How To Safely Hitch And Unhitch Your Travel Trailer

If you are a first-time travel trailer owner, hitching up can be intimidating the first few times. You don’t want to do something wrong and damage your tow vehicle or camper after all! The Outpost RV has created this hitching guide to help you successfully hitch your travel trailer.

Hitching

First, remove the hitch lock if one is present. Next, position the receiver latch into a vertical open position before lifting the front end of the trailer with a jack. If your trailer moves when it’s being lifted you should stop raising it and check the wheel chocks.  

Insert the hitch into the receiver on your tow vehicle and consult your hitch’s manual to find any special considerations you need to take into account. Next, insert and secure the locking pin. This is especially important as a loose locking pin can result in your tow vehicle and trailer separating while on the road.

Next, you need to align the tow vehicle and trailer so that they can be joined together. Even if you have backup cameras, having a friend or family member to help spot can make this process much easier as the camera angle can make it appear that the trailer and tow vehicle are askew when they are actually aligned.

If your travel trailer is of medium size or bigger, we recommend using sway arms. These useful devices strengthen the vehicle connection and keep trailer sway to a minimum. If you do choose to use sway arms, be sure to attach them before lowering the travel trailer onto the hitch as they can be hard to maneuver into place after this step.

Next, lower the trailer so that the hitch ball fits inside the receiver and close the receiver latch. Once the latch is closed, you can raise the jack and remove the jack blocks. Don’t forget to connect the brake and light cable so that the tow vehicle can send signals to the trailer. Finally, connect the safety chains in case the hitch ball falls out of the receiver and remove the wheel chocks. Now you can hit the road!

Unhitching

Once you’ve reached your destination, find a safe, spacious place to unhitch your travel trailer. The first step is to fit your wheel chocks on both sides of the travel trailer. Ensure that you are on level ground before using the jack, then raise the trailer slightly.

You can then disconnect the brake cable, safety chains, and emergency brake controller. Make sure the trailer is high enough to reduce the tension of the sway arms, then remove them. Next, lower the trailer until it’s putting weight on your tow vehicle. Once the trailer is low enough, lift up the ball receiver latch and release the hitch ball. Use your jack to lift the trailer up and off the hitch ball.

Once the trailer is free, drive the tow vehicle forward and use the jack to position the trailer so that it is level. Carefully put your hitch somewhere where it will be safe. Now you’re ready to enjoy your trip.

We here at The Outpost RV hope this guide has been helpful for you, whether you are a new RV owner or just someone in need of a refresher. For more information, or to view our selection of new and pre-owned travel trailers, visit us at our dealership in Middlebury, Indiana. We are proud to serve local communities like South Bend, Indiana, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. We can’t wait to see you!