Tips for Driving With A Trailer | How To Tow

Okay. Well, we were all hooked up. I think it’s time to put your skills to the test and start driving.
All right. Okay. Let’s start by putting the vehicle in drive.
Okay.
And then we need to disengage our parking brake.
Yep. And remember, while we’re driving today, we’re trying to keep those hands at nine and three as much as possible.
Got it. Take your time. Look farther down the road.
Yep.
Think through your decisions before you get to your next turn.
All right.
All right.
Think of everything you taught me.
All right. Perfect. We’ll come to a stop. Throw on that blinker. Excellent. As you’re making your turns, always make sure to check your mirrors to look for obstructions. Think of the trailer as an extension of the truck.
Got it. Okay. Slowly getting the hang of it. Yeah. It seems like you’re settling in. Yeah.
It doesn’t feel as foreign anymore, does it?
No. It feels a little bit different than just driving a normal truck, but like I said, getting the hang of it.
That’s great. Great job. Let’s go and accelerate a little bit towards those cones. It is important to note that the weight of the trailer and how much we have in it will dramatically affect what you feel from behind the wheel. So, right now we have a dual axle trailer with a small load in the back. If we were to have the maximum amount of weight available, and if we were to have no weight, you’d be feeling two different sensations. So, getting used to your trailer takes time.
Yeah.
The best thing you can do is take it out for a drive with different size loads and get used to what it does. Got it. So, it’s interesting that with different size loads, it’ll feel a little bit different.
Yeah, absolutely.
Nice.
Think of it like a pickup truck bed with a,000 lb in the bed of an F-150. It feels a little bit different than if you have zero pounds in the bed of the F-150. It might just be how it rides, might be how it responds,
might be how fast it accelerates or how quickly it breaks. The more you do this, the more it’s going to become second nature.
Yeah. Autumn, I assume as a Detroit resident that you’ve driven in snow before.
Oh, yes. I have plenty of times.
So, you know, when driving in the wintertime, whether there’s snow, ice, or even just a little bit of rain, that you should always try and take a little bit longer to do something from behind the wheel. So, it’ll take longer to break. Sometimes it’ll take a little bit longer to accelerate. Maybe you plan a little bit more ahead to make a turn.
Treat your time driving with the trailer the exact same way. You always want to be thinking about three steps ahead whenever you have the opportunity to. So, if you’re going to make a lane change in about 100 yards, throw on that blinker as soon as possible and take your time. Use as much of those 100 yards to make that lane change. Any quick movements that you make with the trailer behind you, the trailer’s going to try and mimic and sometimes it will exaggerate. So, being smooth, being calm, making your decisions slowly, it’ll all make you a better driver when you’re trailering. So, would you recommend driving at a slower speed when you have a trailer on you?
You can drive at normal speeds. Just try to anticipate when you might need to slow down before the rest of the traffic in front of you. Cuz while a car not towing a trailer can stop very quickly, it might take us a little bit longer.
Got it. That makes sense.
So, it’s the end of the day on them. You’ve done a great job. I’ve seen so much improvement in how your confidence is showing while towing your driving. Um, I want to see if we can cap it off with a really impressive parking job. So, no pressure, but what I’d like you to do is try and aim the F-150 and the trailer we’re towing towards the curb over here and park the vehicle in a straight line in any two spots that you see.
Okay, I think I can do it.
Let’s do it.
All right, so I’m going to swing around this way. Very careful looking at my mirrors. Great job.
Any two parking spaces?
Any two parking spaces.
Okay. Can I choose this one right here? Absolutely. I thought you were going to go for the easy option.
Yep. I want to make it a little bit more of a challenge for myself.
Go ahead and pull forward and
Okay.
Stop us when we get to the end there. Excellent. Let’s stop and check your math. Let’s look back at our cameras and our mirrors. Look at that. We’re in a straight line.
I did it.
Nice job.
Thank you. Mission accomplished.
Absolutely. On to the next.