When you are pulling a large trailer behind your vehicle, you have to drive different than you would when driving a regular passenger vehicle. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. One of the challenges you have to try to avoid is a swaying trailer. In order to avoiding a swaying trailer, you need to understand what causes a trailer to sway and what you can do to prevent. 

Why Trailers Sway

There are a few reasons why the trailer you are pulling may sway. Your trailer is attached to the hitch on your vehicle, which creates a pivot point between your vehicle and the object you are towing. With this pivot point, the potential for the trailer to sway is created. Basically, any side-to-side force can cause your trailer to sway. You can control this through the way that you drive. 

If you make a sharp turn, this can cause excessive force on your trailer, causing it sway. If it is windy outside, the force of the wind could cause your trailer to sway. If the weight in your trailer is uneven, your trailer is more likely to sway.  

Swaying is dangerous because it causes you to not have the control you should over the trailer. Excessive swaying can even cause your trailer to flip over or disconnect from your vehicle.  

What Increases the Chance of Your Trailer Swaying

Certain factors under your control can cause your trailer to sway, specially the weight balance on your trailer. When you load up your trailer, you need to make sure that you evenly distribute the weight in your trailer. You need to place equally heavy items on both sides of your trailer. You should also secure the load in your trailer so that it is less likely to move around and cause a weight imbalance as you are driving.  

How to Prevent Your Trailer from Swaying

You can prevent your trailer from sawing by using the right type of gear to connect your trailer to your vehicle. You can prevent swaying by driving at moderate speeds and by slowing down slowly when you need to make a turn or switch lanes. When you drive, try to prevent any sudden movement that could cause the rear end to sway. Speed up and slow down evenly. Make sure your tires are properly inflated as improperly inflated tires can increase the chance of swaying.  

A trailer sways due to the fact that your vehicle and trailer are attached to a hitch, which creates a pivot point as a center of gravity between the vehicle and the trailer. Things such as crosswinds and drafts can increase the chance of a trailer swaying, as can the weight and balance of your vehicle and trailer.  To learn more, contact a towing service near you. 

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