Things To Know When Traveling With A Travel Trailer

Towing a travel trailer may seem like a daunting task, but with some practice and preparation, you’ll find it isn’t too hard. Still, even those seasoned travelers who have towed before need to keep some basic tips in mind when towing so they don’t wind up doing damage to their travel trailers or getting into a dangerous accident.

Your local travel trailer dealer is Howdy Ranch RV in Mathis, Texas. We’ve provided this list of five important things to keep in mind when you’re towing a travel trailer so you can be safe on the highway.

1. Use The Right Tow Vehicle

Your towing vehicle needs to be sufficiently strong to carry the weight of your travel trailer as well as all passengers and cargo. Know before you go RV shopping, it’s important to find out how much weight your current car can handle, or its gross combined weight rating (GCWR). It’s listed in the manual or in the passenger door jamb. You may end up needing to purchase a larger tow vehicle to get the travel trailer you want, but this is better than traveling unsafely in an overloaded towing setup.

2. Know Your Height

You don’t want to get stuck under a height-restricted bridge, wrecking your trailer because you didn’t realize how tall it was! Don’t just assume you’ll be able to eyeball it. Know the precise height of the trailer and add a foot of clearance above that. Find another route if you’re approaching a bridget that’s got a lower clearance to avoid totally destroying your beautiful home away from home.

3. Practice Safe Driving

You’ll automatically need to drive much more carefully and slowly than you’re accustomed to driving on the highway unencumbered. Adding a towed recreational vehicle to your car will mean you need to significantly increase your following distance between other vehicles, giving yourself a few vehicles’ worth of space to brake in since your heavy load will be harder to stop immediately.

Driving at speeds of under 55 miles per hour is recommended, and depending on the size and weight of your towing setup, you may even need to go as low as 40 miles an hour. While this might seem impossible on the highway, just make sure to stay in the far-right lane and to pull over if you are creating a trail of vehicles behind you to allow them to pass. 

Most drivers will be understanding of your burden and will work around you as necessary, but some may be more impatient or unpredictable, so you’ll need to be more vigilant to account for that. Try to avoid lane changes where you can by getting in the correct lane of travel from the start.

4. Distribute Weight Evenly

One very important aspect of towing a travel trailer is distributing the weight within it evenly. You don’t want it to be overly heavy on one side, as this could burst a tire, and you don’t want it to weigh too much in the rear, putting pressure on the hitch and making your travel trailer harder to control. Evenly distribute the weight from front to back and side to side. The ideal balance is to place 60% of the weight over the hitch and 40% at the rear.

5. Make Sure You're Legal

Towing an overloaded trailer is not only unsafe, but illegal. If you’re caught overloaded by the police, then you’re going to face a very hefty fine. If they can see that your hitch is strained or bending, they’ll be able to tell. Do yourself a favor and stick closely to the weight limits of your towing vehicle, packing as lightly as you can. Stop at the first weigh station you see on the highway if you’re even a little unsure whether you’re over the limit so you can make any necessary adjustments before you suffer a tire blowout or get pulled over.

We hope that by following these tips, you can safely and successfully tow your travel trailer to your destination! Visit our dealership in Mathis to see our full inventory of new and used travel trailers for sale. Howdy Ranch RV welcomes all our southern Texas customers coming from Corpus Christi and San Antonio as well as Rockport, Laredo and Victoria.