​Towing a Travel Trailer, Towing Service Bakersfield CA

Towing Bakersfield CA

  Safety is very important in tow truck Bakersfield CA service or any automobile towing.  Whether you need to tow a regular car, truck, equipment, RV, or motorcycle, choosing the right tow vehicle is a top priority.  For purposes of looking at information available to the regular person regarding this topic of towing service Bakersfield CA, in general, we like Woodall's RV Owner's Handbook's overview on this.  This handbook is written by Gary Bunzer in the updated 4th edition.  Here is an excerpt:

​Even though the equipment and techniques in towing are not complex at the surface level, accurate research, thoughtful planning and proper set-up of the towing gear are mandates for enjoyable travel.  It takes a professional shop with experience in such installations of towing equipment to accomplish the latter of these prerequisites, and many RV dealers and service centers are capable of performing them.  It is wise, however, to shop around for the best expertise available. This is one area you do not want to choose simply by the best price.  And certainly the initial installation is not a do-it-yourself job.

To the uninitiated, the breadth of the information available on towing can be rather daunting unless you have direction in your planning. The pages in this chapter break down into three typical towing scenarios: towing conventional travel trailers, towing fifth-wheel travel trailers and finally, towing a small vehicle behind a motor home, often referred to as dinghy towing. Information regarding electric brakes on travel trailers and auxiliary braking for the dinghy will be addressed in the following chapter.

Towing a Travel Trailer
Though the ideal scenario will find the fortunate RVer purchasing the travel trailer and the tow vehicle at the same time in order find the perfect match between requirements and equipment however, this does not always happen. Often RVer will already own a pickup or suitable to vehicle and search around for a travel trailer can safely be towed behind this existing vehicles. Other times, the RVing family may have found the perfect floor plan with all the necessary accouterments and now must choose the tow vehicle that will safely haul that unit down road. In every case, however, the tow vehicle travel trailer must be suited for one another our instructional purposes here, let's assume have chosen the perfect travel trailer for your family and its interests, hobbies and habits Now what? Find the appropriate tow vehicle.

Choosing the Tow Vehicle
To properly choose a tow vehicle, first close check the trailer you have in mind. Exactly it is required to safely move that trailer down road? Think of the loaded trailer not as but rather as one huge mass of poundage the load you will be dragging along behind you as you cruise down the highway. The operative  here is weight: a body of weight that you must get rolling and more importantly, be able to eventually stop.
A later chapter will detail how to weigh your towing combination using a platform scale. Knowing the gross vehicle weight (GVW) will enable you to pare down the list of potential vehicles. (The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for all travel trailers will be conspicuously posted inside the RV and in the own literature that will be included in all new trailer. Towing specs have been published along with listing of the extra equipment needed  tow a travel trailer and are available from a automobile dealer selling suitable tow vehicles. These extras, commonly referred to as "trailer packages," such include a larger radiator, a higher output alternator and larger battery, auxiliary transmission cooling and a pre-wired harness for the electrical connections. Remember, not all vehicles can safely tow a trailer. Some may actually be damaged if you attempt to tow. Ask the dealer for the manufacturer's rated towing capacity of the vehicles on your short list. Aside from your wallet dictating what tow vehicle to purchase, ponder what you personally look for in a vehicle. Do you favor gasoline-powered or diesel? What creature comforts do you need and indeed cannot live without? Also, unless you choose to become a full-time RVer, consider what else the tow vehicle will be doing when not hauling your belongings down the mad. Will it second as a work truck? Can it be used as a family vehicle? Only you can answer these questions, as well as the question of aesthetics and accouterments."