Lawn Care Equipment Trailers and tips for Driving,
Loading, and Maintaining.
Free Tips and Fun Innovations on running your own Lawn Care / Landscaping
Business.
By: http://www.Summer101.com
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This
week's tip comes from an observance I saw today when a guy tried to drive his
equipment
trailer through a drive-thru and got stuck in the process.
We had a reason to begin the
Summer101.com lawn care business program years ago. That reason was to
help people with lawn care businesses learn from many of the mistakes we
made early in our business. It is funny, after years in the lawn care
industry, we can still learn some lessons ourselves.
I learned a very valuable lesson today.
Luckily it was at someone else's expense this time. I want to share this
lesson with you as this week's tip.
Earlier this evening, I had a hankering
for some ice cream. I hopped in my small Ford Ranger and drove to our local
Dairy Queen. For some reason, the line at the drive through was very long
and it did not seem to be moving. After a few minutes of waiting, I wheeled
around the building to park and walk in. That is when I saw the reason of
the length of the line.
A guy in an extended cab pickup truck and
a 14' steel mesh lawn care equipment trailer loaded with lawn mowers and
landscape straw was just beginning to realize that driving the trailer
through the drive-thru was not a good idea.
The length of his trailer was too long to
make the tight turn after he had already ordered his peanut butter
blizzard.
The poor guy was in a really tight spot
and his only way out was to back up the trailer. As he started in reverse,
the rear of the trailer went one way as the rear of his truck went the other
way.
After minutes of careful work, he was
able to get the wheel well of his trailer jammed up against a light pole as
the driver's side rear tire was on top of a shrub throwing landscape mulch
all over the parking lot. I really wanted to help but I was having too good
a time laughing at the proceedings.
Eventually, he was able to four-wheel
himself out of his predicament. As he sped away, thoroughly embarrassed I'm
sure, the high school girl was still at the drive-thru window holding a
peanut butter blast looking bewildered at what the hold up was.
This was really a funny situation.
I remember my first lawn mower trailer.
At 4' x 8' it was the perfect size for my first walkbehind mower. I was
really thrilled when I bought it. For the first few days, I practiced and
practiced in my driveway and in the parking lot of a local department store
before they opened.
If you have never worked with an
equipment trailer before, there are several areas you should practice.
1) Loading and unloading your lawn mowers
and other equipment. Learn how to chock the wheels correctly, make sure the
trailer tongue is secured onto the tow ball. More than once, I have been
unloading a lawn mower down the real drop gate from an improperly secured
trailer hitch. If you do this, the front of the trailer will rise upward
and you risk damaging the tailgate and bumper of your truck. Also, ALWAYS
secure your equipment properly. Trailers can bounce and I have heard of
people losing equipment, wheel barrows, gas cans, etc., that was not
secured.
2) Hitching up. It is always best to
have a friend help you with this aspect. As you reverse make sure your tow
ball is underneath the trailer ball mount. Don't reverse too fast as you
can damage your trailer and your vehicle. Before you drive off, double
check all connections, safety chains, and mounting latches.
3) Driving. It is always a good idea to
drive around with someone who has experience driving with a trailer and can
give you tips. Practice on roads that do not have a lot of traffic or find
a wide open area such as a vacant parking lot. Practice straight-line
driving, making right turns, making left turns, and backing up. Reverse
with a trailer is a difficult skill to master. Practice reverse a
lot....straight, right turns, left turns. Work on parallel parking. The
best drivers can parallel park a truck and equipment trailer with ease.
4) Safety. Always keep a good eye on
your lights and turn signals to make sure they work. Watch your springs,
latches, tie-downs, etc. Also, in some states you need a separate tag for
your trailer. Maintain your trailer just like you should all of your
equipment.Of course, you should
always follow the rule in your state and community dealing with trailers.
Visit your local DMV to learn all the regulations you must follow.
Over the years, I have bashed a few turn
signals on my trailers. I have also bent a tongue once trying to backup too
quickly. Practice and good common sense will help you become a better
driver when you are towing a lawn mower trailer.
Oh, one last thing: know where you can
and cannot take your trailer. There are thousands of places that you should
not drive your trailer and the Dairy Queen drive-thru is only one of them.
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