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Tips & Tricks From The Pro's
Below you will find information that the professionals
have found to be valuable when RVing. Because
the pro's have already run into many of the
problems you are going to experience, you can
save money and damage to your fifth wheel by
reading the information below and making sure
that you are prepared.
Many new RVers purchase their RV and then immediately
purchase accessories. The accessories that they
purchase may not be suitable for their RV or
are quick buys that lack the experience needed
to make an informed purchasing decision, resulting
in wasted money. All of the items below have
proven to be the best equipment that has proven
itself many times over.
The 5-minute check that could save you a major
problem (Landing Gear Failure)
Read
more..
A Cheap Solution to Stress Free Hitching of
your Fifth Wheel
Read
more...
RV Extended Warranty Information. What to look
for plus get a free No Obligation quote to estimate
pricing from one of the largest Extended Warranty
Suppliers.
Read
More...
How
To Hitch a Fifth Wheel Correctly - Video
Fifth Wheel & Toy Hauler Must Haves:
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Surge
Protector
Here is one product that is
of vital importance when hooking-up your RV to
the electrical box in the RV park. Many RV parks
are inconsistantly wired and you can almost be
assured of spikes and surges while hooked up.
As more RV's arrive at the park and turn on appliances,
so the spikes and surges increase. A low voltage
condition in the park can burn out appliances
in your RV. Causing costly damage and ruining
your trip. Purchase a good quality surge protector
as seen in the photo on the right. One end plugs
into the electric box at the park and the other
end plugs into your RV electrical cable (the one
you would normally plug into the RV park electrical
box). Indicators on the surge protector will warn
you if there is a problem with the RV electrical
box.
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So it is best to check this
before you get setup at the site. It is always
possible that there is a problem at the electrical
box that could cause you to have to move to another
site. If there is a surge or problem with the
electricity while you are hooked up the surge
protector will protect all of your electrical
equipment from damage.
Surge protectors are water-proof and most can
be used in the rain without any problems.
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Automatic
Water Hose Heating Cable
Stops your water hose from freezing. Built-in thermostat
automatically helps keep water pipes from freezing
down to -40° F. Cable plugs into power box. These
cables come pre-assembled. Simply run the cable
the length of your water hose and wrap with insulating
pipe tape. Come winter you will be glad you have
this handy item ready to use.
Insulation Tape available here
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Click
image to see all sizes conveniently located on one
page.
Select the length you need.
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Adapter
15 amp male to 30 amp female
Allows you to plug your 30 amp RV electrical connector
into a standard home extension cable to provide
power to the RV while it's in the driveway. |
 
Click
image to purchase from Manufacturer
on Amazon |
50
amp to 30 amp Dog Bone Adapter
Defefinately a must-have if you have a 30 amp RV.
This allows you to plug your 30 amp RV electrical
cable into 50 amp RV site electric. There will come
the day when there are no 30 amp sites available
and you will be prepared for a 50 amp site. The
dog bone adapter safely supplies the RV with 30
amp service although it is plugged into a 50 amp
supply.
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Click
image to purchase from Manufacturer
on Amazon
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Essential
- Trailer Brake Controller
A must-have for safety. The Tekonsha P3
trailer brake controller uses a G-Sensor accelerometer,
instead of the traditional
pendulum mechanism. This brake controller is one
of the best available and works reliably on downhills
and inclines, unlike the current pendulum brake
controllers. The Troubleshooting feature allows
you to view diagnostics on your travels.
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Click
image to see all Tekonsha
with wiring harnesses for
various truck models
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It has readouts for brake input signal voltage,
battery voltage, brake current and brake voltage.
An advanced and highly reliable unit. An excellent
feature is the “Warning” screen, which shows a
trailer on it in deep red, and a big “no” sign.
If the controller loses connection with the brakes,
it will alert you that something is wrong before
you find out that you have no brakes on the trailer.
This brake controller will help stop the trailer
smoothly and with no shuddering. In an emergency
braking situation, this is the brake controller
you want in your truck. A nice feature is simple
plug in harnesses for various truck models.
