As a dad and captain of our adventure, it is imperative to keep my family safe along our travels. When you are a full-time RVer, a safety emergency like a tire blowout, or worse, is not only a considerable inconvenience but could leave you without your home. These eight safety tips will help keep your family safe while full-time living in an RV.
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Safety Tip #1: Get the right Tow Vehicle for your RV
First and foremost, it’s essential to choose the correct Tow Vehicle (TV) to tow your travel trailer or Fifth-Wheel RV. Check the towing capacity of your truck and be sure to keep your Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) at or below what is listed for your RV. We chose the Ford F350 Diesel DRW (Dual Rear Wheels) as our Tow Vehicle. A Single Rear Wheel (SRW) would have worked, but the DRW gave us the extra rubber on the road in the rear to increase the overall stability and handling. The 6.7L Diesel gave us the necessary capability to move up (horsepower) and down (engine/exhaust brake) the highways throughout our journey. Too many times, we see campers with TVs at the maximum GVWR with their RV. While this may work for occasional weekend trips, without having wiggle room in tow capacity can leave a fulltime vulnerable for all kinds of bad juju.
Safety Tip #2: The Right Hitch
Our F350 came equipped with the Fifth-wheel Tow Prep package making it easy and safe to install the B&W Companion hitch. We researched several types and brands of fifth-wheel hitches and decided on the USA Made B&W Companion after reviewing its safety record and receiving positive input for our RV Dealer at Lazy Days RV in Tampa. Be sure to remember the bed length is an essential factor when choosing a hitch. Short Beds often require a sliding fifth-wheel hitch to prevent the nose of your RV from contacting the rear of the truck cab on severe turns. Ouch!
If you are in a travel trailer, make sure you have the right ball for your trailer hitch, and it fits securely without wobble. Also, make sure always to secure the safety chains when towing in the event the trailer were to come loose or bounce off the hitch.
Safety Tip #3: Check the tires, lug nuts, and axles regularly
It’s imperative to monitor all the components closest to the ground closely. Tires, wheels, and axles should be checked before departure on every travel day. Our travel day checklist includes checking the tire pressure when the tires are cold on both the TV and the RV. Using a torque wrench to ensure the lug nuts are tight on the RV, and then visually inspecting the RV axles and related components to ensure all is as it should be. The tires on large trucks and fifth-wheel RV’s have higher than usual PSI ratings, so an air compressor like the VIAIR 450P-RV Silver Automatic Portable Compressor is essential equipment as standard portable compressors won’t work. We also like to monitor the tire pressure on the RV with a tire pressure measurement system, which can give you an early indication of over-inflation or under-inflation, which can change while on the road.
Another way to make sure your tires stay healthy is to reduce your speed. We have seen many blowouts and heard horror stories of “china bombs” (an industry term for tires deemed low quality made in China). Then frequently see RV’s blowing past us on the freeway. We keep our speed at a consistent 65 mph. Can the tires handle more speed? Probably. But tire blowouts cause significant damage to the RV, not just the tire. And going an extra 10 or 15 miles faster isn’t worth the risk. Set your cruise control to 60 or 65 and enjoy the view.
Safety Tip #4: Be Prepared
It is always safe to assume while fulltime RVing, something unusual will happen from time to time while on the road – so be prepared. Here is a list of items we have onboard just in case:
- First Aid Kit – we keep one in the truck, one in the rig, and have a tiny one for day trips on a hike.
- Work Gloves – we keep a set of work gloves for greasy or rough jobs. We also keep a box of disposable gloves for sewer hookups. I also like to keep knee pads on hand.
- Lug Wrench – make sure your lug nut fits all the nuts as the truck and trailer as they will have different sizes.
- Hydraulic Bottle Jack – normally comes with the truck
- Orange Safety Cones – I like these as they collapse
- Reflective Safety Vest – thank you Grand Design for the vest!
- Roadside Assistance Membership – There are a number of roadside assistance programs on the market. Do your research. We have Good Sam & Progressive but haven’t had to use either yet (knock on wood!)
Safety Tip #5: Take your time
Being in a hurry on a travel day is never a good idea. Make sure you allow enough time for the activities that occur on travel day, which include all of the safety checks as mentioned earlier, taking the appropriate amount of rest stops, and driving at or below the speed limit and never over 65 mph. The benefits of keeping your speed down include improved reaction time and tire preservation. RV Tires are working hard on travel days. Higher speeds mean higher tire temperatures, which is a leading cause of blowouts – take it slow and enjoy the journey!
“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” – Military saying
And take your time on camp set-up and take-down. Make sure to follow a checklist. (If you don’t have one, we created one you could copy and use as needed.) Skipping just one step can mean damaging your rig, truck, or body. When we hurry, we tend to have accidents, and stubbed toes or bumped heads hurt. Slow down, and methodically put away or set up camp. Taking your time means less chance of leaving behind something too!
Safety Tip #6: Fire Extinguishers
Not much to say here, but to have easily accessible, strategically placed fire extinguishers in your Tow Vehicle and RV. We have Fire Extinguishers like these placed in the truck bed, in the RV basement area near the propane tanks, and in the kitchen area of the RV. Also, be sure to check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detector and batteries are in good working order.
Safety Tip #7: Campground Safety
We have found campgrounds to be relatively safe. But again, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Keep your property locked up, use a hitch lock (yes, entire RV’s can be stolen), make sure the bed of your truck is covered to secure items stored there. We have even heard of complete hitches stolen from the truck bed. Lock up bikes and other valuable around camp when you leave camp or at night, lock your doors, including bay doors on generators or propane tanks. Keep the porch light on all night. (Please be considerate and don’t leave front dome/nose lights on all night). If, for some reason, your campsite is odd-shaped or you are creating a slight hazard extending into the road, put out safety cones to alert other campers of potential risks.
Safety Tip #8: Personal Protection
Personal protection is a matter of choice. If you choose to have a firearm, check local laws, ensure you have the proper training, and keep the gun locked up and stored safely away from children both in the vehicle and the RV. We have a baseball bat stored next to our bed. It may not be 100% effective, but it sure helps with the peace of mind factor.
Safety is always important. Remaining vigilant on these few safety tips will help your family have safe travels and Bright Dais Ahead!
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