omega0684
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 03:45 PM |
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Towing Advice Please
Afternoon all,
i will be takin my car to powerspeed in kent on Thursday and will be towing the car on a 6' x 14' trailer. I'll be driving a VW
Passat Estate as the lead car.
I have never towed before but have driven LWB vans (Masters and Lutons etc) in previous job.
What things do i need to take extra care of whilst towing a trialer. A few people have said the length (an obvious one) but what about things like
turnind circles and pivot points on the trailer?
Any Advice welcome!
All the best
Alex
I love Pinto's, even if i did get mine from P&O!
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Richard Quinn
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 03:50 PM |
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Braking, and theoretically larger gaps to allow you to brake gently (but some plonker will usually fill the gap you leave!). 3rd lane on roads
(motorways etc) with 3 or more lanes is a big no-no!
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MK9R
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 03:56 PM |
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stay out of the fast lane ;-)
If you get a wobble don't slam the brakes on, back of very very slowly or accelerate if you dare! Be careful when coming to the brow of hills, i
had a trailer that always got a wobble on if i towed at its limit (about 65mph) as i went over the brow of a hill (and i don't mean a sharp
brow)
Load the trailer so you are slightly nose heavy, but don't go mad, especially with a big estate as the overhang on the back acts as a bigger
lever. My mondeo hated more than a small nose wait, but then again if it was too light its was horrible to tow at speed.
Cheers Austen
RGB car number 9
www.austengreenway.co.uk
www.automatedtechnologygroup.co.uk
www.trackace.co.uk
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stevegough
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:02 PM |
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Glad to see you got yourself sorted with a trailer, Alex - good luck for the trip.
Advice.......can you get out with the full set up for a bit of practice before the long trip? It will show up whether you have to do anything with
your mirrors / trailer wiring securing the load etc etc.
Also - don't forget to stow the jockey wheel properly / connect the lighting plug - even fully engage the towing hitch! I once did that with
my little trailer - just 'sat it' on the towhook, moved the car 6 feet down the drive, - the hitch came off, but the breakaway chain -
which was connected yanked the trailer into the back of the bumper - nice dent! what a muppet!
Regards, Steve.
Luego Locost C20XE.
Build start: October 6th 2008.
IVA passed Jan 28th 2011.
First drive Feb 10th 2011.
First show: Stoneleigh 1st/2nd May 2011.
'Used up' first engine may 3rd 2011!
Back on the road with 2nd engine may 24th
First PASA mad drive 26/7/11
Sold to Mike in Methyr Tydvil 19/03/14
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steve m
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:07 PM |
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As already said above,
Take more care of whats happening around you, and prejudge your braking/acceleration certainly at junctions/roundabouts
Dont forget that when pulling out of a junction, theres still a lot of your vehicle behind you, and your acceleration will be slower
Try and stay at a constant speed, and lane hopping is not really the way forward
When towing my caravan, i usually stay in the 55-60MPH region, and on cruise control, as thats the most efficent fo economey on my mondeo
also the faster you go, the problems will appear quicker
take your time
Steve
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Daddylonglegs
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:07 PM |
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As already suggested. Try and get some 'practice' in somewhere first. I would aim for a nose weight of around 75kg (I use bathroom scales,
they're close enough). And if it does start to snake, as said, just slow down GRADUALLY! or if you can just accelerate slightly (unless
you're going downhill  ), that will normally sort it out, and most of all.......DON'T PANIC!! 
It looks like the Midget is winning at the moment......
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Davey D
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:39 PM |
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Dont forget the reduced speed limit. 60mph on dual carriageway/Motorway
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omega0684
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:40 PM |
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thanks for all the advice guys,
my thinking was along the lines of if i put the car on backwards (rear end first) it would put the engine & gearbox over the axles of the trailer
leaving the rear axle over the nose?
Good idea or bad?
I love Pinto's, even if i did get mine from P&O!
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mads
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:53 PM |
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you sorted a trailer then mate?
We gain knowledge faster than we do wisdom!
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip!"
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lsdweb
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 04:56 PM |
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I towed with a Passat Estate a while ago (in the snow!) . It liked a bit of nose weight so I'd say put the car on forwards. I have an Audi S6
Estate now and that also likes noseweight.
Have a practice somewhere and don't be afraid to move the car forwards / backwards on the trailer to get the balance right.
Give yourself plenty of time too so that you don't have to rush!
