R.V. Lifestyles

Experts weigh in on towing.

There is a lot more to towing a trailer than just hooking it up to your vehicle and driving down the road. Before you hit the road with your new trailer or fifth-wheel this year, it is a good idea to make sure that you have the right equipment for the job.

When choosing a tow vehicle, it's wise to look at both horsepower and torque ratings.

When choosing a tow vehicle, it's wise to look at both horsepower and torque ratings. "The torque gets you going, the horsepower keeps you going. A half-ton to a three-quarter-ton pickup will serve most families. Not only do they have a decent gross vehicle weight, it should handle a typical trailer.

The most common mistake motorists make when towing for the first-time is to get overly ambitious and to tow too big a trailer with too small a vehicle, says Chris Wille, vice-president of Victoria Automatic Transmission. "They just burn out their transmissions."

Wille says most new vehicles have transmissions that stand up very well to towing, especially if they are equipped with a trailer towing package that includes an automatic transmission cooler.

While pickup trucks and SUVs make the best towing vehicles, he says minivans and some rear-wheel-drive sedans tackle the burden of a trailer with no problem. But he cautions owners of front-wheel-drive cars attempting to do the same.

"Front-wheel-drive cars are not made for towing. These cars and transmissions are designed for fuel economy," says Wille. "The planetary gears and the final drive are too small and won't stand up well."

Finally, it is important to equip the tow vehicle with the proper hitch. There are different sizes of load equalizers for different weight trailers. From tent trailers and up. For short box trucks there are

Drivers should perform preventive maintenance before hooking up the trailer for the annual camping trip.

Check the condition of the wheel bearings -- insufficient grease can cause the bearings to seize;
Check and adjust trailer brakes;
Check for corroded electrical connections -- these affect brake and direction indicator lights;
Tire pressure -- low tire pressure can lead to overheating, loss of control and early blow-outs.

Common Towing Terms

Maximum Gross Trailer Weight: The most weight a vehicle can safely tow.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): Maximum recommended weight of a vehicle. This includes weight of vehicle with fuel and other fluids, passengers and all cargo.
Curb weight: Weight of vehicle including full tank of fuel.
Vehicle Payload: Combined maximum weight of cargo and passengers a vehicle can carry. To calculate, take Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and subtract the Curb Weight.

Trailer Hitch Classifications

Class I: 907 kg (2,000 pounds) Gross trailer weight (GTW)
Class II: 1,587 kg (3,500 pounds) Gross trailer weight (GTW)
Class III: 2,267 kg (5,000 pounds) Gross trailer weight (GTW)
Class IV: 3,400 kg (7,500 pounds) Gross trailer weight (GTW)
Class V: 4,535 kg (10,000 pounds) Gross trailer weight (GTW)

RV provides family link to nature

Takes stress and cost out of family travel

Joan van Dolder's son was born seven weeks early, but that didn't stop the Edmonton mom from taking the baby boy and his five-year-old sister RVing when he was just six weeks old.

The affordability of RVing is one reason why RV sales have increased 63 per cent over the past three years, despite record high gas prices.

While camping with a preemie may strike fear into the hearts of some new parents, van Dolder quickly discovered the fresh air in Jasper had the same effect on a newborn as it does on her.

"He had not been sleeping through the night, but out there he slept eight hours a night," remembers van Dolder, the author of the recently released RVing with Kids 12 Months a Year: The How-to Book of Family RVing.

"It's the best way to travel with babies," she adds. "There's so little to do when you're out camping.

"You have so much time to just snuggle."

Eleven years and another two kids later, van Dolder is still RVing with her whole family 12 months a year. They find travelling with their 23-foot hard-top trailer more affordable -- and more accommodating to their large family's ever-changing schedule -- than staying in hotels.

Van Dolder recalls a family trip to the Dominican Republic complete with pre-flight jitters, plane delays, and three kids who badly needed to use the bathroom just as the plane was supposed to take off.

"I said to myself, 'Never again!'"

The affordability of RVing is one reason why RV sales have increased 63 per cent over the past three years despite record high gas prices, says Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, spokeswoman for Gorving.ca, an industry website, pointing to figures from Statistics Canada.

In 2007, RV sales were up 13 per cent, with Alberta and Quebec leading the growth, according to Statistics Canada.

"An RV is a vehicle," explains Fortin LeFaivre, "But that's not its main purpose."

Campground fees average around $25-$30 a night, while cooking three meals a day can save families -- especially ones as big as van Dolder's -- a great deal more money.

For van Dolder's family, the value of RVing is so much more than a few dollars saved.

"It's much more fun," she says. "I can't imagine being in a hotel with kids for a week."

When she first started RVing with her kids, van Dolder's aim was to encourage an appreciation for the environment.

"Nature has always been my place to get in touch with myself," she says.

"It's such a beautiful gift -- and I wanted to share it with my kids."

Van Dolder's new book on RVing with kids offers plenty of support for parents with the same aims -- including packing lists, menu suggestions and a three-day packing strategy -- to alleviate some of the stresses of planning for a road trip.

Camping with toddlers can be very difficult, notes van Dolder. When her kids were younger, she remembers tying a bear bell to the little ones -- not in order to to scare off any animals, but so she and her husband could track down the child quickly if he or she wandered too far.

As her kids get older, van Dolder keeps them interested in RVing by assigning them jobs such as trip photographer.

Now their family trips are a way to reconnect away from the stresses of life in the city, far from school politics, jobs, and electronic overload.

"Our lives are so busy, and often we don't have time to have dinner together," she says.

"But out there, the kids have to play together.

"You're not racing off to do something. And you start talking."