Hitches and trailer equipment

Question 1

How often should you perform a safety inspection of your trailer hookup?

Accepted Answer

Before each trip

Answer

Once a month

Answer

Once a season

Question 2

In the safety inspection, what do you check about the pin that secures the ball mount to the receiver?

Accepted Answer

That it is intact

Answer

That it has been removed

Answer

That it is freshly oiled

Question 3

On a load equalizer or weight distributing hitch, what do you check on the spring bar hinges?

Accepted Answer

They are tight, with the safety clips in place

Answer

They are loose enough to swing freely

Answer

They are disconnected for highway travel

Question 4

Which is NOT on the handbook’s list for the safety inspection before each trip?

Accepted Answer

The trailer’s water tank is full

Answer

The hitch coupler is secured

Answer

The electrical plug is properly installed

Question 5

What kind of vehicle do a tow vehicle and trailer form together?

Accepted Answer

An articulated, or hinged, vehicle

Answer

A rigid, single-unit vehicle

Answer

A housecar with a camper

Question 6

How do the three basic types of trailers mostly differ?

Accepted Answer

In the way they are hitched

Answer

In the number of axles

Answer

In the lights they need

Question 7

What does a ball and coupler hitch consist of?

Accepted Answer

A ball on the rear of the tow vehicle and a coupler at the tip of the trailer tongue

Answer

A plate mounted in the truck bed and a pin under the front of the trailer

Answer

A tow bar bolted to the frame of the towed car and two safety chains

Question 8

What does a load-distributing hitch do?

Accepted Answer

Spreads the tongue load to all axles of the tow vehicle and trailer

Answer

Moves the whole tongue load onto the trailer axles

Answer

Locks the trailer rigidly to the tow vehicle

Question 9

What is the receiver?

Accepted Answer

The hitch platform fitted to the tow vehicle

Answer

The ball socket at the front of the trailer

Answer

The structure under the front of a fifth-wheel trailer

Question 10

What is the ball mount?

Accepted Answer

A removable steel component that fits into the receiver

Answer

The socket that receives the hitch ball

Answer

A support rail bolted to the truck bed

Question 11

What is a sway control device designed to do?

Accepted Answer

Lessen the pivoting motion between tow vehicle and trailer

Answer

Apply the trailer brakes if the trailer separates

Answer

Raise the trailer tongue for hitching

Question 12

What is the coupler?

Accepted Answer

The ball socket at the front of the trailer A-frame

Answer

The hitch platform on the tow vehicle

Answer

The handle that locks the plate jaws

Question 13

What are spring bars?

Accepted Answer

Load-leveling bars that spread hitch weight among all axles

Answer

Bars that hold the landing gear up while the trailer is towed

Answer

Rails bolted to the truck bed to support a fifth-wheel hitch

Question 14

Why is less attention given to balance and hitching procedures for fifth-wheel trailers?

Accepted Answer

They are basically very stable

Answer

They are always lighter than travel trailers

Answer

They have no weight ratings

Question 15

What is a disadvantage of a fifth-wheel compared with a conventional trailer?

Accepted Answer

Much of the truck bed space is not available

Answer

It sways more in crosswinds

Answer

It cannot be towed by a pickup

Question 16

Where is the hitch pin of a fifth-wheel in relation to the tow vehicle’s rear axle?

Accepted Answer

In front of the center line of the rear axle

Answer

Behind the rear bumper

Answer

Behind the center line of the rear axle

Question 17

About what share of a fifth-wheel trailer’s weight is its hitch weight?

Accepted Answer

Around 20 percent

Answer

Around 5 percent

Answer

Around 50 percent

Question 18

A fifth-wheel trailer weighs 12,000 pounds. About what hitch weight is usual?

Accepted Answer

About 2,400 pounds

Answer

About 1,200 pounds

Answer

About 600 pounds

Question 19

Up to what gross trailer weight are fifth-wheel hitches rated?

Accepted Answer

15,000 pounds

Answer

10,000 pounds

Answer

26,000 pounds

Question 20

What is the handle on a fifth-wheel hitch used for?

Accepted Answer

Releasing or locking the plate jaws

Answer

Raising the landing gear

Answer

Applying the trailer brakes by hand

Question 21

What does the hitch plate of a fifth-wheel do?

Accepted Answer

It is the “wheel” that lets the trailer rotate

Answer

It bolts the hitch to the truck bed

Answer

It covers the electrical plug

Question 22

Which part of a fifth-wheel hitch holds the pin?

