Safe Sydney: Tips on loading trailers when moving house
Author: Bob Newman Date Posted:20 January 2014
It seems exciting at first to do a house move sans removalists, instead hitching trailers to the back of your car and doing it yourself, but such a task should not be taken lightly. Safety is very important for all aspects of the DIY move – from packing boxes, loading the trailer, carefully driving to your destination and unpacking everything again. Here are a couple of tips to ensure you load your trailer safely.
1. Load Heavy in the Front
It’s imperative that you load your trailer heavier in the front – that is, closer to the vehicle. Doing this will prevent swaying and whipping when traveling. The general rule of thumb is to load a trailer with 60 per cent of the cargo weight in the front half and 40 per cent in the back half (but you should check to see if your particular trailer has its own specifications). If you load your trailer heavier in the rear half, it will sway at a certain speed and can progress to whipping (or fishtailing) if you increase your speed, creating a potential hazard on the road for yourself and the other people driving around you.
2. Secure Your Load
Once you’ve loaded your trailer as outlined above, it’s important to lock everything down by securing your load. You can do this using ropes and tie-downs that may come with the trailer or can be easily purchased at a hardware or automotive store. Doing this will prevent cargo from shifting during the move – even if you’ve hired a cargo trailer (an enclosed trailer) it’s still a good move to secure your load to minimise damage to your items.
Following the steps outlined above is only a small aspect of safety when moving house DIY. It’s important to consider safety with travel and unloading your trailer when you get to your destination as well, whether it be next door, elsewhere in Sydney or interstate.
Enjoyed this post? You may also be interested in checking out what your towing restrictions are in Sydney here: “What are Your Towing Restrictions in Sydney?“
This blog was posted in Trailers and tagged in trailer, trailers
