Towing Your Camper Safely

It's late May here in Ohio and the weather is finally starting to get warmer! This week the governor continued to relax restrictions due to COVID-19, and now campgrounds can start opening up again with safety and sanitizing protocols in place.

Regardless, there's nothing like going camping to relax you! Probably the most stressful part of the entire thing is getting set up and actually getting there, so we are going to talk about some tips on traveling safely with your camping trailer.

Know how much you can tow!
Just because your vehicle is equipped with a tow hitch doesn’t mean it’s got what it takes to tow your trailer. And even some large, seemingly-capable trucks and SUVs have a surprisingly low towing capacity. Instead of just hooking it up and hoping for the best, you need to find the official documentation about your vehicle’s towing capacity, and compare it to the weight of your trailer — including the weight of all the stuff you put into it!
Take it easy!
While you’ll probably hear lots of different advice when you’re first starting out with your travel trailer, here’s one rule that’s never contested. No matter what, take it nice and easy when you’re towing. You’ve got a whole lot of weight behind you, which makes everything take longer — speeding up, slowing down, and stopping. While there’s no one magic safe speed for towing a travel trailer, it’s much easier to get into an accident if you’re speeding, and you could lose control of the rig.
Let there be lights!
You’ll want to check out your light situation. Ensuring that the lights you do have work is essential. From there, you should make sure they produce enough life to safely travel and park the trailer in low light. Have someone stand behind to let you know that break lights, and turn signals are in working order. Checking out your license plate light is a common miss, but can be a costly fine.

Hopefully you are feeling prepared to make your towing adventure now, and while we can’t do it for you, we can still help you get your vehicle in top pulling condition here at Classy Chassis.

At Classy Chassis, we are proud to be the leading vehicle accessory installer for Ashland, Ohio, and the surrounding area. If you would like to learn more or schedule an appointment, call us at (419) 281-6680.

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