Pop-Up Camper Towing Tips
One of the most popular styles of lightweight trailers is the pop-up camper. These compact RVs are perfect for those who love to adventure in the great outdoors, yet long for a few of the conveniences and comforts of home in an easy-to-tow package. But just because pop-up campers are easy to tow doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful about how you tow them.
Cedar City RV, with two locations in Lebanon, is your Tennessee pop-up camper dealer. Here are the steps you’ll need to take when preparing to tow a pop-up camper so that you can be safe and responsible on the road.
Weights To Know
When preparing to tow a pop-up camper, there are some weights that you’ll want to be aware of so that you don’t exceed them. If you exceed these weights, then you won’t be able to bring along any excess gear or extra people because you’ll have already maxed out your towing capacity.
- UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight): the weight of the pop-up camper as it comes from the manufacturer, including the hitch, the axles and a full propane tank.
- CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity): the amount of weight left for cargo, equipment and accessories, along with fresh water in the fresh water tank.
- GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating): the maximum weight of cargo that the unit’s axles can support.
- GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): the maximum weight that the vehicle can handle, including the hitch, passengers, cargo and pets in the vehicle.
Towing Vehicle Considerations
It’s vital that your towing vehicle be strong enough to haul your pop-up camper around from place to place. Check the maximum weight capacity that your vehicle can tow in the owner’s manual or online. Knowing the towing capacity of your vehicle means that you can determine how safe you are and how much extra weight you can carry on top of towing the pop-up itself.
The towing capacity of a vehicle is a combination of both the weight you tow AND the contents of your vehicle. You’ll want to subtract the UVW of your pop-up camper from the total towing capacity of your towing vehicle, then subtract the hitch weight as well to figure out how much you can carry in cargo in both the vehicle and the pop-up camper.
Trailer Brakes: Yes or No?
In some jurisdictions, trailer brakes may be required by law, but not always. Experts generally recommend that any trailer heavier than 3,000 pounds should have trailer brakes equipped, but even lighter campers can benefit from the use of trailer brakes. Trailer brakes help to make towing safer by bringing the trailer itself to a stop, rather than putting all the stopping power on just the towing vehicle’s brakes. Your towing vehicle does need to have a brake controller installed in it if it doesn’t come with one, however. Remember that the more cargo you add, the heavier the weight will be and the more likely it is that you’re going to need trailer brakes attached for safe towing.
Safe Towing Practices
When towing, you’ll want to be sure that you’re following some safe towing practices so that you and your pop-up camper make it to your destination in one piece. Here are some tips:
- Never go faster than 55 miles per hour. Most trailer tires are not rated to go any faster than this, so allow other traffic to pass you instead of trying to speed up.
- Always make sure your tires on your towing vehicle and your camper are inflated to the correct psi levels to avoid a blowout. Never ride on bad tires!
- Signal any turns or other maneuvers like lane changes well in advance to make sure that other drivers know your intentions.
- Stick to the right-most lane to give other drivers space to pass you as needed and avoid taking up the left-hand lanes of traffic.
- Check your route in advance of your departure to make sure that there are no areas of congestion or road construction in your way.
Still searching for the perfect pop-up? Browse our website to see the wide array of new and used pop-up campers for sale at our two dealerships in Lebanon, TN. Cedar City RV proudly serves the cities of Smithville and Murfreesboro, TN.