Is a larger weight distribution device better? That myth could lead to serious issues when towing travel trailers, including incorrect weight distribution and potentially dangerous driving conditions. Here, we’ll explore six common yet often overlooked mistakes that many people make when towing their travel trailers, mistakes that can trip up even the most seasoned adventurers.
I’m back at Mars Camper and have the pleasure of speaking with Jack today. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack! And to confirm, that’s your real name and not just a fun nickname.
Jack is a towing expert with extensive experience. Today, we’re diving into a topic that has generated quite a few inquiries from our viewers—towing products and the essentials for a safe towing experience. Our primary focus is the prevalent mistakes made when towing travel trailers.
Weight distribution is one of the most common issues we encounter through phone calls and customer inquiries. Surprisingly, many people need help understanding what it entails and how to implement it properly. They often hear the terminology but need more clarity on its importance.
A significant misstep people make with weight distribution is opting for the heaviest weight distribution system available. For instance, if someone has a travel trailer that weighs around 3,000 pounds, they might mistakenly believe that ordering a powerful 15,000-pound weight distribution setup is the best option; thinking bigger equates to better performance. However, this logic can lead to undesirable outcomes.
When you select a weight distribution system that is too robust for your trailer, you risk lifting the front of the trailer, which causes instability and a bouncy ride. This scenario negates the system’s potential benefits, rendering it largely ineffective. Conversely, if you choose a system that is too light, it won’t provide any advantage either, leaving you without the necessary support when towing.
Targeting a setup that aligns closely with your trailer’s tongue weight is essential to achieve optimal performance with weight distribution systems. As a general guideline, for a 3,000-pound travel trailer, you should aim for a loaded tongue weight that falls within the range of 300 to 450 pounds. By getting your tongue weight as close to the midpoint of the system’s capacity as possible, you can ensure a safer and more stable towing experience. Is bigger better? Not in this case. That myth could quickly cause you to have the wrong time, like mistakes with loading your travel trailer. These are six ordinary travel trailer towing mistakes you probably made and didn’t even know.
I’m back at Mars camper here, and I have Jack. It’s great to meet you, Jack. And that’s your real name. Just me? So it’s not a nickname?
You are a towing expert. I am here at Mars Camper, and many viewers are asking questions about towing products and what to get and what not to get. But precisely what we’re talking about right now is towing mistakes.
So, let’s discuss some of the common towing mistakes people make with a travel trailer. Weight distribution is among the big ones we get many phone calls about. Most people need to learn what it does. They don’t know what they want; they hear the term.
One of the most significant issues, if not the biggest mistake, people make with weight distribution is buying the heaviest system they can get. So they’ve got a 3,000-lb trailer; they will order the most substantial, heaviest duty because bigger is better, right? Not in this case with weight distribution.
If you get too heavy of a system, again, with that person with a 3,000-lb trailer ordering a 15,000-lb setup, it will lift the front of your trailer, making it bouncy. It will negate any pluses you could get with it. If you go too light with a system, it won’t do anything. So it’s okay; it’s just not doing any good.
What you want to do with weight distribution systems is get your tongue weight—your loaded tongue weight of your trailer—as close to the middle of the system’s capacity as possible. So if you say you have a 3,000 lb trailer, you will have roughly 300 to 450 lb tongue weight. When choosing a weight distribution system, please don’t go with that vast 15,000 lb setup because it will lift the front of your trailer. You want a system that goes from 200 lb minimum to 600 lb maximum, so you’re right in the middle. It’s going to put you right in that sweet spot, and it’s going to give you all the good stuff you want it to do instead of either doing nothing or doing way too much and having all kinds of issues.
I see this all the time. When you work in this industry for a while, you can’t help but look at people driving around and noticing all the mistakes.
Cross your chains—your safety chains. This isn’t Ghostbusters, where you’re not supposed to cross your streams. Cross your chains because they are just going straight if you think about it. If you become uncoupled, if this comes out, it’s just going straight into the ground, and you’re destroying your coupler.
