How to Securely Attach a Trailer to a Car

A trailer is an unpowered vehicle used for the transportation of goods. It’s often attached to and pulled by a powered vehicle. It is important to understand the components that help securely attach a trailer to a car. A trailer coupler is generally used to attach the trailer ball to the car so that a ball and socket connection is obtained for easy movement between the towing car and the trailer. This connection will keep the trailer secured to the vehicle even on rough roads. The trailer ball is generally mounted on a draw bar that’s attached to the trailer hitch. The draw bar is inserted into the trailer hitch and pinned down in order to attach it to the hitch.

How to Securely Attach a Trailer to a Car

• Two people are required to securely attach a trailer to a car. The towball cover has to removed and the jockey wheel has to be raised to the required height. The car should then be backed to the trailer hitch. A helper can indicate when the car is in proper position. The jockey wheel should then be wound down and the coupling head lowered to the towball. The back of the car should be raised by lowering the jockey head in order to check whether the coupling head is securely locked into place. It is important to ensure that the wheel does not interfere with the coupling overrun mechanism. Safety breakaway cables should be attached to the rear of the car in order to activate the application of the hand brakes in the event that the trailer breaks away from the car for some unforeseen reason.

Precautions that can Help Securely Attach a Trailer to a Car

• The safety breakaway cables should have slack but they should not touch the ground. The car and trailer lights and indicators should be working and the external mirrors should be adjusted so that both sides of the trailer can be seen by the driver of the car. The trailer should be loaded evenly and should never be overloaded. Once everything is satisfactorily in place, the jockey wheel assembly should be locked to prevent damage to the jockey wheel.
• Before you securely attach a trailer to a car, you should check whether the car can handle an attached trailer. Also read your car owners manual for driving instructions that should be followed when using a trailer.