*If the trailer is light enough, it may be easier to wheel it to the hitch ball on your vehicle, rather than reversing the vehicle to the trailer. Always lift with your legs to avoid injury while you do so.
*If your vehicle has a reversing camera, you may be able to use it to easily line up the trailer socket with the hitch ball.
*You should check to make sure the hitch ball and coupler are firmly attached. Use the jack to lift up the trailer slightly and make sure it stays attached securely to your vehicle.
*To make aligning your vehicle with the trailer easier, stick a piece of masking tape on the back window of your car that is centered over the ball hitch. Attach a bicycle flag slightly behind the socket on the trailer. Line the two up when reversing to keep everything perfectly aligned.
Tips on Towing a Trailer
*Make certain that the trailer is correctly wired with lights.
*Be sure that the trailer is correctly licensed in the province where you are towing it.
*Make sure your trailer is rated for the towing the load.
*Get the appropriate class of hitch for your load installed.
*Get the right sized ball for the trailer. The larger the ball, the more weight you can carry ( 1 1/8, 2inch, 2 5/16 ).
*Attach the trailer to the vehicle. Use the tongue jack to raise the trailer and align it with the ball.
*Attach the lights with the wiring harness. Generally these employ a simple color-coded connection that makes it easy to hook up the lights to the harness should make it easy to install the connector properly to the tow vehicle's harness.
*Check the tongue weight. You want the amount of weight resting on the hitch to be roughly 10 - 12 percent of the total weight of the trailer.
*Secure your load.
*Get familiar with the clearance.
*Accelerate and brake slowly.
*Prepare for the difference in fuel economy.
*Stop frequently and check the connection.
*Stay calm if you take a turn too narrowly.
Tips on Backing up a Trailer
*Don't be afraid to stop, get out, and look to see where you are. It's better to stop numerous times to check where you are than to pay to fix damage to your trailer/vehicle/someone else's stuff.
*Don't turn the wheel too fast in any direction.
*It's a lot easier to back up in a nearly straight line, adding small corrections. Avoid trying to back up into a spot by starting with a sharp 90 degree turn. If possible, pull into the space across the road to get a straighter shot. If there is room, swing wide and pull well up ahead to get a straighter shot.
*Go slow! If something unexpected happens, stop the vehicle and figure out what needs to be done before taking any action.
*Longer trailers are easier to back than smaller trailers.
*One way to think about the movement is that your vehicle's rear wheels are the steering wheels for the trailer. So, to make your trailer move in the right direction, you need to have the angle between the trailer wheels and the vehicle's rear wheels correct. First use the vehicle's steering wheels to get the trailer and the vehicle's rear wheels at the right angle (by turning the steering wheel the "wrong" way), then you can reverse in the direction you really want to go.
*If the trailer starts to jackknife stop the vehicle immediately. Pull forward and try again.
*Stop immediately if you are heading in a direction you do not want to go, pull forward and try again.
*Check and double check hitch, safety chains, jack and cable for lights.
