There are many RVs that travel the roads of the United States every year. Many people enjoy traveling in an RV, as they are seen as a home away from home. Although these portable “temporary homes” are used quite often, many individuals do not stop to think about the towing equipment that is needed when towing ther RV.

There is not a lot of towing equipment that is needed when an individual tows an RV. Instead, it is more important for an individual to focus on the quality of the towing equipment and to make sure that it is strong enough to handle the torque of the RV that is being pulled. One of the main things to focus on is that the hitch that is being used is strong enough for the RV. There are different hitches that are available to purchase. The size of the hitch will vary, and should be purchased in accordance to the size of the RV that is being towed. Therefore, the bigger the hitch, the larger the RV will be. Using a smaller hitch for the towing equipment when the RV is quite large can result in damages created to the RV as well as damages to the towing vehicle. Using the wrong hitch is bad for both the towing car and the towed RV. It is important to know how much weight is being pulled, as well as the weight that the car's manufacturer says that the car can pull.

Another  needed item  for RV-towing is a T-one connector. A T-one connector is needed for the RV so that the towing cars tail lights can be "passed on" to the towed RV, thus the RV being towed will indicate the correct tail lights to the cars following or passing the RV. It is illegal to drive an RV without there being signal lights on the RV, too. The addition of a T-one connector is simple, and can often be placed onto the vehicle by an RV dealership, if assistance is needed. The T-one connector can be disassembled from the RV, for those instances when the towing vehicle is no longer towing the RV..

There are many places that sell RV towing equipment. The best location is an RV dealership. The towing equipment will often be in the main office/store. A sales clerk will often suggest that the towing equipment should be purchased at the same time as the RV itself. As such, there are many camping stores that sell towing equipment, as well as online locations that specialize strictly in towing equipment merchandise. Purchasing from a company that sells only RV materials will often have the most merchandise on hand. Due to this, many individuals prefer to buy their towing equipment from such industries.

It is evident that there is a lot of towing equipment to choose from when hauling an RV. Towing equipment is important and imperative to have for such tows. Comparing prices for the right piece of towing equipment can save an individual a lot of money for parts that are very much needed. Every RV has the correct type of towing equipment, and RV dealers should know exactly  which type you will need. Of course, you can always do your own research to find the exact type of merchandise you will need so that you can start touring the country with your towable RV.

One of the most important accessories is an auxillary braking system such as the Unified Tow Brake.

Every year, there are millions of Americans that travel the byways and highways of the US. Many of the individuals that are traveling own an rv travel trailer, while others rent. For such individuals that are traveling with an rv, there are rv towing accessories that are often needed to pull the rv.

The most important regulation when pulling an rv is to make sure that the rv that is being towed by a vehicle that can withstand the towing. Often times a truck such as a 4X4 is best for this situation. Once a proper towing vehicle has been secured, then comes the time that the rv towing accessories are to be considered.

To the surprise of many rv owners, there are many rv towing accessories that exist. One the many rv towing accessories that exists is an item called a protect – a –tow. This item is a wonderful protection barrier against many items that are being towed with an rv, be it a car, or the rv itself. The accessory is attached to the hitch of the vehicle that is towing the rv, or another mode of transportation that is being towed behind the rv. The protect-a-tow is a wonderful asset to have in front of the hitch, as it will provide a barrier between the rv and any debris that may fly up and damage the car, such as a flying rocks from a gravel road, to a muddy campground. Although it is not a mandatory item to have on the back of a hitch, owning such an rv towing accessory will be a wonderful asset, and prevent a lot of damage from occurring to the vehicle.

When people think about rv towing accessories, they may not stop to think about the basics of the rv towing accessories. The main item that is involved when towing an rv is the towing bar. The towing bar is a bar that is attached to the back of a vehicle to tow the rv, or behind the rv to tow another vehicle, such as a car, or pull along trailer. The towing bars can come in a variety of sizes, and are created as such for the various sizes and weights that the towed rv may be. Without having a towing bar attached to the designated towing vehicle, the towing process of an rv can be quite difficult.

Another item that is considered with rv towing accessories is a 5th wheel stabilizer. A 5th wheel stabilizer can truly be of benefit, as it can cut down on the movement inside an rv while people are walking around, and stabilize the overhang. Many 5th wheel stabilizers are available at any rv store, as well as online. Individuals often purchase such a towing accessory as it is not only affordable, but can be of much needed assistance to stabilize the recreational vehicle.

It is evident that there are many good rv towing accessories that are available for purchase to the public. Whether they are purchased from the store itself or via the internet, there are accessories that are indeed available for everyone’s needs and likings. Purchasing accessories for an rv is indeed a wonderful investment.

