How To Pick The Right Tow Hitch For Your Vehicle
Many people choose a towable RV over a motorhome due to a number of its benefits. These conveniences include but are not limited to better gas mileage, economy, space, and an urge to drive the truck or car separately from RV because you already own a heavy-duty vehicle. A towable RV is simply a vehicle that you can tow or pull with a truck or a vehicle powerful enough to tow. These towable RVs come in various sizes and options. Depending on your preference and need, you can choose amongst these options.
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The Best Accessories for your vehicle
If you own a towable RV, then you must know what are some of the best hitch accessories for this kind of recreational vehicle. According to the experts this includes –
- You should have a weight distribution Hitch which helps stability in towing
- You should have a backup camera
- You should have an RV Hitch Lock.
- Electric Drill and RV stabilizer jacks.
- Heavy-duty Chocks
- X chocks
- Torque Wrench
While we know that a trailer hitch or a towing hitch is something that you need, you should know what it is? How it works and how to choose one.
What is a Tow Hitch?
Towing or pulling a recreational vehicle requires you to have a tow hitch (truck hitch) also called a tow bar or a trailer hitch. It is basically a tool or an instrument connected to the vehicle chassis to facilitate towing. This means, if you have a towable RV and you love this type of travel, you should certainly have one. Even if you don’t have to use a trailer hitch frequently for towing your recreational vehicle, owning a quality car trailer hitch can be highly useful for a variety of reasons. This includes transporting cargo carriers, boats, bicycles, motorbikes or other equipment or heavy machinery.
Types of Trailer Hitches
- Class 1 Hitch
- Class 2 Hitch (A well-known example is Class 2 Trailer Hitch with 1-1/4″ Receiver by Curt Manufacturing 12170)
- Class 3 Hitch
- Class 4 Hitch
- 5th wheel Hitches or Curt Hitch ( A popular example of this type is Elite Fifth Wheel Hitches By Reese hitches.
- Gooseneck Hitch
- Front Mount Hitch
Accessories for Front Mount Hitch
CURT trailer hitches can be used at the front end of your vehicle and can facilitate various towing applications, for example for mounting a snow plow, a winch or other accessories. Other front mount accessories include a license plate holder, step pad, spare tire mount or the curt skid shield.
If you are looking forward to buying any of the above-mentioned trailer hitches, you can personally visit any brick-and-mortar store that sells trailer hitches in Canada. But in case you want anything from the comfort of your home, you can search “Trailer Hitches For Sale” or “trailer hitches Canada”, you will find some highly reliable online platforms that sell RV parts including trailer hitches. This can be your online destination for ordering any of the above-mentioned hitch types and the associated accessories.
How Do You Choose the Right Hitch?
Choosing the right type and style of hitch is very important and simple but if you are doing it for the first time, you may have some questions in your minds such as the right model, size, brand and installation? For this purpose, you need to consider a few things.
Have a Look at Your Vehicle
Choosing the right hitch primarily depends on the year, make, model and sub-model of your vehicle. If you use this criterion, you will be able to find a custom fit hitch which is easier to install, have the maximum towing capacity and an appealing look that goes with the features of the vehicle.
Consider the Trailer Hitch Aesthetics
Although for many RVers aesthetics are not very important when it comes to tow hitch but it does make a lot of difference. It can come in round tubing or square tubing and it can be a concealed or an exposed hitch. The choice is all yours according to your preference.
Consider the Towing Potential of Hitch
If you often tow heavier vehicles, you should consider buying a hitch that is a higher-rated hitch and a larger trailer hitch receiver. For people who only tow light-duty trailers or intend to use the hitch receiver for cargo carrying, even a small trailer hitch proves to be sufficient.
Consider the Availability of Trailer Hitch Accessories
After you’ve selected a hitch receiver vehicle, you will have to find some supporting accessories to make this all work for you. For example you will need to purchase a ball mount, trailer hitch ball, hitch lock and wiring harness. For this reason, you should choose something that can be easily found along with the required accessories. Usually, an RV parts shop such as The Hitch Shop or RV parts Canada with trailer towing hitches can help you with providing all the necessary tools and accessories along with the hitch you want.
Check the Ball Mount and Size
Ball mounts play a significant role when it comes to establishing a safe connection between your trailer and your hitch. There are some trailer hitch kits that come with a complementing unit ball mount but this may not always be the case. So it’s important that when you source a ball mount, you check its capacity and weight rating. It is also good to look at its shank and the leveling heights.
Consider a Reliable Towing Equipment Provider
Towing a recreational vehicle can only add to your beautiful memories if you are able to get a sturdy and durable trailer hitch. For this you should always consider purchasing a branded one and a dealer that can be trusted and approached easily in case of any defects and delays.
Weight-distribution Hitches
A weight distribution hitch changes the point where the weight from the trailer is shifted to the vehicle. Instead, that weight gets centered on the point of connection between trailer and vehicle, this hitch divides the weight around vehicle axles and trailer and thus improves the safety, stability, and control.
One great example of a weight-distribution hitch is Ea-Z-Lift 800 lbs Elite Bent Bar Weight Distributing Hitch by Camco 48052
What is an Adjustable Trailer Hitch and a Drop Hitch?
Sometimes you want a type of hitch that can help you tow various types of trailers and trucks. In this case, you can get an adjustable hitch that allows you to comfortably adjust the hitch according to the towing applications. Certainly, the benefit of this type is saving money in buying multiple hitches for each trailer or vehicle you tow. One example of an adjustable trailer hitch is the Adjustable Receiver Hitch Stainless Steel Face 6 In by Trimax TRZ6SFP
As far as the drop hitch is concerned, you may need it in some cases. For example, in case the height of your hitch is more as compared to your coupler height, your trailer coupler will become too low for the hitch receiver. Here you can overcome this issue by using an In drop hitch or a tow ball mount with a drop. The measurement of the drop depends on the difference that exists between the height of the hitch and coupler height.
Conclusion
Receiver hitches are the most important parts when it comes to RV towing or even towing for other purposes. Luckily, Canadian hitches and Canadian towing equipment is considered highly reliable and easily available. For example, if you want a trailer hitch in Calgary, you can easily search, choose and order online. The required product will be delivered at your door steps. However do not forget to do a little research about what actually suits you and your vehicle. There are many online RV parts shops that can also help you with providing any other towing accessories that you may include Fifth Wheel To Gooseneck Adapter.