Caravanner Safety Practices
- Keep your trailer/motorhome, tow vehicle, and hitch equipment in sound condition.
- Pull trailer onto the leveling boards or wedge, instead of backing into them. If something goes wrong, the trailer will roll away from the tow vehicle.
- If you smell propane, locate the leak with soapy water, or the club leak detector, and fix it.
- When towing on hilly roads, maintain an even speed. Shift into lower gear before losing too much speed. Low Engine speed can overheat the engine and transmission.
- Use ONLY 3-wire grounded power cords.
- Check for proper polarity. NEVER allow reverse polarity or missing ground. Ground your trailer by having at least one metal jack or stabilizer in contact with the ground. (Do not use wood or plastic blocks under all the jacks.)
- For potable water, use only white hoses. NEVER use rubber hose for drinking. Sanitize hoses with a little bleach after longer storage.
- Check to see if you are developing a following. Pull off the highway at a safe turnout and allow backed-up traffic to pass.
- Stay within the speed limit and safe distance behind other traffic. (If you are following another Caravanner and you can read his numbers, you’re too close!)
- Keep a fire extinguisher in your Airstream and tow vehicle.
- Remove detachable mirrors as part of unhitching the trailer. Remove greasy hitch ball, if you are moving the tow vehicle away from the trailer.