Are there any tricks to towing a trailer?

I have a 1995 GMC Yukon GT with a 350 TBI engine. I am towing a trailer full of shingle debris to the dump for my father-in-law. Should I do anything to prepare the truck like inflate the tires to max pressure? Also, should I drive in 4-wheel drive with a loaded trailer or does it really matter? I appreciate your help, this is my first time towing anything!Are there any tricks to towing a trailer?
First, Make sure your hitch is correctly installed and not about to fall of the tow vehicle and that the tow vehicle is actually suited for the trailer type and weight being towed. I've seen guys with jeep wranglers hook onto an 18 ft car hauler trailer with a half ton truck on the trailer just to see the tragic result on the 6 o'clock news. Make sure your tires on your tow vehicle and trailer are in good shape and proper tire pressure on both tow vehicle and trailer is very important. If the trailer is loaded correctly the need to overinflate the rear tires of the tow vehicle is not necessary and never exceed what the tire pressure rating is rated for. Make sure the trailer hitch is going on the right size ball on the tow vehicle hitch and latches correctly and use the keeper pins or locks on this if it is so equipped. Make sure your safety chains are securely attached from the trailer to the tow vehicle and are a worthy safety chain for doing the job if the misfortune of the triler coming loose while driving does occur. If proper attention is given to the trailer hitch up this will be avoided. In some states if it is just a little utility trailer you don't need trailer lights but anything bigger should have a good connection so the lights will work on the trailer and check your light functions on the trailer before starting out, ie brake lights, turn signals, running lights. Trailers have bad habits of the lug nuts loosening over time so if its a heavy load and several miles to be traveld check the lug tightness with a lug wrench before starting out and on real long hauls recheck about every 500 miles. Whenever you stop while towing, give the tires a kick on both the trailer and tow vehicle to make sure they are not going flat and feel the tire rubber to make sure its not overheating. Some warmth is to be expected but a tire that is almost too hot to touch or hotter is about to have a problem. Of course the trailer has hopefully had some service attention and the wheel bearing lubrication, condition and torque should be done on a routine milage schedule. If this is unknown and its an old trailer I would check this or have a shop check this before loading and going. Once your trailer and tow vehicle is checked out and is up to the task, the placement of the load on the trailer is critical to safe operation. You want to achieve 60% of the loaded weight to the front of the trailer or in other words forward of the trailer axle(s). If it's a car trailer and your loading a car roll the the car onto the trailer until you just see the rear of the vehicle that is pulling the load start to lower as the weight situates to the front of the trailer. You don't want to push the whole load to the front of the trailer as that is hard on the towing vehicle and greatly reduces steering control and can be very dangerous. Like wise a load situated too far back on the trailer can make the towing vehicle fish tail and possibly jack knife when negotiating curves in the roadway or during stopping. Secure the load with good load straps of a ratchet type tightener and check these during stops too. If its a car on the trailer set the park brake and put a standard transmission into gear or on an automatic make sure it is in park. You are moving a load of junk but the weight disribution is a golden rule regardless of what you have loaded on the trailer and be sure to cover the load so nothing blows out or the police may have a littering ticket for you down the road and it's just common courtesy to not spread that junk on the roadside or in the road for other motorist to have to deal with. Now that your load and trailer and tow vehicle are all checked out remeber your travelling down the road in a much heavier combined vehicle so give yourself good braking room when coming to stops and try to avoid sudden stops whenever possible. Going down hill or up hill a little slower than speed limit speed and putting the tow vehicle in a lower gear to insure it doesn't det away from you going downhill prevents it from becoming a runaway and lets your engine create a greater degree of torque at a higher RPM for goin up hill. Never ride the brakes down a hill as that may cause brakes to overheat and fail and then it could become a real wild ride. If braking is needed while going down hill apply the brake to get the vehicle speed down below the speed you actually want to travel at and then release. The weight will start to make you pick up speed again and repeat this procedure during the down hill run and brake overheat should not be a problem. When changing lanes on the roadway avoid quick turns. Make them smooth and easy as a jerky turn could cause fishtail even on the most perfectly loaded trailer. If it is a car hauler or large trailer, it has a wider body than the towing vehicle so be aware of this in tighter area like construction zones where the lanes will get narrower. The trailer will also track in a shorter radius while making a turn so make turns a little wide to insure you don't take out a curb or corner of a building. If this is your first time at towing a trailer, go to an empty parking lot and set up some plastic lawn chairs to manuever around and learn what to expect while driving before you start your journey. Do not use 4 wheel drive unless you are in a snow storm or similar and need it and then in that setting towing a trailer becomes a whole new challenge. Put the the towing vehicle tranny in drive, not overdrive as towing a trailer in overdrive could ruin a transmission. You also amy want to stop by a U-haul place or a trailer sales business as they have a cheesey little pamphlet on trailer towing that gives you about the same advise I have given you here but with some easy to understand pictures to help you get it right and though cheesey it may be, it is good infromation. Good luck.
Dont drive in 4x4 when towing. Secure tarp over trailor. And make sure the lights on trailor work. Give yourself more distance to stop safely and dont drive like a old lady.Are there any tricks to towing a trailer?
4 wheel drive won't make a difference unless you're driving in sand/uneven surfaces (which you shouldn't with a trailer anyway). Just go slow and to get used to the emplty trailer itself, I'd go later in the evening to an empty parking lot and practice driving around, taking turns, going in reverse, etc to get the hang of it. Once you have that down, driving with the weight should be no sweat if you just go slow to accelerate and leave lots of room to brake.
Don't know about preparation but just be careful if it starts to fish-tail, you need to speed up a little, not hit the breaks. My brother didn't know that first time he towed something and ended up swerving all over a four-lane highway. Luckily we didn't flip over and a CHP officer told us to speed up if it starts doing that.Are there any tricks to towing a trailer?
You probably don't need to go to max pressure but about 50lbs would be good depending on the type of tyre.

If 50lbs is above the max then just go to the max, don't ever inflate above the max as cord damage may result.



Distribute the weight evenly over the trailer, not too much over the front and not too much over the back, it will track better that way.



Make sure the trailer is level.

If the hitch is pointing upward to reach your truck it will sway when you drive.



Make sure the trailer tyres are properly inflated.



Never engage 4wd on hard pavement unless it's wet and you need the traction.

You can damage the shafts and transfer case.
Biggest thing to remember is that the trailer adds weight and therefore, you need to compensate for that when stopping/starting. I've seen too many people that try to drive their trailer the same way they normally drive, which can cause them to not stop in time or jacknife the trailer.



4wd helps you get moving, but does NOT help you stop. Actually, it makes stopping more difficult. (Again, seen WAY too many people who don't understand that, both towing and simply driving.)