When I first started driving a RV, I would drive down the road thinking…”I’m 8 ft wide 30 ft long 12 ft high and don’t stop on a dime.. and took a driving class and watched a lot of videos!

I experienced some trailer sway once, made the poor choice to adjust my seat while driving, older truck with no motorized controls, so I used my left hand to pull the lever that lets the chair move and tried to pull myself forward a bit, but since my right had was on the wheel I jerked the truck to the right suddenly. I managed to get it back under the control but used both lanes of the highway and all the shoulder to do so. After that I always bring the truck and trailer to a complete stop before making any chair adjustments.

Awesome. I have been driving for 32 years now ( professional freight relocation engineer) truck driver. 😊 There is one thing that I like to tell everyone. The difference between 55 and 65 is 1 and 1/2 hrs in a 500 mile day. How bad do you need that hour and a half? Slow down and 90 % of your problems are already solved. And lastly, every road sign out there on the highways are for cars ( unless they have a picture of a truck) if you are pulling an rv , YOU ARE NOT A CAR !!! PLEASE SLOW DOWN .

@RVingWithJoe

8 ай бұрын

Three cheers for that comment!!

@carolmaplesden916

2 ай бұрын

These trucks out west here on I-10 go flying at 70 or higher and I do see alot of wrecks

In truck driver school I was taught that the semi rig needs to drive 5-mph slower than the yellow warning sign in normal conditions.10 if rain or snow. Travel trailers don't handle as well as 53' Semi-Trailers. I'm experienced with both. And yes, brake before the curve because the trailer will continue to push in a straight line and can roll the power unit. Also, if you accelerate slightly through the curve, you will have better control of the trailer. 🚛

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

^ THAT!!! Thanks.

@Bqrufz1

7 ай бұрын

Agreed yellow signs for curves are for cars. That's what I was taught 25 yrs ago. Slower is faster . accidents or incidents take time money paperwork and Lives!

@randyhome1544

4 ай бұрын

After riding the breaks down a snow covered mountain you’re going too fast. That pickup truck should have geared down.

The trailer that passed the highway tractor was directly affected by the air that was being pushed to the side . As soon as he got near the front of the tractor the higher pressure caused the trailer to sway.

Aside to all the great tips you mentioned, always best to be a defense driver looking out for the other guy. Case in point, the 5th wheel sliding down the snowy road in the video, the semi going up the mtn slowed up/pulled over anticipating he was going to loose it coming around the curve.

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

Truck drivers tend to be the best drivers!

I had a 3rd gen firebird - 1982 and up, hooked to a home made car hauler, toting a Caprice Classic Wagon.. I could only get 27 MPH before it all went into un-controllable fish-tails !! Some saintly fella got behind me and ran flashers while I was on 441 and I ran to Apopka then onto slower streets. Never again ran that un-balanced !!

Professional Relocation Logistics Engineer here (retired, 45 years). Remember, anything can pull anything, but can it pull it SAFELY! You always want your tow vehicle to control the trailer, NOT the other way around.

@jazzridez

4 ай бұрын

really?

@-_.._._--_.-.-_-_-_-...-.-

2 ай бұрын

​@@jazzridez yes. Please take it seriously. We don't want to see you in one of these videos.

In my sedan alone I've driven on an icy road like that doing 25-30 mph driving past many blue lights sitting at cars off the road, but hauling that kind of weight is helping shove that truck into speeding up, and go into a slide no matter how much he's trying to slow down!

I love your RAD hat! I got to meet Rudy at the off-road games. He is as friendly in person as he is in his videos.

Good video, good advice. Thank you. BTW, breaking in a curve is not a good idea anytime!

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

Very true! Agreed.

Frequently checking your mirrors helps. If your vehicle pulls a trailer like it is nothing, it is easy to forget that you have something in tow.

Pull up to withdraw $200 and end up owing $200,000. 🤯 Subscribed! Safety first. Much appreciate the video.

@RVingWithJoe

6 ай бұрын

lol thanks for watchin'!

@badgerpa9

4 ай бұрын

They were lucky they did not have their arm out the window as they lost their door.

A must-watch video. Thanks, Joe!

