Towing A Camping Trailer

One of the most important things that you will have to learn is the skills required to tow your camper trailer. Camping trailers require a vehicle that is capable of towing it, and a driver that has the experience and skills to pull the trailer. Hauling a camping trailer behind you is akin to being a tractor trailer operator and there are certain skills that you must learn and practice before you are able to pull camper trailers without any problems. Before you hit the road, off to the next great adventure, keep some of the following things in mind.

First, you should make sure that you have a vehicle that is capable of towing your camping trailer. This requires finding the owner's manual and looking up the information to determine if your truck can handle what you are hauling. Look in your vehicle manual for the following: First, your Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Your GVWR is the maximum amount of weight that a fully loaded truck can weight, including the tongue of the trailer on the hitch. You'll also need to look at the Gross Combination Weight Rating, which is the amount of weight that your vehicle can tow, or the weight of your trailer. You may also want to look at the Gross Axle Weight Rating, to make sure that you are distributing the weight correctly.

Let's talk for a minute about trailer hitches. There are four types that are used to haul trailers. The Class I is the lightest of the series, and it moves upward to Class II, Class II with Class IV being the heaviest. Any hitch ball will be able to fit the Class IV hitch, but you need to make sure that your vehicle can handle the hitch that you are putting on there. If you put a receiver hitch on, then it can be easily exchanged if necessary for different loads and different drop heights.

When you load your trailer and the vehicle towing it, it is vital that you keep an eye on the GVWR and the limit that you can put on there. If you overload your trailer, then you may run into major problems on the road. All sorts of factors can change your weight. For instance, if you fill your water tank it will add weight. Even a twenty gallon tank will weight around 150 pounds. Also, make sure that you divide your load evenly on both sides of the trailer. Not only should you distribute the weight evenly on both sides, but also on the front and rear.

Now, a word about the electrical hookups for your trailer; you need to make sure that you have the proper electrical connections, including the turn signals, the brakes and the position lights. Most commonly a flat four plug is used, but this is not always the best way to do it. Most tow vehicles that are relatively new require that you use an adapter for the wiring on your trailer. Rather than using the flat four plug, which doesn't allow continuous power to the trailer, you may want to use a six pin or seven prong connector. The seven prong connector generally runs the trailer's air conditioning.