Towing rules, tips, tricks and reminders
When faced with something to tow – whether it’s a small trailer full of rubbish or a multi-axle caravan, boat or horse trailer – it’s tempting to assume your tow vehicle can take the load okay, hitch it on and head down the road, full of typical Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ confidence.
Trouble is if something goes wrong, if your trailer weighs more than your tow vehicle is rated to pull, your hitch isn’t as good as it should be or your load isn’t secure, you may be liable under law. Your insurance company may not pay up. You might have voided your vehicle’s warranty. And you could kill or injure someone. NZTA figures say seven people are killed and 45 people injured in NZ each year in incidents involving a light vehicle towing a trailer.
If your tow job is extreme you’ll need expert advice; meantime last issue brought you part one of the idiot’s guide to towing anything from a household trailer to a caravan or boat, with information on tow ratings and weights, tow bars and balls, WoFs and CoFs, what your trailer must include, and a run-down of GTM, GVM and GCM plus some info on braked and unbraked trailers. Read on for part two.
