Month: March 2021

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4 Tips to Increase Your Towing Safety

With the NHTSA reporting over 50,000 towing accidents annually, increasing towing safety should be a top priority for all RVers. Whether you’re towing on the highway or in the city, these tips will help you increase your towing safety.

1. Don’t Exceed Your Towing Capacity

Towing capacity varies from truck to truck. The current towing champs include the F-450 Super Duty with a maximum towing capacity of 37,000 pounds and the 2021 GMC Sierra 3500HD that can tow up to 36,000 pounds. When it comes to towing safety in these trucks, what should you keep in mind?

You don’t want your trailer to exceed the towing capacity of your truck because it will be a recipe for disaster. First, you’ll be doing your truck’s transmission and engine system a great injustice. Second, the brakes of your truck are likely to fail and lead to a catastrophic accident. Additionally, stopping your truck and trailer while at stop speed or when towing in hilly terrain would cause your truck to jackknife or crush into the vehicle ahead.

For this reason, you should know your truck’s maximum towing power and the weight of the trailer you seek to tow. Towing experts recommend that the total weight of your trailer and its load, commonly referred to as gross trailer weight (GTW) should not exceed the towing capacity of your truck. It’s also recommended that you install a weight distribution system if your trailer’s weight is more than half of your towing truck’s weight.

2. Invest in the Best Trailer Brake Controller

Brake controllers are installed in your truck’s cab and wired to your trailer’s and truck’s braking systems. A trailer brake system helps your truck stop smoothly without jerking when you apply the brakes on your towing vehicle. You can choose to install time-delayed controllers or proportional brake controllers.

Time-delayed controllers activate your trailer’s braking system with a predetermined braking power that you can program in the control sync settings. With these controllers, there’s a slight time-delay before the controller activates the trailer’s brakes. The other type of brake controller you can install is proportional brake controllers. These brake controllers use modern sensors that automatically detect when your towing truck is slowing or stopping. They then apply equal braking power to your trailer. This leads to a gradual stop as your truck and trailer stop in tandem.

3. Select the Appropriate Trailer Hitch

There are five classes of hitches available for towing trailers. The type you choose is determined by the gross trailer weight rating of your trailer, the maximum towing capacity of your truck, and the maximum trailer tongue weight. Selecting the right trailer hitch system will increase your towing safety because it will reduce the risk of your trailer accidentally dismounting from the towing vehicle. This may happen when you’re driving on bumpy roads.

Luckily, the GTW and maximum tongue weight are usually labeled on your trailer so you won’t have a hard time figuring them out. You can tell the maximum towing capacity of your truck from your truck’s manual or from your dealership.

4. Install a Trailer Sway Control Hitch

A sway control bar is extremely useful in controlling trailer sway when you’re driving. Trailer sway control systems use friction to keep your trailer in position with your towing vehicle. Whenever your trailer begins to sway, the trailer sway system stops the trailer from overturning by putting up enough resistance. When towing tall trailers and heavy enclosed trailers, installing a sway control system will come in handy.

While the above factors will work to enhance towing safety, the way you drive on the roads counts. You’re advised to drive safely and avoid overspeeding and dangerous overtaking when towing. The maximum recommended towing speed is 55mph. Even after following all the requirements that increase your towing safety, like installing the best brake controllers, they’ll be useless if you drive carelessly. When followed to the letter, these towing tips will enhance your road safety by a long shot.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Install Trailer Air Brake Controllers

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are over 50,000 accidents on U.S. roads every year that are related to towing. If all RV enthusiasts installed a trailer brake controller in their towing truck, most of these accidents would be prevented. If you’re among the 30 million Americans who love to tow trailers, you should consider investing in the best trailer brake controllers.

Here’s how you’ll benefit from installing brake controllers in your towing truck.

1. It Enhances Your Towing Safety

Truck manufacturers do well to make towing trucks with efficient braking systems. But when you’re towing a 2,000 lbs trailer, your truck’s brakes may come short. You’ll realize that your truck’s brakes aren’t super-efficient when you’re driving on the highway and have to make an emergency stop, or when towing uphill or downhill. Even when your brakes hold up, they’ll not serve you for long before you have to completely replace them.

Installing trailer air brake controllers is the solution. A trailer brake controller is a small electronic device that’s installed in the cab of your towing vehicle. It is connected to the truck’s braking system such that it sends an electronic system to your trailer’s brakes when you apply the towing truck’s brakes. This ensures that your towing truck and your trailer stops in tandem when you apply the brakes. As a result, you’ll experience safe towing when towing on the highway or off-road.

2. Trailer Brake Controllers Will Safeguard Your Truck’s Brakes

Without a trailer brake system, your truck’s and trailer’s brakes will experience a faster rate of wear and tear. However, brake controllers allow you to control the amount of braking force generated by the braking system, so it’s proportionate to the weight of the trailer being towed. This drastically reduces the wear and tear of both the truck’s and the trailer’s brakes. When braking power is generated in equal amounts to the payload, there’ll be less friction produced. Consequently, the brake pads and disc rotors will not wear out because of excess friction or overload.

3. Trailer Brake Controller Solutions Gives You More Control

Once you have installed a trailer air brake controller in your truck, you can adjust the controls and set the output values. You can adjust the personal settings of the brake controllers, such as the brightness of the screen, and the angle of interference. This happens when you install the time-delayed brake controllers. Proportional brake controllers, which are the other main type of brake controllers, use internal accelerometers to monitor your vehicle’s speed and apply equal braking force.

4. Trailer Air Brake Controllers Makes Towing More Enjoyable

With the best trailer brake controller installed, you can tow your trailer in rough terrain without the risk of jackknifing. When towing uphill or downhill, you’ll experience even and smooth braking without the risk of brake failure. With normal brakes, towing in hilly terrain becomes a tough act to balance, especially when you’re towing a heavy trailer. Driving on the city highways at top speed is safer when you have brake controllers. If you need to make an emergency stop, you’ll not risk bumping into the car ahead because the brake controllers will facilitate smooth braking.

5. Compliance With Local Regulations

Most states have put into place regulations about brake controller requirements. In some places, it’s mandatory to install brake controllers if you’re towing a trailer of 3000 lbs or more. Also, if your trailer uses electric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes, installing a trailer air brake controller will be extremely helpful. Depending on your state’s regulations, it may be a requirement to install air brake controllers or electric brake controllers.

Most RV enthusiasts install trailer air brake controllers to enhance towing safety. Trailer accidents cause major damage to property and people whenever they happen. Installing brake controllers helps you tow safely both in the city and off-road. You should trust a reputable dealer to sell and install your trailer brake controllers, so they can function optimally.

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