Travel Trailer Towing Tips

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Basic Driving Habits

One of the first things a new traveller will have to get used to with a trailer in tow is the feel of the vehicle. You’ll accelerate and decelerate slower, you’ll need more space for turns, and you’ll have to manage the speed of your turns more carefully. When you’re getting used to driving with a trailer in tow, give yourself generous amounts of space between cars ahead of you, and always be very proactive about signaling to other drivers on the road, as well as checking your own blind spots.

Tongue Weight

To get the smoothest possible ride, you’ll need to ensure that 10 – 15% of the total weight of the trailer is going to be supported on the rear suspension of the towing vehicle. This helps to ensure stability and prevent sway while you drive. If your tow vehicle’s suspension isn’t strong enough to support this weight you can use an equalizing hitch to transfer some of the tongue weight to the front axle.

Safety Chains

Your safety chains are there to ensure you don’t wind up with a runaway trailer on the road, however you also want to make sure that you don’t put yourself in danger if your hitch fails. Cross your chains in a X pattern beneath the hitch from side to side. This pattern will catch the hitch if it falls, which can give you a little more control to direct yourself safely to the shoulder of the road.

Tire Pressure

Heading out without proper inflation in all of your tires is asking for trouble. Balance makes a huge difference when you have a load in tow so make sure that you check all of your tires before you take off, including your tow vehicle. Not only does this improve your safety, but it will save in fuel economy as well.

Visual Inspection

Whenever you pull off the road for a break make sure you give your whole towing setup a walkaround. Make sure that everything is securely in place, including your wires, chain, and hitch. You should also check the nut at the bottom of your hitch ball and double check to make sure that the hitch pin and hairpin are secure so you’ve got a good connection at the drawbar.

Save on Weight

To make your towing easier and more efficient, you should always hit the road with empty holding tanks. Most campsites offer a dump station on the way out so draining the black and gray tanks is pretty simple.

Quicker Setup

To check your lights (which you should do every time you re-connect your trailer) connect the trailer plug and turn on the parking lamps and the four way flashers. Then all you have to do is make one trip to the back of the trailer to guarantee your light setup is functioning properly.

Check Bearings and Battery

Check the Battery and Bearings on your RV to make sure everything is in good shape. Travel trailers with electrically operated brakes have a breakaway switch with a 12V battery to engage the trailer brakes in case the hitch comes off. Make sure you check this battery occasionally to ensure this safety feature will engage when necessary. It’s also important to make sure your travel trailer wheel bearings are packed with a synthetic wheel-bearing grease. You should do this at least once a year to prevent undue wear on your travel trailer.

Remember, a trailer changes your vehicle’s center of gravity, so accelerate and decelerate slower. Make sure everything you’ve packed with you is evenly distributed, the more stable you are the less chance there is for sway when you’re driving at highway speeds. And make sure you’re performing simple maintenance and inspections, check your tires, your seals, bearings, battery, etc., before and after every trip and address any potential issues right away. For everything else, come see your friends at Lone Star RV, serving Conroe, Beaumont, League City, Galveston, and Katy, Texas, and we’ll help you prepare for your next towing adventure!

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Travel Trailer Towing Tips

Travel Trailer Towing Tips