Towing a Camper or RV with Your Car

Summer vacations are an ideal time for families to engage in the outdoor thrills. When traveling with the whole family, the most ideal mode of transportation would be an RV or a camper. An RV is like a temporary house on wheels. They are normally equipped with amenities for everyday use such as a bathroom, kitchen area and sleeping area depending on their size.  It is normally linked to another vehicle and is most suitable for traveling long distances as well as for camping trips. Knowledge on how to tow a camper trailer is therefore important. Towing a camper is no easy task. The process should be done methodically and efficiently in order to avoid the camper from careening off the road.

There are important steps the traveler needs to follow so as to ensure that the camper or RV is securely attached to the car. The first step is for the driver to make sure that all items inside the RV are packed securely. This eliminates the risk of objects flying out of the camper when the vehicle is in motion. The driver should also ensure that all the items carried in the camper are relative in weight to the vehicle. If the items are too heavy, the vehicle towing the truck might not be able to sustain the weight. Most campers come with an instruction manual of the towing rate. The driver can use this as a guideline on the relevant weight the camper will can sustain. The heavier the vehicle, the more the weight it can sustain but the lighter the vehicle, the lighter the load should be.
 
The RV user should also ensure that the weight carried in the camper is evenly distributed. This ensures that the camper is stable enough to sustain the weight. These items should also be securely attached to the camper so that weight balance is maintained. When the vehicle is backed up to the front of the camper, the towing ball should be placed directly under the towing hitch of the camper. The user should then lower the towing hitch over the towing ball of the car. It is important to have the right hitch for the job. The right hitch should be able to hold the gross trailer weight of the camper. These hitches will need to be harmonized with the vehicle in order to reduce the risk of the vehicle swerving off the road. A stabilizer bar may be used as support this function.  The stabilizer bar minimizes the risk of the camper swaying according to the motion of the vehicle. The size of the vehicle determines the type of hitch to be used as different vehicle sizes require different hitches.  

The latch of the camper should also be efficiently secured to minimize on items falling off when the vehicle is in motion. Strong safety chains are also important in securing the camper to the towing car. Some campers feature a break system and this is an advantageous feature for vehicles carrying heavy loads. This ensures that in case of any mishaps, the vehicle has instant stopping power.

Levi Quinn

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  • Article Tags: camper trailer, towing camper trailer, towing rv, rv, car travel, vacation by car, safe rv towing
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