TOWING A TRAILER

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 67, 20 March 1937, Page 28

TOWING A TRAILER

HINTS TO DRIVERS

GROWING POPULARITY

The growing popularity of trailers among the many motorists who spend as much time as possible in touring and camping, has resulted in a fresh problem in road safety—a problem that is all too often overlooked, sometimes with serious results, states the official bulletin of the Automobile Association (Auckland). The fact is that, more often than not, the addition of a trailer, inexpertly attached, may alter

the whole character of the car, and that the owner, blissfully unaware of the changed conditions as long as he is on a smooth highway, either gets into difficulties or else becomes a danger on the road as soon as a loose surface is attempted. There is a great deal in the method of attachment, a task which is beyond the' ability of the average owner-driver.. It is more than half the battle to have a properly made and mounted fitting for fixing the trailer to the back of the car, but even then, .particularly with the lower-powered vehicles, there are other technical problems to be faced if the enterprise is to succeed. In the first place the trailer should not be overloaded and the weight should be distributed evenly. It is also most inadvisable to have a trailer of such dimensions that it entirely obscures the backward vision of the driver. A rear view mirror is compulsory by law, but it is little use having one and deliberately blocking the view with a trailer that is higher and perhaps wider than the car. A trailer of such dimensions can easily become a menace. The brakes of the car need to be in first-class order if a trailer is to be towed in safety, as they have to be sufficiently powerful to check not only the weight of the car and its load but also that of the trailer and its load as well. This double weight may be considerable, perhaps more than the brakes were designed to control, and for that reason motorists who use trailers should take extra care with the brakes of their cars. , Another point not to be overlooked is that a trailer may make a car "tail heavy" and produce some surprising results in loose metal. It becomes almost literally a case of "the tail wagging the dog" in some circumstances, but correct design, care -not to overload, and an efficient connection between the two vehicles should , overcome this difficulty. An obvious fact, but one sometimes neglected by drivers with no previous experience of trailers, is that the combined vehicles are infinitely longer than the car alone, and that as a result a correspondingly greater distance must be ' allowed in making all manoeuvres'. This is particularly important when overtaking and reversing. '■ - ■ ■ ■ .■••.-. Properly fitted and safely managed a trailer can make a great success of a motoring holiday that might otherwise be a mediocre trip at best. Even the smallest cars on the road are being successfully used to pull appropriately sized trailers, and if the precautions outlined are observed the veriest novice need have few qualms in regard to the addition of a'trailer to his touring equipment.