questions about towing services answered

Posted on: 28 April 2015

When taking the family on vacation, it can get expensive due to the fees for hotel stays and constantly eating at restaurants. However, you can save money by vacationing with your own travel trailer. In order to add on a travel trailer, it's essential to learn how to master the art of towing the trailer around as you drive. The information below provides some basic tips for learning how to tow around your travel trailer.

Slow Down

The most essential thing to remember when hauling a travel trailer is to take your time. Rushing through traffic can lead to a disaster such as, causing your travel trailer to swerve and cause an accident. If this happens, you may have to contact a towing company to haul your own damaged trailer away as well as your vehicle if it is not operable.

Practice

When you first purchased the travel trailer, you probably took a few lessons from the seller in order to learn how to hitch it to your vehicle and drive it around. However, continual practice is a must to ensure you become familiar with pulling around excess weight. Find a campsite near your home with open space, to further familiarize yourself with backing into the campsite and how the trailer tractor swerves and the wheels turn through your maneuverability. This is also a good time to get a feel for the amount of stopping distance you should have between vehicles when braking in order to avoid hitting the car in front of you.

Weight Distribution

Weight distribution is extremely essential, especially if the travel trailer is carrying around a heavy load. The weight should be evenly distributed not only from the left side to the right side, but also from the front to the back. This will prevent the travel trailer from fishtailing and inadvertently dragging itself across road lanes. In addition, too much weight placed in the front of the travel trailer can be extremely hard on your vehicle's axle causing it to break, making the vehicle inoperable for the moment.

Backup Plan

In case of an unforeseen emergency, it's essential to be prepared and have a backup plan. Pack a knapsack that contains all the essentials such as solar lights, battery operated radio and cell phone charger. You should also consider stocking up on green and yellow survival night sticks in case your vehicle breaks down in a rural area with no on street lights. In addition, keep your emergency roadside assistance contact information handy in order to call for tow service.

The tips provided above will enable you to feel confident in your driving skills when you take the travel trailer on vacation with you for the first time. To learn more, contact a company such as John's Wrecker Service with any questions or concerns you have.