RV Pre-Trip Check Before a Gulf Coast Run

Most RV breakdowns on the panhandle happen to rigs that were sitting a week ago. The coach came out of storage in Milton, the trailer came off the pad in the backyard in Pace, and the first real miles were a summer afternoon on I-10 with the tires hot and the batteries tired. The failures are predictable, which means they are preventable, and the way you prevent them is a walkaround the day before you leave, not the morning of.

Here is the check, in the order that matters, for motorhomes and towables.

Tires: the one that ends trips

• Pressure on every tire with a gauge, cold, set to the load. Not the max on the sidewall unless the rig is at max weight.
• Date codes. Anything more than a few years old gets a hard look. Anything with sidewall cracking gets replaced. We explained why in Tire Age: Why Old Rubber Fails Before It Wears Out.
• Tread wear pattern. Shoulder wear on a trailer tire is underinflation. One-sided wear is an axle problem.
• The spare. Same checks. It is the oldest tire on most rigs.
• Lug nut torque on anything that has had a wheel off.

Batteries and charging

House batteries that sat on a converter for months may be cooked. House batteries that sat without a charger are dead. Chassis batteries on a motorhome that were not on a maintainer are somewhere in between. Check the water in flooded batteries, look for corrosion, and put a meter on them after they have rested off the charger for a while. Then start the engine and check that the alternator is charging, start the generator and check that it charges, and plug into shore power and check that the converter does its job. Three charging sources, three checks. Our post on RV Generator and Battery Issues has the numbers to look for.

Brakes and bearings on a towable

Trailer brakes sit and corrode. Magnets stick, drums rust, and the first stop is either nothing or a grab. Test them with the manual brake control before you pull out of the driveway. Bearings sit and dry out. If it has been more than a season, or if you cannot remember the last time they were serviced, service them. A dry bearing on a travel trailer is the failure that takes the hub, the spindle, and sometimes the wheel with it, and we see it every summer. The post on Camper Trailer Wheel Bearing Failure covers the signs.

Air and suspension on a motorhome

Start a diesel pusher and watch the air build. It should come up in a reasonable time and hold when you shut down. A coach that leaks down overnight has an air leak that will get worse on the road. Look at the air bags for cracking and check that the coach sits level once aired up. A ride height valve that is stuck leaves one corner low and the coach handles badly at speed. On a gas coach, look at the leaf springs, the shocks, and the sway bar links; a broken sway bar link is why some coaches wander in a crosswind on the bridges.

A coach that will not hold air overnight is not ready for the interstate. Find the leak first.

Lights, plug, and the breakaway

With a helper, run through every light on the rig and the tow vehicle: running, brake, turn, reverse, clearance. On a towable, check the seven-pin plug for corrosion and the breakaway switch and cable. On a toad behind a motorhome, check the tow bar, the safety cables, and the supplemental braking system. A missing clearance light is an inspection item; a missing brake light is a rear-end collision.

Seals and the roof

This is not a mechanical item but it is a trip-ruining one. Summer thunderstorms on the Gulf Coast dump inches of rain in an hour, and a roof seal that opened over the winter puts that water in the ceiling. Look at the roof seams, the vents, the air conditioner gaskets, and the slide seals. Check that the awning is stowed and the arms lock. We covered what wind and water do in Awnings, Roof Seals and What Wind Does to an RV.

Slides, jacks, and the things that stop you moving

Run the slides out and in. Run the jacks down and up. Both systems sit for months, and both can strand a rig in a campground when they refuse to retract. Doing it in the driveway means finding the problem at home. Check the hydraulic fluid on a hydraulic system and look for leaks at the cylinders and lines.

The engine on a motorhome

Oil, coolant, belts, hoses, and a look under the coach for leaks. Run it up to temperature and check that the fan engages and the temperature holds. A coach that idled in storage for ten minutes a month is not the same as one that has been driven, and the first hour on the road at highway speed is where a weak hose or a tired belt shows up. The same walkaround we described in The Pre-Trip Inspection That Prevents Most Breakdowns applies to a coach; it is a truck.

If you would rather have someone else do it

A pre-trip inspection on site at the driveway or the storage lot is a normal call. Tires, batteries, brakes, bearings, air, and lights, with anything that needs fixing done there. It is the same RV and camper service as a roadside call, without the shoulder.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead of a trip should I do this?

A few days. Long enough to get parts, replace tires, or service bearings if something turns up.

What tire pressure should I run on a travel trailer?

The pressure the tire maker's load table gives for the weight on that axle. Many owners run trailer tires at the sidewall maximum, which is often close to right for a fully loaded trailer, but weigh the rig to be sure.

Can you do a pre-trip on an RV in a storage lot?

Yes. Give dispatch the lot and the rig, and the crew comes to it.

What is the most common RV breakdown you see on I-10?

Tires, then bearings and brakes on towables, then batteries and charging. All three are pre-trip items.

Heading for the coast and want the rig looked over first, or already on the shoulder? Call Duckett Roadside Repair at (850) 495-0366. Dispatch is answered 24 hours a day.