Some Important Facts Related to Upgrading Tow Trucks and Trailers

If you are a part of the American towing industry, there can come a time when you may need to upgrade your truck or van and trailer so that they become capable of performing tough jobs like carrying heavy cargo, hauling multiple cars at once, etc. Before you start to think about maximizing the potential of your hauling equipment, there are certain things about which you should know so that you can make suitable choices. Given below are some of them :

High-Capacity Hitches : 

Modern diesel trucks generally have conventional or under-bumper hitches of Class 4 or 5 mounted to their frames. They are good for hauling up to 10,000 pounds. Nowadays, surpassing the bumper hitch limit is a very common thing among haulers. But the practice is actually a very idea. This is because engineers take everything into account while computing tow ratings - steering, handling, cooling, braking, bearing capacities, real-world testing, gear strengths, and a plethora of other important attributes. If you feel there is a need to exceed the tow rating of your hitch, consider purchasing an aftermarket hitch. Aftermarket hitches generally come equipped with many additional utilitarian features.

Strap Safety : 

For hiking up the safety of your cargo while they are on the move, invest your money in top notch ratchet straps, whether you have a 4 or 5 car trailer. Make sure you buy them in multiple lengths so that they can be used for securing your cargo in place more effectively. Not only will the straps help in preventing the loads from falling off your trailer, but also keep their weight steady to enable optimal handling.

Tough Tires : 

Good tires are never cheap, and those which have been designed specifically for trailering can seem a bit boring. They are, however, very important as they can support the cargo effectively, help to steer predictably and also have better grip. It can be tempting to keep whichever tires were supplied with the trailer at the time of purchase, but you must make sure that they are capable of handling the duty you need to perform. By installing tires with suitable load ratings, you can avoid dangerous blowouts and improve fuel economy.

Work Wheels : 

These are another product which often get overlooked by professional haulers. Prior to putting your trailer and truck to work, check whether their wheels are suitable or not for the task you need to get done. Buy some which are rated for supporting the weight that you are planning to tow.

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. 

Maintaining a Hauler Trailer

If you have a vehicle towing business or own a private trailer at home, it is imperative that you make use of proper techniques for maintaining the hauler and keeping it in good condition. The task of trailer upkeep may not be too overwhelming, but it will definitely need some elbow grease to be done properly.

First of all, you must recognize the fact that bearings and brakes of a trailer undergo a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, these are the parts which require the most amount of maintenance. Dust particles can cause the brakes as well as drums to wear out prematurely. To prevent that from happening, rinse thoroughly with water for removing any dust particles that might be present on the brakes. When it is time to get them replaced, make sure that you change everything else as well, including hardware, shoes and wheel cylinders.

While greasing the bearings of your trailer, check whether the outer spring is fully compressed or not. Continue to grease if the spring appears or seems to be extended. You will have to do this by taking out the bearings from the wheel and pulling them apart to perform a meticulous inspection.

Be it a 4 or 5 car trailer, its electrical components need to function properly as well to prevent unwanted accidents or mishaps. Inspect the lights of your trailer carefully before taking it out on the road. If they are not working properly, check the connection of the plug. If you find nothing wrong with the plug, have a look at the bulb. If the bulb seems to be intact, there can be some problem with the wiring. Sometimes, wiring can corrode or become loose due to heavy vibration from regular usage.

The coupler of your trailer would not require extensive maintenance. But you will have to inspect it from time to time for ensuring that it is working fine. Check for wear and tear and grease occasionally to prevent the latch from becoming jarred or stiff. You may also need to apply lubricants to the locking mechanisms and tongue jack.

Just like every machine needs regular upkeep to last longer and perform well, a trailer is the same. By investing a few hours in maintaining the different components of your hauling equipment, you can easily ensure the safety of yourself, the goods you would be hauling and the other drivers on the road.

Tips For Haulers Undertaking Interstate Vehicle Transport

It does not matter if you are an experienced car hauler or doing it the first time, it can never hurt to be aware of some vital tips for making your interstate vehicle transport convenient and safe. Not only will these tips help you to save an ample amount of time and make you hassle-free, but also aid you in working more competently.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

Drive Slowly : The foremost thing that you should keep in mind is to drive at a low speed. By driving slowly rather than attempting to rush at 70mph, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary troubles. Besides keeping away from speeding tickets, it would also help you to move safely at sharp turns.

Check Your Tow Van’s Battery : Whether the car transport you are undertaking, are for brand new or wrecked cars, it is imperative for the battery of your tow van to be up and running. If the battery dies down in the middle of the journey, it can cause a number of problems. Therefore, make sure that you inspect the battery of your tow van properly before setting off, and also keep a winch as backup.

