Travelling

Virtually Horses

Travelling

What type of vehicle do I need to tow my horses/ponies?

When you consider a vehicle for towing there are four main pieces of information that you must find out

The weight of the trailer (from manufacturers documentation)
The weight of the horses
The unladen weight of the vehicle (from owners manual)
The max towing weight of the vehicle (from owners manual)
The max tow ball downweight (from car owners manual or towball manufacturer)

1. Most importantly, the combined weight of the trailer and horses should not exceed the max towing weight limit of the car.

Most vehicles documentation also quotes a maximum towing weight which is the maximum combined weight of the car and the trailer. If you exceed either of these it is not an offence in its own right, but you may be prosecuted for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition, and is likely to be used against you if you are involved in an accident. In addition if you exceed the max tow weight advocated by your vehicle manufacturer this will void your insurance.

2. The max tow ball downweight must be at least 75kg.

3. You should always aim for the towed weight (the horses plus the trailer) to be less than 85% (75% according to the LTSA) of the unladen or kerb weight of the vehicle.

This will reduce the chance of the trailer becoming unstable at speed, and when the trailer approaches and/or exceeds the unladen weight it becomes possible for an unstable trailer to pull the car off the road. This is known as 'fishtailing' and is a scarily common occurence with trailers of all sorts.

Other things to consider

If the vehicle has an automatic transmission it may have a lower towing capacity than a manual transmission. An automatic transmission oil cooler is a good investment and will help your vehicle.

One rule of thumb: it's far better to have too much vehicle in terms of weight and towing capacities than too little. The manoeuvre that has saved many a road trip is to power the trailer out of trouble—whether it's a heavy crosswind or a fishtailing trailer coming down a grade at highway speeds. The ability of the tow vehicle to regain control, to actually continue to tow instead of being pushed, is vital to everyone's safety.

If you have never towed a float before, remember:

Always take extra care - as the horse moves, the trailer will sway, keep your speed down.

If carrying more than one horse, load the heaviest horse on the right-hand side (centre of the road) - this will improve your stability, especially when travelling around curves.

If you can feel the effects of a corner when you drive - so can your horses! Keep your speed down on corners and bends to give your passengers a more comfortable ride. Use the speed recommendation signs on corners!

The maximum speed limit when towing in New Zealand is 90kph.

Look well ahead, allow longer distances for a slow comfortable slowing of speed prior to any stops, intersections or areas where unexpected hazards may appear. Other motorists will often not take any account of your extra load and expect you to be able to stop or swerve to avoid their thoughtless actions - be prepared at all times.

Remember that when towing, you will be slower and less stable than other traffic. Check your mirrors often to see if other vehicles are held up behind you. Keep left so that other vehicles have plenty of room to pass you. If the road is winding or narrow or doesn't allow vehicles to pass you for any reason, stop at a safe place and let them pass. (Most drivers do appreciate this)

What the LTSA (NZ) says about Towing

Most vehicles have tow ratings given to them by the manufacturer specifying the gross trailer weight braked, unbraked, or both, that the vehicle can safely tow. Although the law does not require these tow ratings to be followed, it is recommended that they be taken into account.

In addition to the requirements above, the law requires that every light vehicle and trailer combination must be capable of stopping within a distance of 7 m from a speed of 30 km/h. In effect, this means that the maximum allowable weight of an unbraked trailer is limited by the weight and braking ability of the vehicle being used to tow it.

The Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) recommends, as a guide, that the laden weight of an unbraked trailer should not exceed ¾ of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle and then only if the towing vehicle's brakes and tyres are in excellent condition.

A trailer heavier than this may prevent the vehicle combination from meeting the 7 m from 30 km/h brake performance requirement. To illustrate the increase in stopping distance when towing an unbraked trailer, consider a trailer with a laden weight equal to the weight of the towing vehicle. This combination can be expected to have double the stopping distance of the towing vehicle alone, and even a towing vehicle with good brakes is likely to fail the legal brake performance requirement of 7 m from 30 km/h. If the trailer is equipped with brakes, it may be possible to safely tow a trailer heavier than ¾ of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, but the 7 m from 30 km/h brake performance requirement still applies.

from Infosheet 2.01

What do these Weights Mean?

