The Saltwater Magazine for Gulf Coast Fishing!
Safeguard yourself from problems by following a few safety and driving tips. Before you leave your driveway, do a thorough safety check on your trailer. Make sure everything is secure like ice cooler lids and seat cushions, which can blow away. Here are a few other trailering tips:
*Wind currents generated,- by passing trucks can make a trailer swerve. If this happens, hold your course and speed, and don't hit the brakes. The trailer will straighten out.
*In most states, you must stay in the righthand lane when pulling a trailer except for when passing another vehicle. If you do need to get around someone in front of you, change lanes gradually when passing and allow twice as many vehicle lengths between you and the vehicle behind you before you turn back into a lane. Increasing to an adequate passing speed may take three times as long.
*Make wide turns like a big rig so you don't run over the curb.
*Be courteous to other drivers and avoid a traffic ticket by pulling over to let other motorist pass if you can't keep up with traffic or have five or more vehicles behind you.
*Slow down. There is less strain on your tow vehicle, trailer and boat at moderate to slow speeds. Also, many states have lower speed limits for vehicles towing trailers.
*Make smooth, gradual starts and stops to improve your gasoline mileage and place less strain on your tie-downs and other equipment. Even if your trailer 'has brakes, a sudden stop could cause it to skid, slide or jackknife.
*To ease the load on your engine and transmission, travel in lower gears when going up steep hills or over sand, gravel or dirt roads if your tow vehicle has a manual transmission
*Allow at least one car and trailer length between you and the car ahead for each 10 mph on your speedometer.
*Once you're on the road and everything seems to be going smoothly is just about the time you should pull over and doublecheck the entire rig.
*Check the bearing housing and the trailer tires for excessive 'heat. If they're excessively 'hot, it's a good indication that something may be wrong. Check bearing grease and tire pressure.
*The added load of trailering can be 'hard on your tow vehicle. Make sure the cooling system is full and working properly before you start a long tow. If the system starts to overheat, turn off the air conditioning. You ' can also try turning on the heater. Even though it may become unbearably bot inside your vehicle, the heater works as a mini-radiator to cool off the engine.
Now that you know how to get to the boat ramp safely, it's a good time to go fishing.