Safe ATV Towing
Learning how to tow your ATV will unlock a whole world of possibilities for places to ride. Whether you want to blaze a new trailer in the most isolated locales, or head to your favorite track to race your friends, a trailer gives you more possibilities than you’d ever have without one. But figuring out how to actually load your ATV onto the trailer and then safely driving that to where you want to go can be a challenge, especially when you’re just starting out. Not to worry: here at Abernathy’s Cycles, we’re highly experienced with trailering our Powersports vehicles, so we created this guide to share the basic tips with you. Read on to learn the quick, beginning to end process of how to trailer your ATV.
When you need parts or services for your ATV, or maybe looking to buy a new ATV for the first time, stop by our dealership and service center in Union City, Tennessee. We’re just a short drive from Memphis and Nashville, and we serve the entire state of Tennessee!
Understanding Weight Distribution
Weight distribution is one of the most important elements of loading a trailer and it will greatly affect how your trailer and tow vehicle drive. Loading more weight towards the end of your trailer will greatly destabilize it, so you want to put the weight farther forward. On the other hand, if you load the weight too far forward, it will put too much pressure on the hitch and cause the front end of your tow vehicle to raise. This will reduce your cornering ability and will reduce the effectiveness of your brakes. The ideal loading situation is to have the majority of the weight in your trailer centered over the front axle with about 10-20% total resting on the hitch. If you have two ATVs, it’s best to put them side by side to keep the weight loaded symmetrically. If your trailer isn’t wide enough for that, you’ll have to put a little more work into centering things correctly.
Level it Out
If you want to load your trailer correctly, you’ll want it to be close to level and on stable ground. Try to find a place to load your trailer that is wide open, flat, and mostly level. If you can’t find perfectly level ground, make sure the loading end is on the higher ground so that your loading ramps will be at an accessible angle. You don’t necessarily have to pull out the level here, but make sure your trailer is on firm ground and make sure your tow vehicle is in “park,” with the parking brake fully engaged.
Drive Up
Once you’ve positioned your trailer, it’s time to load it. Deploy your loading ramps and make sure they are stable and placed correctly. Pull your ATV around so that it is facing square to the back of the trailer. Make sure you leave yourself enough of a runup so that you can get up the ramp in one smooth drive. It’s best to put your ATV into four-wheel drive if it has the option so that you’ll keep effective traction if the front or back wheels are on a low-traction area. Drive up the ramp at a controlled speed that allows you to clear the ramp without having too much leftover speed when you get to the top. (You don’t want to overshoot the trailer!) Once you’re up, position the ATV on the trailer and strap it down. You’ll want to apply a bit of pressure to the straps here because you want to slightly compress your ATV’s suspension. This will help to keep things stable during towing.
Carefully Towing a Trailer
Once you get out on the road, you’ll need to slow down and learn to be patient. Keep your speed at or below 60 mph. Faster speeds can cause a serious risk to your tires. You’ll need to rely more heavily than ever on your mirrors, whether you’re turning tight corners, changing lanes, or reversing your trailer. Give yourself plenty of follow room between yourself and the next vehicle because you’ll need almost twice as much room to stop as normal. Keep the passing to a minimum, and try to cut out as many distractions in the cab as possible.
Learning how to tow will open up lots of new riding terrain. Give these quick tricks a shot on your next ATV trip! When you need parts or labor for your ATV, stop by Abernathy’s Cycles. We’re located in Union City, Tennessee, near Memphis and Nashville, and we’ll gladly help you find everything you need!