Travel Trailer Towing Safety
Campers or toy haulers represent a great option for you to get away from it all with friends and family and soak up life in the great outdoors. But how do you go about safely towing your travel trailer? The following towing tips outline 5 things you should check before you tow.
- Consider your travel trailer first
One of the most crucial camper towing tips ever: purchase your tow vehicle with your trailer in mind. It’s no good buying a brand new SUV or truck that hasn’t got enough towing capacity to haul your camper. Always check the towing capacity of any new vehicle you are considering purchasing to ensure it has enough power.
- Practice makes perfect
It’s important to practice towing a new trailer in an empty parking lot before setting out on your journey. Getting used to braking while towing your travel trailer will ensure you can pull both your tow vehicle and trailer to a dead stop at the same time. One of the more essential towing tips is to practice your turns, backing up, and parking before going on any long distance trips!
- Hitching up your Camper
When it comes to towing your camper, weight distribution is key. Never place more than 15% of your overall load at the front of your travel trailer as this will overload the tongue weight. However, not enough tongue weight, or downward force on your tow vehicle’s hitch ball can equal trailer sway (more on that later). Ensure you purchase a high quality hitch designed for heavy duty towing. All of our hitches feature solid steel construction and are backed by a life-time warranty.
Take trailer sway out of the equation by investing in towing accessories such as a sway control system. These will dramatically increase the overall steering performance and make your towing experience safer.
- Plan ahead
Take the stress out of your toy hauler towing experience by mapping out your journey beforehand. Pencil in the most efficient way to get to your destination, factoring in such things as fuel and rest stops. That way you can hopefully avoid having to haul your trailer through too much inner-city traffic. One of the more overlooked towing tips is to check if there are bridges along your route so that you can ensure your trailer will fit underneath them!
- Take it easy
Remember the tortoise and the hare? Be like the tortoise. Don’t try to keep pace with anything other than your own carefully designed travel plans. You will get to your destination in good time. Towing a camper means that you’ve got extra weight to haul. It also means that you will takes longer to accelerate, slow down, and (most importantly) stop. Keep at least 4 seconds between your vehicle and the one in front. Also, keep to the right when it comes to choosing your lane. Look at what the commercial truckers are doing and follow their lead.
Following these 5 travel trailer towing tips will hopefully ensure that you and your loved ones enjoy a safe towing experience. The aim is to get to your camper to its destination safely and securely so that you can let the real unwinding begin!
