One of the most important parts of having a drama-free experience as a camper owner is having a fixed routine, whether it is the checklist of things to have in the camper before you head out, the security measures you will take, or the things you do to hook up and hit the road. Since we had never owned a travel trailer before we bought our Happier Camper HC1, we learned everything on the fly - which ultimately worked out just fine but I really wish we had a checklist of things to do before we pulled out of the drive. There are still gouges in the driveway asphalt at our previous house because I tried to move the camper with the stabilizers down (sorry babe!) so here is a quick list of things we do before we pull out of the driveway to help you avoid the ‘what’s that noise?’ moment.
First, make sure the chocks are behind the camper wheels so it won’t move while you hook it up. We didn’t even HAVE chocks when we picked up our HC1 at Happier Camper in Los Angeles and drove cross country. It wasn’t the worst mistake we made and a rock will do in a pinch, but I recommend that you get chocks before you pick up or use the camper.
Take up the stabilizers - use the crank handle (it looks sort of like a tire iron) to bring the stabilizers up. Chances are you will need to move the trailer around a bit to get it on to the ball hitch and having the stabilizers up gives you the play that you will need.
Back your car up so it is close to the hitch. Our car has a rear camera to help you back up and it gives a clear line of sight so you can back up directly under the trailer hitch. But if you don’t have a car with a rear camera, it’s still very easy, particularly if you are on a flat grade. Back up and get as close as you feel comfortable to the hitch. The trailer is light weight so if you need to shimmy it forward to get closer to the car you will be fine. Once you’ve backed up the car, turn off the engine so you aren’t sucking in car fumes for the next step, set the hand brake and walk back to the trailer.
Before you drop the trailer on to the ball, make sure the hitch clasp is released - it should be pointing straight up (see highly technical illustration below). Position the trailer coupler from the camper over the trailer ball. Use the handle on the trailer jack and turn it to start to lower the camper coupler on to the ball. This sometimes takes us a couple of tries and we either have to shimmy the trailer a bit for it to drop down firmly on the trailer ball or we crank the trailer back up, move it a bit, then lower it again. Don’t worry, you will get it in place!
Once you have the coupler on the ball, push down the trailer clasp so it is flat and insert the safety pin. Your HC1 or HCT will come with a standard safety pin, but you could choose to use an actual lock instead of the pin for additional security. We use the standard pin when towing but upgraded to a coupler lock to make it harder to steal when we are at the campground (see the Security Article for more security-related info).
If you have the HC1, the next step is to crank the adjustable wheel jack all the way up, pull the pin and swing it so that the small wheel that was formerly taking the weight of the front of the trailer is up and locked into place perpendicular from the ground. If you have the HCT, crank up the wheel jack and pull the pin to release the fly wheel completely. At this point you can move the camper without ripping anything off.
Once you have the trailer attached to your tow vehicle, you need to hook up the chains and break away cable. There is one chain for each side of your trailer hitch on your vehicle. Cross them underneath the hitch (do it a couple of times if they are long as you don’t want them to drag) and secure them to the back of your tow vehicle. Attach the break away cable to the tow hitch with the carabiner. The break away cable is there in case your trailer disconnects from your tow vehicle - this will cause a pin to pull out to activate the trailer brakes.
Now plug in the 7-pin (shown as the trailer wiring harness above) from the camper to your tow vehicle. If you are using a brake controller - we have this one - attach it to the 7-pin and then this will plug into your tow vehicle. It’s really important that this does not drag on the ground, so if you need to, use some zip ties to attach it loosely to the coupler to keep it off the ground.
Now it’s time to walk around the trailer to check that everything is good to go.
Are your stabilizers up?
Doors locked?
Is the step into the camper put back into place?
Gray water container unhooked and the port capped?
Windows closed and locked?
CHECK YOUR LIGHTS - if there are two of you traveling, have someone sit in the driver’s seat and test that the brakes and blinkers work while the other person stands behind the trailer to verify. If you are solo, bounce back and forth from the car to the camper to check. You don’t want to miss this step.
And that’s it! You are ready to hit the road, secure in the knowledge that your camper is properly attached to your tow vehicle and that you can safely make your way to your next camping adventure. Have questions about the above or other topics you’d like to hear more about? Leave a comment below!