Camper Towing Tips for Beginners

The first thing to know before you link up any sort of trailer, including a camper, is how much your vehicle can tow. Whether you own a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ram 3500, or anything in between, your vehicle has a specific towing weight limit. This weight limit should be followed carefully. Otherwise, your trailer may end up pulling you around. If you already own a vehicle that you plan to use for towing but are shopping for a camper, be sure to pay close attention to the weight of the camper to ensure it’s within your vehicle’s capability. An important thing to pay attention to is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR. this is how much the vehicle weighs when fully loaded with passengers, cargo, and fluids, and plays a large factor in determining the vehicle’s towing capacity.

Once you have your vehicle and trailer picked out, it is important to pack the trailer evenly on both sides. This will ensure that the weight is evenly distributed and will not rock the trailer to one side while driving. Preventing uneven weight distribution will also prevent a tire blowout on one side. You can also get a weight distribution hitch and have it installed on your vehicle. Hitches like these will help evenly distribute the weight of the trailer to both sides of the vehicle, making for a safer ride.

One of the most important steps to safely maneuvering with a camper is to take it slow. Driving slowly will help ensure that you get more control over the camper, getting you to your destination safely. Driving slowly with your camper will also reduce the risk of trailer sway. For drivers who are new to hauling campers, turning is often the most intimidating part. Remember that your mirrors are an essential tool for towing and turning a trailer. Make sure that you take your turns wide and slow by moving as far over to the opposite side of your turn as possible before making your turn to give yourself plenty of room in the intersection. Use your side mirrors to watch for fire hydrants, curbs, and, most importantly, other cars. Before your adventure, it is wise to practice turning by setting up cones or markers in an empty parking lot. Another important safety tip is to give yourself plenty of space between your vehicle and the one in front of you. It takes much longer to bring a vehicle with a camper attached to a stop than it does for a regular passenger vehicle. By leaving plenty of space between you and your leading vehicle, you will have ample time to brake when you come to a stoplight.

Here at Don Vance Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we want to help you get your adventures underway. That’s why we offer a wide range of vehicles to help suit your towing needs. From SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 7,700-pound towing capacity to the Ram 3500 with 37,090 pounds of towing capacity, we’re sure to have the perfect vehicle to haul any trailer. Additionally, if you already have a vehicle and need help installing a trailer hitch, our service center will get a hitch directly from genuine Mopar parts to ensure an exact fit to your vehicle, and one of our expert service technicians will install it to make sure it is correctly installed and safe to use. Whatever your towing needs may be, Don Vance CDJR can help you!