Towing an RV or Camper

You just bought a trailer of camper to take your family on those much needed camping excursions. But you have never driven a vehicle with an RV in tow, now what? Here are some helpful tips and pointers that will guide you down the road with ease.
There is a big difference in handling a truck saddled by a big camper coach. The center of gravity is apt to be far higher, which means more lean on corners, more sway in crosswinds, and more driver fatigue for many reasons. If you are towing a camper, remember the added height when pulling into a gas station, garage, tree-shaded campsites, passing under bridges and into drive-thru restaurants. An advantage of using a truck camper is that you can tow a secondary vehicle or a boat trailer, horse trailer or even a travel trailer.

With a good hitch, a travel trailer almost takes care of itself, even in the hardest crosswinds. Of course, there are some important differences to be faced.
Hitching up a travel trailer usually doubles the length of your equipment. Instead of 18 feet, the total is suddenly 36 feet. This poses problems in parking. You’ll probably cut a few corners and bruise a few tires and wheels before you get in to the habit of swinging just a little wider on right hand turns. A few panic stops on the freeway with trailer in to will be the lesson needed to double the normal following distance.

Changing lanes can be a cinch if the vehicle is equipped with side-view mirrors on both sides. One of the more difficult trades to master while towing is passing slower vehicles. If the road ahead is clear, press the accelerator pedal to the floor and hold it there until the car and trailer are past the object you are passing. It is also a good idea to shift into a lower gear on steep grades saves clutch, brakes, and engine wear. Tire pressure is a very important part of good towing and driving control. On a trailer, a small difference of four or five psi from one side to the other can cause noticeable sway. On a truck with a camper, differences in tire pressure from one side to the other result in excessive lean in corners, poor steering and handling control, and sway over dips in the road. The best thing to do is to keep tire pressure equal on both sides.

Open road driving with a trailer is no different from touring any other way. If you have a good equalizing hitch, the trailer will track straight, with no wander, sway or bounce. However, open road driving can be treacherous with gusty winds blowing. The center of gravity can cause some road sway and hard lean in corners. Take corners slowly and reduce speed in windstorms. Firm pressure on the wheel is best, but don’t whip it back and forth after every gust of wind. It’ll straighten itself out without much help.