Do a walk around at every stop!

bikendan wrote:

ford truck guy wrote:
Since I am an EX truck driver ,I have my old routine stamped in my head. I do the same things after every hook up.. at every fuel stop.. and every overnight stop.. The time spent is well worth it.

i'm a retired Firefighter/engineer and have the same thing drilled into my brain, with our fire engines.
always do a walkaround for any stop, while traveling.
bathroom breaks, fuel stops, overnights, shopping.
basically before any departure.

Yes, for sure. I'm a retired machine designer with an agricultural background and I have seen enough machinery fail that "looking, smelling and listening" is ingrained in my way of life. And now that we RV, it is even all that much more important to look, listen and smell at every stop during travel and just about any time I'm walking around the camper at the campground.

To date, (Rv'ng since 2003) just by looking at rest/fuel stops I have found, the front right TT brake jammed on, the break away pin starting to come out, 2 ST tires with cord damage and changed them before they blew, left rear truck caliper stuck on. All of these where mitigated at the rest stop to a lower level after I found them. If not, they for sure would of failed in service out on the highway.

I have enough tools in the truck and camper to fix most things that breakdown away from home. But they only come out after the "look, listen and smell" spots something. Knowing what "normal" is suppose to look, sound and smell like and why, goes a long way to finding something that is starting to go wrong.

Granted we all come from different backgrounds and skill levels, what is obvious to some, is not to all. If your not the most mechanically inclined, ask a buddy or a fellow RV'er in the campground to help educate/explain to you on hitches, tires, all things RV/Tow vehicle etc. A quick look goes a long way to ward off a disaster before it happens.

Safe Travels

John