Towing With Your Side By Side
If you want a powersports vehicle capable of handling heavy payloads and difficult terrain with ease, you’ll want to look into acquiring a side by side. Side by sides or SSVs (side by side vehicles) are powerhouses when it comes to helping out on the farm, ranch, construction site or anywhere you need high-performing muscle and mobility.
Your local SSV dealer, Centre PowerSports, is in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, and we carry a wide selection of side by sides at our dealership, including Can-Am models. Here is our guide to towing with your side by side so that you can do your work safely and quickly without incident, and do it faster by virtue of using your own SSV!
Get The Right Side X Side
First, make sure that you have the right side by side for the jobs you want to do. While SSVs in general are quite capable of handling a lot of cargo and even towing in most cases, they each have different weight limits and individual capabilities. Check the model you’re looking at to make sure it has a towing hitch or bracket on the chassis. Doing some online research into the side x sides you’re interested in can help you determine which ones will best suit your purposes. Whenever you add weight to SSVs, you change the way they operate and handle, so you want to be careful not to overburden it because this could increase your rollover risk or weaken the structural integrity of your side by side.
Use The Correct Accessories
When you’re using a side by side for hauling and towing, you want to have the right accessories to make sure you get the job done right and that it isn’t too taxing for you or your SSV to handle. Make sure you get the right hitch for your make and model of SSV and get ratchet straps and tie-downs to use when towing and hauling. Having a tow strap on your side x side lets you pull another vehicle out of a ditch or tight spot and move a fallen tree out of your way. Soft hooks are useful for helping your SSV grip bars, boards and rails or other cargo so that it doesn’t fall off as you drive. Work gloves that are sturdy and thick will protect your hands from rope burns, splinters and blisters.
Plan Your Route
Take your SSV along the path you intend to ride, but don’t put anything in it. You want to check how your side by side handles unencumbered by a weighty payload before you add anything to it that will shift that handling. You can figure out places you’re likely to get stuck and easily get yourself unstuck without worrying about your cargo. This lets you determine the easiest path to follow with your loaded-up trailer or cargo bay. You can then hook up your trailer and make a trip with it empty over the path and further refine it if you find places that are too steep to get over or too tight to get through, easily unhitching the trailer if your side x side gets stuck.
SSV Driving Tips
While loading up your side x side, make sure that the weight is evenly balanced from side to side and front to back. Secure it properly using ratchet straps, ropes, tie-downs or whatever fastener you’re using to prevent it from slipping around as you drive. Your side by side’s handling will shift with the extra weight, as we’ve indicated above, so your driving will have to change with it. Go at a slower speed than you might normally ride for recreational or transport purposes so that you have more time to react to obstacles in your path. Take corners and rough terrain gently since your risk of tipping over is increased with a big load.
In need of a great SSV to get some towing done on the farm, ranch or work site? Visit our dealership in Sauk Centre to see our wide array of new and used side by sides for sale, including models by Can-Am. Centre PowerSports serves the cities of St. Cloud, Alexandria and Willmar, Minneapolis.
