Thread: Towing

The only advice I can give is make sure the trailer is loaded correctly. It should have a fair bit of weight on the towball (10% gvm of trailer) to avoid the wobbles.
Oh, and drive carefully knowing that your vehicle is now a lot longer than it used to be.
Have a pleasant and safe trip.

Take it easy, and don't forget you have a trailer back there! Sounds silly maybe, but you wouldn't be the first who has forgotten they were towing, and pulled too tight round a corner. When taking a corner, remember to take it a bit wider than usual, and if you're not used to towing, try not to get into situations where you may need to reverse out of them.

i have no experience myself but my mate got a trailer and noticed that tracks that before he did not even need to think about he suddenly needed help. so be careful if you plan on taking it 4wding.

Thanks guys.

I do not intend to take the trailer 4wd-ing but may of course need to access camping spots using off-road tracks.

How do I best judge if the trailer is loaded correctly? I guess it wants to be evenly loaded either side of the wheels with a slight bias toward the front?

Also the PO of my defender reduced the tyre pressures slightly from nameplate as he said it was less harsh over speedbumps around town etc., and i've left them that way - should I inflate them to the LR recommended pressures for, say, a moderate to fully loaded car??

Thanks for your help

Originally Posted by Samblers

How do I best judge if the trailer is loaded correctly? I guess it wants to be evenly loaded either side of the wheels with a slight bias toward the front?

About 10% of the GVM should be on the ball. There are some that say 5%.
If the GVM of the trailer is 1000kg, about 100kg should be on the ball. I find it's a little bit of guesswork but you should get a good idea by looking at the car. The rear wheels should appear to be under a bit of load, not a lot (like bum dragging on the ground), and definitely not lifting.

Mine tows better with 45psi in the rear,40 in the front,remember to brake earlier. Pat

hi , I run my rear tyres at 38 and front at 35 psi on my 110. I'm sure you'll be ok . Make sure you've got a jack , plus a spare wheel for your trailer .Keep your eye on your rear mirrors . Don't forget to allow for the trailer when overtaking , have a great trip . jimr1

Good tips, thanks all.

I'll put a little air in the tyres i think...