Got A Truck – Get A Travel Trailer
If you already own a truck, you are halfway to having a great RV setup for travel with family and friends. Instead of having to buy both a truck and trailer or a Motorhome, you can pick out a trailer to pull behind your existing truck. Of course, when taking that course of action, you will need to be sure to pick a trailer that falls within the towing capabilities of your truck – otherwise, you will be stuck in the driveway just trying to make it down the street. This plan is only going to work when you get the right trailer weight for the truck, so use the advice in this article to make the right pick.
What is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating?
This is a number you need to understand before shopping for a truck. The GVWR of your truck is a number that tells you exactly how much weight you can have on your tires when everything is all added up. This number includes the weight of the truck itself, your passengers and gear, and the weight that the trailer presses down on the tongue. When you go out to shop for a trailer, you will find that they have various ‘tongue weights’ that need to be considered. So, do some basic math to add up all of the relevant weights to decide if a specific trailer is going to be suitable for your truck.
Other Important Numbers
GVWR is just one place to start. You will need to know more than just this single number if you are going to pick out the right trailer, so your homework must continue on to a few more points. Specifically, look into information on the points highlighted below –
Gross Combination Weight Rating. As you might guess, this is the rating for everything when it is all added up – including both truck and trailer. Exceeding this rating is a bad idea both for the performance of your vehicle and for your safety out on the road.
Maximum tow rating. This number tells you how much weight you are supposed to be able to tow safely with your truck. Naturally, you will want to be sure that you are selecting a trailer that falls well below your maximum rating, as you need to be able to put things inside the RV for your trips which will add to the weight of the whole rig.
Beware of Marketing Hype
You need to be careful to do some math on your own in order to figure out if you can pull a specific trailer – because the marketing department behind some trucks tends to get a little carried away. You don’t want to rely on a single number that you saw in a commercial that said you could tow a certain amount of weight. Do your own research, and your own math, and conclude that you are comfortable with. Remember, erring on the side of caution is always best, as there is no need to stress your truck harshly while trying to pull an RV for a fun family vacation. Keep everything well within the weight limit and look forward to many great trips to come.
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