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

Here's what we found on a recent walk around:




Here's another thing to look for that's a little harder to spot. A tire that's no longer flat across the tread.

mrekim wrote:
Here's another thing to look for that's a little harder to spot. A tire that's no longer flat across the tread.

That scenario is pretty common on really cheap/low end new tires.
I've seen many tires like that on "new at the dealer" utility and cargo trailers, who often uses even worse tires than RV manufacturers.

The opposite end of the spectrum is new tires that look like they've been run over-inflated and have a caved in looking tread pattern. I'm looking for the photos I have.

Had that happen earlier this year. Fist noticed when doing my walk around and felt the tire with the back of my hand. Noticed the heat then when I squated down to inspect further noticed the it was round...

Changed them all out to new Carlisle HD and went up a load range. Tire shops said it was separating inside the tire. Dodged a bullet for sure!

I walk Everytime and it takes just. Few seconds.