Towing Guide & How to Choose the Best RV Tow Vehicle
According to a report by the RV Industry Association (RVIA), RVs have grown in popularity by 62% since 2001, with more than 11 million households now owning an RV. That means new RV owners are hitting the roads every day, and if you’re interested in joining the ranks of travel trailer and fifth-wheel owners, there are a few things you should know. We’re here to help answer all your questions about how towing an RV and how to choose the best tow vehicle for your RV.
Towing capacity, payload, gross value weight ratings (GVWR), and more – we’ll help you discover which questions you should ask as you research and shop. Our goal is for you to feel confident and comfortable when pulling an RV behind you and to help educate other new RV owners about what they should know.
How to Choose the Right Tow Vehicle
Pick out an RV first, choose your tow vehicle second.
RVs come in a wide range of weights and sizes, from those you can tow with an SUV or small truck to trailers that require heavy-duty pickups to tow safely. We recommend picking out some RVs that match the needs of you or your family, and then choosing a tow vehicle that can comfortably handle the weight. Someone who intends to haul motorized toys will need a much more powerful vehicle than a single person who wants a small, ultra lite trailer to take to music festivals.
Important RV Terminology
These are the terms and numbers you should know when shopping for an RV:
- Hitch Weight: The amount of downward force your RV will put on your tow vehicle’s hitch when it’s fully loaded
- Dry Weight: How much an RV weighs before it’s loaded with any cargo
- Cargo Capacity: How much weight you can safely add to your RV in the form of cargo, gear, food, water, sports equipment, motorized toys, etc., while you’re towing
- GVWR: The total of the RV’s dry weight plus the cargo capacity. The GVWR is the maximum amount of weight your trailer can safely support on the road.
Once you know which RV you’d like to buy, you can match it with a tow vehicle. Adding a towing package to your vehicle can help maximize your towing ability. Whether you’re buying a new tow vehicle or using an existing vehicle, make sure your RV doesn’t exceed its weight limits. You can often find this information in your vehicle owner’s manual, on the Safety Compliance Certification Label on the vehicle’s driver-side door, or by contacting your vehicle manufacturer with your VIN.
Important Tow Vehicle Terminology
These are the terms and numbers you should know when choosing a tow vehicle:
- Towing capacity: The maximum amount of weight a vehicle can pull behind it. This number lets you know exactly how heavy your trailer can be when it’s fully loaded with your cargo.
- Payload capacity: The amount of weight a vehicle can carry, including passengers, cargo in the truck, and the hitch weight of the trailer you’re towing.
- GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating): Towing capacity plus payload capacity - the amount of total weight a vehicle can carry and pull at once.
- Towing package: Optional additions to a vehicle's base model that can boost its ability to tow heavy loads
Pulling a trailer that’s too heavy for your vehicle’s towing capacity can create dangerous situations on the road that put people’s safety at risk. Always stay well within your vehicle’s weight capacities when you’re towing.
Heartland RV Models
Heartland RV has RVs of all weights, lengths, and price points to match any constraints. For example, our Prowler Lynx 17BHX measures under 22’ long and weighs less than 3,000 lbs. dry, but it still has room to sleep a family of six. And our all-new Trail Runner 270BH can fit 9+ guests in an RV you could easily tow with an existing half-ton truck, all at a base MSRP under $43,000.
In other words, you’ve got options! You can check out our RV Finder to see just how many.
Types of Hitches to Choose From
In addition to towing capacity, you’ll also need to understand the different types of RV hitches. The hitch you choose will be heavily dependent on the kind of RV you purchase. Here are four basic hitch types and the RVs they correspond with.
Conventional or Bumper Hitch
This hitch system is primarily used for travel trailers up to about 17,000 lbs. It utilizes a ball and coupler system, where the trailer's weight rests on the bumper of the tow vehicle. Conventional hitches have five classes, each handling a specific amount of weight.
- Class 1: 2,000 pounds or less
- Class 2: 3,500 pounds or less
- Class 3: 8,000 pounds or less
- Class 4: 10,000 pounds or less
- Class 5: 17,000 pounds or less
Conventional hitches may be removable or permanent. A fixed drawbar permanently affixes the ball platform to the hitch, while a removable drawbar allows the ball platform to be removed.
Weight Distribution Hitch
Also used for travel trailers, weight distribution hitches balance the weight of the hitch between an RV and a tow vehicle by shifting the weight’s transfer weight. Where a conventional hitch puts the weight of a trailer on the tow vehicle’s bumper, the weight distribution hitch divides it across the axles of both the tow vehicle and the RV. Spring bars further help manage the weight by reducing vertical movement on the hitch itself, which keeps the tongue weight at a more constant pressure despite bumps in the road. Weight distribution hitches can offer improved stability and control on the road, especially for heavier travel trailer models.