One of the most unique products available for an auxiliary system for towing is from http://drivetrain.com, and is called the "Unified Tow Brake". The unified total break from http://www.drivetrain.com features patented use of the towed vehicles own power brakes. It's a remote control unit that allows braking from the cockpit of the motor home when you tow another vehicle with your motorhome. It provides both proportional braking and progressive braking.

When you drive a large RV, one of the most common needs is for good braking. One of the problems with towing the vehicle is that the amount of mass added to the vehicle by the towed vehicle greatly increases the amount of distance that it takes to stop. The primary way to try to get around this limitation is to install an auxiliary braking system.

A number of an ingenious auxiliary braking systems have been developed over the years. Nowadays the best such systems include a computerized control modules and some sort of vacuum brake fix assist. The vacuum assist allows the secondary vehicle that is the towed vehicle to use its own braking power to help the two vehicles stop.

However, there are very few products on the market that use the towed vehicles own power brakes. This is because the towed vehicle usually  doesn't have its own power running while being towed. The unified total brake system actually does use the power brakes of both vehicles. It accomplishes this task by including a 12 V vacuum pump that mounts in the engine compartment of the towed vehicle that provides vacuum power to the power brakes of the towed vehicle. This means that the towed vehicle doesn't have to have any cut in its vacuum line in order to be connected to the towing vehicle.

Other brake assist systems cut into the brake lines or the master cylinder of either the motorhome or the towed vehicle. This approach has undesirable side effects including that it voids the warranty of whichever vehicle has its brake lines cut. When a brake line is cut the potential is there for air to get in the line which could cause a disastrous failure at a critical moment.

The unified braking system avoids this problem by including its own vacuum pump which sits neatly in the towed vehicle's engine compartment. Controlled by computer, this vacuum pump uses the towed vehicles own power brakes to add braking assist to combine with the vehicles.

In addition to all this, this braking system provides what the manufacturer calls both proportional and progressive braking. The approach allows for the amount of braking force to be applied by both vehicles in exact proportion related to the weight of each vehicle. Progressive braking (sometimes called modulated braking) means that when motorhomes brakes are applied a mirror affect occurs in the secondary vehicle. Therefore the amount of braking effect that occurs in the second vehicle is directly related to the strength of the braking in the primary vehicle.

So what does this all really mean? It means that for very little cost you can get the comfort of knowing that you have one of the best braking systems on the market. In fact, testing has shown that braking with this system can be practically as good (or even better than) braking without a towed vehicle attached at all.

For more information, visit Drivetrain.Com.

by Jim Johnson

It probably wasn't long after the first RV was made that someone was trying to figure out a way to attach another vehicle and tow it along too. It sounds simple enough, but there are several important considerations that come into play. Most modern RVs and motorhomes are pretty big affairs all on their own, but when you add the weight of another vehicle as well, that's is a lot of bulk to have to both start and stop rolling as you go down the highway. So here are some rv towing tips that you should know to help you tow properly:

* Actually the first thing to understand is that towing is a whole subject to itself and it requires a lot of research and the right equipment to do it right, so don't expect to learn all that you need to know from just one article like this. A good place to start is to look carefully through the owner's manual that came with your motorhome and find out what the specific recommendations are for your RV that have been made by the manufacturer themselves. Follow the guidelines laid out by the RV maker very carefully and if they have restrictions for the use of towing, adhere to them.

* Make sure that the vehicle that you wish to tow does not exceed the proper weight for safe towing. You should make sure that the weight of the tow vehicle and any equipment attached to it or that it rests on, combined with the total weight of the motorhome and all of it's contents does not exceed the GCWR(Gross Combined Vehicle Rating) for your RV. This is absolutely vital for safe operation., so be sure that you do your homework well in this area.

* You have three main choices for the actual towing of the extra vehicle, you can either (1) just tow the vehicle with all four wheels on the ground, (2) tow it with the drive wheels lifted off the ground by a dolly, or (3) by putting it on a trailer that removes the tow vehicle from the ground altogether. What you choose will probably depend on a few factors including what your RV manufacturer recommends and the kind of transmission that the tow vehicle has. On some vehicles you can severely damage the transmission if the drive wheels are left on the ground and the driveshaft is not disconnected, and on others you may need an automatic transmission pump to help lubricate the transmission while towing, so consult the vehicle's manufacturer as well to get a better feel about the kind of tow apparatus that you will need.

Of course, any rv towing tips that are provided needs to include a warning about backing up a motorhome with a tow vehicle still attached. This can easily cause damage to both the tow vehicle and the RV if you are not very familiar with these kind of procedures. So usually it's best to just unhook the tow vehicle before attempting backing up of any kind.

The more research that you can do on this subject in preparation for towing the better, and always err on the side of safety in any decision that you make.

Find out more about rv towing tips and rving tips by visiting our Motorhomes Review website.