If you have a trailer that you would like to tow, but do not know how to connect your trailer hitch to your car, fear not. This article will help you learn how to connect a trailer hitch.

How To Connect A Trailer Hitch

1. The first thing you have to do is determine the gross trailer weight of your trailer. To do this, you must fully load the trailer and then weigh it on a vehicle scale. It is important that you are positive that your car, the trailer hitch, the ball, the ballmount, and the safety chains have the capacity for at least as much weight as the gross trailer weight of your trailer.

2. Measure the tongue weight, which is the pressure that the coupler applies to the ball. It is important that the tongue weight is 10-15% of the trailer’s gross trailer weight. If your trailer is small, you can measure the tongue pressure on a bathroom scale by putting the coupler on the scale on a level surface raised to the height that it would normally be at for towing. If your trailer is bigger, you will need a tongue weight scale in order to get the tongue weight.

3. If the percentage of the trailer’s tongue weight is not big enough in comparison to the trailer’s gross trailer weight, you may have a problem with your trailer swaying back and forth as you drive. To eliminate this problem, you can put the heaviest things in your trailer towards the front axle of the trailer, in the front of the trailer. Additionally, you can place any cargo in the center of the trailer (as opposed to either side). You can also tie the cargo down so that it will not slide around the trailer.

Find Towing Help

If you need help towing your trailer, you can contact a professional to help you. With the help of TalkLocal, you can be on the phone in minutes with up to three, high-quality towing professionals in your area who know what you need and are available to help you right now, or whenever you need them.

This entry was updated on Tuesday, August 11th, 2015 at 1:49 pm. This entry was originally posted on Thursday, June 13th, 2013 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Towing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.