We understand one of the most common insurance claim issues involving RVs is not something you run into head on, nor that runs into you. It's those things behind us that seem to cause the greatest problems. Understanding and caring for what school bus driver educators call "tail swing" goes a long way to preventing those difficult run-ins.
The whole situation is summed up simply with an illustration: A teeter-totter, when one end goes up, the other end MUST go down. For a motorhome driver, when you turn the front of your coach to the right, the rear of the coach will go left. Depending on the length of your motorhome and the location of the rear axles, the rear of your motorhome can go many inches--even feet, away from where it began.
Here's an example: You've parked your motorhome next to the curb at the dump station. You begin to pull away from the curb, turning the front wheels of the motorhome to the right--pulling away from the dump station. But at the left rear--driver's side rear corner--your motorhome may actually drift over the edge of the curb and swing toward whatever happens to be many inches on the inside of the curb. That "whatever happens to be" on the curb could be a light post, a water pipe, or perish the thought, some other RVer whose not paying attention to you. The results can be costly, even life threatening.
This may require adjusting the side mirrors to see "down low" where you don't expect something to normally be. But just riding "up and over" the curb can jostle your rig around, not to mention potentially causing tire or wheel damage. So hit the adjustment switch (if you have one) and scope the mirror down to see the corner of your rig where you might encounter a problem, that is, making a right turn, check the left mirror carefully, and vice versa.
As you get more experienced with your RV, you'll have a better feel for tail swing. But don't let that cause you to lose your sense of caution. Make it a habit to check your mirrors whenever cornering your motorcoach. Similar caution should be exercised by trailer towing RVers.
Wish I had read this colum a couple of months ago. This happend to me on the 4th of July. I was crossing a small bridge in traffic. Ahead was a state trooper car at a 45 degree angle forcing cars to turn left. In the middle of the road at the end of the bridge between the oposing lanes was a stop sign. As I pull up to the stop sign and police cruiser with my 43 foot RV I realize that I need to hug the right curb in order to make the swing without hitting the stop sign in the middle of the road. I pull out as far as I can straight but just enough so I can clear the cruiser in the road. I make the turn just missing the cruiser and the stop sign in the middle of the road. Success, or so I thought. Arriving at Lime Rock Race track I find the right rear of my Tour damaged. Turns out I hit the guard rail on the right as I made the turn. Didn't even feel it or hear it. I am much better at watching my tail swing now!
ReplyDeleteI purchased 2 "Top Hat" mirrors for both my mirrors. These are Convex mirrors (items may be closer than you think) but give a wider range of view. From the side of my coach to the 2nd lane over I can see a car coming or any "obstacle." Every set of rear view mirrors should have these - so why don't the MFG put then on?
ReplyDeleteAs a school bus driver you get to very quickly learn that when you turn right you look left. Tail swing on a 45 ft school bus can be as much as 4 ft.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go for your B license, failing to watch your tail swing can cost you your ability to get your licence. It's that important.