If you are new to the world of camping trailers, you probably still have a lot to learn. One of the most important parts of owning and using a camping trailer is knowing how to tow it across the country. Read this article to discover the tips for effectively towing your camping trailer.
Buy the Camping Trailer Before You Buy the Towing Vehicle
It should come as no surprise that the extent to which you will tow depends primarily on the strength of your towing vehicle. If possible, you should purchase your camping trailer first, and then buy a truck that can match its weight. The last thing you want is to tow something your vehicle cannot handle. If you have to, you can improve your truck’s towing capacity, but not by any drastic amount.
Practice in an Empty Parking Lot
Sometimes, you just must go back to basic, tried-and-true practice methods. Many of you readers learned how to drive for the first time in a parking lot. It makes sense to apply the same principle to learning how to tow a camping trailer.
In the safety of an empty parking lot, you can work on backing up, turns, and maneuvers that become more complicated than usual when you are towing a camping trailer. The length of your trailer determines the width of your turns. The longer the trailer, the wider the turns.
Choose Your Hitch Wisely
As you prepare to take off with your camping trailer in tow, you need to put some thought into your preferred hitch. There are four primary types of hitches:
- Weight-Carrying: Used primarily for medium- and small-sized trailers, the weight-carrying hitch uniformly distributes the trailer tongue load through the frame and bumper.
- Weight-Distributing: Working with a platform, this hitch distributes the tongue load to the trailer and the vehicle wheels.
- Gooseneck: More common for agriculture trailers, in this hitch the tongue’s weight rests on the truck bed.
- Fifth Wheel: Usually used for camping trailers, this hitch mounts on the pickup bed to put more weight directly on the towing vehicle.
Drive Slow
Of all the tips for effectively towing your camping trailer, perhaps the most important is to take it slow. It is important to understand that all the extra weight on your vehicle means it will take more time to slow down, accelerate, and, most importantly, stop.
