Epic Rookie RVer Fails !!!!

[COLRetired]

Tail swing is a real thing, I have been bitten a couple of times by it. I like this demonstration, even though it is a class A and not a 5th wheel it shows the effects of tail swing and an easy way for you to measure your tail swing. The annoying thing about tail swing is that it is always in a blind spot, you can't see it in your mirrors.

You Tube Tail Swing

The way I avoid dropping my 5er onto the truck is to visually inspect the teeth on my hitch. I push the lock in, then secure it, then go around and look at the teeth on the hitch. I do this every single time.

After reading this "tail swing" post, and reviewing the video I remembered yet another gaff I made, this time with a brand new 2015 32' Bullet trailer by Keystone. We're on a long trip out to Oregon and back to Indiana, and at the last campground before the final leg home. The campground is really quite nice, with lots of space between slots. I pay for a back in spot to save a few bucks, and heck, I'm pretty confident backing after helping out on my brother-in-laws farm and moving lots of trailers around. Well the slots are all on a diagonal which makes it that much easier to back in, and there are zero obstructions (trees, shrubs etc.). The power and water post are well marked and set back off the paved drive. We stay the night, get up to leave in the morning. All is uneventful as we pull out. At the first stop for gas I do my normal walk around the trailer, check the wheels for overheating, make sure the caps in the bumper haven't fallen out (I keep my sewer hose in it), and I notice a rub on the back of the trailer just in front of the bumper. I'm thinking did someone side swipe me on the road and I missed it. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what happened but it was obvious something had hit my brand new trailer. Then my DW reminds me that instead of pulling out and leaving the camp ground to the left in the direction of the slanted parking spots, I decided to take a short cut and turn right (heck there wasn't anyone there and the other turn was like right there, anyone would do this to save a bit of driving right ... wrong call). I'm guessing that if I were to go back and look at that well marked, and set back power station you'd see that it has brown paint on it from my trailer. I never got it fixed as it was a very small rub, and two months later the trailer was flipped over on the interstate and totaled (heck that's why I'm a GDRV owner today) by straight line winds (pulled the truck over with it, and we were doing like 20 mph ... $22k damage to the 2015 F150).

Lesson learned, don't take a short cut while leaving the camp ground. I'm pretty sure the roads work better, especially concerning tail spin if going with the turns instead of against them.

Love this thread, learning lots from others and hopefully what I learn will save me and others some needless oops down the road.

Pete

[TucsonJim]

I've been RVing for well over 30 years. My Oops list is long and impressive. Here are a few:

1. Went boon docking and pulled into an "open" campsite during a rain storm. Got stuck up to the axles. Cost - One six pack of beer to a friendly stranger who pulled us out with his 4x4.
2. Unhitched the fifth wheel and pulled out without putting the tailgate down. I was going fast enough that the tailgate decided to put itself down. Cost - $450 for one of those new fangled tailgates that has the "V" designed into it for people who pull out without putting their tailgate down. Plus $10 for the landfill fee to dispose of the self opening tailgate.
3. Circled a tree in a wide open campsite and got 1/4" too close to a stout branch. Put a nice gouge in the clear coat. Cost - $20 and four hours of work with a buffer.
4. While thoroughly distracted while daydreaming about retirement, I put 1 quart of DEF in the diesel fuel tank. Oh Sh#*!!!! Cost - $11,000 for a complete rebuild of the diesel's fuel system.
5. Let some kid in a backwoods Ford dealership service my truck including the fuel system and fuel filters. I failed to check his work. A short time later, a fuel line decided to have an aneurism and spray it's contents on the hot engine. Cost $1,000 deductible to me, $115,000 to my insurance company.

I now have a new truck and a new trailer. Anyone want to take bets on how long before I get into trouble again?

Jim

[GENESIS]

I've NEVER made a mistake.

OK - I lied. The thought hit me that pulling an RV is akin to an old adage in the motorcycling world - There are only three types of riders: Those that have gone down, those that are gonna go down, and those that are gonna go down again.

We've never owned an RV. That right there should be a clue. Before our 337 came home, we had plenty of time to get ready for it. You know.....like when you're expecting your first child and you gussy up a room so that "it's perfect" (according to SWMBO). I took down a tree (it needed coming down) and that free'd up about a 25' swatch of land between my workshop and my utility shed. Oh hell no......my baby's tires ain't gonna come home to dirt. That parking spot needs paving. Woman.....you got your baby room and by God I'm gonna get my RV parking pad!!

Get the 337 home and I've already mentally parked that sucka 107 times. Off the road, into the driveway, start making my left hand swing into the front yard (we got 2 acres of mostly cleared land so I got plenty of maneuvering room), pulled up to where I figured I should be in order to start my backing process. I'm pretty dang pumped up by now. Towed the 337 thru traffic, on the interstate, into the yard and EVERYTHING is going just like I pictured it in my mind. This 5er thang is a piece of cake.

