You can tow the pop-up campers with a car, but all models are not suitable for this purpose. The car’s towing capacity depends on the trailer’s weight, braking capabilities, engine power, and suspension type.
Can You Tow a Pop-Up Camper With a Car? You can tow a pop-up camper with a car if its weight is less than 1800 pounds. However, it is necessary to consider the car’s towing capacity, suspension and tires, weight distribution, compatibility of the hitch and coupler, and GVWR of the camper.
On average, cars can easily tow 6000 to 7500 pounds of weight depending on their models, manufacturing brand, road and driving conditions, and quality of their several components. Small-sized cars, minivans, and SUVs can easily haul small foldable campers.
How do you tow a Pop-Up camper with a car?
It is necessary to carefully tow the pop-up campers with cars to ensure safety on the road. Park both on the leveled ground surface for a safe hauling procedure.
Move towards the back side of your hauling vehicle and check the presence of a trailer hitch. Install the hitch if it is not pre-installed by getting help from the expert.
Add the hitch in the receiver and secure it with a cotter pin. Crank up its front side and raise it according to the height of the hitch that is installed on the hauling vehicle.
Use a backup camera and reverse your car to align the coupler under the receiver. Lower your camper to position the coupler inside the hitch, and then lock these components with hitch pins to secure their connection.
Attack the safety chains on the anchor points present in your car. Safety chains are the backup security components that keep your RVs connected with your towing vehicle.
Connect its electric connectors with the car’s electric system and then test the brake and tailgate lights to ensure the proper electric connections.
Adjust the side mirror of your vehicle for better visibility of the side and rear-view during driving.
Is it safe to tow a pop-up camper with a car?
Pop-up campers are smaller in size than trailers and other larger RVs, so you can safely haul them with smaller vehicles.
On average, cars have a towing capacity of about 8000 pounds, and these foldable campers only weigh about 1800 to 2800 pounds.
These cannot damage the tires and braking system of the hauling vehicles when you attach them properly and carefully. However, all cars cannot pull them because of their low towing capacity.
Why would you tow a pop-up camper with a car?
Many people prefer pop-up campers for their family trips instead of larger trailers because of their smaller size and easy towing with cars. It can improve your camping experience because you need less effort and time for hauling.
Smaller size and weight
People prefer to tow these small-sized foldable campers with their cars because of their smaller size and lighter weight than larger trailers and RVs.
These are specifically designed to make the camping experience comfortable. These are compact size and made of lightweight material to decrease the overall weight.
Moreover, people prefer them because of their affordable price range relative to larger trailers and motorhomes. These are the best choices for you if you plan a trip with your family and friends.
Save fuel cost
People prefer to tow the small campers with cars instead of larger vehicles to enhance fuel efficiency. Smaller vehicles are more fuel efficient as compared to larger ones.
Larger vehicles, including pickup trucks and SUVs, are not fuel efficient because of their larger size and weight. The engine needs less power and fuel from the combustion chamber to move small cars.
You can also save fuel costs when pulling a camper with them. In addition, maintenance of small-sized vehicles after towing is less costly as compared to larger pickup trucks.
Easy maneuverability
Cars provide better maneuverability instead of larger trucks and SUVs.
In addition, you can also explore the areas that are difficult to navigate with larger trucks and SUVs because of the narrow roads.
You can easily navigate with them on narrow roads and crowded places. Moreover, you can easily park them in the limited-space campgrounds.
Some camping spots are specially designed for smaller vehicles, and you can easily accommodate cars and foldable campers.
Things to consider while towing a Pop-up camper with a car
It is necessary to consider the different factors in towing pop-up campers with cars safely.
Towing capacity shows how much weight you can safely haul with your vehicle. Most of the latest cars have a towing capacity of more than 8000 pounds, so you can also attack large trailers with them.
These campers only weigh 1800 to 2400 pounds.
You can read the owner’s manual to get enough information about the towing capacity of your vehicle. Moreover, you can also get help from manufacturers and see VINs.
GVWR is the camper’s total weight when it is fully equipped and contains all of the accessories. It is necessary to ensure that its weight does not exceed the towing capacity of your vehicle.
Ensure proper weight distribution on the interior by properly arranging the furniture and other devices. Incorrect weight distribution increases tipping over chances and accidents while driving.
Check the compatibility of the coupler and hitch. Ensure the car’s hitch and camper’s coupler are the same size, weight, and quality.
Inspect your towing vehicle’s suspension, braking system, and tires for safe driving. Ensure that all these components are in good condition and useful for towing.
Moreover, I always prefer to check the fuel tank, side view mirror, and environmental conditions for safe driving.
What cars are suitable for towing a Pop-up camper?
Subaru Outback is best for pulling pop-up campers because of the presence of a four-cylinder engine with 175hp power. Moreover, the 2015 models of Volvo S60 and Buick Verano are also best because of their higher towing capacity and powerful engines.
Ford Fusion is also best for this purpose, which can tow approximately 2000 pounds of weight. It shows you can only pull the RVs less than 2000 pounds with them.
Chevrolet Impala and Dodge Dart are also best for hauling RVs because of their powerful automatic transmission system.
One of my friends has a Chevrolet Camaro and shared his camping experience with me. He told me that his car has a V8 engine with 426hp engine power, which can be best for towing.
Can a 4 cylinder car pull a pop-up camper?
4-cylinder cars are famous because of 4 cylinders in the engine. It shows that these contain 4 fuel injectors and cylinders to power the engine.
A 4-cylinder engine is more reliable in terms of its ignition. These are more reliable because of the better fuel efficiency and lighter weight.
Pop-up campers are lighter, smaller, and easy to pull with 4-cylinder vehicles instead of 6-cylinders. These engines have sufficient power to pull the smaller campers weighing only 1800 to 2000 pounds.
These cannot haul larger trailers that need a more powerful engine for comfortable towing.
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