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When it Comes to Towing Safety, Here’s What You Need to Know
If you’ve got yourself a new boat, jet ski or caravan, chances are you’re chomping at the bit to hook up that new addition to your 4WD and enjoy nature’s playground sooner rather than later.
Now, hooking up that trailer or caravan to a capable 4x4 and driving off into the sunset sounds simple enough, however, when it comes to safety, get it wrong and you can end up in some scary and even life-threatening situations.
So, how do you ensure you’re properly prepared for towing and doing it safely?
Well, when we look at towing safety, it boils down to three areas or components:
- The towing vehicle itself
- The connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer/caravan
- And finally, the trailer or caravan being towed
And each one of these components has its own set of safety/preparation requirements you need to know about. So, let’s get into it!
Towing Vehicle
Most 4WD owners understand the importance of keeping their vehicle in tip-top shape. Because when one thing goes wrong in the Outback, you could be left stranded in a remote, barren environment, hundreds of kms away from help.
That’s why it pays to regularly inspect and change tyres, ensuring there’s plenty of tread, air and rubber to keep you moving, and conduct regular maintenance and servicing checks to clean out air filters and ensure your rig is in great off-roading shape altogether.
However, more often than not, there’s one thing that many 4WD owners overlook when it comes to towing in a 4x4 – and that is your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity.
How do I work out towing capacity?
Now, you can quickly find your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity in your owner’s manual. However, this is a very simple and, at times, ignorant reading as it doesn’t account for a number of things – such as tow ball download, laden mass, payload, etc.
The best way to establish your maximum towing capacity is to follow this simple calculation:
Gross Combination Mass – Vehicle Mass = Maximum Trailer Mass.
And trust us when we say, without knowing these key figures and doing some basic maths, you’re essentially flying (or towing) in the dark.
For example, let’s say we have a vehicle with the following figures:
- Kerb Weight (KW) 2250kg
- Gross Combination Mass (GCM) 6000kg
- Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) 3200kg
- Towing Capacity/Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) 3500kg
- Tow Ball Mass 350kg
The vehicle has a KW of 2250kg and the GVM is 3200 kg. This means that you have a maximum payload of 950kg to play with (3200kg – 2250kg).
However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Tow Ball Mass (TBM) affects payload, and once you’ve accounted for the actual amount of cargo, accessories and occupants, the payload decreases to 600kg (950kg – 350kg).
Next, the caravan:
- Gross Combination Mass (GCM) 6000kg
- Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) 3200kg
- Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) 3500kg
- Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) 3150kg
Let’s say, your 4x4 is already at its maximum GVM, what can you legally and safely tow?
Using our equation, Gross Combination Mass – Vehicle Mass = Maximum Trailer Mass, this is what you can tow:
6000kg – 3200kg = 2800kg
In other words, if your vehicle is at its GVM limit (this includes the kerb weight, the TBM and then whatever is left over for the payload), you can only really have a tow vehicle that has a GTM at a maximum of 2800kg.
When should I consider a GVM Full Suspension Upgrade?
And as you can see in the specs above, this caravan’s GTM sits at 3150kg – far above the maximum amount you can safely and legally tow.
And the worst part, the more weight you add to your vehicle, via accessories such as roof racks or fuel tanks or personnel and cargo, it’s only going to get worse resulting in a whole host of problems.
Rather than ditching cargo and removing vital accessories, the quickest, most effective and safest way to avoid exceeding your maximum towing capacity is to get yourself a GVM upgrade.
A GVM upgrade is a full suspension upgrade that essentially means your vehicle can carry much more than its factory standard specifications.
Now, many have debated that a GVM upgrade either does or doesn’t increase your towing capacity, when actually the answer is somewhere in the middle.
It’s true that, unlike the payload, there won’t be a measurable increase to the amount of weight your vehicle can tow.
However, what is happening is that once your payload has been increased, and you’ve accounted for the weight of the towed object, you're left with enough payload for your gear, accessories and passengers.
And if you plan on towing heavy or spending a long time out in the bush with all your essentials and just a portable home for the next few months, every kilogram you can legally and safely carry counts.
4x4 & Trailer/Caravan Connections
When it comes to towing a caravan or trailer, there’s nothing more important than the actual towbar, tow ball, hitch and connections between your 4x4 and the towed object.
Think of this area as the heart that makes the adventure happen in the first place.
Without a good quality, ADR-approved (Australian Design Rules) towing setup that’s built for the journey ahead and hooked up correctly, you run the risk of tow balls being sheared off mid-drive, trailers bouncing all over the place and even detachment if safety measures haven’t been implemented.
So, your first step for a safe and trouble-free towing experience is to equip your 4WD with an ADR-approved towbar.
However, to go one-step further, we stress that you fit your rig with a towbar that’s been designed, manufactured and tested right here in Australia.
Why? Because these are towbars that have been built to handle the harshest, most arid and challenging environments you’ll find anywhere in the world.
And don’t just take our word for it.
Our official towing partner, TAG Towbars, has been designing and manufacturing towbars in Australia for over 35 years now, and testing every single one of them in the harsh Australian Outback to ensure they meet the stringent standards of ADR62/01.
The result is the strongest, most reliable and safest 4x4 equipped towbar range to ever hit the market.
From the TAG Extreme Recovery Towbar, offering incredible pulling power and dual WLL 4500kg load-rated recovery points, to the one-piece fully welded Class 2 Light Duty Towbar, perfect for towing lighter loads on a more infrequent basis, TAG have assembled the perfect array of towbars for absolutely anyone anywhere in Australia.