And everything else said above!
Wyn
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carpmart
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 05:05 PM |
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make sure that you keep an eye on what is overtaking you. If you have a large vehicle like a LWB van passing you at 70 plus, they cab unsettle your
rig. Its not as bad with a car trailer but with a caravan its very noticeable. The trick is to anticipate and accelerate as the other vehicle is
passing you. The acceleration is exerting a force on the trailer which means it won't snake as much.
Other than that, just leave plenty of space to stop and swing out a little more when negotiating junctions and roundabouts.
Good luck!
You only live once - make the most of it!
Radical Clubsport, Kwaker motor
'94 MX5 MK1, 1.8
F10 M5 - 600bhp Daily Hack 
Range Rover Sport - Wife's Car
Mercedes A class - Son's Car
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dhutch
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 05:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Davey D
Dont forget the reduced speed limit. 60mph on dual carriageway/Motorway
And 50mph on single carrageways, unless otherwise signed, when you follow the signs.
Generally putting front engined cars on backwards its a really bad idea, however with a trailer that long you could put it on backwards right at the
front to the engine is just about sat on the axle line, i could see that work. Not sure if it would be better or worse.
As said, get it well strapped down, take it steady, dont drive down a dead end if you carnt reverse, watch your stopping times, make sure the trailers
got air in the tyres and the like. (inc if its hired)
I should do well with the set up, but if it does snake, as said, dont brake.
The snaking takes the speed out of it very fast from the trailer end, so you can actaully put power on to help it pull stright and still be bringing
the speed down quite quickly, which is where 'accelerating out of the snake' comes from as far as i know. However if this happens on your
first tow, your pushing to hard! imo.
Daniel
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daviep
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 05:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
thanks for all the advice guys,
my thinking was along the lines of if i put the car on backwards (rear end first) it would put the engine & gearbox over the axles of the trailer
leaving the rear axle over the nose?
Good idea or bad?
I would probably try the car on forwards first, I set the nose weight by whether I can lift the hitch on by hand, if I can't lift it's too
heavy, if it doesn't hurt my hand slightly it's too light.
Be careful of the trailer cutting corners at low speeds such as junctions, at higher speeds the trailer will follow the line of the car.
Are you aware that if you passed your car test after 1997 then you need to make sure that the max. gross weight of the trailer is less than the empty
weight of your tow vehicle and that your combined weight is less than 3500kg. The max. gross weight of the trailer is what is stamped on the plate not
what is actually loaded on to the trailer.
Either that or pass a trailer test 
Davie
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
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pewe
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 05:51 PM |
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All the above advice is good but some more points:-
1) Your driving licence does cover you to tow doesn't it?
2) Do a lighting check before pulling away - brakes, indicators, side, fog, hazards.
3) After a couple of miles pull over and CHECK EVERYTHING - tie-downs, hitch, handbrake off, breakaway cable attached, car not moved on the bed,
steadies up, jockey wheel up & locked. Never ceases to amaze me what shifts or wasn't tight enough when loaded up. Then when the
road's clear practise some braking to feel what it's like when the trailer brakes kick in.
4) Reversing practise can't be beaten. However if you need to do it without practise ensure there's an automatic over-run on the hitch
otherwise there'll be a tag to flip over to stop the brakes activating (old fashioned but still some around & don't forget to swing
the tag away once finished reversing).
Golden rules of reversing :- TAKE IT SLOWLY it's more difficult to reverse a small trailer than a 40' artic due to the hitch/axle
distance.
To reverse successfully - PUT ONE HAND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING WHEEL - MOVE YOUR HAND THE WAY YOU WANT THE TRAILER TO MOVE (probably THE BEST
TOWING TIP EVER).
5) Allow a wider swing into tight corners - you should be able to keep an eye on the trailer wheels via your door mirrors to check you aren't
clipping the kerbs.
It's easy once you get the hang of it.
Best of luck.
Cheers, Pewe 
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will121
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 06:02 PM |
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A short point if you are like me try stop places where you don't need to reverse anywhere!
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omega0684
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 06:04 PM |
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some great advice there guys, i've done all the legal checks, licence, vehicle & trailer weights etc, i'll
Where are the best places to attach the straps too on the car?
I love Pinto's, even if i did get mine from P&O!
