No Sway Hitch for Any Size Trailer

If you call Hensley Mfg. and ask about a sway control hitch, you’ll be told that Hensley is not interested in controlling trailer sway. They are interested in eliminating trailer sway. And that’s precisely what they do. All other sway control devices on the market use friction to control, or dampen, trailer sway. The unique linkage design of the Hensley Arrow and Cub makes it impossible for the trailer to sway. Because there is no friction involved, the tow vehicle maintains complete control, while side forces like wind or passing trucks have no effect on the trailer. Read more  Read More →

RV Travel Safety & Security

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that overall traffic fatalities  at the end of 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th consecutive quarter. The projected data puts the highway death count at 33,963, down 8.9% from 37,261 in 2008. That’s good news but, one death is too many. Read more  Read More →

How to Improve the Towing Power of Your Ford F150

Last year, I blogged quite a bit on making modifications to your RV, from low cost mods like battery cutoff switches and drip rail extensions to the more elaborate mods like RV cold weather preparation and sliding cargo trays. While I will still continue to write about RV mods, this year I would like to add some articles about making modifications to tow vehicles that help improve your towing experience. Since I tow with a late model Ford F150, many of the articles will focus on mods I’ve made to my own truck. But I would really like to see some mods made to other tow vehicle brands as well that have helped make towing your RV easier and safer. So with that said, the first mod I think that is not often discussed in terms of producing more towing power from your truck is reducing parasitic drag on the engine. Popular mods like tuners, exhaust, intake, etc. are common ways to get a decent boost in power from a gas engine. But a naturally aspirated engine, as in the Ford F150, can only make so much towing power without resorting to forced induction, such as a turbo or supercharger. In addition to the popular mods mentioned above, you can still find some hidden power to be tapped. Where is this hidden power? It’s sucked up by all the belt-driven accessories driven by the engine such as the A/C compressor, alternator, mechanical engine fan, and the power steering pump. One of the largest drags on the engine in terms of power delivery loss is with the mechanical fan, sucking... Read more

2010 Update, Let’s Talk ½ Ton Trucks

Back in 2007, when the 2008 year model ½ ton trucks were being introduced, I wrote an article about the tow ratings Ford was advertising at the time. To sum the article up, Ford advertised that its F-150 was capable of towing 11,000 pounds. Now, for someone with some experience towing trailers I found this claim difficult to believe. Read more  Read More →

VIDEO: Is this tow vehicle SAFE?!

Recently, we saw a fellow towing a 31-foot Airstream Classic with a minivan. The Classic is the heaviest Airstream model. The 31-footer weighs about 10,000 pounds. Does this seem like a wise combination to you? Read more  Read More →

Trailer Sway; Part 2

In last week’s article I talked about what trailer sway is, and I ended the article by listing some of the most important items associated with trailer sways. This week we want to discuss some of the ways to help control trailer sway based on these causes for trailer sway. Read more  Read More →

Trailer Sway; What It Is & How To Control It

A  few weeks ago I was contacted by Jose Adauto de Souza, who lives and works in Brazil. Adauto is a Petroleum Geologist/Geophysicist close to being retired. Since 1978 he has been a camping enthusiast, starting with tents, then a pop-up, travel trailers and now has a Class A motorhome.  (I have been through the same RV progression, and around the same time frame as Adauto). Read more  Read More →

RV Weekly Round-Up (July 11-17, 2009)

Check out these highlights of RV-related news, events and video from this past week. 1. RV Tales from the Road on the PGA Tour: The Petrovic family is one of a handful of PGA tour pros who travel the circuit in an RV. Tim Petrovic (ranked 3rd this week heading into the 36-hole John Deere Classic), his wife and two daughters have been traveling in an RV from tournament to tournament since 10-year-old Bayleigh was just a baby. Wife Julie and the girls come along so they can all spend more quality time as a family. Read more  Read More →

Safe Holiday Travel Tips

Forty thousand people in the United States die each year on the road! With the peak RV travel season here I thought this would be a good time to discuss getting to your RV travel destination safely. Getting there can be half the fun, as the saying goes, if you take a few precautions to make your trip safe. Read more  Read More →

Fifth Wheel Trailer Checklist. RV-1 Author Lester Evans offers:

Storage site Departure & Hitching Trailer to Truck: 1.            Position truck a few feet in front of trailer. 2.            Move truck mirrors to the OUT position for trailer towing. 3.            Lower truck tailgate. 4.            Remove & stow trailer wheel covers. 5.            Verify all trailer interior lights are OFF. Read more  Read More →

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