Trailers on the road today

[tomman58]

We did a run to the cabin and back this last weekend (normally do not travel weekends as that is for the worker bees).
I didn't have my railer so was going around 80 for the 2 1/2 hour run.
I was impressed with about 80% of those traveling that 1. were doing about 65mph. 2. Were properly running with the correct TV (my guess). 3. Had the truck and trailer adjusted for proper leveling for towing. We only witnessed 2 trailers with blown tires, one a 5er and one really old 25 footer.

We also witnessed a few pop-ups that no one ever had washed as they were totally green.

I will say the the rigs I saw that were the worst were from our state and likely local.

Why do I bring this stuff up? Just to remind some that checking tires is important and driving at a reasonable speed is good for you and your family. It worries me to see those that do not understand that the several thousand pounds of trailer can do real damage if not respected.

Happy Trails to all this season.

see you on the road shortly.

Tomman.

[myredracer]

maddog348 wrote:
RedRacer ~~ You for or against the 65mph speed limit? That is not an option in my part of the WestCoast ~~ CA is 55mph towng. Makes a lot of 'out of staters' really angry & anxious to go around. Gotta be really vigilant'Tis often a hard rule to follow ~ but it is the Law. JM2¢

Def. for 65 max. (where permitted) and even if I had tires that were rated higher would still max. at 65. CA is a tough one with it's max 55 when towing. Not that feasible on freeways when you're in the right lane with all the semi trucks doing 65 +/- mph.

[maddog348]

RedRacer ~~ You for or against the 65mph speed limit? That is not an option in my part of the WestCoast ~~ CA is 55mph towng. Makes a lot of 'out of staters' really angry & anxious to go around. Gotta be really vigilant'Tis often a hard rule to follow ~ but it is the Law. JM2¢

[myredracer]

DutchmenSport wrote:

myredracer wrote:
...Maybe TT owners/drivers should be required to pass an exam and road test to get licenced to tow a TT....

Sorry, even that won't work in some cases. Educate, train, and test away. After it's all over, they'll be back doing exactly what they've always done. Human nature does not change!

Sad, but true. 😞

People get their driver's licence for a car (typically teens to early 20s) and have to pass an exam and road test, and in more recent years have had to go through a graduated licencing process (at least here). Thing is though, after that you can toss away the Motor Vehicle regulations book and drive however you want. Speeding (including school & road construction zones), passing over a double yellow, running red lights, changing lanes in an intersection, no use of turn signals, and on and on. Traffic enforcement by cops is almost non-existent. Only thing the rules of the road are good for is when you're in an accident for apporting blame.

No reason to expect anyone would do differently after an RV exam and road test. Sigh...

[DutchmenSport]

myredracer wrote:
...Maybe TT owners/drivers should be required to pass an exam and road test to get licenced to tow a TT....

Sorry, even that won't work in some cases. Educate, train, and test away. After it's all over, they'll be back doing exactly what they've always done. Human nature does not change!

[myredracer]

I've seen plenty of folks going well over 65 mph on the west coast towing TTs, including factory delivery drivers.

The problem as I see it is that nobody tells a TT buyer that ST type tires have a max. speed rating (most of them) - neither the TT manufacturer, the dealer or insurance company. Should at least be a sticker on the exterior wall above the wheels. Owners also aren't being informed about the importance of having correct pressure in the tires and not overloading them.

Went camping a couple of years ago with a couple we know and they stopped at our place before we headed out. I asked him if he'd wanna maybe check his tires. All 4 LRD TT tires were down 10-15 psi and they'd never checked the pressure in the 1 1/2 years they had owned it. Then I asked if he knew about the 65 mph speed limitation - nope. I bet if you did a survey in a CG this would be the norm and not the exception.

With all the mountains & hills and twisty roads up and down the west coast, many drivers slow way down even when they could easily take the curves at 65 mph and they're often afraid of oncoming traffic and/or losing control and move onto the road shoulder where something could be picked up and puncture a tire. Some even do that on straight 2-lane secondary roads.

Maybe TT owners/drivers should be required to pass an exam and road test to get licenced to tow a TT....

[rbpru]

I have 30,000 mile of towing from IN to MT, IN to FL several times, IN to AZ plus several local trips (less than 1000 miles). As mentioned maintenance is key.