Get Enough Sleep During Lengthy Trips : If the haul is supposed to be long one, carry a makeshift bed in the compartment of your truck and get enough sleep before starting for the journey. It is not a good thing at all to drive when you are groggy and know for sure that you need sleep. It can cause accidents, even fatal ones if you do not drive without getting enough rest.

Purchase A Good Hauling Trailer : Besides following all the necessary safety precautions and tips, make sure that you buy a proper trailer for the task. There are many firms in Texas that provide 4 or 5 car hauler for sale. You can also look for used ones if your budget is tight, but make sure you inspect them carefully before buying. Having to perform repair works on your newly bought trailer is the last thing you would want to do.

Limit The Hauling : Size of the trailer will determine the number of cars you can haul, but try not to exceed four or five cars at the most. If you are a newbie and your trailer is a large one, try to limit the number of cars to a couple during your first time, in order to become familiar with the hauling process.

How to Transport Cars During Relocations?

You and your family are in the process of shifting permanently from one city to another. All the useful belongings have been loaded into a truck or van. There is a family car which has to be carried along as well. But you want to save charges on gas by using the van or truck as the only means of transport. So how it is that you are going to move the car without actually driving it? The answer is quite simple – use a car trailer.

Making use of car trailers in Texas for moving automobiles during long-distance relocations is quite popular as well as economical. However, there are a few things that you will have to consider before undertaking the task:

Determine The Kind of Trailer Needed : 
Decide the kind of trailer you need after taking into account the size, weight and other important specifications of the car. You can also consult a licensed manufacturer to give you specific guidelines about the type that will suit you the best. If you want to go with a rented equipment, take some additional steps in case your car has custom effects or aftermarket alterations.

Study Your Trailer : 
Do not load your car onto the trailer until and unless you have acquired significant information about the proper method for using the equipment and the various components. Read the owner’s manual, pamphlets and decals carefully. You can try looking for instructional videos over the internet.

Load Your Car : 
Position the car, the trailer and the moving van or truck in a straight line. Make sure that you connect the towing equipment to the van properly before loading the car. Follow the instructions given in manufacturer’s manual while loading the vehicle. Be extremely careful when getting out of the loaded car. Do not place any commodities or belongings inside the car.

Be Careful When Towing : 
Driving a trailer with a vehicle on it is entirely different from driving a lone vehicle. Make sure that the lights are working properly. Inspect tire pressure meticulously of all the three vehicles before you start. While on the road, hit the brakes early at signals. Decrease your regular speed of driving and slow down more for curves, downgrades, expressway exits and dangerous road conditions. Always be vigilant, and follow normal driving behaviours such as fastening the seat belt, not talking on the phone while driving, etc.

About Car Hauler Trailer?

Car hauler trailer : To know what is a car hauler trailer, their features as well as their uses, have a look at this slide share presentation.

What Is a Car Hauler Trailer?

A car hauler trailer, also known as a car carrier trailer, auto transport trailer, car-carrying trailer, etc. is a kind of semi-trailer or a trailer designed for transporting passenger vehicles efficiently via truck. 

The car hauler trailers in contemporary times may be enclosed or open. And most of them have built-in ramps for off-loading and loading cars, and power hydraulics, which can raise as well as lower ramps without the use of any other hardware. 

The ones that are enclosed have walls similar to a conventional box trailer. They provide the cars a lot more security and protection at the cost of lower capacity when being shipped. Open trailers, on the other hand, exposes the cars to elements but have greater carrying capacity than the enclosed variety. 

Open trailers have double-decker designs. Both of their decks are subdivided into several loading as well as storage ramps, which can be tilted & lifted independently of one another using hydraulics. The hydraulics allow ramps to be aligned on the slope so that there is no problem in driving the cars up and securing them to ramp floor with chains, wheel straps or toe-down ratchets. The ramp can even be tilted in any direction for optimizing stacking. Rear half of deck can be tilted and lowered by hydraulic means for loading cars on top deck of these double-decker commercial car hauler trailers. Generally, the top deck is loaded first & off-loaded last. This is because of the presence of cars on the lower deck, which makes it merely impossible for lowering the top deck ramp. 

Most of the commercial auto transport trailers are adjoined to the tractor with a fifth wheel coupling and can typically carry 3-9 cars. But the carrying capacity depends a lot on the trailer model and size of the car. The weight capacity is also a factor. The weight capacity is limited by 80,000 lb under US law. So, car carrier trailers cannot carry weight that's more than this while moving on road.  

The commercial car hauler trailers are mainly used for shipping new cars from the manufacturer to the auto dealers. In the United States, shipment of used vehicles is even a big industry. And this service is generally used by people who relocate from one place to the other in the US. These people basically choose to ship their precious cars instead of driving them all the way. People who buy cars on second-hand market, especially online and want it to be delivered at their doorstep also ship their vehicles. 

You can get car hauler trailers for sale at Infinity Trailers.