Fifth Wheel Hitch
Fifth-wheel RVs require their own type of hitch, fifth-wheel hitches. They are installed inside the bed of a truck, and they connect to the RV with a horseshoe-shaped coupling device and a kingpin mechanism. Because the weight of the trailer is balanced over the rear axle of the truck, fifth-wheel hitches can maneuver larger and heavier RVs and make sharper turns than conventional hitches allow. This category typically handles between 10,000 to 30,000 lbs.
Gooseneck Hitch
Another option for fifth-wheel RVs, the gooseneck hitch uses a ball and coupler installed in the truck bed rather than a kingpin mechanism. Some people prefer gooseneck hitches because they take up less space in the bed of the truck, and they can often pull heavier loads than fifth-wheel hitches, up to 30,000 lbs. and beyond. Gooseneck hitches are an excellent choice for heavier loads, like fifth-wheel toy haulers.
Driving Basics While Towing Your RV
Now that you have a better understanding of how different hitches connect and manage weight, here are some basic guidelines for towing your towable RV.
Go Slow and Easy
Towing extra weight makes it harder to slow down and stop, making it even more critical that you stay under the speed limit. Half of the joy of RVing is taking the journey in the first place, so enjoy the drive and focus on getting to your destination safely.
Keep Your Distance
Because it’s harder to stop quickly, it’s also important to keep extra distance between you and the car in front of you. If you remember your high school physics class, a heavy object that’s in motion takes a lot more force or distance to stop, so you can avoid accidents by leaving more space in front of your vehicle.
Turn Slow and Wide
The key to turning with a trailer is to take it slowly and take it wide. You need to leave enough room for your RV to follow behind your vehicle without hitting the curb. The longer the trailer is, the wider you are going to have to take the turn to ensure your trailer clears the corner without doing damage.
How to Reverse a Travel Trailer
A good tip for reversing is to put your hand at the bottom of your steering wheel because your RV will move in the same direction as your hand. If you move your hand to the left, the rear end of the trailer will go left. If you move your hand to the right, the rear end will go right.
Take your time and make minor adjustments to the wheel – exaggerated turning motions will guarantee you overshoot your mark. Turn slowly, as quick turns while reversing can cause your travel trailer to jackknife and damage both your RV and your tow vehicle.
How to Reverse a Fifth Wheel
When reversing with a fifth wheel, use the same steering wheel tip as a travel trailer – place a hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and move the steering wheel in the direction that you want the fifth wheel to turn.
If you’re backing into a spot, try to angle the fifth wheel away from the driver’s side to keep your visibility clear. We also highly recommend using a spotter any time you reverse a fifth wheel. That means having a responsible passenger hop out so they can see your blind spots and direct you as you go. Have a pair of walkie-talkies handy so the spotter can clearly communicate with the driver. A backup camera is also helpful and can easily be installed if your fifth wheel doesn’t already have one.
Ask Your Dealer These Questions
If you already have a tow vehicle, your first question for the dealer should be if your vehicle can actually handle the RV you are considering. Be clear about your tow vehicles’ weight ratings and GCWR. Ideally, your dealer should show you different RV models that will put you below your vehicle’s towing capacity to give you some extra flexibility and assurance.
Second, check and see if your dealer provides any additional or special hitch packages. If they do, ask if there is an installation fee and how long the installation will take.
Next, ask if your dealer would be willing to connect the RV to your tow vehicle. This way, you can learn how to do it yourself and you can make sure that your turn signals and brake lights are paired properly with the RV. Pro tip: Record this demonstration on video so you can reference it in the future and have a step-by-step tutorial for your exact vehicle and RV.
And lastly, ask your dealer to show you where the trailer weight information sticker is located. This sticker should have three numbers on it: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is the maximum weight your RV can be when fully loaded; Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW), which is the weight of the RV straight from the manufacturer; and Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR), which is the maximum weight that can be placed on the axles of the vehicle.
Hit the Road
Our hope is that this guide will help you feel confident about towing an RV. If you are armed with the right information and know what questions to ask, finding the perfect trailer is easier than you think. Besides, there is truly nothing better than being able to bring your home along for the ride.
This article was originally written by Sandra Crespo and has been updated since its original publishing date. Sandra Crespo and Luis Class have lived in a toy hauler RV with their two kids since 2016. They travel the country collecting experiences and living out their own definition of freedom, and they are teaching their children by example to live their dreams. The Class Family drives a Heartland Toy Hauler.
