Is Your Vehicle Capable of Towing That Heavy Trailer Without Issue?

Posted on: 23 November 2022

When you buy an expensive truck or SUV, you will want to ensure that you look after it mechanically to avoid issues in the future. So you may need to take extra steps if you've decided to tow a heavy boat or car trailer on a regular basis. In this case, you may even need to add certain parts to help your existing configuration take the strain and give you years of happy motoring. So, what do you need to think about?

Taking The Strain

Your vehicle will have been well-engineered by its manufacturer to cope with a variety of everyday conditions. However, it may not have been designed to tow a heavy load often, which may strain certain parts. You may encounter even greater problems if you live in an undulating area where your vehicle will come under more pressure to tow up and downhill.

Protecting The Transmission

In this situation, you should pay particular attention to one component—the transmission. Your vehicle may be fitted with an automatic system, and when you tow a heavy load, this could begin to overheat. In other words, the fluid that flows through the transmission may need to operate under a consistently higher temperature which could compromise its ability. As the system relies very heavily on this fluid, you may need to fit a separate cooler to keep those temperatures in check.

Asking For Trouble

If the fluid does not work as it should, this can increase friction, and microscopic pieces of metal could break away from moving parts. Some of these particles will be captured by the filter, but others will be suspended in the fluid, causing even further degradation.

How Coolers Work

When you fit a fluid cooler to the front of your vehicle, the lubricant will be pumped out of the transmission to this radiator-like device. Due to the cooler's design, the fluid will then be agitated as it passes through the radiator matrix, which will help dissipate as much heat as possible. Once the fluid emerges from the other side of the transmission cooler, it will flow back into the transmission system and will maintain the ideal temperature for much longer.

Fitting Your Cooler

So, talk with a part supplier and buy a new transmission cooler. Once this is fitted and working properly, you will have less to worry about when you set out on the road.

Depending on what car you have, reach out to a relevant parts supplier to learn more. For instance, if you have a Toyota, reach out to a Toyota spare parts supplier to learn more.

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