Tips for Loading ATVs and UTVs With your Trailer

If you have an ATV or UTV, you probably want to take it all over the place to find the best dunes and trails out there. Trailers are a great way to transport your four wheeler, since they're lower than most truck beds and they prevent the extra wear and tear on your vehicle. However, with driving a trailer comes a few more responsibilities and guidelines. Driving with a trailer is much different from everyday driving, and if you've never driven with a trailer before, you should anticipate the difficulties that will arise when you're out on the road. Harold Implement Company has put together this list of guidelines, and these can help both first time towers and experienced haulers. If you have any other questions about towing safety, we're happy to help you. We proudly serve Paragould, Jonesboro, and Pocahontas, Arkansas, as well as Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Check your Trailer

Before getting out on the road and towing your ATV or UTV, you should know what kind of trailer will work best to haul your Four Wheeler. You should know right away if you need an open or enclosed trailer, how many axles you have, and whether or not you've got brakes on one axle. A single axle is good for just one or two four wheelers, and it usually makes for a bouncy ride, but you can get there just fine if you keep the weight down. Dual axles should be used for larger loads, and create a smoother ride. Brakes included on the trailer's axle make braking much easier, so if you're new to towing, it's not a bad idea to get a trailer with its own brakes.

Level your Trailer

Before loading your ATV into the trailer, check your level to ensure it's ready to hook up to the truck. You might be able to tell if it's level just by looking at it, but to be sure, measuring the front and back with a tape measure is a more sure fire way to check accurately. Once your trailer's level, measure the height of the hitch and adjust your truck's draw bar to match up. Then, just drop the trailer onto the ball hitch and you're set to finish hooking up!

Hook it all up

Set your safety chains in an X formation beneath the hitch. This prevents your chains from binding while you turn, and the X pattern will prevent your trailer from disconnecting for your truck. With newer trucks, it's a good idea check your brake and turn signals after you hook into the electrical wiring harness. Lastly, after everything's secure, lock the latch and insert the safety pin before using the jack.

Drive Your ATV Up

Once you're hooked up and ready to load, switch your four wheeler to four wheel drive and and gently drive your UTV or ATV into the trailer. If you're loading more than one four wheeler, you should maneuver each one so that they balance over the axles. This is important for load distribution, as too much wait in the front or rear can really affect your trailer's driveability. Lastly, you can tie down your four wheeler's with ratchet straps, which you can use in a way that compresses the suspension so it doesn't bounce while on the road.

Hit the Road

Now that you're all prepared, it's time to hit the road! Anyone can drive with a trailer, so you can too as long as you follow basic trailer safety principles. Brakes on a trailer work differently, so allow plenty of following distance. This will allow you time to stop if the car in front of you slams on their brakes. Also, take corners much slower than you would in a car or truck, since your center of gravity is now much further behind you. Overall, though, just take your time, and give yourself some practice to get used to the different handling and braking methods when hauling a trailer.

If you follow these tips for hauling your ATV or UTV, you'll be just fine on the road, and you'll get your four wheeler to the all the best trail riding spots you can think of. Most of the important steps are in the preparation for driving with a trailer, so make sure you follow all of these steps carefully before you get out on the road. With any other questions, stop by sometime and see us at Harold Implement Company. We've been doing this for awhile, so we know what you need to be successful when towing your four wheeler.