As any longtime ATV or UTV owner will tell you, towing is a significant part of using one of these pieces of equipment. Many trail or riding types cannot be accessed without towing the UTV, as you likely know from all the times you’ve seen these vehicles being towed on the road.

At Tracked Out Adventures, we’re happy to help with towing needs for any of our UTV, motorcycle or even snowmobile rentals. We even provide quality trailer rentals at affordable rates, allowing you to enjoy a weekend trip even if you don’t own a trailer. With this in mind, here are some basic tips we can offer on the process of hooking up a trailer and towing UTVs or other vehicles.

Preparing for Tow

Before you get to work attaching or towing anything, you need to ensure your tow vehicle and trailer can handle the weight requirements involved with the UTV. This will be found by obtaining a measure known as the Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is available for all vehicles in the owner’s manual or online. This number tells you how much weight the vehicle can haul, including cargo and passengers.

Once you’re sure you can support the UTV and any equipment needed, make sure you’re prepared for the process. If you’ve never towed a UTV before, take some time to lay out the steps, which we’ll go over in our subsequent sections.

Trailer Hook-Up

If possible, locate flat ground for hooking up the trailer and loading periods. Set the trailer up so the tongue sits just above the ball hatch, then back your vehicle up until the trailer latch sits right below the tongue. From here, put the tongue on the ball joint and ensure it’s attached tightly. Wrap the tow chains under the tongue using an X design, then connect the chains to your tow vehicle to ensure it doesn’t become unhitched.

Loading Tips

Again, ensure you’re on flat ground first if possible. From there, line your UTV up with the ramp and slowly ride it up – you want enough momentum to get up to the top, but not enough to shoot you past your destination and risk damaging the vehicle.

Where possible, look to balance the weight of the UTV on the trailer. Try not to put too much weight on the front or rear, which can strain the vehicle or even snap the hitch.

Driving Advice

It’s important to remember that once you have a trailer with a heavy item like a UTV attached to the back of your vehicle, driving safety habits are not the same. You need more space to make turns, for instance, and more time to stop due to the additional weight on your brakes. If you’re changing lanes, you have to remember how much longer your cargo makes your vehicle.

We highly recommend driving slowly and defensively when hauling a UTV or any other piece of major equipment. Also ensure you check areas like tire pressure, lights and mirrors to check every possible safety box.

For more on towing a UTV or motorcycle, or to learn about any of our rentals or motorcycle tours, speak to the staff at Tracked Out Adventures today.