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Towing Basics
Safe trailering is essential in making your
Camp-Inn
™ experience
pleasurable for years to come. If you do not have experience pulling
trailers, please read through this section to familiarize yourself with the
basics of safe trailering.
Vehicle Towing Rating
Before trailering your
Camp-Inn
™
travel trailer, it is necessary to
make sure that it does not exceed the towing capacity of your tow
vehicle. There are two important factors to check;
Towing Weight
and
Tongue Weight
. Exceeding either of these will create an unsafe
condition and may void the tow vehicle's warranty. To determine these
ratings for your specific vehicle, review your vehicles owner’s manual or
contact your automobile dealer.
Total Towing Weight
Towing Weight is the total of the trailer's weight and all gear and
supplies that will be hauled in the trailer. Some car manufacturers define
―Total Towing Weight‖ to include the weight of passengers and cargo
hauled in the car.
Determining the actual weight of the trailer with all your gear can be
difficult. The easiest method is to load the trailer and then take it to a
truck stop and weigh it on their scale. Make sure you disconnect the
trailer from your tow vehicle to get an accurate reading.
Tongue Weight
Tongue weight, is the downward force of the trailer tongue on the tow
vehicle's hitch. Proper balancing of the trailer is important to ensure
smooth trailering. Too little tongue weight will cause the trailer to sway
or wander. Too much tongue weight will push down on the rear of the
tow vehicle and may overload the hitch or tow vehicle's rear axle.
For your
Camp-Inn
™
travel trailer, Tongue Weight should be
between 140 lbs. and 220 lbs. The acceptable range for your tow vehicle
or hitch may be different.
Tongue weight is easily adjusted by shifting the loading of gear and
supplies within the trailer. Loading gear in front of the trailer's axle will
increase tongue weight. The further forward you load it, the more it
increases the tongue weight. Loading gear behind the axle will reduce