How To Prep Your Equipment Before Diesel Towing

In general modern diesel trucks are designed for towing heavy loads with ease. However, their performance can be improved with the help of effective upgrades, a strategy which can prove to be beneficial in case you are planning to drag a full loaded 5 or 6 car trailer behind your truck. Given below are 5 different upgrades which will help you to prep for diesel towing:

Artificial Intelligence

No, we are not talking about robots, rather computerised products which can regulate your towing vehicle better than you would ever be able to. For instance, using transmission controllers will help you to enhance the performance of your overall equipment, reduce wear & tear and even prevent disasters inside the costly automatic transmission.

Driving Force

Towing can take tolls on the drive-line which sits right behind the diesel engine. Even if one hard part gives out, it would put an end to your hauling adventure then and there. To be on the safe side, perform internal upgrades on the transmission and torque converter by substituting them with heavy-duty units. Besides that, you may also need to increase cooling performance of axle differentials and transmission.

Cold Filtered

Apart from the driveline, towing is also tough on all fluids throughout the drive-train of diesel truck. In order to ensure that everything is cool and clean, install aftermarket filters for oil, transmission and fuel fluids. The filters would remove particles which are smaller than that the factory components can allow to pass through. This in turn, will guarantee safety of the vital parts.

Work Boots

The contact between trailer/truck combo and the road is important for everything starting from safety to fuel economy. Therefore, besides having tires which are rated for carrying as much weight as the GVWR of your equipment, you must also get wheels which can take care of all the weight.

Heavy Breathing

If you wish to gain a significant amount of additional power for your truck, replace its factory airbox with a cold-air high-flow intake. It would be the elementary step towards entirely enhancing the breathing of your diesel engine. In the steps which follow, you will have to upgrade the intake manifold, inter-cooler, up-pipes, exhaust manifold, exhaust, down-pipe and turbocharger. All of these enhancements will substantially improve efficiency of the diesel and also allow other upgrades to function at their full potential.

How To Ensure Safety While Towing a Trailer

Whether a car hauling trailer is used for commercial purposes, recreation or some private reason, it is important to follow certain measures as well as towing tips for ensuring safety of oneself and other drivers on the road. The foremost thing is to apply proper techniques for loading cars or other materials in order to maintain appropriate equilibrium. The bulkiest items should never be placed at the facade or rear part, as it may result in excessive tongue weight and unloading of the tires making it hard to control the tow vehicle. While loading cars, their front should be placed first in the trailer.

Next comes securing the loaded items properly to prevent them from moving while the trailer is being hauled. There are various ways for tying down loaded cars in a 4 car hauler. One can make use of ratcheting tie down straps for securing the cars, one strap at each corner of a vehicle. The tie down straps should, however, be of good quality. Another tool which can be used for securing cars to a trailer is axle strap. Axle straps will have to be tied around either the lower control arm or the front cross-member and the rear axle.

Trailers are notorious for swaying, especially when there is wind or the load is not placed properly. Distribution hitches can help in minimizing sway by spreading weight across the chassis rather than the single ball hitch point. Besides decreasing rear suspension drop, distribution hitches can also reduce chances of whipping. Some states have strict laws that make it mandatory to use these add-ons with particular weights and trailers.

While towing a trailer, it is also important to keep an eye on the driving speed. Towing affects various systems of a vehicle, including suspension, drive-train and brakes. People who are still new to trailering must not exceed the speed limit. But it does not mean that experienced haulers can drive at any speed they want. Keeping the speed low provides more room for maneuvering while changing lanes. Stopping takes about twice or thrice the time and distance comparatively. The most prudent thing to do would be driving within 65 miles per hour.

Last but not the least, one must use the right kind of tires on the trailer. Some people use cheap light truck tires which are not designed for handling loads that trailers have to carry. These tires can blow up after frequent usage and result in serious accidents.