Category: Driving Safely

 

I bet many of you have recently purchased an RV that is new to you. Please take time to learn your new RV. Every unit is different and unique in it’s own way. Even if you’re like me and you have been driving a 20-24’ and you’re going up or down in size, you need to make sure you are aware of how your new RV handles. The most important thing is to “turn wide”.
Now, if I had only written this blog post last week, RV Nana wouldn’t have had the adventure and excitement when the weekend arrived.  I’ve written about knowing the height limits of your RV. I even went as far as to suggest that you keep it written in plain view on your dash so you can always see it. However, I’ve never written about getting comfortable with your turning radius, where to start your turn and when you should start it…until now. So, last weekend, RV Nana had a little close encounter with a yellow pipe bollard – and I must say, yellow is not my color. It doesn’t match my RV!
I was making a left hand turn when I heard it, and then saw it. I had just kissed the bollard and now RV Nana 3 was paying the price of my incorrect calculation of her turn radius. Of course, my first thought was to not tell a soul that this happened and just take it to the body shop. Bing-Bang-Boom, no one would ever know what happened. Then I thought, “Hey, RV Nana 3 is still relatively new to me and even RV Nana can make a mistake! Plus, this mishap may have just given me an opportunity to help someone else”.

 
Here is what I would strongly suggest: Practice!
It’s just like when you were learning to drive.  Of course, not all of us can remember back that far, so think back to when you taught your kids, or grandchildren to drive. Go out to an empty parking lot and mark off a couple soft turns. I should have done this and used a couple of pop-up trashcans and practiced. I should have practiced enough to where I felt I knew where to start my turns, both right and left, forward and reverse. Then I should have done it a few more times, just to be sure. Again, I should have done this and I wouldn’t have a big yellow mark on the RV.
I strongly recommend that you learn from my mistake.  Go out and practice this, especially when you get a new RV. I’ll tell you from experience, running over the trash can while practicing is way better that getting a giant yellow mark on you RV, big body repair expenses and a dented ego.
Of course, RVing is all in the name of FUN, so have a little and live to learn!

 

 

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PPL Motorhomes knows that towing a trailer of any kind can be a stressful task at times for both newbies and seasoned RVers. One of the most important factors in towing a fifth-wheel is understanding how hitch weights can effect the stability of both your truck and your trailer. Larger hitch weights make the truck itself heavier, but less agile in abrupt maneuvers. It is recommend that fifth-wheel pin weight should be in the range of 15% to 25% of the trailers weight. With the center of gravity more forward, the trailer itself is more stable with a higher hitch weight. With lighter hitch weights, the center of gravity is located closer to the trailer axles and this makes the trailer less stable. However, with a lower weight the truck is more agile. This isn’t necessarily a good thing. You see, the combination of a more agile, lighter truck, and a less stable trailer can actually cause the trailer to skid and swing widely and possibly jackknife.

In the simulation in the video below, they show a double lane change at 65 miles per hour. This essentially simulates an accident-avoidance technique where the driver temporarily enters the adjacent lane and then returns to his original lane. This simulation was calibrated at just s 3% pin weight.

This is something that need to be thought about when you are purchasing your first consignment RV. You have to get the ratios right, or you could end up in a nasty accident. Give PPL Motorhomes a call and we can help you figure out the math, it’s not really as difficult as it sounds. We just want you to be as safe as possible so your RV adventures are filled with wonderful memories and not near accidents.

 

Nothing is more scary than traveling along in your RV enjoying the scenery and then experiencing a sudden loss of tire pressure. Believe me, a tire blowout is something that even the most seasoned RV vets don’t want the surprise of dealing with. When handled improperly, a tire blowout can be extremely dangerous…even catastrophic…resulting in a possible extreme damage to your RV

So, how do you handle a blowout successfully?

Stay cool:

Don’t jerk the steering wheel and resist the urge to jam on the brakes. There are a lot of forces already at work, why add two more?

Accelerate, but only just a bit:

When you accelerate a little, it’s actually easier to maintain control of the vehicle. Hopefully you are already holding the steering wheel firmly at 10 o’clock and two o’clock on the wheel, if not, now would be the time to do that. The idea here is to keep going straight. Now is a good time to focus on breathing too…try to remain calm.

Decelerate & Coast:

Now that you have complete control of your RV, you are going to be slowing down to a coast. While the RV slows, check your mirrors and assess your traffic situation and start thinking about moving to the right.

Apply brakes:

Be gentle here, you have control, keep it by not braking too hard.

Turn on right turn signal:

Why the right? If at all possible, don’t ever stop on the left side of the road. That’s the fastest traffic and is the most dangerous place to be. It’s also the law, so you sort of have to.

Pull over and pat yourself on the back:

Pull your RV off to the side of the road, pat yourself on the back and breathe a sigh of relief…you’ve just survived a blowout.

 

Sounds simple enough, right? Well those of us who’ve experience it would beg to differ. It’s always a shock and it’s always scary. Be prepared and you’ll be less likely to make a mistake when dealing with a tire blowout in your RV.

Do you have any harrowing stories of tire blowouts? Leave me a comment and tell us about your experience.

I got to thinking. I know we got some recently foul weather across the state this year. I wonder if there are any special articles about what to do if your motorhome hydroplanes? I looked and didn’t really find anything, so I’m going to write one. Everyone has heard about the possibility of a hydroplane for any vehicle, and that includes motorhomes. Personally, I have not been exposed to that scenario so this “advice” is subject to correction by any reader at anytime. If you can offer advice, or even correction leave it in the comments section below. It is more than welcome.

The way I would approach a motorhome hydroplaning incident would be the same as I would if I were driving my car. Now I know the weight differential poses a significant variable, but physics is physics. I mean let’s dissect it. Why does it happen? Where does it happen?

It happens on roads that are seeing rainfall for the first time in a while. If your area hasn’t seen significant rainfall recently, dust, dirt, oil, and sand all build up and form a thin, slick, slime on road surfaces. Add water on top of that and you have the perfect condition for the rubber of your tires to lose contact with the pavement. That’s one way. The other is on roadways with poor drainage. In both cases speed can play a role.

Here’s a vintage video on hydroplaning that is pretty descriptive:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Ik6fYMZb8&feature=related

So, slow down in the rain, or just after the first rainfall in a while. Try not to hit the brakes hard, or at all even. DON’T OVER-CORRECT!!! It’s a waste of effort when your tires aren’t even touching the ground. When they finally do, then you careen in the direction you are steering into.

I hope that no one has ever had to handle a RV or Motorhome hydroplane. If you have, leave me a comment and tell me what you did, or didn’t do, in your particular situation. `