Toy Hauler Loading Tips

Owning a toy hauler means that you have a versatile recreational vehicle capable of transporting almost anything you might possibly wish to take camping. The expansive enclosed garage space in the rear of a toy hauler trailer is designed to carry powersports vehicles, bicycles, dirt bikes and other bulky cargo securely and easily. But loading up all that cargo can be something of a challenge if you’re new to the process.

Take some time to learn how to properly and safely load your toy hauler trailer by following these tips, provided to you by Golden Gait Trailers & RVs. Our dealership is in Concord, North Carolina, so pay us a visit if you have any further questions. We also proudly serve those in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Preparing Your Toy Hauler

Before you take your toy hauler trailer full of heavy powersports vehicles on the highway, you want to make sure it’s in good working order. Neglecting to do some basic maintenance could lead to disaster on the road.

Use a gauge to check the tire pressure in every tire of your toy hauler and your towing vehicle. Each tire needs to be aired up to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure settings.

Make sure that you can see surrounding traffic by adjusting your mirrors to access a view of your blind spots. And finally, ensure that other drivers see you by hooking up brake and signal lights as needed and testing them to make sure they all work.

Evenly Distributing The Weight

The weight balance of your towing vehicle is shifted with the attachment of a toy hauler, meaning that it’ll change how you drive. Keeping the weight evenly distributed will make it easier to drive your toy hauler around. You don’t want to put too much weight in the back of the vehicle as it can be extremely dangerous, especially at higher speeds.

Try to put 60% of your cargo ahead of the front axle, 30% behind it and 10% over the trailer hitch. You’ll need to distribute the weight evenly left to right to prevent putting too much pressure on one pair of tires.

Loading Up Vehicles

Time to load up the vehicles! Put your towing vehicle in park and chock up the wheels to make everything steady. Lower the cargo gate, converting it into a ramp. Try to do this on level ground and use the ramp at a lower angle so it isn’t a trial to load.

Get on your powersports vehicle and drive directly towards the ramp slowly, but don’t go so slowly you can’t get up the slope. Try to center it as much as possible as you drive. Once you’ve got the vehicle inside the cargo bay, shut the engine off to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide fumes, which are toxic.

Securing Your Cargo

Now that your powersports vehicle is safely inside your toy hauler, it’s time to secure it in place. You don’t want your vehicle to shift around as you’re driving, since this could do real damage to its finish and suspension system. The motion of the vehicle within the cargo bay may also unbalance your toy hauler, making it more difficult to control on the highway.

Use ratchet straps to secure and compress your vehicle’s suspension system. You can also make use of D-ring tie-downs to anchor the powersports vehicle to the interior walls of the garage. Test the vehicle when you’re done lashing it down by trying to push or shake it. If it doesn’t move, you’re good to go!

You should be able to successfully load up your toy hauler trailer with anything you want to carry, from ATVs to motorcycles, now that you’ve read these loading tips! If you’re still seeking a toy hauler for all your outdoor adventuring this summer, visit our Concord dealership. We carry a great selection of new and used toy haulers for sale. Golden Gait Trailers & RVs welcomes all our North Carolina customers coming from the cities of Raleigh and Charlotte.