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norfolkluego
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 06:46 PM |
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I always treat it a bit like a mild version of driving on snow, keep everthing nice and smooth, no sudden sterering input/braking (unless it's
an emergency obviously), think/plan ahead for junctions/roundabouts etc, don't forget your increased braking distance and most
important........don't forget the trailer is there.
Not as bad as you might think, you'll be fine.
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 06:54 PM |
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my 3 biggest points of failure are the load coming loose, having to brake too hard (in case it isnt tied down as well as you thought!) and snaking.
I snaked a car once, at about 60 as i passed an HGV. That was diabolically overweight though, but lesson learnt. You will sh*t yourself if it happens.
If you dont steer it will fold you up, and if you try to correct it, you just feed more snaking into it.
If im honest you are unlikely to be able to comply with the law totally because the plate weight of the trailer would need to be quite specific to be
legal. But, i never cared myself.
As for tying it down, its harder than it sounds without the proper straps. The handbrake will have no affect really, so its entirely down to your
straps.
I think the best approach is to drive as smoothly as possible, with as much anticipation as you can muster.
Dont bother trying to reverse under pressure, if you havent practiced its just annoying. Easy in a car park, not so easy when you're blocking a
road!
[Edited on 14/2/11 by JoelP]
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jimmyjoebob
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 07:17 PM |
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If you are reversing and you think it is starting to go off course the best thing to do is stop, pull forwards slightly to straighten up and only then
try reversing again. Far too often people (including myself many times!) go wrong and try to overcorrect and get themselves in an even bigger mucking
fuddle!
The only other advice is when manoeuvring; don't be hurried. I used to be wary of holding people up but slow once is far quicker than going
wrong and having to retry, especially if by then you have an audience!
If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence you ever tried!
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MK9R
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 07:43 PM |
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50mm ratchet strapes, with a loop behind the wheel is the best way of strapping down. Very hard to expalin without pictures. Failing that ratchet
strat front and rear tow eye to each corner of the trailer, this stops its sliding side ways
Cheers Austen
RGB car number 9
www.austengreenway.co.uk
www.automatedtechnologygroup.co.uk
www.trackace.co.uk
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bitsilly
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 07:53 PM |
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What he said!
When you tie a car on, only tie the unsprung bits.
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daviep
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 08:11 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
some great advice there guys, i've done all the legal checks, licence, vehicle & trailer weights etc, i'll
Where are the best places to attach the straps too on the car?
Depends on where your hooks are on the trailer are and how many straps you are using.
What are you using to tie down? 50mm ratchet straps are probably best suited to the job.
If you have hooks on the back of the trailer, I would hook the starp on as far back as possible and pass the strap through the rear wheel and back to
where it came from is nice and simple if your alloys are quite open and gives 100% security against the car moving forward. Obvioulsy do this on both
sides.
For the front wheels I would start with the start hooked on as far forward as possible and feed the strap through the wheel and and then put the
ratchet on to the same hook, again onboth sides.
If you cannot pass straps through the wheels it's quite easy to "choke" normal straps around the tyres, easiest to explain with a
diagram
The red and black lines are the same strap I changed the colour to make it easier to see how they are crossed.
1: Hook on the strap behind the wheel you are tying
2: Pass the strap round the back of the wheel and back out to the front
3: Pass over the top of where it disappears behind the wheel and then pull forward
4: Attatch ratchet in front of wheel
5: Adjust crossover to middle of wheel and tighten - should look like this
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
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907
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 08:15 PM |
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This is how I do mine.
Paul G
 
Description
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HowardB
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 08:39 PM |
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everything that everybody else says, and then add more practice, try going to a really big carpark and reversing, and driving around the parking bays,
watch how the trailer cuts the corners and how far it swings out. This might just save one of those oops moments.
hope that helps
ps 907's picture is perfect for tie down
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again and goes zoom)
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Blackbird Rush
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| posted on 14/2/11 at 08:55 PM |
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I towed my Rush with my Focus with a twin axle BJ clubman trailer, and it towed very well, had the car on nose first and proper 4 wheel tie downs,
also attached the winch strap to the front of the chassis through the nose.
Country lanes are one to watch as the trailer will probably be wider than your car so you need to watch the kerbs on the nearside and the white lines
down the middle of the road as its easy to stick the trailer wheels over these.
Another thing to watch out for is after a while you'll relax into it then look in the rear view mirror and see this car right up your tail and
Sh*t yourself that someones going to plough into you!
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