Broken Arrow Hitch & Trailer
8806 East 131st South
Bixby, OK 74008
918.369.7855
"If You Can Drive It We Can Hitch It"
General Handling
- Use the driving gear that the manufacturer recommends for towing.
- Drive at moderate speeds. This will place
less strain on your tow vehicle and trailer. Trailer instability (sway) is more likely to occur as speed increases.
- Avoid sudden
stops and starts that can cause skidding, sliding, or jackknifing.
- Avoid sudden steering maneuvers that might create sway or
undue side force on the trailer.
- Slow down when traveling over bumpy roads, railroad crossings, and ditches.
- Make wider turns
at curves and corners. Because your trailer’s wheels are closer to the inside of a turn than the wheels of your tow vehicle, they
are more likely to hit or ride up over curbs.
- To control swaying caused by air pressure changes and wind buffeting when larger
vehicles pass from either direction, release the accelerator pedal to slow down and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.
Braking
- Allow
considerably more distance for stopping.
- If you have an electric trailer brake controller and excessive sway occurs, activate
the trailer brake controller by hand. Do not attempt to control trailer sway by applying the tow vehicle brakes; this will generally
make the sway worse.
- Always anticipate the need to slow down. To reduce speed, shift to a lower gear and press the brakes lightly.
Acceleration
and Passing
- When passing a slower vehicle or changing lanes, signal well in advance and make sure you allow extra distance to clear
the vehicle before you pull back into the lane.
- Pass on level terrain with plenty of clearance. Avoid passing on steep upgrades
or downgrades.
- If necessary, downshift for improved acceleration or speed maintenance.
- When passing on narrow roads, be
careful not to go onto a soft shoulder. This could cause your trailer to jackknife or go out of control.
Backing Up
- Put your hand at
the bottom of the steering wheel. To turn left, move your hand left. To turn right, move your hand right. Back up slowly. Because
mirrors cannot provide all of the visibility you may need when backing up, have someone outside at the rear of the trailer to guide
you, whenever possible.
- Use slight movements of the steering wheel to adjust direction. Exaggerated movements will cause greater
movement of the trailer. If you have difficulty, pull forward and realign the tow vehicle and trailer and start again.