RV Towing Tips That You Need To Know

"Here are some RV towing tips that you should know to help you tow properly"

Picture Above by Bradley Gordon and published under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5

RV Towing Tips That You Need To Know
By: Jim Johnson

It probably wasn't long after the first RV was made that someone was trying to figure out a way to attach another vehicle and tow it along too. It sounds simple enough, but there are several important considerations that come into play.

Most modern RVs and motorhomes are pretty big affairs all on their own, but when you add the weight of another vehicle as well, that's is a lot of bulk to have to both start and stop rolling as you go down the highway. So here are some rv towing tips that you should know to help you tow properly:

• Actually the first thing to understand is that towing is a whole subject to itself and it requires a lot of research and the right equipment to do it right, so don't expect to learn all that you need to know from just one article like this. A good place to start is to look carefully through the owner's manual that came with your motorhome and find out what the specific recommendations are for your RV that have been made by the manufacturer themselves. Follow the guidelines laid out by the RV maker very carefully and if they have restrictions for the use of towing, adhere to them.

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• Make sure that the vehicle that you wish to tow does not exceed the proper weight for safe towing. You should make sure that the weight of the tow vehicle and any equipment attached to it or that it rests on, combined with the total weight of the motorhome and all of it's contents does not exceed the GCWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Rating) for your RV. This is absolutely vital for safe operation., so be sure that you do your homework well in this area.

• You have three main choices for the actual towing of the extra vehicle, you can either (1) just tow the vehicle with all four wheels on the ground using a tow bar, (2) tow it with the drive wheels lifted off the ground by a dolly, or (3) by putting it on a trailer that removes the tow vehicle from the ground altogether. What you choose will probably depend on a few factors including what your RV manufacturer recommends and the kind of transmission that the tow vehicle has. On some vehicles you can severely damage the transmission if the drive wheels are left on the ground and the driveshaft is not disconnected, and on others you may need an automatic transmission pump to help lubricate the transmission while towing, so consult the vehicle's manufacturer as well to get a better feel about the kind of tow apparatus that you will need.

Of course, any rv towing tips that are provided needs to include a warning about backing up a motorhome with a tow vehicle still attached. This can easily cause damage to both the tow vehicle and the RV if you are not very familiar with these kind of procedures. So usually it's best to just unhook the tow vehicle before attempting backing up of any kind.

The more research that you can do on this subject in preparation for towing the better, and always err on the side of safety in any decision that you make.

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