Start backing up and the trailer isn't responding like the other trailers I've back. Hmmmm.....no biggie. I got this. After all - I'm Da Man. Pull forward - back up. Pull forward - back up. Now....after about 14 of these gyrations, my medulla oblongota is overheating because my CPU is at 98%. What in the Sam Hills am I not getting with this dang 5th wheel? People....frustration and anger is NOT YOUR FRIEND! I'm gonna poke that dang thing in that 25' wide spot if it kills me!!

Did I mentioned that I have 25' to work with and the trailer is only 8' wide? The wife is back behind the RV looking out for the caboose and is seriously trying to help. But she's waving her arms/hands trying to give me signals and in my mirrors, it looks like she's sending a semaphore message to some unknown ship. She also tries communicating using one word - STOP!!!! And every time she uses that word, I stop, get out and see what's wrong only to find that she didn't think the trailer was going whatever way she thought it should. We have a come to Jesus meeting. I start backing the RV that has a mind of its own (or so it seems). Again, I hear STOP!!! But she's cried wolf before so I ignore her. I keep backing and I'm *positive* I've got plenty of room on both sides of the trailer. Hell - it's a 25' wide spot! I'm about this || close to getting it where I want to make my last correction to straighten the trailer. Just a little more backing. About this time the wife is flailing her arms and using choice adjectives with the word STOP. I put the truck in park and ask what in he hell is the problem?? She just points to the opposite side of the trailer where I manage to introduce the trailer roof to the workshop roof. Got Dandruff, Some Of It Itches!! She's just standing there and glaring at me. And then says, "It serves you right mister smarty I got this. Well I tried to help but nooooo, you just decide that you know EVERYTHING. But guess what......"

I'm not sure how long she mentally whipped me, but it was a while. And I took it like a man. Shoot - I've eaten crow so much I've acquired a taste for it.

Tom

[bertschb]

Best thread ever. Keep 'em coming guys!

[Guns338]

The tail swing thing is what got me back on Post # 1
Pulled up to punch in the code on the electric gate at the RV storage lot.
Made an almost immediate right hand turn after the gate opened, introducing the rear street side of our camper to the Yellow 4" Steel post that's must be buried about 37 feet in solid concrete.

[Weaselwv]

I've been pulling a 5th wheel for 15 years. Unhooking last night in the driveway after dark I ALMOST pulled the cable out of the truck and trailer because I forgot to unplug it. The only reason I saved the cord was because it wasn't pulled tight yet when the tailgate slammed into the pin box and stopped me [emoji47]. Oh did I forget to mention that I forgot to put the tailgate down before pulling out...oops!! I can tell you these new aluminum tailgates don't hold up well to being bumped. Have to wait until Saturday to see if I can straighten it up enough to not need to replace it.


2012 F350 CC DRW
2017 Momentum 376TH
2007 Harley Ultra Classic

[D2Reid]

We don't have a canoe anymore.

We had been at a site for about a week of the planned month. DW says her head is down in the bed, it's causing her to get sinus headaches. Get the level out and sure enough we a little tilted. Look at the site, it's dirt and has some up and downs, pillow side is in a little hole. Just behind that is a little bump. No problem, back the trailer up a few inches and all will be good. Do the slide hitch up thing, didn't even disconnect the wires and hoses, only a few inches. Started back up.

Crunch!!!

What the heck. Got out went to the rear. I had forgotten that I had put the canoe behind the RV, didn't notice it, didn't even think about it. Back up just enough for the RV frame to squish the canoe. No damage to the RV. No more canoe.

Dallas

[orbiker]

Keep up the stories. I'm learning what not to do. I do learn from other people's mistakes. Hopefully

I had never pulled a 5th wheel before we bought our 42' Momentum. I had pull a few small trailers a few times and backed them in a few times. I watched many u tube videos on how to back up a 5th wheel. Well; I did surprisingly well backing into the home driveway. The driveway is 42.6 feet to the sidewalk. I parked it perfect.
Well; the next time backing into the driveway, I didn't do as good, but got it into the spot (I thought). I disconnected the truck and pulled it away. The driveway slopes towards the street slightly. I pushed "auto level" and the rig starts doing it's thing. I went to the back to see how things were going just in time to see the rain gutter get smashed and the rain gutter NAIL jab through the back of the ramp.
For now; there is a square piece of eternal bond over the hole. It will get fixed someday when it is dry out. Maybe a bullet sticker will get put over the patch work.

[el Rojo]

We have RV'ed for almost 30 years, and yes we've had a few bumps and such BUT...the three that I remember the most all involved the sewer hose. Nuff said!

Red

[COLRetired]

We have RV'ed for almost 30 years, and yes we've had a few bumps and such BUT...the three that I remember the most all involved the sewer hose. Nuff said!

Red

You made me think of the scene in the move RV, epic movie about what we all love to do. Hope you didn't have an experience like Robin Williams had.