Sorry folks, had set it up for publishing today and was tagged for tomorrow on Mothers day, this would not be a good post for that day.
All of these pictures I selected had deaths and serious traumatic injuries. I didn’t post them out of a macabrely sense of humor or fetish, but to illustrate how dangerous driving these vehicles are with no formal training. A novice gets an RV and think it is his or her Ford Escort car and how it handled. All these pictures were taken from several insurance web pages I found and explained that these people are not aware of their limitations and abilities to handle the weight and size of these vehicles. The web pages stressed that smaller cars are been used to tow trailers that are not designed to handle the stress of towing and braking. RVs are dangerous, especially if they are not properly maintained and repaired, driven safely and prudently.
Serious load of ouch there. And, not surprising, given the way many people drive. Even the most stable and forgiving vehicles are no match for stupid and reckless drivers.
It also appears that some RVs lack the crash protection features found in modern cars, e.g. crumple zones.
Towing and driving RVs is not a forgivable activity. One small slip up and if you are not aware how to correct it or drive out of it. yes drive out of it. Damn people hit their brakes, lock up their tires where you loose control of your vehicle instead of pressing the accelerator and steering out of a problem.
I have also stressed to anyone who will listen, that you can bend metal on them and not even hear it happen. Even just backing into your camping slip or pulling a tight corner. Definitely a learning curve there, and I find that towing anything adds a level of stress to driving even beyond the usual road hazards of other idiots out there. I won’t even have the radio on; don’t want the distraction.
I’ve pulled just everything, including tractor-trailers, bobtails, flatbeds and lowboys. The worst thing, to me, is to tow is a camper trailer, unless you have a fuel-guzzling truck to pull it with. They are light-weight wind catchers, prone to not be load balanced, and can fish tail without notice. To make things worse, if your trip is supposed to be pleasant, throw that thought out the window. Towing a camper, or driving a motor home, is something that requires a sedative.
So. Many. Questions.
I first began driving big rigs in the mid-90s. I had no idea people who hauled campers, or drove class Cs then required no special licensing or training until I saw the endless supply of ‘splodeys, mainly across western I-40. Has that changed?
Four-wheelers (the smart ones, anyway) give tractor-trailers a wide berth. Tractor trailers gave campers an equal amount of space. Always wanted them behind me. Not in front.
I don’t know how it worked out, but before it turned into a Flying Pilot, the J began offering classes to RV drivers. Don’t know the cost either, but I was grateful to know they saw the need. I gave a lot of lessons on backing to people in truck stops & rest areas before I came off the road.
You used to be able to get a non-commercial class A here in Texas. I think Kerrville DPS was able to do that test. All the snowbirds head south to the RGV in the fall, then back north in the spring. I-37 and I-35 are to be avoided during the migration…
Mr Mayo cracked it: super fragile and no crash protection. With inexperienced drivers at the wheel that’s a deadly combination.
If you noticed there was are two “Caravans” as you blokes call it in that montage… even over across the pond have the same problem.
One of my hobbies is walking wrecking-yards aka ‘dismantlers’.
I also preview auctions at insurance salvage such as Copart.
I look at the ways a vehicle can be crushed, burned… or totaled with seemingly minor damage.
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An astounding amount of RecreateVehicle totals are from the fridge burning.
Usually, the kitchen is centered fore-to-aft, so a blaze leaves two intact end sections with not much in the middle.
Stepping into such a burn immediately illustrates the weak construction… I liken the experience to stepping onto a wobbly trampoline.
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We delivered RecreateVehicles factory-to-dealer and dealer-to-shows.
Often, waiting for paperwork, we walked the assembly floor.
In Coburg, Oregon, at a builder of BillionBuxBus conversions, we watched a forklift center-raise a motorhome frame higher than our heads before the drooping ends cleared the pavement.
Apparently, they rely on the house-box for rigidity.
Any flaw in the house, and the entire structure collapses.
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An aside:
Obvious after a burn, most vehicle seat frames are the equivalent of lawn-chairs, thin tubing with a few meshed wires supporting the foam.
The innerds of a Mercedes Benz seat?
Built like a bridge.
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PS:
I cannot morally nor ethically recommend any RecreateVehicles by any manufacturer at any price.
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After a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs, we converted a 1996 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
We think anything less than a ‘million-mile’ commercial chassis is…
Need I go on?
My 34′ Beaver Motor Coach is built on a Gillig BUS chassis, sturdy as a rock. 38000 curb weight (from the factory),
Solid and heavy!
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It’s pretty Terrifying to see one of those 3-Axle ‘Pusher Bus’ Motorhomes zooming down the I-Road at 70+ Miles and Hour, with a small Car on a Towbar. Being Driven by some Old Fart who has Never before in his Life been behind the wheel of a CDL-Class Vehicle.
Here’s a Tip for your next “Disaster Camper” post – see if you can find Dashcam Vids of a “Toad” breaking loose from the RV.
That’s a sad collection there.
We got rid of the tow-behind. Got a Winnebago View. It drives like a van and gets 15 mpg with that Mercedes diesel.
Wind is still the scary factor though. We just pull over and chill if the wind gets up too much.
Dmm, after I got out of nursing because of my MS, I started driving for Airgas as a Liquid O2 tanker driver as I had a Class A CDL since driving school bus while in school for nursing. I was use to driving a long trailer behind me and knew how to turn and watch for tail swing, so pulling a travel trailer even with my cargo trailer behind that(set of doubles) was no prob. I realize I had the training most don’t. I have owned and towed both 5th wheel and travel. I have had camping trailers for most of my life, as I don’t sleep on the ground, I like my pillow and my potty…
I too am fortunate tat I drove heavy trucks in the Military, going from missile silo to missile silo. Helps me when I drive the Beaver, I just wish the steering colimn wasn’t between the brake and the gas pedal. Gotta keep your mind into the limitations of a Big Rig when driving, turning, and freeway speeds.