However, if you happen to have seen me on the side of the road with a smoking tire and assumed it was because it was underinflated, that is only partially true. The reason it was underinflated was because a road hazard put a baseball sized dent in the rim as it ruined both axels and broke a spring. Thank goodness for good insurance.

The point is even the best maintenance cannot prevent an unfortunate incident.


Be careful out there.

[siamese]

To paraphrase George Carlin, 'anyone going slower than you is a moron, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac'.

[Redwoodcamper]

I did a thousand miles trip within the last week. Saw more trailers than ever. Some going excessively slow, some going excessively fast. Most were safe enough. Did see one Dodge with a large fifth wheel that had his driver rear truck wheel come off. He kept it on the two lane road, and was waiting for a tow truck when I stopped to check on him. Check your lug nuts at fuel stops.

[Cardinals]

We just retuned from a week at Old Orchard Beach Maine (Bayley's Campground) and besides losing 1/2 of our sewer hose on i-495 it was a good trip. Saw a few units pulled off the road for maintenance but other trailers were going at proper speed for conditions, not the crazy drivers in cars is an entire different issue.

[bobndot]

Maybe the word is finally getting out, that 60-65 mph is the RVer's sweet spot! Maybe places like these forums is working! Maybe folks are listening. Maybe we just got lucky and didn't encounter any idiots for once!

or in my case...i'm getting to old to see my speedometer, so i just follow the other RV's .


want to see idiots towing trailers ? spend a Friday near an interstate in snow country. Watch the guys towing snowmobile trailers on the interstates . I think they tow them over the road faster than riding the snow machine across a frozen lake.
Towing at 80-85 mph.... but of course they tow a lot faster than that on dry pavement. :B

[NWnative]

I tend to run at 65mph as well. Seem to get better mileage at this speed and, I find I am not always coming up on slower traffic and constantly having to pass people.

[EstorilM]

Good topic - just finished 1100mi from VA-KY and back, and I don't think I saw a single tire issue honestly.

We headed down late Wed, so didn't see much activity, but we counted 162 RVs of various types on the trip home (the last few hours at night everyone was already off the roads and it's hard to see them oncoming, so it was probably closer to 200!) Just a fun game we play (did boats too. 🙂

No one hauling really passed us, except a giant class a towing a ~25' trailer! Figured that means everyones doing about the same 60-65, though it's really difficult along I-64 as the speeds constantly vary with the 5-7% grades. I'll admit that I hit 70 a couple times downhill just ahead of some of the steepest grades, but that seemed to be par for the course with everyone.

On flat ground the tractor trailers were all doing 75-80 out here, which gets annoying when they blow by you. Generally I see them, but sometimes I'll miss one.

[danimal53]

i agree, it seems common sense trailer safety is becoming more common. for me the drive is part of the trip, don't need to rush it or over do it, no use going if you don't get there safely.

[Jim2007]

Hi.. just got back from a 2700 mile trip ... Most was interstate hy. I drove 60 - 65 mph. Tire were new at the start of trip.. I get best fuel milage when I stay under 65 and i feel safer at speeds under 65. JIM2007

[DutchmenSport]

We returned a week ago from an (almost) 4000 mile round trip from Indiana to South Dakota and then to Wyoming. You are right, what surprised me was how well other folks were driving their RV's (of all types). I ran 60 mph and 65 only very rarely the entire trip. Although there were other RVers going the same direction I was (I could see ahead and see behind), I passed no one, and almost no one passed me. And this was in those states where the speed limit is 80 mph (which I'm absolutely NOT use to). Cars zooming by like we are standing still. I held my spot and let them go! Other RVers did too. And saw no RV's broken down or along the side of the road with flat tires. None!

Maybe the word is finally getting out, that 60-65 mph is the RVer's sweet spot! Maybe places like these forums is working! Maybe folks are listening. Maybe we just got lucky and didn't encounter any idiots for once!

Amazing, semi-trucks were driving around 65 also (many passed us, but did not go zooming by!)

But I've noticed, folks STILL do not respect work zones.

True story in the news in Indianapolis right now. A semi truck rear-ended an unmarked police car in a work zone. Sent the Indianapolis Police Officer to the hospital in very serious condition.

Click here.

Keep spreading the word! RV's are NOT Indy 500 race cars!