“Tis the season.
The season for the end of summer trips to the lake. The Labor Day weekend picnics with the family. The much anticipated tailgating events at parking lots of your favorite college or professional football teams. The season where you and your spouse pack everything and head south for the winter. As the summer season of camping trips winds down and the fall season of football games and retirement travel begin, it is important to check the recreational vehicle safe guards that will make for miles of fun travel. And while it may be fun to plan the menu for the upcoming tailgate and pack the gold clubs and tennis rackets for your season down south, few things are more important than checking the trailer brake controller solution, the weight distribution system, and the trailer hitch sway control features on the vehicle that will get you where you need to go.
Trailer Brake Controller Solution Options Provide Peace of Mind During Long Trips
If you have never pulled a long trailer behind your vehicle, you likely do not completely grasp the importance of a trailer brake controller solution. Travelers who are accustomed to pulling a trailer or recreational vehicle (RV) understand, however, that the power you have for the pull and acceleration is no more important than the control you have over the brakes and the stopping. In addition to making sure that you have the best trailer brake controls, it is also important to have the brake drum surface inspected for excessive wear or heavy scoring. For example, if the wear marks are worn more than 0.020 inches, the drum surface should be turned. Also, if the drum has worn out of round by more than 0.015 inches, the drum surface should also be turned.
Understanding the brake controls on a large trailer requires more than remembering that the trailer feed wire is usually blue. It also requires knowing that this blue wire connects the brake controller to the six-way or seven-way trailer connector at the back of the towed vehicle.
What Is Trailer Sway Control?
If you have ever felt the beginning sway of a pulled vehicle threatening to pull you off the road, you understand that trailer hitch sway control mechanisms can be a life saver.
Basically, trailer sway devices come in two basic formats. One kind reduces sway once it has begun. The second kind of device works to prevent sway altogether. Determining which kind might work best for you is a matter of comfort, cost, and consultation. When making the decision about what kind of sway control system to use it is important to talk to other travelers with experience as well as the dealer who sold you the vehicle. Using the information about the kind of travel that you plan to do, these resources can help you make the most informed decision.
Weight Distribution Systems Help You Make Every Trip a Safe Trip
In addition to controlling trailer sway and braking, another important feature that many RV travelers depend on is a weight distribution hitch. Basically, a weight distribution hitch will have two weight ratings. Those two weight ratings include the gross trailer weight and the tongue weight.
Many travelers spend a good deal of time preparing for the first RV trips of the summer. Checking and double checking important features like brake controls, sway control mechanisms, and weight distribution hitches. Perhaps even more important than the beginning of the summer checks are the end of the summer checks. After weeks of travel and hundreds of miles logged, it is important to make sure that all of the necessary precautions are in place before you make that Labor Day Weekend trip.
Whether you are going to the lake for an end of the summer family reunion or meeting up with college friends for the first football game of the season tailgate, safety is always important when traveling with an RV. Being extra diligent about the trailer brake controller solution, for instance, can mean the difference between a safe party and reunion you will always remember or a dangerous road trip that you would just as soon forget.
