What You Should Know About Off-Road Towing

Towing on the street may become second nature after a time; however, towing off-road is a whole different beast. Changes in topography, such as driving on hard packed gravel roads to sandy surfaces, can have a significant impact on how your trailer impacts the vehicle's performance.

Never be the final vehicle in a convoy

If something is missing, open, or falling off the trailer, the person behind you will be able to see it. It is frequently hard to see what the trailer is doing from the driver's seat, especially when the truck is fully laden.

When Towing Off-Road, Use Low Range to Maneuver the Trailer

The primary reason we utilize low range is to drive slowly and carefully. Because maneuvering a trailer is difficult, put the car in low range while off-road or on rough ground. This allows you to slowly place the trailer without having to worry about the clutch or throttle - simply let the engine idle.

Tire Inflation

Don't merely lower your vehicle's tires and believe the trailer will maintain on-road pressures. We lower our tires for more than simply better traction. Because of the greater footprint, a trailer running street pressure will function like an Anker on sand tracks and may bounce excessively on corrugations.

Tire pressures vary depending on the trailer, but because camper trailers are lighter than vehicles, you should go even lower than you do on the vehicle.

If feasible, use the same tire size, lug pattern, and rim offset on your automobile and trailer. If you accomplish this, you will be able to utilize the trailer's spare tires on your car. As a result, if you ever find yourself on a track that wears out tire after tire, you may leave the trailer behind, safely go to civilization, and then return to pick up your trailer.

Recognize Jackknife Points

Before going off-road for the first time, enlist someone behind you to keep an eye on you while you reverse to help discover your trailer's jackknife points. Keep in mind that the jackknife point may differ from side to side due to insufficient cable length; thus, test both sides.

Knowing your trailer's jackknife points can allow you to move it much more effectively when off-road, and you may even avoid damage.

Check everything twice

If someone else is assisting you in hooking up the trailer, step out and inspect it; they may have done something differently than you want. Remember, you are the one towing, therefore if anything goes wrong, you are to blame.

Understand Trailer Spares

Always keep an extra trailer connector, trailer connector adapter, and spare pin on hand. Why have I mentioned the adapter when your car may not require it? In an off-road condition, your car may sustain damage and be unable to tow. Having an adapter enhances the chances of finding another vehicle capable of towing your trailer out.