Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - Safety Tips in Towing, Parking and Breaking
By: Jonathan Portiz
Submitted: 2010-08-31 13:38:34 | Word Count: 538
If you have not experienced towing your fifth wheel travel trailer there are safety tips that can help you each time you encounter this kind of problem. It is not like towing your car, your pickup. It is responsibility you have to take with care and safety should be your foremost concern. Safety is very important when towing your fifth wheel travel trailer as accidents will bring worse consequences.
Fifth Wheel General Towing Safety Tips
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• Practice towing before driving it around on main roads especially when you are new to travel trailer towing. You can practice in vacant lots and set some props for turning and backing practices.
• Do not allow anyone to use your fifth wheel travel trailer.
• Make sure to check the routes before driving off for a trip especially restrictions imposed on bridges and tunnels.
• Make sure to use the trailer hitch system recommended by the manufacturer in towing your travel trailer.
• Moderate speed is recommended allowing less strain on your tow vehicle and RV trailer. Driving faster will cause instability and swaying of your trailer.
• Avoid any sudden stops and starts as much as possible. This will result to skidding, sliding and jack knifing.
• Restrain from sudden steering maneuvers that might cause swaying or excessive side force on your travel trailer.
• Slow down on bumpy roads, railroads and ditches.
• Make sure to make wide turns on curves and corners.
• Refrain from parking on grades as much as possible. Ask someone to guide when parking. Make sure that blocks are placed on the downhill side on your trailer wheels before shifting into Park, place on the parking brake then change into park before taking off your foot from the brake pedal. This sequence in parking is very crucial to ensure that your trailer is not locked in Park because of the excess load on the transmission.
• Uncoupling your fifth wheel travel trail, the blocks must be put at the front and rear side of the trailer. This is to make sure that your trailer does not roll away once the trailer hitch is released.
• Before uncoupling your travel trailer jack stands should be place under the trailer to avoid any injury that may be caused by sudden rotating because of unbalance loads.
Braking while Towing your Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer
• Make sure you have considerable distance before stopping.
• When excessive sway occurs you can activate on your electric trailer brake controller. Attempting to control the trail with the use of tow vehicle brakes may make the sway worse.
• Remember to anticipate the need in slowing down. Shift to lower gear and press on your brakes lightly when reducing speed.
Safety is always important. These simple tips in towing, parking and breaking your fifth wheel travel trailer can guide you when using your trailer.