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

Very welcome

We're here with you! Thanks for the show

Thank you. Good lessons for all of us

Good information! We RV'd for ~50 years and many, many thousands of miles and using common sense, never did a bit of damage to any of the 5th wheels we owned. Always had enough tow vehicle and even upgraded brakes (to disc on the last one), suspension and tires just to have that extra margin for safe RVing

@RVingWithJoe

11 ай бұрын

What a great run!! Nice to see you bumping up the safety margin.

@Oo-IIII-oO

5 ай бұрын

Common sense ain't so common

I like "The Tail Wagging The Dog" for these. It astonishes me when people driving normally when they're towing things. Even little ones can ruin your day, but it boggles when it's huge, like a fifth wheel!😳 Even worse, I've only seen one person save it correctly by not steering wildly & slowing down.🤣🤣🤣

@RVingWithJoe

7 ай бұрын

I drill reaching for the trailer brake when I RV to get the muscle memory, Most people wont think to apply the trailer brake in time, when panicking.

I am a firm believer in a RV GPS where you type in your specific RV information. My GPS routes me around low bridges and unsafe roads for my RV. Plus I always double check my height before I leave. Just in case I have to get fuel.

Not an RVer, but enjoyed the video, well done. It's all about Situational Awareness.

Great video!

@RVingWithJoe

8 ай бұрын

Thanks a bunch!

First trip out with my Lance Camper. AC got torn off in a gas station in Barstow CA. The station awning said "14 foot clearance" After I heard the crunch and saw my AC on the ground I grabbed a tape measure and went on my camper roof. 14 my butt! 12ft. That put my AC 1 ft shy of clearing. I sued and won. That Mobil station no longer exists.

@RVingWithJoe

5 ай бұрын

Glad you won that one.

I worked for a rv sales in the early 70s. It was 230 miles from our lot to the coachman rv factory and I made a lot of trips pulling new rvs to our lot. I made up my mind then, that if I had to pull one of on vacation with me I would stay home!

There was a study done in Europe on tow vehicle/trailer stability. What they found was the higher the speed, the more unstable the combination is. With that in mind, you can often feel the instability before it gets out of control. At that point, you need to ease off of the gas pedal and drive slower. Unfortunately, this is counter to human instincts. When a human encounters a potentially dangerous situation, it triggers a flight instinct. That results in the driver going even faster, often not even realizing it. I encountered this once following a friend of mine. Fortunately we had two ways radios that I utilized to save him from impending disaster.

With regards to the RV crash at around the 5:00 mark, I have witnessed this first hand! I was driving north on I-25 through Wyoming in a passenger car. I saw TWO semis get blown off the road, right onto their sides. Fortunately, the wind was west to east and the trailers ended up on the right side of the highway. Those of us in low-wind-resistance vehicles were able to get around them AND no one was hurt. But - WOW - that was weird. Until many years later, when I started driving a semi truck myself. I was driving westward on I-90 through Idaho. The wind was blowing from the south. I checked my mirrors and found that I was in the right lane, but my trailer was on the shoulder! Fortunately, I saw it before I became a wind casualty myself and pulled over. I contacted my dispatcher, explained the situation, and they gave me permission to pull into the next available designated truck parking area and stop for the night. My load was delayed, but it arrived intact!

In 2013 we stopped for a TT rollover crash & the father said he was driving which we doubted because the 14yo boy’s head injury (“just a flesh wound”) was more in line with the driver’s area damage than the passenger side. The father didn’t have any noticeable injuries. (I attended as a first aider). They were very fortunate. It was somewhere in the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, I believe there was a crosswind also. Absolutely no trees or hills to block the wind. Inexperienced driver vs. wind & the wind won. While we doubt the father’s story, that was for the Sheriff to figure that out.

11'8" bridge raised to 12' still doesn't fit a 13'3" trailer!!! Then the one at the fueling station... So many places don't have the height labeled. Way too many don't! "Tow/Dually police here..... So many drive WAY too small a tow vehicle for what they are towing. It's not a matter of being able to pull something, it's a matter of stopping it and/or keeping it under control! I use to drive for hours in our family car, heading to the long distance destination. I gave all that up when we got ourselves in our full time 5'r, 43footer. Now, instead of driving through the night, I stop before dark and don't drive more than, around 5 hours before my irritation kicks in from the 4 wheelers out there or dealing with traffic. No more night time driving for me and I loved it... only me and the big trucks on the road was so peaceful...

