First, a few technical tips. First of all, get used to carefully connecting the trailer to the car and check the reliability of the hitch more often on the road. Before each trip, you should check the tire pressure, increasing it by 0.2-0.4 atm compared to the usual on the rear wheels of the car. The tire pressure of trailers, depending on their design, ranges from 1.4 to 2.3 atm, so carefully read what the instructions for the trailer you purchased say about this. Make sure that the tire pressure is the same on the left and right sides of the road train. This will help to avoid not only increased wear of the rubber, but, what is much more important, will ensure more stable movement of both the car and the trailer. If a caravan is towed, then rear-view mirrors should be installed on both sides of the car. Do not neglect the safety rope or chain.
The reliability of the towing hitch is essential for safe driving of a trailer. The traffic regulations prohibit further driving with a faulty towing hitch. The towing hitch of the company "Trailer" is the only one that has been certified by the State Standard of Russia, and the places of attachment of the hitch to the "Ten" have been agreed with "AvtoVAZ".
The load in the trailer is securely placed and secured as close to the front side as possible, in which case an additional pressing force acts on the coupling device. In open trailers, it should protrude above the sides as little as possible: after all, the higher the center of gravity, the greater the likelihood that the trailer can tip over when turning. Low and streamlined placement of the load in an open trailer, tightly covering it with rubberized tarpaulin also contributes to saving gasoline. Finally, before starting to move, you should check the technical condition and operability of the turn signals and brake lights on the trailer.
Now about the driving itself. The dynamics of the road train change significantly. It takes longer to accelerate and slower to stop, which is explained by the increase in the total weight of the vehicle (by 300-600 kg). This implies a different driving tactic than when driving a single car: do everything with a large reserve of space and time. You should not, for example, overtake cars traveling at a speed of 60 km / h or more. After all, on normal roads the speed limit for a car with a trailer is 70 km / h, and therefore the maneuver can be too long and lead to a dangerous situation. In addition, when overtaking, you need to return to your lane much later than in a single car, and more smoothly, making sure in the rearview mirror that it is safe and does not interfere with the overtaken car.
Emergency braking of a train takes a few seconds longer than usual, so in all cases increase the distance in the flow by at least 15-20 m.
Before a long climb, shift to a lower gear in advance, avoiding shifting on the climb itself. On the descent, brake with the engine, not allowing the trailer pushing from behind to accelerate the car.
Leave a larger gap when passing oncoming trailers and large vehicles, buses, otherwise the air flow from them may affect the stability of your road train. For the same reason, be on guard in strong crosswinds, especially on bridges and overpasses, especially if the trailer has a large side surface, such as a caravan.
When maneuvering at road intersections, it is necessary to take into account the displacement of the trailer in the direction of the turn, therefore, when making a right turn, the car is first driven closer to the left side of traffic and the steering wheel is turned at the moment when the rear wheels of the car seem to be approximately at the border of the roadway of the road being crossed. When making a left turn, it is the opposite: the car is directed closer to the right side of the traffic lane, and the steering wheel is turned only after the car has approximately approached the center line of the intersection.
If the trailer starts to "shake", be sure to stop and check whether the load has shifted due to the loosening of the fastening, whether the tire pressure of the trailer and the car has changed, what is the condition of the suspension. In these cases, do not try to stretch the road train by increasing the speed, such a technique is ineffective and can only worsen the situation.
Before reversing, especially with a caravan, be sure to walk around it from all sides and make sure that the maneuver is safe. If you want the trailer to turn left, then the steering wheel must be turned in the same direction, and only after it has moved, turn the steering wheel back, controlling the movement by turning over your right shoulder.
In general, there are not many specifics in driving a car with a trailer, the main thing is to never forget for a second that there is also a trailer behind the car, and take this into account when making any decision.
To tow the vehicle, attach the cable only to the front and rear towing eyes provided for this purpose.
The towed vehicle must have the ignition in position 1, the hazard warning lights on or an emergency stop sign attached to the rear. It can carry passengers. The driver must be very attentive, the braking system must be in good working order and effective.
The towing vehicle must have low beam headlights or fog lights on. With this type of coupling, the towing rope must be no less than 4 and no more than 6 meters long and have at least 2 red flags on it. The driver must tow the vehicle smoothly, without jerking, brake more smoothly, and take into account the trajectory of the towed vehicle when turning, and not turn the steering wheel abruptly.