Trailer Hitch Installation Is The Starting Point for Your Towing Capabilities

Trailer hitch installation is one of the components that determines your pulling weight limit.

Your towing vehicle needs to be able to withstand a class 3 to a class 5 pull rating. Your vehicle's factory specs allow you to pull to the capacity set by the factory based on your engine and transmission.

Be sure to check your owners manual on the towing specs for your particular vehicle.

A travel trailer RV camper dealer can help you with the needs of your vehicle.

A car can pull a small pop up camper with a class 2 tow rating.

Anything larger than a small pop up, should be pulled with an SUV or pickup truck.

You can have a trailer hitch installation done at the RV dealership or even at your local body shop.

Here you can see how the towing hitch along with the sway bar is putting the weight from the rear of the vehicle to the front. Travel trailer towing hitches are used in keeping the weights balanced from the travel trailer to the tow vehicle.

Your RV dealership will be the best for installing your hitch, because they know where the reinforcements need to be to pull your camper safely.

A great video to watch for trailer hitch installation is here: 

I Know You Don't Want To,
But Consult the Manual

Be sure to follow all manufacturer's instructions when towing anything. Your safety and the safety of your family is an important factor that should be considered. Never allow anyone to ride inside your RV camper while it is being pulled.

Just to clarify, the hitch is not the part that bolts to the towing vehicle. That is the receiver hitch. The tow hitch is the combination of the tow ball, the sway bar ball, the brake cable link, the safety chain retainers and the hitch shaft.

It is only designed to tow a certain amount of weight. That is why it is vital to know your towing capacity. There are different kinds of weight carrying hitches.

With a weight carrying hitch, all the weight of the trailer is resting on the hitch itself. They are used for very light load pulling.

If you allow too much weight to be put on the hitch, you will have steering problems. If you do encounter any kind of steering or handling problems, you will need to install a weight distributing hitch.

You can stand back and look at the horizontal plane of the hitch to the trailer and see if it is level. If not adjust the distributor hitch to where it is level. This throws the weight from the hitch to the axles of the towing vehicle.

You will have much better handling of your vehicle and the wear on the engine will be improved. Your safety will greatly increase.

To back your vehicle to the camper hitch takes a great knack.

It is one I do not have.

My husband can back it up and line it up with the camper hitch almost perfectly without any way to see it.

I have to use a mirror.

Now this is foolproof and anyone can hitch your camper by using a hitch ball finder.

Now who thought of that marvelous idea?

Be sure to read your camper manual on how to best set up your travel towing hitches. Your RV dealer will do the trailer hitch installation for you when you buy a camper. When you get home and unhitch it, put all the pieces in one place.

That makes putting it back for towing much easier. If in doubt about where to put what piece, don't hesitate to call your dealer or use your owner's manual.

Each hitch is the same yet different. They all operate the same, but each manufacturer makes their brand slightly different than the other.

A 5th wheel hitch is really easy to hook to. All you do is back the king pin into the slot and lock it in with the handle.

You don't need a weight distribution system or a sway control bar. Safety chains are also not needed. Each person has to decide on which hitch to use.

Any brand or style you choose is ample for the job, just make sure the trailer hitch installation is correctly done and hitch it up correctly.

There is no turning back if it comes loose.

It only takes one mistake of improper trailer hitch installation to ruin your whole camping adventure. 

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