My husband was an over the road truck driver. He said when exiting a highway you should drive half the posted speed limit. RV'ers need to have some training. Most don't.

@RVingWithJoe

6 ай бұрын

Half is probably the safest bet.

2:19 was a snuff video cos that truck was CRUSHED!

@RVingWithJoe

6 ай бұрын

Your concern is warranted but I am happy to report that this man and his son survived www.kltv.com/story/8694140/driver-speaks-out-about-bank-awning-crash/?outputType=amp

Road signs and the lines on the road will tell you everything you need to know. Everything else is paying attention to your rig and the drivers around you. And weather of coarse.

Wow!

None of the flipped RV’s had sway bars 😂. Number one lesson should be don’t pull a RV trailer without them. 🍻

That winter mountain driving on that curve should have been more like 20 mph.

Not just that if you win, if it's a windy area, drive slower in the first place, don't drive fast or pull over and wait till the wind dies down. That's what I'm gonna do I love these things are avoidable, but people wanna drive fast like a 40 foot trailer? You don't have a foot for trailer, you have Arv competitor so you go slow with it. Don't go over the sleeves, speed limit and try to go 7080 miles an hour. You will, you will fish tail?

A smart man learns from his mistakes A wise man learns from the mistakes of others

When I go to Europe, I notice that their “caravans” are configured far differently than North America campers. The weight is more on the caravan than on the vehicle, so they can use a pretty puny car to tow a large caravan. However, they need to keep their speed down otherwise they get to wagging. You’ll often see a caravan with a speed limit marking in the back, usually 80 or 90 kmh (about 55 mph) which is the maximum allowable speed when towing. The 5th wheel on a snowy road is a reminder to downshift and stay in control. Personally, I tow a teardrop that weighs less than 1300 lbs loaded. Yeah, it’s small, but it fits in a garage, tracks perfectly behind my pickup, and I can take it on mountain passes that are length restricted. However, I can’t forget that it’s there since it does push the tow vehicle when braking.

@RVingWithJoe

8 ай бұрын

I have notices that Euro design.. they also don't cover the miles we do in Western North America or Australia.

@jpgale

5 ай бұрын

As a Brit (I live in the US at the moment and tow a 5th wheel) European caravans are also much lighter weight. The wheels on the caravan are in the center so your loading of the trailer is even more important (most say load over the wheels) and the hitch weight is around 3% normally the caravans will weight below 6000 pounds and that is for the very biggest caravans. Vehicles still have tow ratings and you should not go over that often it is the curb weight of the car. When I passed my UK test the legal limit for tow weight was the curb weight of the car. I believe that has changed but only a few vehicles can tow that much, the max tow rating I have seen is 3500 KG on pick ups and SUV's

@gtvgranberg

3 ай бұрын

And overrun brakes on trailers over 750kg. (1653lbs)

I get passed by people pulling their RV trailers and filth wheels way too fast. They act like nothing could ever go wrong. So dangerous.

@RVingWithJoe

6 ай бұрын

I wish everyone would slow down a little.

If you do get some trailer sway, that's a warning to fix your load. But if you can, engage trailer brakes ONLY to pull back and get out of the sway. But of course when you get out of the sway condition, fix the load, don't just drive off!

For trailer sway use a weight distribution hitch with sway bars.

My biggest scare and headache is, driver to my left won’t let me move over to allow the merging car into my lane car who insisted I am the one who must yield to him and insisting that he get on to the highway.

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

If the driver to my right gettting on the freeway is lookin to be faster than me then I back off and let em go ahead in the merge, if if they are lagging back, then they can lag some more and get behind thee!!

@mgysgtk8835

Жыл бұрын

@RVingWithJoe if he leading me that great and easy. But when they right at my trucks passenger door and I hitting the brakes hard to let them get ahead is dangerous.

I have a F350, Lance 1030. The truck can pull the world. (460, Dana Rear, 5 SPD Auto Crew Cab dulley) I used to tow my boat as well. Then my Harley in an enclosed trailer. 1989 and 1999 respectively. The thing I have seen more than anything is what I like to call "Testerone Accidents" Some get embarrassed over the fact that the uphill is slowing them down. Then stay right. No right lane, put your flashers on and pull to the shoulder. DO NOT slow everyone else down and blow your truck up. The hill you are struggling to climb more than likely has a downhill just over the ridge. That is going to hurt

@RVingWithJoe

5 ай бұрын

Great advice

On my trailer, there is a device that detects sway and adds brake as needed independent of the driver.