If your chains are crossed—unfortunately, I don’t have chains to show you—if your chains are crossed, the coupler will come down, and it’ll sit in a little cradle of chains. You’re not going to destroy everything. It’s a much better way to do it. It should be shared knowledge, and it is most of the time, but still, driving around now and then, you see people, and they’re not crossing them. It’s like, cross your chains, man!
It’s an excellent way to do it with travel trailers. You also want to make sure this is seated all the way. Even as experts, we messed something up yesterday trying to pull a little trailer back over to do a little product video, and the ball needed to be seated on the coupler.
We went over a speed bump in our back lot, popped off, and smacked into the ground. We do it, too! Just make sure, like when this is on there, you want to make sure it’s on there—like give it a good wiggle, make sure your latch is down, make sure everything is connected all the way because that could very easily cause you a problem.
Is there such a thing as a safety tug with travel trailers? Not really.
Okay, I’m just curious. How do we make RV life better?
If you’ve got the right system, travel trailers are pretty simple. There’s not a whole lot to them.
If you have brakes, make sure you’re using your brake controller. Make sure everything’s working. Many people don’t necessarily test that, and it should be tested to ensure it’s working properly.
How would they test the brakes before rolling them out? Check all your lights when you go, especially as you hook up. Make sure your lights are working because that means you’re fully seated. If your lights aren’t working, ensure your sway is plugged in because sometimes they pop out.
Typically, we don’t have sway in here, but the little door latch that covers your sway has a piece that connects to it so it won’t pull out. So when you plug your sway in, it should click when it goes in because that’ll be the door coming down and latching on there to secure it.
But when you’re starting right as you get that going or leaving, ensure everything’s set the way you want it. Don’t just like, “Oh, it’s good to go,” and go up into the mountains, and you’re going down and like, “Oh, my brake controller isn’t working! What am I going to do now?”
So, when you’re on a nice flat, level plane and leaving your house, ensure everything works. It’s quick, simple, and easy, but most people don’t do it.
Are there any things that could be improved when loading your travel trailer? Big ones, people! People think loading the back heavier is the way to go. Don’t do that because that’ll cause you to sway issues. You always want to go front-heavy. The heavier the front is, the more stable it will be, especially if you’ve got a weight distribution system. You’re going to get a lot less wobble going down the road.
And only stack one side a little. We see that often, too. So that’s a myth—loading in the back. Because I hear that a lot; everybody’s concerned about your hitch weight.
So, wow, is it a myth to load in the back? You want to load in the front. I mean, not ridiculously; it will be pretty even, but front-heavy instead of back-heavy.
Okay, you don’t want the front of your trailer lifting because that’ll cause you some issues.
Another big one I see all the time, which isn’t a bad thing; it just gets on my nerves—if you only have a four-flat on your vehicle, don’t leave it dangling around smacking into the ground. We have all kinds of stuff to make that so you can hook it on your hitch. We even have a magnetic one now from Eco Hitch, I think, where you slide your four-flat in; it’s got a little magnet you stick wherever you want.
It’s not a bad thing; it’s a pet peeve of mine.
That’s it for travel trailers. It’s a little to them as long as everything’s connected and plugged in and all your lights work. Travel trailers, you’re good to go!
It’s got a hydraulic system, so you can adjust how much your bars move. From what I’ve heard, it works well. There are a few limitations, especially with how this sits here, because it can smack into your jack.
I go with weight distribution systems. They’ve been around for the longest time and haven’t really changed much because they did it right the first time. They offer a good amount of sway control and perfect weight distribution.
I tend to go because they work. They’re simple. One thing with weight distribution—maybe not this one, but like with this one right here, the Reese—they’re supposed to make noise if you’re turning. It will grind because those bars connect with brake pads here, keeping it from swaying.
So if it’s making noise, it’s working! Will you get one of those? It’s an excellent way to know you’re doing something correctly.