← Safety Hub
Safety checklist
Tick every item before you tow. Takes about two minutes — less than a tyre change on the highway.
If anything isn’t right — don’t move.
Call 1300 418 285
with your order number. We’re here 24/7.
The Big 4 — every single time
If you check nothing else, check these. Get all four right or you don’t leave.
- Hitch down & locked — lift test
- Chains crossed & secured
- Lights plugged in & working
- Jockey wheel up & stowed
🔗 Hooking up
📦 Loading
✅ Before you drive
🚗 On the road
Need more detail?
🚗 Understanding your trailer
- Know your trailer type — cage, enclosed, car trailer — each has its own features.
- Check your vehicle manual for tow capacity and towbar rating. Never exceed either.
- All Empire trailers use a 50mm ball. Plug adaptors are in the red toolbox.
- The ATM on the compliance plate is the maximum loaded weight.
🚗 Tyres & condition
- Check tyre pressure before leaving — the label on the trailer says what to run (usually 40–55 psi). Include the spare.
- Damage, cracks or wear? Report it before you leave the site.
- After the first stretch, feel the wheel hubs — excessive heat means a bearing problem. Stop and call us.
📦 Loading tips
- Heaviest items low and forward of the axle — about 60% of weight in the front half.
- Around 10% of trailer weight on the ball — too little causes sway, too much strains the towbar.
- Multiple rated straps at different angles; re-tension after 10–15 km.
- The winch cable is for loading only — never a tie-down.
🚦 Driving with a trailer
- Max 100 km/h in Queensland — slower in wet, wind or rough roads.
- Leave at least double your normal following gap.
- Sway? Ease off gently. Hard braking or sharp steering makes it worse.
- Wide turns, slow reversing, extra mirrors — give yourself time and space.
