How Trailer Hitches Work

For those who have a small car or lifted diesel-powered 4X4, trailer hitches are an essential part for towing any load.It is critical to make the right tow-setup for your vehicle, so today I'm going to talk about the basic knowledge of towing and the different types of trailer hitch setups so that your search for the suited hitch can be simplified.

Obviously,towing capacity for car owners is much lower than truck owners.Most cars can tow near 3,000 pounds safely, while some trucks are built to tow up to 30,000 pounds!First,you need to know the towing capacity for your vehicle,which  can be found in the owner's manual.Second,you need to know how many pounds you have to tow.If you have no idea about the specific weight,you can try to estimate to judge whether the total weight be towed meet the requirement of guidebook from your vehicles manufacturer.If you can't approximately estimate, try to seek help from others.

You must remember that safe towing includes a series of different elements:Your vehicle not only needs to keep the load to a safe speed,but also has the ability to control that weight.When towing a load, brakes.engine horsepower and torque are of equal importance.As a matter of course,if you can't safely stop the vehicle, you shouldn't tow a load that heavy. Thus assessing the current condition for the brake system is a necessity.Has your brake been maintained correctly?When was the last time you had the brake fluid changed? The last thing you want when towing is a brake system breakdown.You also need to consider where to go.Are you going to be towed up or down hills?What is the wind speed and the road condition?How much traffic you will meet before reaching your destination safely?

For safety of you, the thing towed, and everybody else on the road, all these questions should be taken into consideration and given solutions before hitching something up to your vehicle.