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Although there are several unique driving and towing tips when comparing driving a motorhome with a “toad” and driving a truck pulling a trailer, there are many generic tips and tricks that pertain to both. For the past 10 years I’ve conducted driving seminars throughout the country and not only do I get new owners or people looking to buy for the first time, but I am amazed at the number of seasoned veterans I get to attend the class. And they all say the same thing; “I learned some new things and did not realize some of the changes in road use laws”!
Before You Ever Hit The Road
Over the years I have seen too many customers jump in the driver and passenger seats and take to the open road with the mindset; “I can drive anything”. Driving a motorhome or towing a trailer is not difficult, it’s just different and you need to be prepared for those differences. For the new owner, get to know your rig before pulling out into the wide open spaces. Take a tape measure and actually measure the height, width, and length and write them down! What is printed in the brochure is not correct and it’s important to know how tall your rig is before you try to test the low clearance sign! I can guarantee if you see a sign that says 12’6” and your rig is 13’2”, it will be 12’6” when you come out!!! I also recommend you weigh the rig and put all the information on a label on the visor or dash for quick reference.
Next, take some time to sit in the driver’s seat and get familiar with all the functions such as the windshield wiper button, speed control, even the radio. You don’t want to fumble around at the last minute finding these things. Position your seat in a manner you can see the dash, especially the speedometer and can see your mirrors. I’ve seen way too many motorhomes that have the “A” pillar or window bar in the line of site. You may need to adjust the seat to a different position or even move the mirror. Now adjust your mirrors with the inside inch showing the side of the rig. For truck owners, purchase a quality set of towing mirrors rather than the add-on kind, they do not stay tight and will jiggle horribly and you will not be able to see. You need the mirrors out far enough to see the sides. Adjust the main mirror so you can see the floorline of the unit and use the convex to see the wheels. This will give you the best field of vision and the fewest blind spots. Now have someone walk around the rig to see where your blind spots are located.
Practice In A Safe Environment
One of the most important components in driving is negotiating the right hand turn. It’s easier to make a left hand turn as you have open real estate, the right hand turn has the curb and obstacles in the way. So you will need to understand how your rig cuts with the back wheels and how your trailer tracks behind your truck. Typically bumper towed trailers track or follow the tow vehicle closer than 5th wheels and motorhomes. You need to know how far into the turn you have to go to safely make the corner. City streets are typically 12’ wide so find a parking lot at a large church during the week or a Junior College on the weekends and place cones at 12’ and then make a corner with more. Practice making the corner and soon you will find how far to go before starting the turn.
Keep in mind there are times you will not be able to make a “legal” right hand turn, meaning starting in the inside right hand lane and turning into the inside right hand lane. Due to traffic, a tight curb, or other obstacles, you may need to move slightly into the left lane like semi trucks do or take up some room on the left lane after the turn. It’s easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble meaning…be prepared. Look ahead, if you know the turn is coming, scan the area to see if you might have a tight fit and need to steal a little space from another lane. Looking ahead will allow you to determine if you do it on the first part of the turn or the second due to traffic. Being prepared and planning ahead will help tremendously.
Stay In The Middle Of The Road
Most first timers have a tendency to hug the right side of the road with the passenger almost riding on the shoulder! When they first start driving, they place themselves just like driving a car or truck, however, you are now driving or pulling an 8.5 foot RV and it’s much wider. Use the white line on the right side and the center line on the left to gauge where “center” is. You do not want to drop the wheels off a high shoulder and come back up to fast. If you do drop off, slow down and wait for a good opportunity to bring the unit back onto the road with less height.
Stayed tuned for Part 2 where we will discuss your RV tires and weight ratings.
About the author:
Dave Solberg: Managing Editor, RV Repair Club
For the last 25 years, Dave has conducted RV maintenance and safety seminars, developed dealer and owner training programs, written RV safety and handyman articles, authored an RV handbook reference guide and logged over 100,000 miles on the road in an RV.
RV Repair Club is your go-to online resource for enthusiasts who want quality RV maintenance, repair, and upgrade information – a community where passionate RVers can come together to gather knowledge and share their experiences.
Learn more about RV Repair Club.
