Learning to tow

Wide is good but don't cut them short. That may get your tow through the turn but not your trailer. Keeping it between the ditches the you should be looking to where the marker lines come together. That is the same as if you were not towing.

Practice.

Swing wide and go slow. Watch your mirrors.

GO to the Walmart parking lot at night and try maneuvering through the islands. That will teach you how much space you need to turn. Just watch out for light posts. Hitting a curb here or there at slow speed probably wont hurt anything. Brushing a light post will!!!

Being observant, add some common sense, then a bunch of practice. Started when I was 16. I live in a small town where there are about 3 percent of the male population that don't have some towing experience.

As mentioned before use parking lots, High school lots on a Sunday, Industrial plants as well.
Backing, remember small changes magnify almost exponentially. Make tiny changes and allow gradual course corrections to take effect.

- Leave PLENTY of space between you and the car in front (you're now towing several tons - which have a lot of momentum)
- Always keep an eye on the right mirror and watch what the trailer is doing when you go round right hand corners. Watch out for low lying posts, water hydrants etc.
- Look WAY in the distance and try to anticipate - remember you're towing several tons.
- DON"T get mad when someone jumps into you're "braking" space - just let it go and concentrate on what you need to do.
- Look in your left mirror and see what is coming - big rigs may buffet you as they pass you.
- NEVER enter a spot where you can't see the exit or a way out. I tend to stay away from smaller gas stations and go to the larger WAWA/Sheetz type.
- Watch your headroom......

When making a turn, especially a right turn, you have to drive up to and part way through the intersection before making the turn - the trailer needs the space to follow and not hit the curb or other obstructions.

And braking takes a LOT longer, so drive a slower and leave as much space as you can with the vehicle in front of you.

Learn to use your side mirrors, even while driving a car - learn what they show you. Don't use the windshield mirror. You might already do this if you drive a truck.

Towing going forward is easy - just go. The trailer will follow. When you change lanes, make sure there is no vehicle alongside you. Learn to use those smaller curved mirrors! They will show if "something" is alongside you, even if you can't figure out what it is.

Backing up is the big deal. As people are saying, find empty parking lots and practice.

Stick to speed limits (or slower if needed), especially on roads you don't know. You may find that those seemingly slowish speed limits on side roads that seem annoying actually become important when you are towing. Pay attention to those "curve ahead" signs - they are talking about you! Not the sports car ahead of you.

Ask questions in this forum about towing. When you are ready to go on a trip, ask here about your route - suggestions, road conditions, construction, things to look out for. You will find that someone probably just drove that route yesterday!

See you on the road!

MudQueen22 wrote:
How did you learn to drive while towing?

Boats.

Boats and a tractor.

When I was a kid I grew up at a yacht club. Everyone, and I mean everyone (except the ladies) was driving the tractor and launching boats from around age 13 onward.

It was a bit of adjustment switching from driving a tractor to driving a car, but the basics were there.

Unfortunately, this method of learning never helped me learn to back up using mirrors. I'm learning that now - through trial and error - 50 years later!!

-Speak

MudQueen22 wrote:
How did you learn to drive while towing?

I know this seems like a basic question, and you've all probably done it so much that it's nothing.
But I've been thinking about how it's done, and the only thing I have to compare it to would be my minivan that I drive daily, and the trucks I've driven in the past.
I make wide turns when driving a truck.
How do you turn when pulling a trailer? How do you stay in your lane without your trailer ending up in a ditch?

When turning, I look at the road and the spot where you would normally start turning without your trailer, then I add 2 to 3 ft. to the spot and then start turning. I generally place my tire on the center white line while I am turning, always watching for traffic and on coming cars.

MudQueen22 wrote:
How did you learn to drive while towing?

Hooked up the trailer and drove.