Towing Advice

[73Bronc]

I'm thinking about towing my Bronco to the meet and greet and need some advice. I'm planning to borrow a trailer and truck from a few buddies here in Raleigh. I've never towed it before so I'm a bit nervous and want to make sure I do it by the book. Does anyone have a Do's and Dont's reference?

- What's the rule of thumb on towing capacity?
- What's the recommended tie down procedure?

I want to make sure we all arrive in one piece

Thanks,
Trey

[blazinchuck]

make sure the truck can handle towing 6,000lbs. It's best to have trailer brakes on one axle of the trailer,which means you need the truck to have a controller in the cab wired in. All those tires should be in good condition along with the lights!!!! I use 4 axle tie downs for my rig. Before that I used those heavy duty ratchet straps 2-3" wide!!! Do not use anything smaller. I would use 4 if you can, if not try 2 in the front(1 near the knuckles on each side) and you can get away with 1 in the back wrapped around the 9". Always try to hook the straps to the widest points outside the trailer. Alway tie up any left-over strap...dont let it drag down the road. Try to load the bronco on the trailer after you have the truck and trailer on level ground. That way you can drive onto the trailer and adjust how much tongue weight you need(ie. more tongue weight=bronco closer to the front of trailer) Hope this helps,Chuck

[chuzie]

When I put my bronco on a flatbed from Tampa to Charleston I learned a few hard lessons that almost cost me my rig.

Like Chuck said, tongue weight is important. I did not have enough and almost fishtailed out of contol before I even made it out of Tampa. I moved the rig as far forward as I could which left the hitch about 1" off the gound. That was a dumb move but was the only way I could keep it stable considering such a large truck on a itty bitty uhaul trailer that was not built for that type of load.

If you strap down the rear end be mindful of the brake lines.

Oh, don't forget to gas up the tank.

[69bronco]

I had very much the same experiance as Mike but I was using a Honda Passport to tow my rig. Tongue weight is very important. After I got that figured out things were great.

[1977TRENT]

Load it up and pull it around first. Find the right place for the tounge weight. Allways keep plenty of distance between you and the car in front.
With 6000 + lbs behind you BRAKES are a must. Make sure you set the response on the brake controller for the load before you head down the road.

[73Bronc]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm planning to load it all up a few days in advance so that I can get everything adjusted correctly before I head for Concord.