lights, electrical connections, make sure trailer brakes work, check your truck’s oil, coolant, windshield washer fluid and adjust your mirrors to accommodate the additional length and width of the trailer. If your truck is older, you may want to have it serviced and inspected before a big trip.

Here are a few items that Gil suggests you carry with you:

• Portable air compressor

• Rechargeable impact gun with sockets for your truck/trailer

• Tire plug kit

• Small compact tool kit

• A trailer aid for dual axle trailers which allows you to drive one tire up on it should you need to change a tire on the side of the road, or a bottle jack for single axle trailers.

• Flashlights, duck tape, Roadside Emergency kit and a first aid kit.

Every year you should check wheel bearings, brakes and have your tires rotated and balanced. Refer to your RV’s owner’s manual for details on recommended maintenance.

There are also many upgrades available for your truck and trailer to make towing safe and enjoyable.

• Airlift suspension

• Upgraded shock absorbers

• Stabilizer bars

• Load equalizing hitch assembly

• Trailer air ride shock absorber suspension systems

• Transfer flow fuel tank systems for added fuel capacity. .

If you have any questions or concerns about your truck and trailer, Gil is happy to discuss it with you. If you are looking for any of the above upgrades, call the shop to schedule an appointment or discuss pricing.

With G & G’s new expanded bay with large capacity lift, they can service your truck and trailer and keep you road ready and safe.

Call G & G Automotive 336.629.3150 to make an appointment. They are located at 114 Old Liberty Road in Asheboro.