In Part 2 of Bringing Training to the Industry’s Technicians,
NATDA spoke with Connected Correctly’s Chris Long. A
partner of B&W Trailer Hitches, Long will teach two courses
at the 2020 NATDA Trailer Show. A morning session will
cover the mechanical aspects of hitch installation, consultation
and sales while an afternoon session will teach attendees how
to troubleshoot common electrical issues that arise during the
installation process.
NATDA: What exactly will be covered in the
two classes you’re instructing?
Long: Not only will we cover the mechanical aspects of towing
in the morning class, but we’re going to spend time talking about
different hitch classes, over-the-axle towing, weight distribution
systems, towing law variance from state to state, and even
quoting proper product selection to customers to fit their needs.
We’ll also literally dive into the nuts and bolts of how to put
trailer hitches on. It’ll be very basic, so someone who is in the
shop already probably won’t get much from the mechanical side.
However, they’ll get a lot from the towing equipment selection,
laws, classification and basic hitch philosophy. It’s still great for
that office person or sales person as well, because this course
could sharpen their skills on quoting and give them a better
understanding of job estimation.
The afternoon session is where we’re going to spend time on
electrical items such as troubleshooting. It’ll be more advanced
than the morning session, but simple enough that a basic
technician can step right into it. The plan, for both sessions, is
to have physical trailers and props to provide technicians with a
physical unit to test.
NATDA: How will the hands-on portions of the
class work?
Long: For the afternoon class, I’ve got a few props. I’ve rigged a
wagon so that it’s like a trailer. It’s got two main lights, clearance
lights and I’ve even put on electric brake magnets. I can go into
those areas and create faults. I can just flip a switch to create a
problem and the technicians will have to troubleshoot, and find
out what it is, using the equipment on hand. I’ve got a similar
prop set-up for the morning class.
NATDA: You mentioned the electrical class
will be a little more advanced. Who would be
a good fit for that class?
Long: We’re going to cover two-wire and three-wire systems,
pulse width modulation (PWM), protecting a vehicle’s computer
systems, getting the right wiring harness, wiring codes, color codes,
38 NATDA Magazine www.natda.org