The Language of Towing

Sometimes, to get where you’re going to ride, you’ve got to tow a trailer. When you’re going dirt biking, snowmobiling or riding your side-by-side, putting your machine on a trailer is just about your only option. For your safety, for the safety of your tow vehicle and for the safety of your powersports machine, it’s smart to learn some of the language of trailering.

GVWR:

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Both your tow vehicle and your trailer will have a GVWR, found in your owner’s manual and on a sticker affixed to the inside frame of the driver’s door and on the frame of the trailer. This number, given in pounds, represents the total safe load capacity plus the weight of the vehicle or trailer.

Towing Capacity:

This number, in pounds, represents the recommended maximum weight of trailer plus load that a vehicle can safely tow.

Tongue Weight:

When you connect a trailer to a bumper hitch, some of the weight of the trailer is transferred to the hitch. This is Tongue Weight. It is a much smaller number than towing capacity, as the force is applied up and down, rather than horizontally. Tongue Weight varies by load. Your vehicle’s tongue weight capacity will be in the owner’s manual. Your trailer manufacturer will provide a schedule of tongue weights, or you can bring your trailer and tow vehicle to a commercial scale to get an accurate measurement by weighing the vehicle with your loaded trailer attached (but off the scale), then weighing the vehicle without the trailer attached. The difference between the two is the tongue weight.

Open Trailer vs. Enclosed Trailer:

This one’s simple. An open trailer may be a flatbed or rails, while an enclosed trailer is a box built on a rolling frame. The advantage of an open trailer is easier visibility and lower trailer weight. An enclosed trailer offers more protection to its contents, but may be more challenging to handle in windy conditions.

Bumper Towing:

This is the most common towing method, though its name is misleading. In bumper towing, the trailer is connected to a hitch assembly that is mounted to the vehicle’s frame or chassis, depending on construction. The hitch may come through the bumper or below it – but don’t try to tow with your bumper.

Goose-Neck or Fifth-Wheel Towing:

A more robust trailer connection for towing bigger loads, a goose neck or fifth wheel connects to an assembly in the center of a pickup bed, ahead of the rear axle of the truck. Because the pivot point is further forward and closer to the vehicle’s center of gravity than with bumper towing, heavier loads can be handled safely. This is probably overkill for most powersports applications.

Draw Bar:

The hitch assembly on your vehicle ends in a boxed metal opening. In order to tow, you have to insert a draw bar, which will fit into the opening. A hitch pin goes through corresponding holes in the draw bar and the hitch opening to lock the draw bar in place. The end of the draw bar has a lip with a hole, where you will mount the hitch ball.

Hitch Ball:

The hitch ball is a round knob of metal on a short threaded post. It goes through the hole in the lip of the draw bar, and it’s what the towing coupler connects to. Hitch balls come in a range of sizes, and must be matched to the size of the towing coupler.

Towing Coupler:

The towing coupler is a connection at the tip of the neck of the trailer. It’s got a latch on top, and a round housing underneath that sits on the hitch ball. Once the weight of the trailer has been transferred to the hitch ball, you close the latch on top of the towing coupler to secure the trailer to the hitch. It’s smart to bolt or lock the latch closed for security and safety.

Safety Chain:

This is a fail-safe that connects the trailer’s frame to the vehicle’s hitch assembly. It has to have enough slack so that the trailer can make a full turn, but not so much that the chain drags on the road surface.

Brake Controller:

Most small trailers do not have brakes. If you do buy a trailer with brakes, you’ll need a brake controller in your towing vehicle. This is an electronic box that connects the vehicle’s braking system with the trailer’s.

Single-Axle vs. Double-Axle:

A single-axle trailer balances on a single set of wheels, and is generally appropriate for light loads, like a motorcycle, snowmobile or ATV. A double-axle trailer has a second set of wheels, allowing the trailer to handle more weight without resulting in excessive tongue weight.

There’s lots more to know about towing, but hopefully this introduction to the language of towing a trailer will help you on the road to safe and effective trailering.