Accepted Answer

The plate jaws

Answer

The side rails

Answer

The pin box

Question 23

What is the pin box?

Accepted Answer

The structure attached to the bottom front section of the trailer frame

Answer

The storage box in the truck bed that holds the hitch handle

Answer

The hitch platform that is fitted to the rear of the tow vehicle

Question 24

What are the side rails of a fifth-wheel hitch?

Accepted Answer

Support rails bolted to the truck bed to support the hitch

Answer

Rails along the trailer roof

Answer

Bars that distribute hitch weight to the axles

Question 25

What does the fifth-wheel plate unit contain?

Accepted Answer

The hitch plate, plate jaws and a handle

Answer

The ball, coupler and spring bars

Answer

The safety chains and breakaway switch

Question 26

Which is NOT one of the couplings listed for motorcycle, tent and cargo trailers?

Accepted Answer

A fifth-wheel plate with a kingpin

Answer

A ball and socket

Answer

A universal-joint type with a detachable pin

Question 27

What qualities should the coupling you choose have?

Accepted Answer

Non-slip, non-loosening, non-binding, easy to hook and free moving

Answer

Rigid, welded in place, hard to unhook and slow to move

Answer

Tight enough to prevent any movement between the vehicles

Question 28

Where on the road should a motorcycle rider towing a trailer ride?

Accepted Answer

Closer to the center of the road

Answer

Closer to the right edge of the road

Answer

On the shoulder

Question 29

What should a motorcycle rider towing a trailer be careful of at intersections?

Accepted Answer

The “oil strip” in the center of the road

Answer

The painted lines of the crosswalk

Answer

The sensors for the traffic signal

Question 30

What can unbalance a motorcycle trailer?

Accepted Answer

Uneven road surfaces and road edges

Answer

A full fuel tank on the motorcycle

Answer

A helmet stored in the trailer

Question 31

May people ride in a trailer coach while it is being towed?

Accepted Answer

No

Answer

Yes, if they wear safety belts

Answer

Yes, on freeways only

Question 32

In which towed vehicle are people allowed to ride?

Accepted Answer

A fifth-wheel trailer coach

Answer

A trailer coach on a ball hitch

Answer

Any trailer coach with safety chains

Question 33

What must a camper with people in it have?

Accepted Answer

An unblocked exit door that opens from both inside and outside

Answer

An exit door that is locked from the outside while moving

Answer

A window at least 80 inches wide that can serve as an exit

Question 34

For which trailers are safety chains required?

Accepted Answer

Travel trailers

Answer

Fifth-wheel trailers

Answer

No trailers at all

Question 35

Are safety chains required for a fifth-wheel trailer?

Accepted Answer

No

Answer

Yes, two chains

Answer

Yes, if it weighs 1500 pounds or more

Question 36

What is the purpose of safety chains?

Accepted Answer

To keep the trailer from separating from the tow vehicle if the hitch fails

Answer

To apply the trailer brakes automatically if the hitch ever fails

Answer

To stop the trailer from swaying from side to side in strong wind

Question 37

Where should the safety chains cross?

Accepted Answer

Below the ball mount

Answer

Above the coupler

Answer

Behind the trailer axle

Question 38

How much slack should the safety chains have?

Accepted Answer

Enough for unrestricted turning, but not enough for the coupler to hit the ground

Answer

None at all, because the chains should be pulled tight between the two vehicles

Answer

Enough for the chains to drag lightly on the road and show they are attached

Question 39

Which trailers must have a breakaway switch?

Accepted Answer

Those with a gross weight of 1500 pounds or more, made after December 31, 1955

Answer

Those with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or more, of any age

Answer

Only fifth-wheel trailers

Question 40

After what manufacture date does the breakaway switch requirement apply?

Accepted Answer

December 31, 1955

Answer

December 31, 1975

Answer

January 1, 2011

Question 41

What is a breakaway switch designed to do?

Accepted Answer

Activate the trailer brakes if the tow vehicle and trailer separate

Answer

Switch off the trailer lights whenever the trailer is parked

Answer

Release the hitch ball from the coupler in a collision

Question 42

How is a breakaway switch connected between the two vehicles?

Accepted Answer

One end at the switch on the trailer frame, the other looped around a fixed hitch part on the tow vehicle

Answer

Both ends on the trailer tongue

Answer

One end on the trailer axle, the other on the tow vehicle’s brake pedal

Question 43

When the breakaway cable pulls the pin, where does the power for the trailer brakes come from?

