The towing season is upon us. Time to pull the tarp off the trailer and give it – and the tow vehicle – a thorough inspection before you take the hauler to the highway. We spoke with the experts at Holley Performance Brands to compile a checklist of jobs to complete so that you can tow with confidence and safety this summer.

Wheels and tires

“When I’m prepping for towing, most of my time is usually spent on the trailer,” begins Jacob White, Edge Product Manager. “Like many enthusiasts, I keep on top of truck maintenance, but my trailer may sit on the side of my house for six months before I use it again.”

He recommends checking the trailer tires for signs of deformities or damage – such as cracking or rot from prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight – in addition to the essential tire-pressure and tread-depth checks. Then regrease the trailer’s wheel bearings, remembering to replace the dust cap, and make sure the hubs are tight, and the axle nuts have the right preload on them.

Towing places abnormal loads on every aspect of the towing vehicle, too, including the tires. Make sure that the truck’s tires are correctly set with the increased pressures needed to manage the extra weight, to avoid them running hot and potentially sustaining damage.

White adds that ongoing monitoring of tire pressures and temperatures is especially important when towing. If your truck doesn’t already have a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), or it no longer works correctly with your upsized tires, then Edge has several products that will fill the gap, such as the Insight CTS3. Planned future releases include a trailer TPMS that will connect to a CTS3 monitor.

Brakes

“A thorough brake inspection is always a good idea, and especially if you’re hooking up a trailer,” notes Mark Fowler, product specialist at Baer Brakes. “If it’s been a while since you’ve looked at the brakes on your truck, pull the tire and wheel off to check the pad wear and condition of the rotors. Other times, if it’s an open wheel, it’s as simple as looking through the rim to look for obvious signs of wear or damage. Be sure to check the brake fluid level, too.”

Remaining stationary for long periods is the enemy of many vehicle systems, including the brakes. If the trailer you’re using has a brake system, then it and the relevant connections to the tow truck should also be inspected, tested, and observed to function properly, before you load up and set off.

Regardless of whether a trailer brake is in use, a brake upgrade to the tow vehicle can be a simple, cost-effective safety upgrade. It’s not good practice to rely on the trailer brake to overcome bad brakes on the tow vehicle because towing always places the brake system under additional stress: tests have shown that towing even a small trailer can add 50 feet to the stopping distance from 60 mph to zero.

Shop Baer Big Claw and Big Claw HD kits here.

Baer’s Big Claw (for half tons) and Big Claw HD (for HD trucks) brake packages are a simple, direct-replacement option for dissipating the extra heat that results from towing, Fowler suggests, resulting in more consistent braking performance over multiple stops.

Find more great tips for brake maintenance in the dedicated article here

Hitch, Tongue, and Wiring

Once you’re happy that the tow vehicle is in good shape and have checked that the trailer rolls and stops properly, then it’s time to connect the two together.

“If it’s your own trailer, then you’ll likely have confidence in the state of the tongue, including the coupler, safety chain, and jack,” says Fowler. “But if it’s a borrowed trailer, then a more thorough inspection of the tongue condition never hurts. Look for signs of corrosion or damage, and check for proper operation, greasing the coupler and jack if needed.”

As a final step, clean and connect the wiring hook-ups, and verify that the wiring, bulbs or fuses in the trailer do not require replacement.

Truck Performance Upgrades

It’s always worth stopping to consider whether your towing setup is still up to the job. Perhaps you have invested in a heavier trailer since last season– or heavier toys to put on it. Late-model pickups are great towing platforms right from the factory, but the Holley Performance Brands have some popular ways to make them even better.

In addition to the brake upgrades mentioned above, tuning devices from Edge Products, Superchips, and DiabloSport can optimize towing performance by recalibrating the truck’s transmission shift strategy or cooling fan, adjusting throttle response, reducing factory torque management, or just adding power and torque.

Deep transmission pans from B&M will store additional fluid to help keep the transmission cool under prolonged, heavy loads, while at the back of the vehicle, a freer-flowing muffler from Flowmaster can unlock some extra horsepower and efficiency to help when towing.

Finally, whether you’re making mechanical changes to the truck or simply making sure your trailer is ready the open road, be sure to take the time to get the rig tow-ready in good time, just in case any unexpected wrinkles crop up.

“Leave plenty of time for proper preparation,” sums up Fowler. “Don’t wait until you’re leaving tomorrow. The last thing you want is for an avoidable issue to leave you stranded at the side of the road.”