Unladen Weight - the weight of the car with all its standard accessories, but when there is no extra load or passengers in it. aka TARE
Kerb Weight - definition varies, but generally the same as Unladen Weight, with the addition of a full tank of fuel and a single driver.
Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)/Maximum Laden Weight - the maximum weight of the vehicle when filled with passengers, fuel and any extra load
Max Towing Weight - the maximum trailer weight that the manufacturer recommends that the towing vehicle can pull. This is normally only based on the vehicles ability to pull away on a slope, and does not mean that it is 100% safe to tow this load.

More Tow Terms

You may come across the following acronyms when looking at a towing vehicle or trailer.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): The total allowable weight of a fully loaded vehicle, including driver, passengers, cargo, fluids, accessories and tongue weight. Beefy aftermarket shocks or airbags won't change the vehicle's GVWR, they just make the ride more comfortable. One of the biggest mistakes amateur towers make is to underestimate the total weight within the tow vehicle.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating): The maximum weight a single axle is designed to safely carry. This rating is provided to prevent single-axle overloading.
Tow Rating: The manufacturer's recommended towing capacity.
GTWR (Gross Trailer Weight Rating): This figure is located on a metal tag on the trailer frame and is based on the allowable weight of the trailer and its cargo.
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating): Total weight of the tow vehicle and everything in it, as well as the trailer and its contents. If the truck weighs out at 7,000 pounds and has a GCWR of 10,000 pounds, the trailer and its contents cannot exceed 3,000 pounds.
Tongue Weight. This term refers to the trailer weight at the coupler that is supported by the truck. The recommended tongue weight is between eight and 15 percent of the total trailer weight. To determine tongue weight, go to a public scale; drive across the scales stopping with the trailer on the scales and the tow vehicle's rear tires just off the scale deck. Record the weight. Jack up the trailer and unhook it from the hitch and record that weight. The difference between the two weights is your tongue weight. Determining the tongue weight is worth this effort. Too much tongue weight and both the tow vehicle and trailer will sway. Too little tongue weight causes serious trailer sway.

Safety

Make sure that you regularly check the safety features of your float and vehicle.

Coupling (hitch) - ensure that the coupling socket and ball are securely fastened. Make sure that the socket and ball are matched in size, there are two standard sizes of towball in NZ - 1^7/8^ths and 50mm. If the ball is too small for the coupling it will sooner or later jump off its attachment. Many couplings are now made to fit either sized towball but you must select the correct size.

Tow bar and ball - Make sure that there is at least a thin smearing of grease on the ball - although messy, this is necessary to ensure that the ball is free within the coupling socket. If the grease is a problem for passing clothing (legs of white joddies !) adopt the traditional solution of a cut down tennis ball to place over the greasy towball when it is not in use.

Safety chains - make sure that they are properly secured and fastened. Check that the safety chains are properly connected. The trailer must have an adequate safety chain, permanently attached to the trailer. The LTSA prefers it to be bolted on. A shackle can be used only on the chain-to-towing-vehicle connection. Welding the chain onto the trailer is acceptable if done properly.

Brakes and wheel bearings - make sure that these are not overheating. Check that all wheel nuts are done up tightly (after a tyre is replaced or mended check that the serviceman has tightened the bolts).LTSA rules state that both car and trailer must be able to stop from 30km/h in less than seven metres. All trailers with a laden weight over 2000kg must have brakes fitted.

Lights - Light Trailers require working tail and front-position lights. Your car also needs a correctly wired socket. A trailer doesn't need indicators and brake lights, provided the lights on the towing vehicle are visible to drivers behind you, or you can make visible arm signals out the window. If you do a lot of towing, it's best to have indicators and lights fitted.

Tyres - always remember to check your tyres - vehicle and float - when they are cold - that is, before you have done any driving on them. Buy a properly calibrated tyre gauge, because the devices on air hoses at service stations get harsh treatment and can be wrong. Trailer tyres now come under the same scrutiny as car tyres under LTSA rules. They must have legal tread and be the same type and size on each axle. Wheel bearings are now also checked.

Your Vehicle Safety

Be sure to have your vehicle’s service history up to date and make sure that you check the oil, water, brake fluid, transmission fluid and battery water levels before you set out and at regular intervals on the journey. Older or less reliable vehicles will need more frequent checks.

