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Bruce Canepa: Uncommon Towing Sense September 30, 2002 Bruce Canepa is a big name in performance, as a race driver, a high-performance vehicle designer, and one of the inventors of the sport utility vehicle. One of his specialties is tow rigs for race and show vehicles. Here are tips from an expert on how to tow -- safely. It's much more than hooking up a trailer to your tow vehicle. "The tips should be common sense," Canepa says. "But you'd be surprised how many people overlook them. You start by making sure that you have tires that are load rated to the freight you're going to haul -- including the trailer. That means adding the weight of the trailer to the load you plan to haul, whether a race car, a pair of motorcycles, a ski boat or an ATV -- and dividing the total weight by the number of wheels on the trailer. Most people don't even look at the load ratings on the trailer tires. They just see a tire on a trailer, and don't bother to think about it. "Before you hook up the trailer, make sure you have the right size hitch apparatus. Make sure your plug is clean and not corroded, and you have your safety chains and stuff like that all attached properly. "The next thing is to make sure that all your tires are at the recommended pressure. This is another thing too many people fail to check. "Then you need to make sure the weight you're towing is distributed properly. You want to carry the weight in the trailer as evenly as possible over the axles, without overweighing too far toward the front or the rear. "And before you start driving, you should test your brakes, and make sure the trailer brakes are working properly. You do this before you start down the road, so you don't find out the trailer brakes aren't helping you stop the first time you need them. Test your brake controller before you start." And also test to make sure all your lights -- brake signals and brake lights -- on the trailer are working. Of all these common sense rules, Bruce says, the ones about tire pressures and load ratings are the ones overlooked the most. Bruce recommends towing on BFGoodrich® tires. Why? "A premium tire is the cheapest safety feature you have, and BFGoodrich is a premium tire." Want the ultimate SUV or tow vehicle? Contact Canepa Design at: Canepa Design 1191 Water Street Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Office: 831.423.5704 Fax: 831.423.2239 Web: www.Canepa.com |
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