W.B., Green Cove Springs, FL ~ “We didn’t need a tow but needed a new tire brought to our location. Coach-Net coordinated it very well.”
People are getting ready to enjoy camping the minute it warms up. Some of you are out there right now! You can already smell the campfire and taste the s’mores, but first things first – before taking your RV out for its inaugural adventure of the season, be sure to take the proper steps to de-winterize it.
There is something very calming about driving down the road in an RV – that is until you encounter that unwelcome rattle or broken dish. This experience is made even worse when the damage occurs in a trailer in tow and the resulting mess is not discovered until you make camp.
Before setting out on that “Maiden Voyage” with your brand new, or new to your RV, there are some things you should know and be prepared for. Here are some little tips and tricks the seasoned RVer learns the hard way such as campground restrictions, where to find dump stations, great gadgets you should never leave home without, and much more.
Something unusual happened this past winter that rarely happens here in Vancouver. We found ourselves in a snowy deep-freeze. Although most of the rest of Canada and many areas of the United States would find our 15-degree Fahrenheit temperature and 3 feet of snow laughable, it is something that rarely happens here on the West Coast. We normally enjoy fairly mild winters with very little snow, in fact, it is uncommon to get much below freezing.
Make sure you have propane in your LP tank instead of butane. While propane will continue to vaporize down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, butane condenses at around 32 degrees Fahrenheit so it will start to become ineffective below freezing. If your RV is equipped with electric heat such as heat strips or a heat pump, use it as much as possible and minimize furnace use. Although electric heat is less efficient and doesn’t work well at very low temperatures, it is effective as a supplement to gas heat and will save propane. NEVER use your stove or oven to heat an RV.
Most RV owners either head South when the temperatures hit below freezing or tuck their units in for a long winter’s nap. However, with better insulation, dual pane windows, and basement heat, more brave souls are hitting the powder and experiencing other winter activities. During my seminars, I ask the audience how many people are going to camp in the winter and it’s surprising how many raise their hands. Then I like to joke with them and ask how many are going to camp in the winter where it’s warm??? You may not want to camp all winter long in freezing temperatures, but what about taking a late Fall trip into the mountains or early spring? You can still run into some freezing weather and should be prepared and know a few tricks.
For water, I drained all the tanks and blew out the lines with compressed air. Make sure you turn the air compressor down to 30 psi or you will be replacing a few fittings…I learned the hard way! Also, put a small amount of RV antifreeze down the sink drains as there is a “P” trap underneath that is designed to hold water and prevent odors from coming up from the tank into the rig. If there is water in the trap, it will freeze as well. Then I carry a few gallon jugs of water placed in the shower pan to use the toilet and dump a gallon of RV antifreeze in the shower pan and toilet. We use the sanitized wipes or gel to wash our hands so there is no need for water from the sink faucet as well. Keep in mind, if you use the sanitized wipes or gel with paper towels DO NOT THROW THEM INTO THE TOILET! They do not dissolve and will cause problems. Keep a small plastic shopping bag handy to throw them away.
Towable RV owners know that factory-installed brakes don’t always meet our expectations. The electric drum brake systems on our rigs sometimes lack the smooth and reliable stopping power we enjoy in passenger cars and trucks. After messing with our own fifth-wheel’s brake controller one too many times, we decided to take the plunge and invest in an electric over hydraulic trailer disc brake conversion for our 27′ Arctic Fox fifth wheel.
In 
Loosening of the spring tension is manifested as the awning not properly or fully retracting due to the torsional force on the springs being too low. Occasionally one or both of the springs will break, but this is not as common. The springs are located at each end of the awning roller tube and are attached to the end caps. Re-tensioning is not technically difficult, but due to the high spring force that can easily result in personal injury, self-repair is not recommended. If you suspect that your awning has lost spring force, consult your local RV repair facility. Re-tensioning the springs is not an expensive procedure, as it should take a certified technician only a short time to perform.
In Part 1 of this article
One of the many features on an RV that has a tendency to stay “out of sight, out of mind” is the awning. One of the first things we do when we pull into a campsite is extend the awning, and one of the last things we do is retract it. We expect it to faithfully serve and generally don’t have to think about how it works, what to do to maintain it, and how to repair it. This article will present some awning tips for maintenance and repair.
