Trailer ................... tips for towing please !

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Scoopy

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Ok i have driven 3.5t lorry for years, and well its small and compact, but now have trailer and 4x4, going to go out at weekend and practice on the roads, now any tips would be good before i make a huge mess of this, the first thing i meet on the road will be a major roundabout with A14 and A1 oh and anyone in Cambridge i would stay off the roads !
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umm, start off nice and steady, don't cut the corners (!), start braking very nice and early.
if you want other drivers to be patient, stick a "poorly horse en route to vet" sign on the back!
i'd start off without the radio on, for concentration, personally.
if you forget you're towing and start going too fast and it starts snaking, or you hit ice (god forbid) and it snakes, you have to ACCELERATE gently to pull it back into line, before slowing down. this is the hardest thing to do, because you're instincts are of course to hit the brakes hard cos things are going wrong.
(btw, the "forget you're towing" bit might sound mad, but i forgot i was driving my 7.5 tonner once, and pulled out into the r.h. lane of the motorway to pass someone... i only remembered what i was driving when there was no acceleration from 60mph!) Ooops.
 
I got myself in a bit of a tizz before towing but it really is easy!

Take it SLOW and take your turnings wider than usually and you'll be fine x
 
Ok so Radio off
Take it slow
Dont cut corners !
I hope there is not ice !
I'm just trying to get the feel of it before i put the horse in !

What does worry me is driver that drive right up behind the trailer thats when i will poo my pants
 
Always watch the trailer round corners and roundabouts in your wing mirror. It's relatively easy to clip the curb if you don't keep an eye. Take roundabout very slowly. Legal limit for towing is 50mph don't drive too slowly, if it is safe to do 50 you are meant to get as close as is comfortable (in the test they fail you for going too slow but I don't suppose that matters if you're not going to have to do the test!)
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When you are happy driving it empty, load it with hay or shaving, so you can feel how it handles with weight onboard (without actually towing your horse).
 
I like this bit ..

Other traffic: You'll realise early in your towing career that other drivers are a problem. As you'll be driving slowly, you'll soon accumulate quite a little fan club behind you. Do be considerate and pull over every now and then to let them pass, it helps raise the image of horse owners generally. And try not to be too upset at those motorists who happily 'toot' their horn to say thanks. Also beware those drivers who will cut you up or brake suddenly, my own pet theory is that as soon as you attach a horsebox to a vehicle the whole lot suddenly becomes invisible - the worlds' military services could have saved a lot of money into research of stealth aircraft if they'd just hung a horsebox off the back of their planes....
 
I was told in my towing lesson that the last thing you should do if snaking is accelerate. You should take your foot off any pedals and allow it to slow down naturally (only brkae if you absolutely have to eg a junction or bend). Accelerating into the snake is the primary cause of trailers flipping over (apparently).
 
As long as your doing an appropriate speed with a decent jeep and trailer then you should never have snaking. I dont think it happens very often now with such modern trailers, they're pretty well balanced.

Everybody has said everything already, so all I have to say is just try to guess what other drivers might do - there ARE morons out there who will pull out in front of you or over take in crazy places simply because they cant be bothered to be stuck behind a trailer! Assume all other drivers are idiots! It'll make you drive more carefully!

If you're really unsure, definately play about first without a horse in it or have some lessons.
 
Becky I was also told during my trailer lessons never to accelerate and to do exactly what you said - instructor said that if you accelerate all that will happen is that you will have an accident faster !
I really would recommend have a lesson, it makes it so much easier! I didnt have a choice - passed my test after 97 so had to sit a test, I did drive with someone in the car with me to get the hang of it and then had a few lessons then took my test, and now I find it so easy but really struggled before I had a pro teach me - I actually enjoy reversing now !
 
As well as looking in your rear view mirror a lot you need to also look in your wing mirrors a lot to check the position of the trailer, especially when you're going past parked cars and cyclists.

Have your wing mirrors set so that you can see the trailer wheels/side of the trailer plus the road behind you.

Practice reversing round corners and in straight lines, I find straight lines harder.

Do everything as slowly as you need especially the reversing, don't feel the need to go faster than you feel comfortable with on the road for your first few drives, just pull over as much as you can to let the stream of traffic behind you pass.

I love the fact that in this busy South East I often have the open road in front.....as the whole worlds' traffic is behind me!!!!
 
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