34 pages

Towing, Loading and Hitching Guides

How to weigh a rig, read a door jamb sticker, load a trailer so it does not sway, set up weight distribution, dial in a brake controller, back into a site and get down a long grade with brakes that still work at the bottom.

Every page is researched from published standards, manufacturer towing guides and product specifications, and the consensus of verified owner reviews, not hands-on testing. Published figures and towing convention are labelled separately wherever both appear. Every table on this site is plain HTML you can quote, and every calculator shows its formula on the page.

Last updated 2026-09-17

Most recommended in guides

Picked on 7 pages

Sherline

Sherline LM 2000 Trailer Tongue Weight Scale, 2,000 lb

$189.90

Double the capacity for the same money as the LM 1000, which makes it the sensible default unless you are certain your tongue weight is low.

Best for: Most travel trailers, with headroom for a heavier one later.

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Picked on 5 pages

LEXIVON

LEXIVON 1/2 inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, 10 to 150 ft-lb

$44.97

The same range with a clearer dual scale and a hard case, which is what keeps a click wrench in calibration between uses.

Best for: A wrench that will be used on the truck as well as the trailer.

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Picked on 5 pages

JACO Superior Products

JACO ElitePro Digital Tire Pressure Gauge, 200 psi

$29.90

Reads to 200 psi, which comfortably covers an 80 psi load range E trailer tire where a 60 psi car gauge simply cannot.

Best for: Any trailer with load range D or E tires.

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Picked on 5 pages

Camco

Camco RV Wheel Chocks with Rope, 2 pack

$17.18

Plain plastic chocks with a pull rope so they can be retrieved without crawling under the trailer. Made in the United States.

Best for: Basic chocking on a level site.

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Trailer tires

Sway control

Weight distribution

Backing and maneuvering

Hitching

Weighing

Reading your own ratings

Brakes

Payload and matching

Getting started

First Trip Towing Checklist Weigh before you tow, check every tire cold, test the brakes and the breakaway switch, adjust mirrors, and recheck lug torque at the first 50 miles.

Ball mounts and drop

How to Choose a Ball Mount Drop or Rise Measure the loaded receiver height and the level coupler height, subtract, and buy the ball mount that closes the gap. A nose-high trailer is the dangerous way to be wrong.

Pre-trip and safety

How to Do a Pre-Trip Towing Inspection A real pre-trip checklist: coupler, chains, breakaway cable, lights, cold tire pressure to the sidewall maximum, lug torque, bearings, hitch pin, WD bars, load, jacks.

Leveling

How to Level a Trailer for Towing Read a bubble level on the trailer frame while hitched and loaded. Nose high lowers tongue weight and feeds sway; nose low is the safer way to be off.

Loading

How to Load a Travel Trailer Weight ahead of a trailer's axle raises tongue weight, weight behind it lowers tongue weight, and a tail-heavy load is what starts trailer sway.

Truck campers

How to Match a Truck Camper to a Truck A truck camper is a payload problem, not a towing problem. A wet, equipped camper commonly runs 800 to 1,200 lb over its dry weight sticker, and the center of gravity has to sit forward of the rear axle.

Maintenance

How to Repack Trailer Wheel Bearings Trailer bearings fail with no warning because trailers sit and seals dry out between trips. Pull the hub, clean, repack with fresh grease, and set the spindle nut correctly.

Brake controllers

How to Set Brake Controller Gain There is no formula, only a procedure: roll at 25 mph, apply the manual override alone, and raise gain until the trailer brakes just barely grab.

Storage and maintenance

How to Store a Trailer So It Tows Well Next Season Cover the tires against ultraviolet, keep the breakaway battery charged, chock instead of resting on the jack, and grease bearings before a long sit.

Grades and braking

How to Tow Down a Long Grade Use the engine and transmission to hold speed, and the brakes in firm brief bursts to shed it. Riding the brakes is how they fade, and trailer drums go first.

Trailer wiring

How to Wire a Seven Pin Trailer Connector The standard color code, why a corroded socket is the most common fault, and where the breakaway cable actually attaches. Never to a safety chain.

Payload and towing capacity

How to Work Out What You Can Actually Tow Work the payload sum before the tow rating. Payload, not the published tow rating, is the limit that binds first on most half ton trucks and SUVs.

Safety

Towing Mistakes That Cause Crashes Tongue weight under 10 percent, a brochure dry weight instead of a real one, a mismatched ball, aged tires, a dead breakaway battery, and riding the brakes down a grade.

Roadside readiness

What to Carry in a Trailer Emergency Kit Chocks, leveling blocks, a gauge that reads past 60 psi, a 12V compressor with no battery to go flat, a torque wrench, spare bulbs and fuses, gloves, and a breakaway cable.