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Tire
Monitoring System
A must-have for safety. The TPMS system
monitors both tire pressure and temperature and
alerts you to any problems with a tire. The system
can monitor up to 22 wheels. This new system has
very light weight sensors which enables them to
be fitted to your tires without having to have
the wheels rebalanced. Easy setup. Simply hold
the monitor to the sensor and the sensor unique
Id code is recorded for each wheel. Most tire
failures have increased temp and this monitors
both.
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Two
-Way Radios
These are great when backing into a site. Someone
at the rear of the fifth wheel can guide you in
using the two-way radio. They are also useful
for communication when one of the family is away
from the fifth wheel in the park and you need
to contact them. As we all know - cell phones
suddenly get spotty reception out in the wilderness
when you really need them.
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Click
image to see a variety of
highly rated 2 Way Radios
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If you have the tow vehicle
and another vehicle that follows you from behind,
you can use the two-way radios to commuicate.
Especially when towing the fifth wheel up very
windy roads in the mountains where the second
vehicle can go ahead and tell you when there is
oncoming traffic so you can get over to the shoulder
of the road. When no traffic is coming you can
get into the center of the road and avoid being
near the edge. Don't rely on cell phones as many
times there is no service up in the mountains
or remote parks.
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RV Checklists
Another very important item to have with you is
checklists for your fifth wheel. All of the long
time RV'ers have them and they are vital. Type
up your checklist and have it laminated and easily
accessible. A checklist details the steps to take
when arriving and unhitching and another to detail
hitching up to leave. You would be amazed at how
many people forget to unhook the power from the
pedastal only to drive off still attached or forget
to lock the hitch pin in place or to have checked
tire pressures before departure or to have checked
the torque on the bolts holding the hitch pin
box or the torque on the fifth wheel lug nuts
or to retract the fifth wheel access steps or
to have turned off the propane tanks. And of course
the main one, forgetting to put the TV antenna
down before going under that low lying tree branch.
The list goes on and you will be amazed at how
long a checklist can become. These items are easy
to forget when the family is getting ready to
leave or arrive and everyone is excited.
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X-Chock Tire Locking Chock
Applies opposing force to tandem tires so that
your fifth wheel does not move around when people
are in the camper.
The tire locking chock is also important if you
have to use bottle jacks to jack up the front
of the rig in case of a landing gear failure.
It is inportant that the wheels stay locked when
you are hitching while on bottle jacks. This tire
locking chock can be locked with a padlock to
ensure that it is not removed.
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Click
image to purchase
from Camping World
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Fire Extinguisher!
We cannot emphasize enough the need to have at
least two or more fire extinguishers in your fifth
wheel. Class A fires are ordinary combustibles
such as paper, wood, cloth, fiberglass, tires,
12-volt. Class B fires include flammable liquids
such as gas, propane, oil, oil based paint. Over
80% of RV fires are Class A fires. Make sure your
fire extinguishers are A/B extinguishers
which can put out both Class A & B fires or are
rated as "All Fire". Make sure that you replace
your fire extinguishers regularly. It is just
not worth the risk to have fire extinguishers
that are old and do not work.
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The more fire extinguishers
the better and five would be optimum in an RV.
One in the kitchen, one in the bedroom, one by
the entrance door, one in an unlocked compartment
outside the RV and one in the tow vehicle. Available
from Amazon HERE
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Water
Pressure Regulator
Here is another product that
can help protect your Fifth Wheel from potential
damage. A good water regulator keeps the pressure
into the RV plumbing at a constant pressure,
normally around 45 psi. RV parks have inconsistant
water pressure which can cause damage to your
fifth wheels plumbing. This includes burst pipes
which is the last thing that you want to happen
when out on a trip. Purchase a good quality
water pressure regulator and protect your plumbing.
The water pressure regulator can also help with
better pressure which means a more pleasant
shower experience
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Click
image to purchase
from Amazon
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Sewer Hose
A good quality sewer hose will save you alot of
frustration and messy accidents. A RhinoFlex sewer
hose kit is probably the best sewer hose you will
purchase and is tough and reliable. Purchase multiple
lengths to join together and you will never have
the problem of to short a sewer hose in the campgound.
