Maximum towing speeds can be as high as 75 mph (8 states) or as low as 45 mph, as in Alaska. In California you are required to tow at 55 mph with trailer brakes on your 1,500-pound, 14-foot-tall, 81/2-foot-wide trailer, with 65 feet as your maximum overall length. When you get to Arizona, the same rig is illegally wide by 6 inches and illegally tall by 6 inches, but you can go 70 mph.
In Massachusetts it is fine to tow a 40-foot trailer weighing 10,000 pounds at 65 mph without trailer brakes; but in Maine, if your trailer weighs just 3,000 pounds, you better have trailer brakes. In Tennessee, trailer brakes are required if your trailer weighs 1,500 pounds; in Utah it's 2,000; in Oklahoma, 3,000; in Delaware, 4,000; in Alaska, 5,000; and in Massachusetts, only when your rig reaches 10,000 pounds.
It may take a trip back to the trailer dealer to get set up to comply in neighboring states, but it could save you a couple of tickets and keep your insurance company on your side if the worst should happen.
Step 7: The 10-Minute Checklist
Before you pull out, just take one more look around for peace of mind. Check to see that brake lights and turn signals are still working. Make sure the tow vehicle looks level, lug nuts are tight, and trailer safety chains are crossed, with enough slack so you can turn. Make sure the locking pin is in place on the tow ball lever and that the breakaway cable is plugged in.
Adjust the mirrors so you can see the length of the trailer. Wheel chocks stowed? Tongue load looks good? Tongue jack is raised and locked so it can't drop down while you drive? With those things confirmed, you can drive with confidence.
Safety Tips
It pays to be fanatical about tires. You can't be cautious enough about checking tire pressure, especially when towing on the highway where heat builds up quickly. All it takes is one blowout on truck or trailer to ruin your weekend. The pros use pyrometers to check tires at rest stops, to find out if any are building up heat. If one tire is hotter than the others, there is always a reason why, with tire pressure being the most obvious culprit.
Another common source of trouble comes from trailer bearings. This is more common on boat trailers, which get dipped in water regularly, but even on travel trailers the hubs get hot in a very short distance. Condensation can seep into hot hubs as they cool, which causes rusting and lubricant failure. Maintain that grease well and there will be no problems. Bearing grease is usually colored-coded by temperature rating. The higher-temperature greases cost more, so you can balance the type of grease you need against the amount you tow.
Towing requires a major change in driving style, for a variety of reasons. On flat ground and dry pavement, stopping distances will be about 50 percent longer, so allow plenty of room to stop. The rule is to allow at least 4 seconds of distance between your rig and the vehicle in front of you.
Become sensitive to wind and weather. Wet pavement makes it even harder to stop, so when weather kicks up, your following distance should increase to 6 seconds. At 65 mph, that's as much a 576 feet, almost three football fields. It sounds like a lot of room, but on a compromised surface you'll need all of that to bring your rig to a safe stop.
Severe crosswinds are another hazard, so take wind warnings seriously. It's better to slow down or pull over rather than tip over in the next gust.
Be aware of hills. Going uphill, heat is the enemy, and on the down slope, stopping distances increase.
In low-speed maneuvering and parking lots, think about where your back wheels are going. Trailers with tandem axles or triple axles require much longer turning distances than trailers with a single axle.
Given all of the above, it's clear that towing requires undivided driver attention. That means no cell phone, quit fiddling with the radio, and concentrate on the road ahead and your immediate surroundings. To be really safe when towing any trailer, you have to be thinking a good quarter of a mile ahead.