Is Your Truck Ready for Summer Camping Adventures?
Preparing Your Truck/SUV to Tow a Camper
The summer camping season is nearby or already underway, depending on which part of the country you occupy. If this will be your first summer travelling and camping, you might be curious about how to prepare your truck or SUV to tow a camper. You will need to make sure that your vehicle has sufficient performance for the job and that the camper itself is up to code with all required equipment. The experienced team at Davis Chevrolet put together a few tips to help you have safe adventures this summer.
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Keep Up With Maintenance
While many vehicles are built for towing, the practice still adds a lot of stress to the platform. It’s very important that owners keep up with factory maintenance schedules in order to prevent delays from breakdowns. It’s very important for vehicle owners to pay particular attention to:
- Air filters
- Fuel filters
- Oil and oil filters
- Transmission fluid
- Engine coolant
Check Your Tires
Few things will throw a bigger wrench into a camping trip than blowing a tire before you even get to the destination. Before hitting the road, it’s crucial to inspect the vehicle’s and trailer’s tires for:
- Sufficient tread depth
- Air pressure
- Cracks in the side walls
Choose the Right Equipment
Safe and effective towing requires more than just installing any old hitch to a vehicle and connecting it to a trailer. Having the proper hitch and receiver is one of the most important equipment choices a person towing a camper can make. The class of hitch that your vehicle requires will depend on its maximum towing capacity to accommodate the camper.
- Class 1: 907 kg (2,000 lbs.)
- Class 2: 1,588 kg (3,500 lbs.)
- Class 3: 3,629 kg (8,000 lbs.)
- Class 4/Class 5: 8,165 kg (18,000 lbs.)
If you need help making sure your vehicle is ready to take you where you want to go, make a service appointment with the Davis Chevrolet Service Department, today.