Dos and Don'ts of Towing on Steep Hills and Mountains

We all love a good outdoor adventure. Taking trailers and RVs down exciting mountain roads can be a blast, but if you’re towing a heavy trailer or RV, you need to take extra care or else you can cause damage to your vehicle and even endanger your life.

This blog provides you with a guide to towing trailers and heavy loads up and down steep hills and mountain roads.

Make Sure You’re Towing Safely

Towing trailers on steep hills and mountains can be very hazardous.

• DO know your vehicle’s limits. Make sure your vehicle can handle the weight of the trailer you’re towing.
• DO familiarize yourself with your trailer and how it feels to drive with it. Learn its dimensions, practice turning, parking, and maneuvering with it.

Towing Uphill

When hauling uphill, you can risk jerks or stalls as your engine struggles to move the vehicle and the load it's towing. You can make this easier in a few different ways:

• DO shift into a lower gear. This helps you keep your vehicle under control and can also give you better gas mileage. You’ll also keep your engine temperature down.
• DO merge into a lane for slower traffic if there is such a lane.
• DO use your vehicle’s four-way lights if you’re driving below the posted speed limit.
• DO monitor your engine temperature. If you’re running hot, turn off your AC to help let the temperature stabilize. You may need to pull over and let the engine cool off if it overheats.

Towing Downhill

Downhill is a whole different beast from uphill. Towing a trailer means your vehicle has to handle a bunch of extra weight, which can change the equation quite a bit.

How to handle towing downhill on steep hills and mountain roads:

• DO shift into a lower gear before you get to the hill.
• DO back off the accelerator to keep your speed down.
• DO NOT ride your brake the whole time. That will cause overheating and burnout, even causing your brakes to fail.
• DO keep your speed down by applying brakes until you are below the speed you intend to go, then releasing them to get back up to your intended speed.
• DO repeat the above steps as necessary until you are safely at the bottom of the hill.

Always use your common sense. Towing on a steep grade can be challenging, but sometimes it’s necessary. Choose the safer route over the fast one if possible and maintain awareness at all times.

Hitch City Inc. Has Everything You Need for Towing on Steep Hills and Mountains

Hitch City Inc. can help you with all your towing needs, ensuring you can take on steep hills and mountains with ease. You can count on us for trailer hitches, brake controllers, wiring, and much more. We have been serving the GTA since our foundation in 1972, servicing trucks and trailers with high-quality products and services.

You can contact us today for a quote. We look forward to hearing from you.