In fact, TAG is so confident of their impressive engineering feat that every towbar is designed to last the life of your vehicle and their Lifetime Warranty backs this up!
However, it’s one thing to make the strongest, most reliable and safest towbars in the country, but what about improving and fortifying the overall driving experience while towing?
And that’s where the RockerBall™ and Rebellion™ XD come into play.
The CURT RockerBall trailer ball dynamically reduces jerking and jarring while towing. As your trailer passes over bumps and potholes, it produces all kinds of vibrations, jolting and noise.
And, with a traditional metal-on-metal connection, these annoyances are directly transferred to your tow vehicle, making your ride noisy, uncomfortable, and taking a toll on your towing system.
The RockerBall is able to move, or rock, back and forth to isolate the strain on just the tow ball itself rather than pull on the entire towing setup thanks to the unique ShockDrop™ technology.
It is also extremely low maintenance compared to other torsion hitch and cushion hitch options as it has no airbags or bearings to service.
Then there’s the CURT Rebellion XD.
This ShockDrop Ball Mount 50mm Square Hitch (Class 4) is truly a leap forward in towing technology.
It provides more control, confidence, and a more comfortable ride, all while protecting your towing system from jerking, jarring, rattling, and even combats trailer sway.
Built into the ball mount is a cushioned isolator that inserts between the receiver shank and vertical shank. Unlike other cushioned ball mounts, the CURT Rebellion XD ShockDrop Ball Mount has no airbags or bearings, making the unit virtually maintenance-free.
And the best part, when you’re ready to tow, simply mount it onto your receiver hitch like you would any other ball hitch and you’re good to go.
TAG also stresses that when it comes to safety, it’s important to hook up your trailer or caravan correctly.
How to hook up my caravan correctly?
First, make sure you attach your hitch and ensure it's firmly connected before lowering your trailer/caravan. Then, fix your chains in a left to right format creating a cradle that acts as a safety net in the event that your hitch comes off.
Next, attach the electronics and your brake safety, disengage the trailer/caravan’s handbrake and jockey if you have one, and finally test all of your trailer/caravan’s brake lights and emergency lights – more than once.
Don’t get complacent or rush through the process. This can lead to mistakes and result in disastrous circumstances on the road.
Trailer or Caravan
What is the best way to ditribute weight in my trailer or caravan?
Often neglected by many when it comes to towing safety, the trailer/caravan itself ironically leads to the most problems when drivers hit the road.
And, more often than not, the first issue arises from improperly distributing weight.
For trailers carrying a boat or jet skis this isn’t really a problem, however, when you’re towing a fully outfitted caravan with all your gear inside, now that’s another story.
At a glance, from a side-on profile, you can actually see when your caravan is loaded up too much at the front or rear by how much is angling towards the ground.
Essentially, too much gear up front and you risk putting too much weight on the towing vehicle, and too much at the rear and the caravan can fishtail – and when you hit the road, this result is almost instantaneous.
To put it simply, the best place to store the majority of your gear and the bulk of your heavy items (electronics, water tanks, etc.) is directly over the caravan’s axle.
This is your strongest point in the van and the best place to disperse weight without having to worry about how many kilos are up front and trying to mirror that at the back – a tricky juggling act that never goes well in the long run.
When is it the right time to fit an electronic brake controller?
It’s also important to outfit your rig with an electronic brake controller.
Now, without one, whenever your 4x4 brakes to slow down, you still have a trailer/caravan at the back of your rig carrying forward momentum making it harder to slow down or stop quickly – a very dangerous prospect when you’re doing over 100km/h.
Essentially, an electronic brake controller allows you to apply brakes, in conjunction with your 4x4, to your trailer/caravan.
So, whenever you brake to slow down or avoid a collision, instead of your trailer/caravan decreasing its momentum at a different rate, it will brake and slow down at the same speed for greater control and improved safety.
And, if you didn’t know, electronic brake controllers are actually legally required on all trailers/caravans where the gross trailer mass is more than 2000kg.
Electronic brake controllers, such as the TAG CURT Spectrum-2 Brake Controller, offer the perfect level of braking control and can even be finely tuned to adjust how much braking effort you need when you’re on the road.
At the flick of a switch, you can also activate its manual setting which is great if you’re coming down a range or you want to give your brakes a bit of a rest.
This fully compatible unit is able to operate up to eight trailer brakes at a time (1-4 axles), and it can be used on vehicles with ABS brakes, cruise control, electric over hydraulic, and it works with low-voltage and PWM systems.
Don't forget tyre safety
Lastly, are your trailer/caravan’s tyres.
You’ve probably seen a trailer/caravan blow out a tyre on the highway, or the hundreds of YouTube videos showing the same thing online, and unfortunately this is an incredibly common occurrence.
Majority of drivers are so fixated on the towing setup and connections that they often neglect or miss the quality of the trailer/caravan’s tyres. And when you’re constantly towing heavy, this leads to a severe decrease in airflow at a far rapid rate leading to punctures and full blowouts.
Rather than just kicking the tyres to see if they’re good to go, check the tyre pressure with a , and overall tread quality each time you set off.
It could make all the difference between getting to your destination and back again without a hitch (pun intended), or ending up roadside assessing the damage – and that’s the lucky scenario.