Automatic vehicles require special attention and servicing when they are used to tow heavy loads such as horse floats. The automatic transmission may overheat, as most vehicles are not manufactured with the additional coolers needed to handle sustained towing loads. It is a good idea to fit an additional transmission oil cooler for your vehicle, or to substitute a bigger or better cooler than your vehicle already has.

Check the float brake and light connections are secure and that all lights work. If the connecting electrical cable is too short, it will break when you attempt a tight turn. This can quite easily happen if you ‘jack-knife’ when reversing. Do not ever remove the plug from the socket by simply yanking on the cable. Eventually you will damage the connection between the plug and the cable, pulling wires loose and causing lights or brakes to fail.

Check the adjustment of mirrors before you set out. It is easy to overlook this until you are under way. Then, right when you need them, you have to ‘fiddle’ around, taking your eyes off the road, to get the adjustment right.

If your float has over-ride brakes, always ensure that the reversing catch fitted to the float coupling has been disconnected. It is easy to overlook, especially if some ‘fancy reversing’ is required to get going in the first place.

Make a few test stops from a low speed to confirm that the float brakes are operating and correctly adjusted. Ensure that the hand brake is not set before taking off!

Try to limit the weight of the load carried in the boot of the car (or luggage space) - this is not easy if you and your horse are going away for any length of time - but thoughtful packing will help considerably. If there is too much weight on the rear of the vehicle, you may find that road handling is badly affected.

On Long Trips

Plan the trip well before, and allow plenty of time for the journey. If towing a float you cannot make the trip in the same time as you would without a trailer behind your vehicle. The max legal speed in New Zealand with a trailer is 80kph ! By planning and accurately assessing the time needed to comfortably arrive at your destination, you will greatly reduce your own stress and by so doing, give your horse a chance to work at peak performance. Long journeys can increase the risk of travel sickness in horses, be sure that you understand the precautions and early warning signs. The time for the journey make need to take into account a stop for your horse to stretch his legs, have a drink etc, omitting this stop would be sure to compromise your objectives.

Before you leave :

Determine the best route to drive with a float on or for your truck.
- Do you have to cross major roads at difficult intersections? Are there low bridges to go under (you need to know how high your float or truck is, before you set off - carry the dimensions in your glove compartment, in case you forget.
Will it be necessary to break the journey? If so, where? Is there somewhere safe for the horse to stay?
If travelling to a competition, will anyone else be taking the same route to the event? Can you travel in convoy?
What facilities are at the other end? Check whether you need to take your own water.
If travelling to an event in a distant city, do you know where the competition is being held? Have I got maps of the city in case I get lost? Is there someone that I know (even a long lost acquaintance) that could be called in case of emergency?
A hurried float trip will cause you stress and will put your horse at risk, both physically and mentally, as he requires that you drive slowly and carefully, taking the corners very slowly so as not to upset his balance and confidence. Most horses usually travel quite well and bad travellers are often ‘made’ by bad drivers!

At the first stop, say a petrol station, feel the tyres and wheels to check how hot they are. Normal conditions should have the float tyres and wheels being slightly warm to the touch. If any of the wheels or tyres are hot to the touch (and you did not have to use the brakes excessively to stop) you have a problem with your brakes or else the tyre is flat (which you would be sure to notice!). Either way you must get help before you continue your journey.

When you have been travelling for about 100 kilometers, pull over and use the tyre gauge to check the float’s tyres. They should be 28 kPa or 4 psi higher than when cold.

Every now and then, take a look at the tread wear pattern. It will tell you if you have been running the tyres wrongly inflated over a period of time. Excess wear in the middle of the tread means over-inflation, and excess wear on the outsides of the tread means under-inflation. Both are dangerous and should be corrected.

Check the door latches and the load (feed, saddlery, manure scoops and other luggage) for anything which may have moved and could cause problems. You should do these checks every two to three hours as a precautionary measure and to avoid problems.

Things to take

A Mobile phone (charged and with a spare battery or the car charger)

A list of the important telephone numbers that you could need.

Emergency Roadside Breakdown Membership Card (check validity)

First aid kit (one for people and one for horses, including a thermometer)

A knife for cutting lead rope (if the worst happens!)

Spare halter and lead rope

Water - at least 5 litres

A flash light (with adequate life in the batteries)

Fire extinguisher - make sure that it is in working order

Warning triangle or some means of warning other vehicles of a breakdown

Jack and wheel brace (should be part of your vehicle’s gear)