Travel Trailer Towing Tips
Hitting the road with a travel trailer for a camping trip is a fun and exciting experience. However, if you’re a first-time RV owner or if you’re a little rusty behind the wheel, you may be a little nervous about towing a travel trailer. It’s not exactly a small rig and it will feel a little different from normal driving, but with the right mindset and enough practice, you’ll become a pro in no time. If you’re still looking for the perfect travel trailer, visit Casa Grande RV Sales to check out what we have at our dealership right now. You’ll find us in Casa Grande, Arizona, where we proudly serve all those in Chandler.
Follow Government Weight Restrictions
The first thing you’ll want to know before towing a travel trailer is the gross combined weight rating (GCWR). This gives you the combined total weight of your camper, tow vehicle, cargo, and all passengers. There are legal limits applied to your GCWR, so you don’t want to overload your tow vehicle or travel trailer and become a hazard to other drivers on the road. When you purchase a tow vehicle, ask about the GCWR and make sure it can handle the size of your travel trailer. Odds are that you’ll need something that can haul at least half a ton. When you hit the road fully loaded, stop by the nearest weigh station to make sure you’re under your GCWR limits. This will help you avoid costly fines and it will be handy if you run into any roads or bridges with weight restrictions.
Preparation
Proper preparation is important to make sure that you’re ready for your next camping adventure. Remember to properly maintain your rig throughout the year, even when it is in storage. This should include regular trips to a professional for service and repairs. However, there are some things you can do on your own, like checking to make sure that all the lights are working and checking the tire pressure and treads. You can either use a tire pressure gauge or you can get a tire pressure monitoring system. When you inspect your treads, make sure that there isn’t any damage or unusual wear and tear. This may be a sign that you’re not properly hitching your travel trailer or that there’s a problem with the weight distribution.
Relearning the Basics
As we mentioned before, towing a travel trailer is a little different from driving your car like you normally would. You’ve added weight and length with a trailer so you’ll need to be extra careful with how you drive. There are certain basic driving skills that you’ll need to practice, like turning, reversing, and braking. Find an empty parking lot where you can practice. We suggest doing this long before the day of your trip.
Drive around slowly to get a feel for driving with the extra weight. Practice reversing and make slow turns to gauge your turning radius. Try parking your camper in different spots at different angles. Once you feel comfortable in this controlled environment, repeat in a low-traffic residential neighborhood.
Learn to give others the right of way more often, slow down your speed, and make sure you’ve got plenty of room between your bumper and the back of the next car. For curvier roads, you’ll want to stay under 55 mph and never travel more than 65 mph, as your tires aren’t built for that kind of speed. To practice this, find a part of the day when traffic levels are low and practice merging, setting a comfortable distance, and general high-speed travel with a travel trailer. You’ll want to be confident when you hit the road for the long haul, so give yourself plenty of time to master the towing skills.
Reduce Distractions
Just like when driving a normal car, distractions can lead to serious accidents. Make sure you minimize the number of distractions on the road. Let your passengers worry about navigation, air conditioning, music controls, and any other distractions. If you’re on your own, set all these things up ahead of time so you won’t have to adjust them in transit. If you need to eat or adjust some settings, find a safe parking spot to give yourself a break. Above all, put away your cell phone, because it can be a major distraction if you keep fiddling with the phone when you’re driving.
Towing a travel trailer may seem a little intimidating at first, but with the right preparation and practice, you’ll quickly become more confident. If you want more towing tips or if you want to look at the latest models from some of the top RV brands, get in touch with us at Casa Grande RV Sales. We proudly serve all our friends visiting us from Gilbert, AZ.