TO TOW, OR NOT TO TOW? We're glad you asked the question

JOHN LEBLANC FOR THE TORONTO STAR

There's more to towing than just doing it. Your vehicle, trailer, trailer hitch and even your driver's licence all play essential roles.

Jil McIntosh

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Towing certainly seems easy enough: hook up a trailer and away you go. But there's a lot more to it. Your vehicle, trailer, hitch and even your driver's licence all play essential roles.

Vehicles are rated by the weight they can tow, and it can vary by model. When an automaker boasts that its truck has an extremely high towing capacity, it doesn't mean all models can do that. Sometimes it's the smallest cab and base package that has the highest rating.

Here's why. A truck is rated by several standards, including its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). This is the maximum weight it can carry, including cargo and the weight on its trailer hitch, but it also includes the weight of passengers, gasoline and other fluids, and options. Anything that adds weight – such as a four-door cab, four-wheel-drive, or a sunroof – has to be offset from the amount the truck can haul.

Other factors include the gross axle weight rating (GAWR), which determines how much weight each axle can bear, and the gross combined weight rating (GCWR), which indicates how much the vehicle and trailer combination can weigh with cargo and passengers.

All of this can be frustrating to figure out – and may require taking your loaded trailer to a scale – but it's important. What you're measuring isn't just what your truck can pull, but how well it can stop and handle when loaded. Overweight loads will strain the brakes, suspension components and tires.

Before you hitch up your rig, check your licence, too. In Ontario, a Class G driver's licence is good for a maximum of 11,000 kg (24,250 lbs.), which is the total of truck and trailer, truck and camper, motorhome alone, or motorhome towing a trailer or a car.

A G licence also means that the trailer alone can't weight more than 4,600 kg (10,141 lbs.). Beyond that, you can't legally tow unless you have a Class D or A licence.

The hitch also plays a key role. Weight-carrying hitches, as their name implies, carry the trailer's weight on the ball and transfer it to the truck's rear axle. Weight-distributing hitches spread it over all of the truck and trailer's axles, and are meant for heavier loads.

Hitches are rated by how much they can pull and how much the tongue can hold, and from lowest weight to highest, they're measured as Class I, II, III, IV and V.

The most popular type is the receiver hitch. Unlike a fixed tongue hitch, where the trailer ball always sticks out behind the vehicle, a receiver hitch lets you remove the ball platform when you're not using it. You can also buy bumper hitches, which attach to the bumper rather than the frame, but they're meant for lightweight work, such as very small trailers or bicycle racks.

Your towing setup must also include a wiring connector for the trailer's brake lights and turn signals, and safety chains. When hooking up chains, cross them under the trailer tongue, so the tongue won't dig into the ground if the trailer comes loose.

Under Ontario law, your trailer must be registered and licensed to be used on the road, and everything in it must be secured, including putting a tarp over loose objects. If your trailer weighs 1,360 kg (3,000 lbs.) or more, it must be equipped with brakes.

Buying a hitch from an aftermarket store gives you more flexibility and lets you price-shop; ordering it on your new vehicle means it arrives installed and properly matched to the vehicle's tow capacity, as well as its exhaust and spare tire placement.

If you're planning on towing regularly, you should order a towing package, or look for a used truck that has one. The package is more than just a hitch. Depending on the truck, it can also include such things as a towing axle ratio, integrated trailer brake controller, wiring plug, extending tow mirrors, trailer sway control, and heavier-duty versions of the alternator, battery, suspension components and cooling system.

You're not finished yet. Many people don't bother with trailer maintenance, which is why you see so many of them broken down. On a regular basis, you have to grease the wheel bearings, check tire pressure and tread, ensure the lights work, examine the wiring harness for frayed wires or broken plugs, and make sure the hooks and chains aren't broken or rusted.

Your truck and trailer's safety affects everyone on the road.

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