Travel Trailer Towing Tips

Travel trailers are an excellent way to bring some comfortable accommodations with you when you travel. However, if you’re new to towing or if you haven’t towed in a long time, it can be helpful to brush up on some tips to ensure that you’re practicing good road safety for yourself and the motorists around you. Travel trailers are prone to swaying and they can become unbalanced if you aren’t careful, and they do present some other challenges.

Rte. 125 RV & Marine Inc., located in Rochester, is proud to be your New Hampshire travel trailer dealer. As such, we’ve drawn up a list of tips to help you safely tow your travel trailer on the highways this summer.

Preparation

Before you head for the interstate, you’ll want to make sure that everything is ready to go and that you know the dimensions of your travel trailer. Know how long, tall, and wide your trailer is so that you can make note of overpasses and restricted roads that your towing set-up won’t fit on. It’s good to know these measurements now so that you can avoid getting stuck later.

Check your hitch to make sure that it’s latched securely and that you have your towing chains crossed under your tongue in an X shape as a safeguard in case the hitch comes undone. When loading up your travel trailer, it’s smart to balance out the weight from left to right and front to back. The general rule is to place 60% of your cargo weight towards the hitch and 40% towards the rear of your travel trailer.

Reversing

The most challenging task you’ll probably face with your travel trailer is backing up with it in tow. You’ll want to do everything you can to reduce distractions and obstacles before you attempt to back up your trailer. Have one of your passengers get out to spot you, too, so they can keep watch of your blind spots and let you know if you need to hit the brakes.

When you want your travel trailer to move to the right while reversing, you have to turn the steering wheel to the left, and vice versa. The travel trailer will automatically go in the opposite direction that you’re turning in.

Turning

The other primary challenge when driving a travel trailer is going to be turning. Driving in a straight line is easy enough, but once you have to turn, you have much more weight and length behind you. It helps to pull forward further than normal to make sure you clear any curbs or corners, and don’t try to do anything steeper than a right angle.

General Tips

When you’re on the highway, try to reduce your speed to no more than 55 miles per hour, even if the speed limits are higher out in the country. Trailer tires aren’t designed to go much faster than 60 miles an hour, so you can avoid putting undue strain on them by going at a slower speed.

Increase your following distance, too, so that you have more room to bring your towing set-up to a full stop. Be watchful for any drivers who take advantage of the space you create.

Your rear-view mirror won’t be useful when towing a travel trailer, so you’ll have to make better use of your side-view mirrors for visibility and remember that you won’t be able to see anything directly behind you.

Make sure that you properly maintain your travel trailer and inspect it before each trip to make sure the tires are aired up, the slide-outs are pulled in, the doors and windows are shut and the hitch is secure.

Remember: if your travel trailer needs some professional attention before you head out on your next trip, you can always get in touch with the Rte. 125 RV and Marine service department to schedule an appointment with our mechanics. Stop by our Rochester, New Hampshire, dealership today to browse our vast array of new and used travel trailers for sale by leading brands. You can also talk to our staff about our financing and consignment options to help fund your purchase. Rte. 125 RV and Marine proudly serves the states of Massachusetts and Maine.