5 Essential Things to Know Before Hauling With a Trailer

I know a lot of people are shopping for trailers right now to haul their tractors and equipment and there are 5 essential things you need to know before hauling a tractor, or anything else, with a towed trailer.
If you a first time buyer and purchase a tandem axle 18-22' trailer and the first time you use it is with a tractor and other equipment loaded, it may be scary. There's a lot of weight back there, and a lot to learn so you're safe and not in a liability situation.
The first thing you need to know is how to maneuver. It takes a lot more space to turn, and backing a trailer can be a really difficult project if you've never done it. The best way to learn is practice, but not with the truck and trailer loaded. I recommend learning the way I did, with your new trailer hooked to the tractor.
I grew up on an orchard, and like most farm kids, learned to pull a trailer at a pretty young age. I'd haul crates of apples in from the field and back the trailer into a shed to unload. Tractors go slow enough and have almost unlimited visibility to the trailer, so it's a lot easier to back. It's a great way to learn what works and what doesn't in maneuvering and backing a trailer. Ever since that time I've had no problem backing wherever I wanted the trailer to go, and you can learn the same way. Also, we cut firewood and were out in the woods a lot with a trailer and that's a great place to learn how to maneuver in tight places. So, if you've just bought your first trailer and want to learn how to operate it, hook it to the tractor and put it to work.
Secondly, you need to be able to stop the truck and trailer when loaded. Even with a sub-compact tractor, there's going to be a lot of weight there pushing the truck forward, so it's important to have trailer brakes and be extra careful, especially on wet roads, gravel, and slopes. The weight and momentum of a loaded trailer can push you places you don't want to go. So, allow extra time and room to stop and SLOW DOWN!
Third, it's very important from both a safety and liability standpoint to properly secure your tractor, and anything else you haul, to the trailer. The Department of Transportation requires two chains pulling back and two chains pulling forward, crossed, so they're also pulling from side-to-side. Any implement that is hauled with the tractor must also be properly secured as well, even if it in hooked to the three point or the front loader.
Fourth, load the tractor on level ground and put something under the wheels to keep it from moving. When driving a tractor on a trailer, there's an instance where there's so much weight lifting up on the trailer tongue and on the hitch, that it's possible the axle of the truck can come off the ground. If the emergency brake is locking the back wheels, and you're parked on a grade, the whole thing can take off, with you on the tractor half loaded on the trailer. That's not a very fun ride. To prevent that from happening, chock the wheels of the trailer and load on level ground.
Finally you need about 10% of the weight of the tractor on the tongue of the trailer. If there's almost no weight on the tongue, or, worse, if the load is balanced so that it is lifting up on the back of the truck, it can create an extremely dangerous situation. Negative tongue weight has caused a lot of drivers to lose control of their vehicles. What happens when you have negative tongue weight is the trailer starts swinging back and forth behind the truck, and if it's bad enough, it can pull the truck off the road and turn it over. If you want to see what happens, watch this video: . • Caravan Sway Crash
Follow these five guidelines and be safe on the road with your new truck and trailer and watch these videos to learn more:
Trailer securement:
• Booming Down a Tractor...
• Two Different Options ...
• Securing a Tractor to ...
• Ten Tips for Securing ...
How to select a trailer:
• Buying a Trailer to Ha...
How long a trailer do I need?:
• How Long a Trailer Do ...
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