Check tire pressure before installing any hitch/bar.Car owner’s manuals should detail how to turn features like auto-leveling off. If you’re installing a sway control bar, you may need to disable this feature as it will get in the way. For cars that have automatic leveling systems, you should let it take the lead for most hitches.Load your vehicle and the trailer for your planned driving trip before you install any hitches.If you do not, you can borrow them from family, friends, or buy them from any hardware store. Make sure you have the tools you need.Read any relevant literature, typically the owner’s manual, before you begin.Lastly, you should try to do all of the following before you try working with weight distribution hitches or sway control bars/hitches: These built-in hitches change the transmission of the vehicle for towing purposes, a cooling system for the transmission to avoid overheating, and feature electric brake controls for the trailer itself. In these cases, a hitch is probably too weak for the haul and you’ll need factory-installed tow packages instead. For heavier hauls, you’ll need to get vehicles built for towing. We go into a little more detail on this below when covering weight distribution. SUVs can be used to tow light and mid-sized hauls. Fortunately, vehicles are rated for their ability to pull trailers and other hauls, so you should be able to find a suitable vehicle with ease if you haven’t already. This guarantees that the towing vehicle can properly handle the stress you’ll put it under. Generally, you want a heavier, more powerful vehicle than the trailer or object that you are trying to pull. While knowing these weight metrics is important, you’ll need to have the right towing vehicle before you start. It is essentially a combination of the Gross Vehicle Weight and the Gross Trailer Weight. Gross Combination Weight Rating – The maximum operating weight of a towing vehicle along with the trailer that it is towing.Like the other terms here, it is often abbreviated to become GAWR. It also contains the weight of the axle itself. Gross Axle Weight Rating – This is the highest weight that can safely be placed on one axle of a vehicle, assuming that weight is distributed equally.You can find the GVWR of your vehicle in the owner’s manual or on the Internet. GVWR applies to trailers and other towed fixtures, too. They are set by the manufacturer, so make sure you know the GVWR of your vehicle. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating – Often abbreviated to GVWR, this is the maximum safe weight that the vehicle should have when out on the road.Put simply, it is often the maximum weight that your trailer will reach on the road. It is the total weight of your trailer when it is loaded and ready for the road. Gross Trailer Weight – GTW is Gross Trailer Weight, which is a distinction from Gross Vehicle Weight.Tongue Weight – The weight that presses down on the hitch ball by the trailer that you are towing.Unloaded Vehicle Weight – Similar to dry weight, this is the weight of a tow vehicle when it rolls out of the manufacturer’s factory.
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