Before you start towing heavy loads you need to make sure of a few things.  First, is your car insurance up-to-date to cover you in the event of an accident, and second, do you have the skills to do the job properly and safely?

Driving a car is difficult at the best of times, and you know you need to exercise care and attention at all times when in charge of a vehicle.  Towing heavy loads however introduces a whole new set of factors that need to be taken into account and normal driving skills are not sufficient to perform this type of driving safely. You need to acquire some extra skills and to pay careful attention to a few points that you could otherwise ignore.

Here are some tips to follow before you load up your trailer and head down the road.

• Work out whether your equipment is up to the job.  Before towing a load, make sure you do a safety inspection before you start each trip.  Take care to ensure that the pin which secures the ball mount is intact and that the hitch coupler is firmly secured.
• Sway Control.  Some conventional trailers have a device which is designed to lessen the seesaw motion between the vehicle and the trailer.  If you do not have this device fitted it is a good idea to see whether you can install one because it will save you a lot of trouble and make your journey a lot safer.
• Distribute the load.  When loading up your trailer make sure you distribute the load evenly up across each axle.  Not only will this prevent the load from shifting as you travel down the road, especially around corners, but also it will help you to maintain stable contact with a trailer at all times making steering at higher speeds a lot easier.
• Be careful of the weight.  Make sure the load limit of your trailer is not exceeded and that your vehicle can comfortably pull the load without straining your vehicle.  You'll need to know the curb weight of your vehicle and your load to work out whether you are travelling within safety limits.
• Adjustments.  Once you have the height and balance adjustments correct it's time to head off down the road.  Make sure you have safety chains in place and that breakaway switches have been installed where you have a higher than usual gross weight.  Breakaway switches and safety chains should be in good working order and provide you with a safeguard against equipment failure.
• Backing up.  Backing a trailer is difficult if you are not experienced, but the most important thing to remember is that the trailer goes in the opposite direction of the towing vehicle.  In other words, if you want the trailer to go left you must turn the vehicle's wheels to the right and vice versa.  Always place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and your trailer will go in the same direction that your hand moves.

These simple tips are not meant to be a complete but will at least get you thinking about safety.  Don't forget to make sure your vehicle insurance is up-to-date and be sure to check with an expert if you are in any doubt.