Accepted Answer

The trailer battery

Answer

The tow vehicle’s battery

Answer

The surge of the trailer

Question 44

At what height should the hitch on a motorcycle trailer be?

Accepted Answer

On the same plane as the motorcycle’s rear axle, or slightly below

Answer

Well above the rear axle, at about the height of the seat

Answer

As far below the rear axle as the ground clearance allows

Question 45

How close to the rear tire should a motorcycle’s trailer hitch be?

Accepted Answer

As close as possible without interfering with the tire

Answer

At least six feet behind the rear tire

Answer

Touching the tire lightly for support

Question 46

How many mounts should anchor a motorcycle’s trailer hitch?

Accepted Answer

Two on each side

Answer

One on each side

Answer

One in the center

Question 47

What is the general rule for the tongue length on a motorcycle trailer?

Accepted Answer

Twice the trailer wheel width, but no more than six feet from axle to tongue end

Answer

Half the trailer wheel width, but never less than six feet from the axle

Answer

The same as the length of the motorcycle, measured from axle to axle

Question 48

What is the most the tongue should measure from the axle to the end of the tongue?

Accepted Answer

Six feet

Answer

Four feet

Answer

Ten feet

Question 49

What happens if the trailer tongue is too short?

Accepted Answer

The trailer will sway

Answer

The trailer will be sluggish

Answer

The trailer will cut corners

Question 50

What happens if the trailer tongue is too long?

Accepted Answer

The trailer will be sluggish and cut corners when turning

Answer

The trailer will sway

Answer

The trailer will push up the rear of the motorcycle

Question 51

Why should you not use an auto trailer behind a motorcycle?

Accepted Answer

Auto trailer tongue weights are too heavy

Answer

Auto trailers have no lights

Answer

Auto trailers are too narrow

Question 52

You detect sway in your trailer. What is the first thing to do?

Accepted Answer

Stop and check whether the load has shifted

Answer

Speed up to pull the trailer straight

Answer

Brake hard with the tow vehicle

Question 53

Which small adjustments may help reduce trailer sway?

Accepted Answer

A small reduction in tire air pressure or a slight increase in tongue weight

Answer

A large increase in tire air pressure or a large cut in tongue weight

Answer

Moving the heaviest items to the rear of the trailer, behind the axle

Question 54

When should a sway control device be fitted?

Accepted Answer

When the hitch is installed

Answer

Only after sway has caused damage

Answer

Only on fifth-wheel trailers

Question 55

What are the two basic types of sway control systems?

Accepted Answer

Friction bar and dual cam

Answer

Surge brake and electric brake

Answer

Ball mount and receiver

Question 56

How is a friction bar sway control activated?

Accepted Answer

By the motion of the vehicles as it slides in and out

Answer

By a hand lever on the controller in the tow vehicle

Answer

By full power from the battery on the trailer

Question 57

Which sway control usually works better for large trailers with heavy tongue weights?

Accepted Answer

Dual cam sway control

Answer

A friction bar

Answer

Safety chains crossed in an “X”

Question 58

Which lights and devices must every trailer in California have?

Accepted Answer

Reflectors, tail lights, brake lights and license plate lights

Answer

Headlights, fog lights and a rear-looking TV camera

Answer

Clearance lights only, whatever the trailer’s width

Question 59

When must a trailer have signal lights?

Accepted Answer

When the tow vehicle’s lights are hidden

Answer

Only when it is over 80 inches wide

Answer

Only when it weighs 1500 lbs. or more

Question 60

Above what width must a trailer have clearance lights?

Accepted Answer

Over 80 inches

Answer

Over 60 inches

Answer

Over 96 inches

Question 61

Your trailer is 84 inches wide. Which lights does it need besides the standard ones?

Accepted Answer

Clearance lights

Answer

Fog lights

Answer

No additional lights

Question 62

Who is responsible for making sure all trailer lights work correctly?

Accepted Answer

You, the driver

Answer

The trailer manufacturer

Answer

The campground operator

Question 63

From what gross weight must a trailer coach or camp trailer have brakes in California?

Accepted Answer

1500 lbs. or more

Answer

3,000 lbs. or more

Answer

6,000 lbs. or more

Question 64

A camp trailer weighs 1,800 lbs. gross. Does it need brakes in California?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it weighs 1500 lbs. or more

Answer

No, brakes start at 3,000 lbs.

Answer

Only if it is over 80 inches wide

Questions and answers