Learn to Manage a 16 Foot Trailer Well to Avoid Mishaps
Trailers come in different sizes and shapes. They are used for a variety of purposes like hauling trash at the construction site, carrying farm produce, trucks, cars and other vehicles, and for recreational purposes too. A trailer can be as small and simple as a tow dolly or a huge and complex type like a 16-foot trailer. Whatever be the size, trailers are difficult to hitch to the tow vehicle, tough to manage on the road but highly useful once you learn to do it the right way. Huge loads can be easily towed when a suitable trailer is used.
16 Foot Trailer
A 16 foot trailer is certainly a very big size for a trailer, and these are used in the construction industry. You need to take special caution while handling a 16-foot trailer. A 16-foot trailer has a tendency to sway and go off-track on the road, so you must ensure all the connections are tight leaving no scope for the trailer to dissociate from the tow vehicle. Moreover, a 16-foot trailer is something very huge, so maneuvering it through tight spots at a construction site is a challenge. A construction site has a lot of equipment and many laborers working. So, there is a greater risk of accidents with a 16-foot trailer.
A large trailer like this is bought when there is an equally heavy cargo to load or waste to trash. So, before buying such trailers, you must weigh the cargo to be hauled. If the gross trailer weight is less than the cargo, you will experience difficulty in towing the trailer. In fact, the gross weight should be more than the sum of the weights of the trailer and the cargo. This facilitates easy and safe transportation of the trailer. A tandem axle trailer is preferable for a 16-foot trailer due to its high stability on the road. Moreover, heavy cargo is best hauled using a tandem axle enclosed trailer.
The hitching part should be done perfectly for the trailer; else there is a serious risk. Before any attachments are made, the hitch part should be thoroughly cleaned. Note that even a small speck of dust or grime can interfere with the attachments and lead to severe problems. Such minor things should not lead to bigger accidents. Breakaway breaks are a good option as they help you stabilize the trailer in case it is separated from the tow vehicle.
Driving a 16-Foot Trailer
This trailer should be driven on the road with extra caution. Since it is large, it will take time to pick speed and slow down too. Never make the mistake of trying to stop it abruptly. The consequences can be bad as it may not be able to endure the sudden jolt and may roll over. Learning to apply brakes at appropriate times is crucial for a vehicle with a 16-foot trailer behind. And with a very heavy trailer, the wind resistance faced is more. So, it will be difficult to increase speed. Driving at moderate and steady pace is ideal for a truck hitched to a 16-foot trailer.
In order to prevent accidents of your huge 16 foot trailer with any other vehicle behind, ensure that there are brake lights, clearance lights, turn signal lights and reflectors installed on your trailer for others to view it clearly. Since a 16- foot trailer is large, it prevents a fairly large view of the other objects on the road.
Drive according to the max towing speed limits defined by the state you are travelling in. Remember, larger the trailer, greater is the time and the space required for braking.
Note that driving a 16-foot trailer behind a car or truck requires you to have concentration, presence of mind and technical knowledge so that you know when to move ahead with high speed, when to brake and when to let it go the way it is.