Towing a trailer can be intimidating for some people. If you are renting a trailer and haven't towed one often, you should educate yourself beforehand on how you can do it safely. There are many people who experience accidents because they did not properly care for the trailer. Here are some things you should know before towing the trailer.

1. Check and Recheck the Weight

There are certain capacities on every car and trailer. If you are trying to tow a trailer long distance, you should never max out the weight for the car that you are driving. This will put more pressure on the car and could damage the transmission and even ruin the car. Thus, if your car can't tow the full amount of the trailer loaded, then do everything that you can to keep the trailer light and weigh it before you go on your journey. Some things that you can do to keep the weight low are to avoid filling the trailer to the max. Don't fill any water tanks, and make sure that all of the sewer and water tanks are empty. If there is a question to how much weight you can pull, don't chance it.

2. Check the Tire Pressure Often

When driving a normal car, you can ignore the tire pressure for a couple weeks or months and only check it when you suspect a problem. This is not the case when towing a trailer. You should be checking the tires at every stop, both on the car and the trailer. The reason is that the more weight you put on the car and trailer, the more likely it is to blow out a tire. This can be dangerous and can severely delay your journey. It is best if you check the pressure at every stop and have a way to fill the tires, whether at a gas station, or carry a portable air compressor.

3. Tighten the Load Suspensions Often

Lastly, you should be checking on the suspensions for the load often. When you initially load the trailer, especially if it is an open trailer, you probably tied down everything really tight. However, over time and as the trailer gets jostled it will become looser and looser, until it is likely that you will start losing things. Even if the trailer is enclosed, tarps and tie downs can break, so you should be checking the suspensions every time you pull over.

Talk to a trailer rental facility like Back Roads RV Rentals for more tips about traveling safely with a trailer.