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TUNE UP THE TRAILER BEFORE REVVING UP THE ATV
Tips
From Steadymate® on Keeping Your ATV Safe and
Secure When Trailering
Toronto, Ont. – ATV enthusiasts are always
revving up for another season of fun. But before
packing up and hitting the road for the trails,
it’s important for riders to tune up their
trailers – and trailering skills. Steadymate by
Kinedyne®, a leader in premium tie-down products
and accessories for all powersport equipment,
has some important tips on trailering ATVs that
will save riders on costly repairs and fines, as
well as prevent serious accidents and injuries.
Steadymate Trailer Tips:
- Carefully follow the maintenance and/or
operation instructions that came with your
trailer, ATV and securement straps.
- Know your trailer’s weight and your
vehicle’s towing capacity rating, and don’t
exceed it! When determining the towing
capacity of your vehicle, refer to your car
or truck manufacturer owner’s manual. Then,
use your ATV manufacturer owner’s manual to
verify the weight of the ATV and trailer.
Don’t forget to add in any other items that
you carry, i.e. generator, extra gas, etc.
- Check your vehicle’s oil and radiator
levels, all other automotive vital fluids
and tire pressure. Towing a large load puts
extra strain on your vehicle, so make sure
that it’s up to the task.
- Grease up your trailer wheel hubs. The
trailer has likely been sitting for a good
portion of the winter and may have old
residue from trails and roads still sitting
on it, so cleaning out and greasing up the
hubs will prevent seizing and over-heating
on the highway.
- Make sure you test the brakes on your
trailer (if it has brakes) before you hit
the road.
- Check the tires on the trailer for
pressure and cracks. The sun and seasonal
wear causes natural oils in the tire to
break down, reducing the life of the tire.
If one tire needs replacing, it’s best to
replace both tires so that they have
matching tire treads and pull evenly. If you
can only replace one tire, try to replace it
with the same manufacturer model tire and
tread. Also, always carry a spare tire for
your trailer.
- Check that your tire jack fits properly
under the trailer. Some tire jacks may be
compatible with your vehicle but too large
to fit under a trailer.
- Remember to always carry a trailer tool
kit with ratchets, spare trailer bolts and
hooks, as well as recovery straps to rescue
vehicles. The Steadymate Recovery Strap is
stronger than cable, lighter than chain and
can easily attach to any vehicle in trouble.
- It is wise to carry a tow strap in both
your trailer tool kit as well as your ATV
kit so that you are always prepared to
rescue an ATV or yourself. Steadymate has
come out with a 15-foot long Tow Strap that
is perfect for pulling an ATV out of a muddy
situation, or when the engine has ceased.
- Make sure the size of the ball on the
hitch matches the size of the latch (ball
cover) on the trailer. One of the biggest
mistakes people make is hook up a trailer
with a two-inch ball cover to a trailer
hitch with a smaller ball (e.g. 1 7/8”) –
this can easily come off if you hit a bump
or pile of snow.
- Attaching trailer chains from the towing
vehicle to the trailer is a must. The chains
should have snap hooks or links that will
prevent the chain from coming loose, and the
chains should be crossed, creating a basket
in case the hitch comes off the ball.
- Be certain to check that the securement
points (i.e. tie-down hook points) on your
trailer are structural members of the
trailer’s body and that they are properly
intact. If no suitable securement points
exist on your trailer, secure the tie-down
straps to the trailer’s frame, or purchase
and install a trailer mount kit. Steadymate
offers a variety of trailer surface mount
kits, including the Surface Mount E Kit that
can be easily installed without any
routering.
- When loading your ATV onto the trailer,
make sure to attach the trailer to your
vehicle first, and only use a ramp that can
support your ATV weight plus all of your
extra ATV gear. Approach the ramp in the
lowest gear, and try to avoid jerky starts
and stops. Never approach ramps at high
speeds as this could cause them to buckle or
ram into the back of the trailer or vehicle.
- Once your ATV is up on the trailer,
remember to balance the weight of the ATV
over the trailer axle to evenly distribute
the load, and then always set the parking
brake.
- When securing your ATV with tie-downs,
think of the Steadymate 4 X 45º rule.
Prevention of movement from side to side and
back to front is achieved with Tie-Downs in
four opposite corners creating equal tension
and balance. Prevention of movement up and
down is the next step, and this is
accomplished by securing straps at a 45º
angle from the ATV to the floor at all four
securement points. By following the 4 X 45º
rule, you have now completed the task of
securing your vehicle from the forces of all
three directions: side-to-side, front to
back and up and down; thus, creating less
risk in braking situations, accidents or
slippery conditions for you and others on
the roads.
- Steadymate recommends that each strap
used to secure your sled should be rated for
the full weight of your ATV; during
transport, any one strap could be called
upon to hold the full weight of your ATV due
to uneven road conditions, sharp turns and
emergency situations.
- Only use securement straps that have a
working load limit tag (1/3 the ultimate
breaking strength) to ensure you are
compliant with new safety legislation. Not
having a working load limit tag on your
straps is equivalent to having no straps at
all in the eyes of the law, and fines can
cost you hundreds of dollars and points
deducted from your license. Steadymate takes
these regulations seriously and has sewn a
working load limit tag onto every strap they
sell.
- When driving at night, it is always
recommended to have reflectors on your
trailer. By the way, every set of Steadymate
Cinchtite Straps comes with a Steadymate
reflective sticker!
- Take a couple of minutes at each fuel or
rest stop to check on your ATV and trailer.
Make sure that all tie-downs are securely in
place, your lights are still functioning and
your trailer tire hubs are not too hot.
Since trailers are not used as often as
vehicles, the extra time spent taking proper
safety measures and carefully securing an ATV is
well worth it. Following the Steadymate Trailer
Tips and using premium rated products like the
Steadymate Cinchtite Tie-Down will help to
maintain the condition and extend the life of
powersport toys, avoid hefty fines and, most
importantly, keep the roads and trails safe.
There is a Cinchtite Strap for every ATV.
About Steadymate
Steadymate is a full line of
products and accessories for all motorcycles,
ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats,
pick-up trucks, camping gear and bicycles.
Manufactured by Canada’s leading cargo control
company, Kinedyne Canada, Steadymate is a
premium line of products built to meet the new
government securement laws. For more
information on Steadymate and to order product
visit
www.steadymate.com
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