This is how we do the setup of our travel trailer. Everyone likes to do things differently, and have different equipment and RV’s, but hopefully this can give you somewhat of a guide to assist you when you’re new to RVing. Happy camping and SAFE TRAVELS!!
Towing Tips
- Raise trailer up, and back up carefully. (If you don’t have a backup camera or a spotter, the telescopic magnet guides work well too.)
- Lower trailer onto ball. As soon as you notice some weight on your hitch, lock the coupler.
- Make sure to lock or secure coupler with clip or a lock.
- Cross safety chains and secure to tow vehicle hitch. (Just once should do, but some may need 2x.)
- Attach brake safety cable. We prefer that this cable hang no lower than the chains, but still have enough play in it for turns. We made a small loop about midway, and loop the cable through where the chains are attached, and hook the clip to the loop.
- Attach weight distribution hitch (WDH) bars. You should have predetermined this set up, or have a dealer do it for you, so you know how tight to make it (this is a whole other explanation). We have to raise our trailer jack back up to get it to the link that we need, and then lower it once we get it at the proper level.
- Attach anti-sway bars. We tighten as much as possible by hand. (It makes a difference if we don’t. Make sure to remove these when backing up.)
- When packing the camper, keep most of weight at front of trailer & don’t over-pack, but try to distribute it fairly evenly.
- Check tire pressure on camper and tow vehicle. (Use psi recommended for your trailer and tires.)
- Check battery water level every couple of trips (use distilled water to fill).
- Tighten lugs after a couple of trips (Usually 90-100 lbs torque depending on your camper requirements).
- Extend truck mirrors. Use them a lot!
- Best to have empty water tanks when traveling to reduce weight, unless you’re going to be doing any boondocking and dry camping.
- Once you’ve hitched up, do a pre-trip inspection (brake lights, turn signals, running lights, hitch, etc.)
- Use extreme caution when changing lanes, change slowly, and use mirrors a lot.
- Take wide turns, and make sure you have plenty of room on each side. Be careful of tail swing.
- Use brake controller manually if going down a steep hill, or if you get a little sway.
- Take your time driving, and use small corrections when necessary. Making a sharp correction can cause loss of control of the trailer.
- Best to stay within the range of 60-65mph (depending on the speed limit), or slower if you’re more comfortable. If the trailer sways, you may need to make adjustments to your sway bars, WDH, and/or weight distribution inside camper and tow vehicle.
- At least 2 drivers should know how to tow the camper.
- Travel in off-peak hours/days/seasons, if possible.
- Tire pressure monitor systems are a PLUS!
Refueling with a camper
- Refuel ahead of time w/o the camper.
- VERY IMPORTANT that you know your camper height, and pay attention to the clearance signs.
- Truck stops are best! There are various apps you can use to plan out your refueling ahead of time for long trips.
- NEVER pull into a station that looks too difficult.
- Carrying an extra gas can may help if you can’t find a station right away.
- Take wide turns, and go slowly.
- If you see a large vehicle approaching to pass you, prepare for any possible wind resistance and sway. As the vehicle approaches, it can sometimes pull you towards their lane, then push you away as it passes. A good WDH and anti-sway system properly set up definitely helps a lot with reducing this movement.
Parking
- Before we park the camper, if we aren’t familiar with the campground or the site, we will often park the camper at registration, and walk to it first, going in the direction we’ll be driving, to check out any tight turns, and to see how best to approach parking the camper.
- Go slow.
- Try to keep the site on the driver’s side if possible.
- Camper wheels are the pivot point.
- Use walkie talkies (or cell phones) to communicate, and COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY. Use driver side & passenger side, not Right & Left, when giving/receiving directions from the spotter.
- Spotter should not be directly behind camper, and should be visible in one of the side mirrors. You’re going to have some blind spots, so make sure you and the spotter are communicating those.
- Good to learn the “Scoop” method (plenty of videos on YouTube) when approaching the site.
- Make sure you have enough clearance for the AC units on top from any branches or low-hanging wires.
- Make sure you know where the sewer hookup is located. Try to get close enough for hoses.
- Leave room for slide out clearance if you have them, and also for the electric box and water hookup.
- Pull trailer tires at least to about the edge of the site, and maybe farther.
- Make small adjustments to get camper in the position you like.
Set up
- Before unhitching, I prefer to level the camper (side to side). Make sure to compensate for the weight of the slide outs. Pull forward onto levelers.
- Once the camper is where you want it, CHOCK THE WHEELS.
- Unhitch everything from trailer. Pull vehicle forward.
- Level front to back.
- Make sure the switch on the site’s power pedestal is off. Connect the correct amperage surge protector into the pedestal, turn on to make sure indicator lights are correct. If they are correct, then turn the switch back off, connect the correct amperage electrical cord, to the surge protector, then turn the switch back on. Use 30 amp adapter if necessary.
- Turn on main breaker in camper.
- Lower stabilizer jacks. We like to put 4 blocks (or at least 1) under the foot of each one. The less the jacks are extended, the more support they will provide, so the more blocks under them the better. Don’t overextend, as some aren’t designed to support the full camper weight, and only stabilize!
- Fold out steps, make sure there is nothing to trip anyone.
- Extend slide outs.
- Turn on AC/Heat, or open some windows if you want to air it out.
- Turn on electric water heater.
- Turn on propane.
- Hook up water hose.
- Hook up sewer hose. (Might need a rubber “donut”.) Use gloves.
- Make sure there are no kinks or dips in hose. Try to get the straightest downhill pathway that you can. Use sewer hose support if necessary.
- Connect TV cable if available and desired.
- Load food from cooler into the refrigerator.
- Set up floor mat, awning, chairs, grill, etc..
- Sit and relax and have a cold one, whatever that may be.
NOTE: Always put in awning when away from camper for extended period, or if winds are predicted. One hard gust of wind can trash an awning.