How to Know if your Vehicle is Set Up for a Trailer

Series Summary

A trailer is generally an un-powered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials. Enclosed toy trailers and motorcycle trailers can be towed by commonly accessible pickup trucks or cars, which generally requires no special permit beyond a regular driver's license. Specialized trailers like open-air motorcycle trailers and bicycle trailers are much smaller, and accessible to small automobiles. Some simple trailers are pulled by a draw-bar and ride on a single set of axles.

If you just got a trailer, and need to learn how to hook it up, or if you just need some tips on how to connect the trailer properly or adjust to driving changes, then follow these video instructions. Our expert will show you how to know if your vehicle can handle a trailer, how to register to use a trailer, and what driving issues to observe when using a trailer. You'll learn how to make turns, how to check your tires, and what to do if you're unloading a trailer on a public ramp. Learn to pull and tow large boats, furniture, or any large item that won't fit in your car!

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Albert Hedgepeth with Expert Village,and today we are going to talk a little bit about basic trailering techniques. Right now we are going to explore how to set up your vehicle for towing. One of the first thing you want to do is find your owners manual, most of the time it is in the glove box. You want to make sure the vehicle is approved for towing, and how much weight it is actually able to tow. Once you have that information it is then a good idea to check your fuse panel. You can find your fuse panel under usually, the hood of the car , sometimes in the glove box or in the interior of the firewall inside your drivers side compartment. Once you get into the fuse box you want to go ahead and look and find the trailer relays and fuses. Once you have found those , you want to go ahead and isolate them in the fuse panel, pull them out and make sure they are all in actual working order. Once you have checked your fuses you, it's then a good idea to go ahead and make sure your trailer hitch and ball are installed correctly. Doing this will keep you safe on the road and keep you load attached to the back of your car. If your not to sure about how mechanically sound everything is set up and if the fuses are in the correct spot, and what weight maximum your car has for towing it might be a good idea to go to your local mechanic or to go to a local dealership and ask them questions specifically about your vehicle."