That's why I'm glad I have a camp event and then have a small nickel DIY temperature which I built myself I don't want to know be the oversized trailers that too big those obviously too big. I would have a driving hobby not to one that you have to toe too much work, too much problem. It's almost like having a 40 foot trailer. No, thank you too dangerous, and then the wheels are too small.

@RVingWithJoe

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for commenting.

@skapunkoialternativeliving6522

8 ай бұрын

@@RVingWithJoe You're welcome, my friend.

Motor home crashes are even scarier

Also if you have a pull behind use sway bars I've seen idiots who did not have them

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

Yes anti sway is for emergency corrections so get it even if you dont' think you need it.

trailer sway is from not enough weight on the front of the trailer, and a little more advice, DO NOT use trailer brakes if your trailer is swaying, the tires with the least traction will overtake the pull rig, the only way to get out of a swaying trailer or a skid with a trailer is to counter steer, and push in the clutch on a manual transmission, or put the car in neutral on an automatic transmissions so the tires are turning at the same speed, if the trailer lose traction it will jack knife the rig, this comes from experience.

From a retired truck driver it’s a good video.

only one way to replace sleep. stop and sleep. cross winds can blow you over even if your parked. tolling hills can get you blow over real fast. slow down on slick or down hill toads. or park till better conditions are there. some rigs have a nasty bow wave. Me two years retired. after driving classA for 40 years. smaller trucks 20 years before that. i have spent most of my life behingd the wheel of a truck on the hwys. most all conditions dry great days/nights, heavy winds, sand storms, stupid heavy rain, white out snow, ice covered roads. hail up to a base ball size. you name it i just might have driven in it. but never more. not getting paid by the trip/mile/stop. i drive a rv for going places to relax. only X number of hrs a DAY rest and sleep at night. sometimes just stop for a couple three days.

The one where they knocked down the bank drive thru roof I think I get how they made that mistake. It was not that the driver was unaware of how high the two roofs were. I think the driver did not realize he she was under the roof at all. From the video I see the camper was far from the bank lane (and therefor far from the roof) and should have been safe. He she thought they were far enough away from it. The problem was this roof had a large portion of it that was extended out a great amount. Now the driver was at fault of course by not observing where the roof actually was but I am sympathetic to the driver.

On the speed limits for curves, need to remember that in Canada the signs are in kilometers per hour not miles per hour.

@RVingWithJoe

Жыл бұрын

DOH! Lol yes indeed. Most cars have both shown now, but its easy to forget in for the first couple of days across either direction.

i like the way the poster said truck driver. me 40+ years i know my limits. they were longer decades back. but at 63 i am not pushed by a greedy corp dispatcher I can stop any where for as long as i like. pending ares rules. advantage of being retired.

I hate pulling those type of trailers anyway plus they're made cheap, that's why they cheaply made with fiberglass once they fall apart, they brickle and break a pot like matchstick box very weak. I'll never buy one of those office never I were the builder we build at the camp of and instead much heavier and solid. Or I'm gonna bus a school bus turned into a Cumberland very solid, but these are ways made out of fiberglass hell no cheaply made.

Two more you should have added: SLOW DOWN, and check the weather before hitting the road. Not just for wind but for any conditions. That small trailer that flipped the to y tiw vehicle must not have had chains so we they separated as soon as they flipped. And the Momentum in the snow was a ridiculously foolish move - they didn't check the weather before heading into the mountains. The wife and daughter were following the husband and son. I couldn't imagine the horror of watching that happen to your family.

There are people who has to be someplace they don't stop when need to

I'm a newbe here, Cool channel ! . . .

The drive thru structure should have had more lateral enforcement. It went over way to easy.

Are the building regulations in the USA too weak? In Germany or Austria, such a roof does not collapse in an accident with vehicles that are too high!

@carolmaplesden916

2 ай бұрын

The USA is failing miserably on all fronts

Did you see the guy towing a 5th wheel ramming it through a Dairy Queen drive-thru in Yuma AZ! He just backsup again and rams it, again & again, tearing up the RV and drive-thru. Google: Stupid RVer Trick: Dairy Queen RV drive-thru disaster

@RVingWithJoe

11 ай бұрын

YES! There are actually two different cell phone recordings from two different angles on THAT one.