And to make it worse, I have the Toad, my ’04 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I disconnect it if I have to back up since even with the rear camera I can’t freakin; SEE!
Best advertisement for tent camping vs RV camping ever! If you don’t know how to haul a trailer, don’t. Just don’t. But then again, Darwin. I like Darwinism. Darwinism comes in handy at times. Natural selection and all.
Yeah, but most of the RV drivers are Old Farts that have reproduced already, so no joy there,
We don’t tent camp throughout most of the upper Rockies Sandy, and in many places it is forbidden.
(we call tents bear tacos)
Kind of like importing countless illiterate low grade morons from Mexico…or other turd world/eastern block countries… and then giving them a Class A license to drive semis…. same end results.
Webt to do the spring check of the little cargo hauler trailer, got skipped last year as i was away for work and figured i’d do it once i went to use it. Didnt use it last year at all.
So was showing the boy how to do a check and noticed a tires was low so started pumping it up abd the valve stem seperated from the tire. Never had that happen before and glad ir was while not in motion.
I learned early on that tread means nothing on a trailer tire. It’s age. Caught mine one time with the sidewalls disintegrating with perfect tread otherwise. Learn to read the mfg. dates, and beware of any dealership trying to sell you older ones. I use tire covers whenever possible to keep the sunshine off of them. It is unfortunate that almost all tires available now are Chinesium imports.
Greg, I only use Commercial 6pyl truck tires on my travel trailer. I will not use “trailer tires” on my trailers. I always use 215/75/15 tires. Never had any problems with those. But cheap assed chinesuim tires, plenty in the past.
UV rays destroy everything tires are only good on average 8 to 10 years with or without use. Mr. leadfoot here, except when pulling my trailer.
If I suffer a camping tragedy the Motel 6 burned down.
LargeMarge nailed it – these are light non-sturdy air-catchers. I pull a 24 ft camper behind my 1500 series truck – GVWR of the camper is around 7200 lbs while my truck is rated to pull 9200, so all good, right? OMG the wind load is horrendous. It’ll push that camper all over the road and drag my truck with it. The worst is the little 2-lane blacktops with semis in the opposing lane – the strong blast of wind as it passes by me while both of us doing 60+ provides a 120 mph wind gust. Holy shit.
After the first trip – added a trailer brakes kit to the truck and made a big difference. The added a weight distributing hitch with sway control. Now mucho better, will never tow again with it. Also pay strict attention to tire maintenance and weight distribution. Still stressful – when we make a 4 to 6 hr road trip to the Tx hill country, first thing I do after parking in our camping spot is to start shotgunning beers until my mind gets a little fuzzy, then I can relax.
For the record, I’ve towed stuff my entire life – farm trailers, utility style, boats, etc. However RV’s are just way different due to the wind loading. It’s a whole nuther thing with them.
Keyword:
* staples into particle board.
“RVs are dangerous, especially if they are not properly maintained and repaired” so are boats on trailers, especially the ones that the owner forgot to secure the belly band and other tie downs before heading off.
About twenty years or so ago I was heading to the family plot on a holiday weekend on a four lane divided highway. Traffic was medium heavy and kinda slow. As I’m heading along, I see this 4″ wide white streak appear on the roadway ahead of a curve. As I’m getting to the start of the leftward heading curve the white streak continues on in a sorta straight line off the roadway and there sits someone’s 18′ boat about 30 feet off the road in the pucker brush with no car or truck with trailer in the vicinity.
I was towing a 19 foot travel trailer behind my Tahoe at 60 mph on the Interstate. A passing mini-van pulled into my lane too soon, forcing me on to the shoulder. When the trailer tires came back on pavement, the momentum flipped the trailer onto the left side. I stepped on the brakes and the Tahoe did a 180 degree turn and I watched the trailer slide past me. It twisted the hitch 90 degrees before the trailer finally broke loose. We ended up in the ditch facing oncoming traffic. The problem with that trailer was that the fresh water tank was all the way in the back. A full tank made the hitch weight light and gave momentum to the flipping motion.
No, you made two mistakes. You take your foot of the gas, slow down and ease the trailer off of the shoulder, back to the road and you hit the brakes, you should have kept your foot off the damn thing and you tried to steer the trailer, you steer the truck, the trailer will follow.
I don’t go on the road with a full tank of water, only gas. 90 gallons of water is waaaaay too much inertia to overcome, IMHO, even if it IS a bus chassis with sturdy running gear. I’ll have 5-10 gallons in it for travel flushes, that’s all. Don’t need the added danger, for sure!
Thanks Igor, I forgot about that one, No, never a full tank. Water at room temp weighs 8.34 pounds, a typical modern RV tank is 60 gallons, you are looking at 500.4 pounds of inertia… Besides the gas mileage decrease pulling that amount of water.
Igor,
A bus is engineered to carry our most precious possession — our children.
They are engineered to survive rolls and head-ons.
Your foundation is adequate.
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Speaking of busses:
We are frequent contributors on the skoolie forums.
We see home-builders secure tankage under the rig using plumber strap.
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One builder was proudly displaying her homemade battery boxes… constructed of perforated material from a hardware store.
Slightly stiffer than plumber strap, but probably more appropriate for a bird-house for sparrows than hundreds of pounds of multi-directional inertia.
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Irregardless of the foundation, idjits abound.