It’s hard to resist the pull of the open road, particularly when you have a chance to attach a camper trailer and escape for a weekend, or take your boat to a favorite fishing area. But before you tie any trailer to your vehicle or SUV and hit the road, make sure you examine these six tips to assist you tow safely. If you are looking for professional Tampa towing services, you have come to the right place. At our company, we offer reliable and efficient towing services to clients in and around the Tampa area.

1. Keep Inside Your Limitations. Check the towing capability of your individual car and confirm it’s capable of holding the weight of your trailer. Exceeding the permissible towing capacity may result in risky handling, poor braking performance, or catastrophic damage to the vehicle’s suspension, engine and drivetrain. In addition to confirming your vehicle’s towing capacity is suitable for your trailer, also check if your trailer hitch is capable of managing your trailer’s loaded weight. Your hitch should be labeled with the maximum trailer and maximum tongue weights it can safely hold. Depending on the weight of your trailer, you should also follow your owner’s manual’s guidelines for the usage of weight carrying or weight-distributing hitches.


Don’t assume all variations of a given model line have equal tow ratings. Towing capacity might change by body designs, bed lengths, drivelines, and other equipment fitted on the vehicle. Likewise, various hitch designs can carry varying weights, and particular designs may be necessary for trailers exceeding a certain weight. Always check the owner’s handbook for the vehicle’s towing capability — or if you own a new GMC, go to our current towing guidance.

If you intend on additionally transporting extra merchandise or multiple people, you should also ensure you’re not overloading the tow vehicle itself. Refer to the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) established for your specific vehicle and verify your loaded car does not exceed the manufacturer’s standard. Likewise, verify your loaded vehicle and loaded trailer do not exceed the gross combined weight rating (GCWR) stipulated by the manufacturer.

2. Load your trailer correctly. Not only is it vitally crucial to keep within the trailer’s maximum load capacity, but it’s also important to ensure any cargo is correctly positioned. Not only do you want around 60% of the trailer’s load put over the front half of the trailer, you also want load it in a manner that results in a tongue weight on standard hitch trailers that is between 10-15% of the overall weight of the loaded trailer. Ensure weight is properly distributed on the left and right sides of the trailer. After the load is appropriately distributed and an optimal tongue weight is attained, all cargo should be secured to prevent the burden from moving.

3. Inspect your tires. [/b]This goes for both your tow vehicle and your trailer. Tires that are not properly inflated might significantly impair handling. Additionally, underinflated tires may generate higher rolling resistance, which not only pushes the engine to work harder and burn more gasoline, but also raises tire temperatures and may lead to a blow-out. Look to the tire pressure sticker located in the driver’s door jamb for suitable inflation pressures for the tow vehicle. Moreover, verify the speed rating on the tires for both your tow vehicle and trailer, and ensure you never exceed that speed while on the road.

Ready for a lengthy journey? Inspect the tire pressures of the spare tires supplied for your car and your trailer and verify they’re filled up to standard. Moreover, consider giving additional time to examine your trailer’s hub bearings before towing, and verify they’re in excellent shape and adequately oiled.

[b]4. Inspect your lights. The tail lights and marker lamps on your trailer may appear extraneous, but they’re actually crucial. Oversized trailers or cargo may hide the tail lights of your tow vehicle. If the lights on your trailer aren’t lighted, other drivers may not notice your vehicle, particularly at night. Collisions may occur if the tail lights are not functioning or are poorly attached. Have a buddy stand behind the car while it is in park to confirm the turn signals, tail lights and brake lights operate correctly.

5. Inspect Your Brakes. Smaller, lighter trailers may not require trailer brakes of any type, but bigger trailers, or those built to transport higher loads, will normally feature a trailer brake system. GMC mandates trailer brakes be used on trailers weighing more than 2,000 pounds when drawn by a GMC Sierra, Canyon, and Yukon, over 1,500 pounds when pulled by a GMC Savanna, and above 1,000 pounds when pulled by any other GMC vehicle.

Whether your trailer is equipped with hydraulic surge brakes or electric brakes, check sure the emergency “breakaway” line is correctly hooked to your tow vehicle. In case your trailer somehow disconnects from the hitch, this cable is meant to activate the brakes on the trailer and swiftly put it to a stop.

6. Adjust Your Mirrors. Before driving off, ensure your side view mirrors are adjusted to give a clear vision that reaches to the end of the trailer. Depending on the vehicle, GMC may provide mirrors particularly intended for towing that extend in order to increase the mirror’s field of view.