You have undergone trailer training prior to hitting the road with your brand-new caravan or utility trailer. You are completely confident in your body of knowledge, sure that you know everything necessary to be safe on the road. Everything is fine until you get to the motorway. Suddenly, your trailer starts to sway back and forth without warning. What do you do?
Sway problems can be devastating when towing trailers, particularly if they are loaded down with an excessive amount of weight. A driver who experiences trailer sway should immediately begin to decelerate while looking for a safe place to pull over. The trailer should then be checked to see if the cause of the sway could be identified and corrected. Having said that, the best way to combat trailer sway is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Causes of Trailer Sway
Utah-based Progress Manufacturing, an American company that manufactures sway bars, has been studying the effects of trailer sway for years. They say that the condition can be caused by any number of things, including:
- side winds
- passing HGVs
- improper trailer loading
- improper tyre pressure
- undersized tow vehicles
Company representatives say trailer owners can mitigate most instances of trailer sway through a simple inspection prior to departure. The inspection should focus on:
- Tyre Pressure – Maintaining proper tyre pressure is necessary to ensure tyres can handle the loads placed on them. Improper pressure not only leads to trailer sway, it can also result in a dangerous blowout.
- Trailer Loading – A trailer should be loaded by placing the heaviest items at the centre point, both parallel and perpendicular to the axle. Avoid excessive weight at the tongue and tail of the trailer.
- Sway Control Bar – The heaviest of trailers should always be towed with a sway control bar in place. The bar acts as a shock absorber of sorts to prevent sway before it starts.
- Tow Vehicle – Lastly, trailer owners should have a good idea of their total loading capacity so they can tell if the tow vehicle is too small. An undersized tow vehicle will cause sway when its back end dips under the weight of the load.
The HGV Training Centre covers most of these things in our trailer-towing course. We train drivers in safe towing procedures irrespective of their need for a special licence. We urge all trailer owners to undergo training at least once every year. For more information on licence requirements, do not hesitate to visit the GOV.UK website.
Our trailer training is conducted at dozens of facilities that are conveniently located throughout the UK. Classes are also affordable, so there really is no excuse for not undergoing trailer training before you take to the road this summer season. Remember, it only takes one little problem – like trailer sway – to cause a major accident that you may live to regret. Take a training class now and make yourself safer.
Sources:
- AG Professional – http://www.agprofessional.com/news/safety-tips-towing-big-trailers
