How Travel Trailer Towing Works

When you decide you're ready to buy a travel trailer, it's probably not the best idea to buy the first one you see. If you're new to the travel trailer world, you may not realize just how many travel trailers types are available. You don't want to be suckered into a quick sale only to envy other vacationers on the road who are towing more appealing trailers.

As with any major purchase, you should analyze your needs and budget. If you have a big family, for instance, or a spouse who doesn't like the idea of living without a shower as much as you do, you'll probably need a trailer with plenty of amenities. You'll also want to look at the limits of your towing vehicle. Towing a travel trailer might add more weight than your vehicle can handle.

Let's get familiar with some of the more popular types of travel trailers. Conventional travel trailers usually have plenty of amenities, like separate bathroom and shower, kitchen, and sleeping areas. Pop-up trailers are a sort of combination tent and trailer. The pop-up trailer is compact (allowing good visibility while driving), but when it's time to set up camp, you can crank a handle or use a hydraulic lift to open up the trailer. The extendable sides and walls are usually made of flexible canvas material. Pop-ups have fewer amenities than other types, but they're relatively inexpensive.

Popular in the 1940s, teardrop trailers are making a comeback among minimalist travel trailer towers. These retro models are smaller than your typical travel trailer. A kitchen and a two-person bed are squeezed into the small space. But that tradeoff brings plenty of advantages like easy setup and lighter weight, making for easier towing and better fuel efficiency. It even means you don't need to buy a truck to pull them like you do for our next kind of trailer.

You can quickly tell fifth-wheel trailers or 5ers apart from other trailers because of their shapes and the way they attach to the towing vehicle. Instead of attaching to the rear bumper, a fifth-wheel trailer extends over and attaches to the bed of the truck. These are typically the choice of more serious RVers; they're more expensive but bigger than other kinds of travel trailers. Keep in mind, however, that they usually demand lots of power and drive down your fuel efficiency. On the plus side, they can offer smoother driving because they distribute the load better.

Storage trailers are in a different class. Like the name implies, they're made for lugging stuff rather than living in. Aside from these, there are lightweight trailers (often by virtue of their aluminum frames), telescoping trailers with hard sides that expand and toy haulers which are part storage, part living quarters.

Once you've settled on the travel trailer that fits your needs and budget, you'll need to know the basics of travel trailer towing. Next we'll take a look at some special towing tips.

Travel trailer towing isn't as easy as you may think. Learning how to tow can be as nerve-wracking as learning how to drive -- all over again. You may want to find an empty parking lot to practice driving maneuvers before you head out on the highway. Until you get comfortable with towing, a simple maneuver like parking can become exponentially more difficult. Here are some tips for travel trailer towing to get you revved up.

Getting hitched: First things first -- let's go over the basic process of hitching a trailer to your vehicle for non-5ers. Check the label on the hitch to make sure it can handle the weight of the trailer. If not, you will need a higher class of hitch. With the trailer raised on a jack, drive your towing vehicle in reverse so that the hitch ball is centered to receive the trailer coupler. Once you've got things lined up, put your truck in park and put the parking brake on. Lower the trailer onto the hitch ball until it's completely seated. Then engage the locking mechanism [source: Hedgepath]. After this, you can plug the trailer's wires into the towing vehicle's electrical outlet. Finally, attach the safety chains in a crisscross pattern, allowing enough slack for turns, but short enough to not drag.

Braking: Towing a travel trailer inevitably means lugging around a lot more weight. The heavier your rig, the more momentum you'll have, meaning slowing down gets more dangerous. On the road, make sure you always give yourself plenty of space for braking. The faster you're going, the more space you should allow between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.

Weight distribution: To avoid trailer sway and generally maintain more control over your trailer, make sure to load it properly. This entails spreading the weight around from side to side and from front to back.

Backing up: This is always frustrating for the first-time tower, but easy once you know this trick: Place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go. Turning the wheel clockwise will turn the trailer left, and counter-clockwise will turn it right.

Turning: Keep in mind that you are carrying a long rig. The wheels of your trailer will always make a much sharper turn than the wheels of your towing vehicle. So give yourself plenty of slack by making a wide turn. To learn more about this, take a look at "How to Turn While Towing."

Parking: It's always smart to have someone stand outside and guide you while you park, especially if you're unsure of the dimensions of your rig. Once you're in the right place, shift into park, apply the parking brake and let go of the brake pedal. Then have someone stick blocks behind the tires to prevent them from rolling [source: RV Basics].

If you follow these tips, you'll have a smoother and more enjoyable trip. To learn more about the maneuvers discussed above and other towing information, take a look at the links on the next page.