@RVingWithJoe

10 ай бұрын

I ended up throwing that clip in the video that drops today.

Omgosh!! At 2:40 did they survive? Cause I don't see how! ✌🐢

Cudos to the trucker that saw the sideways drift in ice.! He said nope. And stopped

@RVingWithJoe

5 ай бұрын

Professional drivers are no joke!

I've never been a fan of surge brakes. It removes your ability to rescue a sway situation.

It said in the dash cam 36 mph , skid off corner

Gotta wonder why you would want to pass a big rig while pulling a trailer. I have NEVER seen a big rig UNDER the speed limit.

they need to go to a driver course. And i am not talking about a week end. The go from a honda to an rv. and can’t drive them for crap. Long haul driver for 25 yrs.

Did old windbag come to anyone else's mind?

If the speed limit is 75 then go 85. What could go wrong?

@RVingWithJoe

8 ай бұрын

Speed limit is just a suggestion....lol

Cool video and I'm now a subscriber can you tell me what is the background music that you have playing who is the artist? THANKS

@RVingWithJoe

5 ай бұрын

Is name is Phillip Raphael. He was a working jazz pianist in the 50's-80's. He lived with us for a while and was a musical mentor to my brother and I. You can hear his music here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ioqWmLZrmrTYmZc.html

I didn't see the warning sign come on

Looks like some of these trailers that are out of control are not American. The single axle is in the center of the frame and the balance has to be way off.

Something tells me the first guy didn't survive.

3:00 How many were killed in The Truck??

No.1: Do Not brake in a curve unless it's an emergency. #2 : Do not brake in a curve And C: Do not brake in a curve. End if options..... LOL

@RVingWithJoe

4 ай бұрын

But… what if there is a curve, can I brake then? lol

My rule is, never tow in the snow. Wait it out.

Your 1:52 only 7 away from 1000 !!!

Almost every one of these incidents, the root cause was the salesman who sold them to R.V.Yeah, sure that Carl Tove that trailer, no problem. And the poor soul Believe them when you're telling a trailer and picking out a trailer to go with your vehicle or picking out a vehicle to tow. A trailer with there is no such thing as overkill. And if you don't believe me, here are my credentials. I've been an over the road truck driver for over 20 years. And I stopped counting how many travel trailers and R VS fifth wheels. I've seen wrecked because they had an underpowered tobiacle. Care what the salesman told you. I don't care what the sticker on the side of the door says there is no half ton pickup truck. That is gonna toe any decent sized fish wheel or bumper pool.

I'm lucky i had my grandfather who was a trucker teach me about pulling travel trailers and such. Overhead clearance, using the proper vehicle for the trailer and being aware at all times are just a few things he drilled into me. Heck he had me pulling a 30 foot Dutchman fifth wheel camper with his 88 ford crew cab dually up interstate 75 when i was 15 and only had a learners permit! I was nervous as heck to start with but i got used to hauling that trailer real quick. You could get away with that in the 90's, today they'd probably put us both in jail.

I would rather be slow and get horned at then be fast and upside down

Well, you know motorhome drivers are the #3 worst drivers they is you know. #1 teenage boys-no explanation necessary. #2 rental truck driver-Honda drivers driving a big truck for the very first time. #3 Motorhome drivers. They too are Honda drivers who take their motorhome out 1 maybe 2 times a year and have never driven it enough to develop any safe motorhome driving skills. !

The reason why these arvies do crash easy because the problem is the biggest problem is, people buy obvious, which is heavier than the vehicle they're pulling. The vehicle must be heavier than what you're pulling, not the other way around, and then you will avoid this nonsense, and then keeping the speed limit will help. Also, but the trailer you're pulling must be lighter than the vehicle than you have. That's why we have a full army. It's best to get a pickup, not a car. A car is very light.

@RVingWithJoe

10 ай бұрын

Yeah my truck weighs more than my trailer.

@raymondcasso7966

6 ай бұрын

Complete bullshit! My Mac only weighs 11000lbs but it can hall a 50,000 trailer!

NO I DON'T SUBSCRIBE, any that ask DON'T get it.. Also I have seen so much footage from other channels, just you Yapping on.

We don't need to see your face.. play the video.