{"id":8383,"date":"2013-03-23T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2013-03-23T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/?p=8383"},"modified":"2019-07-15T08:57:23","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T15:57:23","slug":"trailer-safety-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/23\/trailer-safety-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Trailer Safety Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I had to move all of my belongings from Pennsylvania to Arizona for college. After narrowing down my options, I realized that renting a trailer<\/a> to tow behind my truck would be the best option. The only problem was, I had never experienced towing a trailer rental before, and I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect. As an introduction to what college life would be like, I decided I should educate myself on the basics of towing a trailer and then learn by doing it, hands on. After renting a U-Haul trailer<\/a> and making the trip from Pennsylvania to Arizona, I learned some helpful tips about safe trailering. In this post, I\u2019ll pass on the most valuable lessons I learned to you.<\/p>\n

Swerving<\/i>, fishtailing<\/i>, and swaying<\/i>\u2026 No, these are not the latest dance moves to do at weddings. These are all words that describe what happens when you don\u2019t load your trailer properly, and it begins to whip back and forth. While it\u2019s unlikely to happen, it’s a scary situation that’s for sure. As it turns out, swaying is most often the result of driver error. So, here are the precautions you can take to avoid it:<\/p>\n

LOADING<\/b><\/p>\n

U-Haul<\/a> recommends loading 60% of your cargo weight in the front half of the trailer (near the tongue) and 40% in the back half. In addition to the 60\/40 rule, these other tips will help you load your trailer so that it is safe and stable:<\/p>\n