Randy Murray goes over some of the features you will find on your tow vehicle if it is equipped with a tow package, as well as some safety tips when traveling down the road. For more info: petesrvcenter.com

Randy starts off at the back of his Ford F-250 explaining to us some of the features a manufacturer installed tow package include such as a hitch receiver, transmission cooler and Bargman 7 plug. The round Bargman 7 plug is responsible for all of your trailer lights while also providing a charge line for your batteries and controlling your trailer brakes. The manufacturer name should be on the plug cover to help indicate that it is a factory installed, prewired tow package.

Heading around to the drivers door Randy points out the payload capacity sticker which tells us how much weight can be loaded into the truck. The weight rating includes driver, passengers and equipment so don't forget to factor this in when considering your trailers tongue weight.

Inside Randy's F-250 we start off by looking at the brake controller. The brake controller has a slide bar which will apply power to the brakes accordingly to how the it is slid. It also has a plus (+) and minus (-) button to control gain which is how much braking is applied to the trailer with normal depressing of the brake pedal. Some vehicles, such as some half ton trucks, may have a hitch receiver and Bargman 7 plug which means it is prewired but just needs a brake controller installed.

Randy then moves on to explain Tow/Haul mode and how it helps you when hauling your RV down the road. This mode changes how the vehicle shifts so that you can get up to speed and stay there without working the transmission too hard or causing it to overheat. Tow/Haul mode will also help to slow down by downshifting to help preserve and not over work the brakes on both the truck and trailer. SAFETY TIP: You DO NOT want to use cruise control when towing! Your truck is going to try to downshift, which applied more gas, to maintain the speed that you have set it at and it could potentially break traction in wet or slippery conditions.

Pete's RV Center is an extraordinary recreational vehicle dealer with locations in South Burlington, VT, Plainville, MA, Schererville, IN, and South Windsor, CT. An RV sales, parts, and service provider since 1952, Pete's RV Center carries an extensive inventory of Keystone as well as Crossroads, Heartland, Airstream, Jayco, and Forest River RV-branded campers.