Things to know about towing.

[Fhantazm]

I am going to be moving from the Richmond, Va area to Marion Va (about 300miles most through mountainous terrain). I am going to rent a u-haul, with an auto transport for my Navajo. I have never towed a vehicle in my life, and am hoping a few of you could provide some insite as to how this will work. I will be renting the 14ft truck towing an auto transport, where the vehicle is fully off the ground. Do you think that a fully loaded u-haul, towing my truck will be ok through the mountains?? And what are the do's and dont's when towing. I appreciate any helpful hints that you could give.

 

[Alec]

Basically take it easy: accel, brakes, and turns. Hopefully you'll have trailer brakes. If you don't (and even if you do) anticipate braking long in advance and don't tailgate at all. Also try to always brake when you're going straight, not in turns.

Speed up a bit to bring a wagging trailer under control.

Carry some speed into inclines, and brake well before declines. Also you may need to downshift on either for more power or engine braking.

You should be fine, shouldn't be too big of a deal.

 

[Rob_B]

it'll take a while, I helped move my sis and bro-in-law from NC to Iowa. They got a 24' truck, and the car-hauler (the type u drove the front wheels onto), we towed a 95 Camry w/ that truck and could barely get to 45 up the mountains in Va. Maybe it was just the way the deisel was governed or something, but it took us a while.

 

[Robb]

If you can, try to borrow some sort of trailer from someone and go to a parking lot and practice turning and backing up, especially without using the main rear view mirror. Try practicing with only the side views. Throughout your journey, I am sure you will find instances where you will need to be able to reverse properly, and this is the hardest part of trailering.

Also, for that trip, I would use route 460 out to 81 instead of 64. It is a much more casual, scenic, and flatter route. Using 64, you will have to conquer Aften Mountain and all the hills on 81 down to Roanoke. Using 460 will bypass these obstacles.

Good Luck!

Robb

 

[Fhantazm]

Cool,
Thank you very much for the tips guys!

Morrisey-Afton Mtn. is my biggest worry. As you stated there are a few more when you get to Roanoke, but none as big as Afton. I have made that trip so many ties, i could do it blindfolded, but have never tried 460. Do you think it will take that much longer, factoring in the slower speed?

 

[ShadowA2J]

Originally posted by morrisey0
If you can, try to borrow some sort of trailer from someone and go to a parking lot and practice turning and backing up, especially without using the main rear view mirror. Try practicing with only the side views. Throughout your journey, I am sure you will find instances where you will need to be able to reverse properly, and this is the hardest part of trailering.

I agree completely with Robb. Practice if you can. I have just recently started towing a trailer with my X, and have had to have my friend back up a couple of times for me into some tight spots. But remember that trailers move differently on different vehicles. Backing up a trailer on my Sport is a lot easier than doing it on something bigger, say a Suburban, or 15 passenger van, because of the longer wheelbase. So if you do practice, you will want to do it with something of comparable size to your rental, or you will still have a tough time with it.

 

[N2MUDN91]

definetely be sure to put your vehicle in neutral, im guessing its your navajo ? that could get ugly. sorry, thats common sense, ill shut up now.

 

[Alec]

Originally posted by N2MUDN91
definetely be sure to put your vehicle in neutral, im guessing its your navajo ? that could get ugly. sorry, thats common sense, ill shut up now.

He said it was going to be all on the trailer, Park and the parking brake!

 

[N2MUDN91]

Originally posted by Alec
He said it was going to be all on the trailer, Park and the parking brake!

sorry, i thought he was referring to the towing device at which he would place the front wheels of the vehicle onto, and the rear wheels would remain on the ground.

 

[Crankcase]

A couple of things:

1. Recheck the trailer connections. A few people here have had"mishaps" with improperly hooked up U-HAULS.

2.Take it easy. Don't go ripping down the highway doing 55 with a heavy load like the Navaho, take your time and you will get there in one piece.

3. Since you have never towed before,make sure you leave lots of room on the sides when turning...You don't want to curb the trailer and have the Navaho fall off!