First if you look at trailer behind van, trailer is fairly level hooked up. It's not nose down or nose up. That means the trailer weight is evenly distributed. Often that means taking things off counter or other places and putting them inside trailer on floor centered over the axles.
Now look at height of van and height of trailer. While there is some difference, it's very little.. and if i add the oldstyle cartop carrier to van, it smooths the aerodynamics of the van trailer hookup.
Trailer is single axle, 18ft plus tongue, and low ground clearance. That means higher speeds cause tail wag. A semi truck and trailer generates enough air disturbance when passing to push trailer sideways. The solution is to slow my speed slightly as truck comes up to pass and increase speed about 5-10 mph as end of semi passes front of my bumper.
If a on ramp is the cuved and banked circle onramp, then i go slower and turn much more gradually than I would in a car. At the end of curved ramp, speeding up will bring trailer rear in line with the van. In fact, anytime you find trailer rear end veering to one side or other, speeding up will bring it in line with van.
When going up a hill or mountain, you'll find me in right hand lane with the heavy loaded semi trucks. Flashers on. Pretty much the slower the better. I can climb the upgrade faster but what goes up must come down. Coming down a long steep downgrade i want to use my brakes as little as possible and for as short a period as safe. Overheating brakes leads to locking up brakes or brakes on fire. Many downgrades have narrow shoulders and curves. I absolutely don't want to pull over on a downgrade if i can avoid it.
Hooked up, I've 3 sets of axles, each with a single set of tires. That means although a flat is inconvenient, blowing a tire could be deadly. The tongue can act as a lever to flip trailer or van.
Safety chains
Cross safety chains under tongue and securely hook to tow vehicle. Last year was the first time i ever had a trailer jump off the ball. I was using a rented uhaul truck with a ball. The ball was just barely too large and had i been doing anything but moving trailer less than 20 miles locally, i wouldn't have done it.
Other critical tips
Start off slow.
Steer in gradual turns.
Before stopping, try to take foot off accelerator gradually and allow trailer weight to slow the rig up before braking to a stop. Under no circumstances slam brakes on or stop suddenly. If needed steer 45 degrees right or left to avoid a hazard.
Do not press on in heavy rain or windy conditions. Stop and wait until conditions are safer to proceed.
When backing up, drop your hands on steering wheel to the bottom. Get out and check lineup or position when backing or parallel parking. And yes I've done both and comfortable doing either.
While this is by no means a complete guide, this will help you avoid some common mistakes that can lead to a wreck or fatal accident. The goal is to arrive at your destination intact with no close calls.
Good coffee to you, see you down the road,
Lou
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