According to a report by the RV Industry Association, more than 11 million households in the United States now own an RV. And if you are interested in joining the ranks of RV owners—especially if you’re looking to buy a travel trailer or femte hjul—it’s important to know exactly what towing an RV will entail.

Here we’ve put together a helpful guide that aims to answer all of your towing questions. This covers everything from choosing the right tow vehicle to understanding towing capacity to knowing the different hitches. Our goal is not only to educate but to help you feel confident and comfortable when pulling an RV behind you.

Højkvalitets JSK støbt vendehjul 37C

VALG AF DEN RIGTIGE BUÆRKNINGSKØRETØJ

We highly recommend choosing your RV before buying your tow vehicle. This way you’ll know exactly how much your RV weighs before you figure out how much weight your tow vehicle will need to pull. When figuring out how much your RV weighs, be sure to ask your dealer about both the dry hitch weight (how much the RV weighs when it is empty) and the cargo carrying capacity (the maximum amount of weight you can add to your RV). On average, your RV will weigh 1,500 pounds more once it’s been filled with water, gas and gear.

Once you know your RV’s total weight, then you can look to find a tow vehicle that matches it. If possible, opt to have a tow package added to your RV so you can maximize your towing capacity. If you already have a vehicle that you plan to use to tow your RV, make sure you buy an RV that doesn’t exceed the weight limit that your current vehicle can pull. This is where you’ll need to understand your vehicle’s towing capacity.

BUGSEKAPACITET

Towing capacity is the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can tow when pulling your RV. This number lets you know exactly how heavy your trailer can be. If you don’t know your towing capacity and try to pull a trailer that is too heavy, you could end up in a very dangerous situation so it’s vital to know your tow vehicle’s limits.

To determine maximum towing capacity, you’ll need to find out the vehicle manufacturer's weight ratings and compare them to the weight of your RV. You can usually find your vehicle’s weight rating on the inside of the driver door or in the owner’s manual. If the vehicle's ratings are higher than the total weight of the RV, then the RV is safe to tow.

Another good number to know is the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). This number is established by the vehicle’s manufacturer and represents the maximum weight the vehicle can handle with an RV attached. The GCWR takes into consideration the weight of the vehicle’s axles, wheels, suspension system, and frame, as well as the weight of the RV. You can also find the GCWR in your owner’s manual, or you can call your dealer or vehicle manufacturer and give them your VIN number and they should be able to tell you the specific GCWR.

HITCHES

In addition to towing capacity, you’ll also need to understand the different types of RV hitches. Whatever hitch you choose is heavily dependent on the type of RV you purchase, so we’ve listed three basic hitch types and their corresponding RV types here.

SAMLINGSHJUL:

This hitch is specifically used for towing fifth wheels. It is installed inside the bed of a truck and sits above the bed of the trailer. The trailer then attaches to the truck with a kingpin mechanism. These hitches are able to handle a lot of weight (anywhere from 16,000 to 30,000 pounds) due to the fact that the fifth wheel’s weight is pressing down directly over the rear axle of the truck.

SVÅNEHALSSLØB:

Dette er en anden hitch-mulighed for femte hjul, men i stedet for at bruge en kingpin, bruger dette hitch-system en kugle og kobling. Nogle mennesker foretrækker svanehalskoblinger, fordi de optager mindre plads i ladet af en lastbil, og de kan trække mere vægt end et trækstangstræk (30.000 pund). Svanehalskoblinger er gode til tungere vendehjul, som store legetøjsvogne.

Et nærbillede af et svanehalstræk, som bruger en kugle- og koblingsmekanisme, der er tilsluttet i ladet på en lastbil.

VÆGTFORDELINGSKOB:

Dette træksystem bruges mest til tungere rejsetrailere (op til 15.000 pund) og giver dig mulighed for at trække den maksimale kapacitet. I modsætning til et standard kofangertræk, hvor hele vægten af ​​anhængeren sidder bag på trækkekøretøjet, spreder vægtfordelingsløftet tungens vægt over alle akslerne. Du kan også bruge denne lift med en svajkontrolenhed for at reducere svaj under kørslen.

STANDARD KØBPERATØR:

Også kaldet et vægtbærende eller ikke-vægtfordelende træk, bruges dette træksystem hovedsageligt til mindre rejsetrailere (3.500 pund). Ligesom svanehalskoblingen bruger dette system også en kugle og kobling, hvor vægten af ​​traileren hviler direkte på kofangeren på dit trækkende køretøj. Der er to grundlæggende stilarter af standard kofangertræk: a fast trækstang, hvor kugleplatformen er permanent fastgjort til liften; og en aftagelig trækstang, hvor boldplatformen kan tages af og på.

Et rejseanhængertræk, almindeligvis kaldet et standard kofangertræk, der er blevet afbrudt fra et trækkende køretøj og udstyret med nivelleringsklodser.

GRUNDLÆGGENDE KØRSEL MENS DU BUGER DIN RV