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Click
image to purchase
from Amazon
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Sewer Hose Support
Keep your sewer hose off the ground. This helps
keep the hose in good working order and provides
a downward angle to help drain the sewer hose when
you dump the tanks. |
Click
image to purchase from Manufacturer
on Amazon |
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A tip on dumping the blackwater (sewage) tank.
Always dump the blackwater tank
first and then the grey water (shower and sinks
water). This way the grey water tanks will clean
out any debris in the sewer hose left from the
blackwater tank.
Always keep your black
water tank closed, even when you have
a sewer hook-up. If you leave the black water
tank open, all of the liquids will drain leaving
the solids behind to harden in the tank. This
will soon become an expensive problem to fix.
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Heavy Duty Tire Inflator
Your truck and Fifth Wheel tire inflation pressures
are critical to the safety of your rig and to
you. Under inflated tires will build up heat and
can very easily cause a blow-out. Tire inflation
pressures should be checked before each trip,
both on the fifth wheel and on the tow vehicle.
If you have a truck with dual rear wheels then
you will really appreciate the Slime Tire Inflator.
The Slime tire inflator screws onto the tire valve
so you do not need to hold it while pumping. Regular
clip type inflators do not fit onto dual wheels
unless valve extensions have been fitted.
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Inflates up to 150 PSI
Comes with adapters for inflatable beds
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It also allows for better
access to the inner rear wheels tire valve which
can be difficult to reach. The Slime tire inflator
will inflate a tire in approx. 3 minutes to 35
psi and has a built in pressure gauge on the top
of the unit that is very reliable. The Tire Inflator
is powered from the lighter plug in the tow vehicle.
The whole unit comes in a handy travel case along
with both the regular hose and the the green coil
hose (for extra length) and extra adapters to
inflate rafts and air beds. The unit is very sturdy,
well priced and works extremely well. Available
directly from Manufacturer on Amazon HERE
Fifth Wheel
& Truck Tires Tip: If your tires
on your fifth wheel or truck are older than 5
years, replace them. Even if the tread is still
good, the interior of the tires deteriorate and
are prone to blowouts. You can tell how old your
tire is by looking on the outer side of the tire.
Here is a link detailing exactly how to tell the
age of your tires.
How
to tell the Age of a Tire
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Trailer-Aid
Tire Changing
Here is a tool that can be very helpful when stuck
on the interstate with a flat fifth wheel or Toy
Hauler tire. Simply drive the fifth wheel up onto
the Trailer-Aid to lift the flat tire off the
ground.
NOTE: If your
fifth wheel has an independent suspension (one
where each wheel can move independently of the
other wheel) then there is a good chance the Trailer-Aid
will not work on your unit. Driving one wheel
up on the Trailer-Aid will not lift the other
wheel off the ground as it has its own suspension
system.
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The MOR/Ryde suspension is
one of these independent suspensions. So check
your suspension before buying. Click
the image below to purchase from Amazon.
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Bottle
Jacks
Two 10-ton bottle jacks. For around $25-$50 each
this is an invaluable piece of equipment. In the
case of a landing gear failure where the manual
crank will not work (when the landing gear motor
locks up or the cross shaft breaks) the bottle
jacks can be used to raise the fifth wheel for
hitching. This is especially important if you
use your fifth wheel for boondocking (where no
power is available) and rely on the batteries
to raise and lower the landing gear. Plus the
jacks can be used to raise the truck when the
need arises or to replace a wheel on the fifth
wheel trailer.
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Remember to also carry good
solid wood blocks to use with the bottle jacks.
Available from Amazon HERE |
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No-Spill 5-Gallon Diesel Can
We all know that it is a big problem when a diesel
truck runs out of fuel. Trying to prime the fuel
system is no fun at all. This diesel can has a
no spill patented spout and the can itself fits
easily into a truck box.
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Available from Amazon HERE |
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