NOWRA TRAILER HIRE IS COMMITTED TO YOUR SAFETY WHEN TRAVELLING WITH A TRAILER

It is important to know that towing is very different from everyday driving - it requires additional driving skills and safety precautions.

As a driver, you have a legal responsibility to other road users and yourself when towing a trailer, caravan or other vehicle to drive safely and responsibly. The towing vehicle, trailer and its load must all meet legal and safety requirements.

At Nowra Trailer Hire, safety is our number one priority and we believe that with the right training and awareness, we can minimise the risk of incident or harm. To ensure your own safety, as well as that of your friends, family, our team members and other road users, we must ensure every possible safety measure is met. Below are a few safety tips and guidelines that will help you with the connecting, loading, towing and maintaining of trailers. - Keep safe and happy towing!

Like any activity that we perform on our roads, towing a trailer requires certain skills and knowledge to ensure every safety measure is met to minimise the potential risk of incident or injury. Safe towing starts with YOU, and we believe that you can never be too qualified or over prepared whilst towing a trailer. Please read all areas covered below carefully, and don't hesitate to contact Nowra Trailer Hire regarding any safety questions or legal requirements.

Remember, this document is to be used as a guide only. Never stop educating yourself on trailer safety.

1. Connecting A Trailer

When connecting a trailer to your towing vehicle, extra care must be taken to ensure that every step is executed correctly. Failure to comply with all instructions may result in faulty lighting or an accident due to the trailer disconnecting.

Step 1. Inspect the towing vehicle's tyres, towbar and towball to ensure their serviceability, rating and overall integrity. Every new Australian vehicle's towbar will come with a compliance plate stating the towbars maximum load limit and an overall tow rating of the vehicle in which the manufacturer states the towbar can legally comply.

The capacity of your towbar and coupling must be at least equal to the loaded mass of the trailer.

A towbar fitted to a vehicle built after January 1992 must be marked with its load capacity and either the vehicle model for which it is designed or the towbar manufacturer's part number.

- Towbar must not protrude dangerously from a vehicle, or have sharp corners that could be a safety hazard when no trailer is fitted to your vehicle.

- Towbar chain attachments must be able to withstand the rated load capacity
of the towbar.

- The safety chain attachments must be mounted adjacent to the tow coupling and arranged so as to maintain the direction of the trailer in the event of coupling failure or disconnection.

Towbars with a removable towing lug should be fitted with safety chain connections on the non-removable part of the towbar. If the chain connections are on the removable lug then the lug must be restrained by an additional chain to prevent disconnection from the towbar if the lug attachment rails. always ensure the pin is secure and the bolt is tight.

Many towballs also state their rating on the top or on the rim of the ball. (If in doubt, DON'T USE IT. Refer to your towing vehicles owner's manual or contact a qualified towbar specialist for further inspection).

Step 2. If the towbar and towball are in good working order, attach the trailer coupling over the towing vehicle's towball checking both visually & physically that the trailer will not disconnect for any reason whatsoever. (A 50mm towball is standard for all hire trailers in Australia.)

NEVER attempt to lift or move a trailer alone.
Always seek assistance to prevent injury.

Ensure the coupling locking latch is in the locked position or the trailer will bounce off the towball whilst driving.

Step 3. The trailer must now be connected to the towing vehicle using a safety chain to prevent the trailer from disconnecting from the towing vehicle in the event that the coupling should come loose from the towball or during an accident. The chain(s) must be connected to the towing vehicle using D-shackles that are rated to withstand the combined weight of the load and the trailer. (Trailers towing over 2.5 ton ATM must be connected to the towing vehicle using 2 safety chains.)

The best way to connect the chains from the trailer to the towing vehicle is in a crossed over pattern where the chains act as a cradle to prevent the trailer coupling from hitting the ground in the event of disconnection. Ensure there is enough slack for maneuvering and cornering.

Trailers over 2.5 tonnes ATM must have two safety chains of designation of 3500 kg complying with Australian Standard AS 4177.4-1994 or Australian Standard AS 4177.42004;

Allow only enough slack in the chain(s) for turns, so that the trailer will not hit the ground when disconnected from the tow ball. This will ensure the trailer remains with the towing vehicle and doesn't roll away and cause further harm.

Important: the chain(s) should never drag along the ground! (This will weaken the chain(s) over time causing it to break much easier under pressure)

Double back excess chain to prevent dragging.

Two chains are crossed under the tow ball to catch the coupling if the trailer disconnects.

Step 4. Connect the power cable plug from the trailer into the towing vehicle input ensuring all lights
are working correctly. These include: Stop lamps (Brake lights), indicators, parkers and number plate lights.
If the lights are not working, they must be fully operational before proceeding.

Step 5. Check that the jockey wheel is in the raised and locked position, ensure the hand brake (where applicable) is off and the coupling brake lockout is in the open position to engage braking on over-ride braking systems.

Always remember to raise the jockey wheel to prevent damage.

When raising the jockey wheel, ensure the wheel is to the rear and that the handle is tucked in to prevent damage on steep driveways.

Always ensure the handbrake is off whilst driving or excessive damage to the brakes may occour.

You are now connected and ready to go. It is good practice to always check that both the towing vehicle and the trailer's tyres are inflated to the manufacturers specifications before towing.

2. Loading A Trailer

How a trailer is loaded plays a major role in how well it tows, as well as the degree of safety and security within the trailer. Certain rules and regulations apply to how loads are stored, secured and towed within a trailer.

Step 1. Pre-inspect the load being towed, ensuring it has been loaded safely and effectively without causing damage to the trailer or the goods. The load must not be placed in a way that makes the vehicle unstable or unsafe. (Keep the load as low as possible with heavier items placed over the front axle and to the front of the trailer. The rest of the load should be packed to achieve a 60% / 40% positive weight to the front of the trailer with 5% to 10% of the total mass over the vehicles towbar, depressing the back end of the towing vehicle slightly. The load should not weigh the rear of the trailer down or trailer sway will occur.)

IMPORTANT: 60% of the load weight must be in the front half of the trailer (closest to the towing vehicle) or the trailer will sway and potentially jack knife.

Step 2. Ensure the loads do not exceed the parameters of the trailers past the legal limits.

Step 3. Use correct tie down methods. Ensure the tie down ropes, straps or chains are rated to secure the weight of the load. Think practically, ensuring that no part of the load will leave the trailer under any circumstances. (In regards to tying down a load, there is no such thing as too much care.)

Step 4. Ensure the load doesn't exceed your towbar's capacity or the trailer's legal towing capacity.

3. Driving Tips

Those that have been towing for years will tell you, there is an art to towing a trailer. If you haven't towed for a while or are new to the trailer game, it is important to refresh your driving tips before getting out there on the open road.

Tip 1. Remember that trailer wheels won't follow in the exact line that your car's tyres travel. Trailers have a tendency of "cutting" corners, therefore, extra space is required when turning corners with a trailer. (Car trailers especially require extra space for turning corners. It is recommended that corners are taken "wide" to ensure the trailer doesn't cut into the corner causing the tyres to jump a medium strip or contact any objects.)

Tip 2. Always allow extra space whenever overtaking, passing or turning with a trailer. (As touched on above, a trailer will generally be wider than your car, therefore, extra room will be required to pass parked vehicles etc.)

Tip 3. Always allow greater stopping distances when towing a trailer. The weight of the trailer will reduce the performance of your car's brakes and require greater stopping distances. (Remember to break early and lightly for corners.)

Tip 4. Accelerate, break and steer smoothly to prevent swaying. (Having majority of a loads weight in the rear of a trailer will encourage swaying, therefore, always secure majority of the loads with a slight positive weight in the front half of a trailer closest to the towing vehicle.)

Tip 5. Use a low gear when traveling down hills to increase vehicle control. (This will assist you with steering and braking.)

Tip 6. It is a good practice to always have someone directing you when reversing with a trailer and apply your hazard lights to warn other road users that you are attempting to reverse. (A large number of incidences occur whilst reversing a trailer due to hard maneuvering and decrease in visibility. If there is no one to guide you, physically inspect the area you wish to reverse into looking for obstacles and hazards prior to attempting the maneuver.

Tip 7. Always be aware whilst on the roads and continuously remind yourself you are towing a trailer.

Other Useful Safety Pages

We have found YouTube an excellent tutorial companion for Trailer Instruction

Light Vehicle Towing & Trailer Regulations: Visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/vehicle-safety-and-compliance/towing-a-caravan

Visit the National Caravan & Recreational vehicle towing guide for safety tips and legal requirements

Visit NRMA Safely towing trailers and caravans

All links are provided as a courtesy for information only. Nowra Trailer Hire is not liable for any information or demonstrations related to the attached links.

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