Driving a motorhome may be particularly challenging for those who do not have a lot of experience driving bigger vehicles. Feeling your travel trailer sway with every sharp turn or gust of wind can leave you tense and scared, hampering your concentration. However, it is not something you should be worried about.
Any RV with a travel trailer sways by nature and with the right tips and practices, you can master motorhome sway control in no time. Let’s learn more here.
Causes of Swaying
The key to mastering anything is to understand it first. If you know the causes of the swaying, you will be able to anticipate it before it comes. Common causes of motorhome sway include drafts from passing big vehicles, strong gusts of wind, sharp turns, imbalanced and curvy roads, etc.
Minimizing the Possibility
While a sway is not entirely avoidable, you can do a few things to reduce its intensity and develop better motorhome sway control. Some of the things you can do are:
- Mind Your Weight: To make your ride smooth and uneventful, it is necessary that you do not exceed the prescribed GVWR or GAWR. Make it a point to check the final weight of your loaded RV before you start on the road.
- Distribute Your Load Evenly: It may be tempting to load the items onto your motorhome as they come but a little planning at the time of loading goes a long way in minimizing sways. Try to spread the load uniformly with heavier items in the front. Also, always balance out the back, front, and sides to ensure no one corner is unnecessarily heavy.
- Note the Weather: Since wind determines the frequency and intensity of a sway, take note of the weather conditions before you make plans to travel. If a given day is predicted to be very windy or rainy, it is best to skip traveling because it will only make your drive tougher.
How to Control a Motorhome Sway
As mentioned, swaying is almost inevitable while traveling with a big vehicle. However, you can use these tips to control it efficiently.
- Don’t Panic. It is easy to lose control when you are startled by the feeling of a powerful sway. Try to calm yourself down. Slow down and stabilize the steering to straighten your motorhome.
- It may be tempting or even a reflex to immediately try and counter-steer to neutralize the sway but avoid doing this at all costs as it may worsen the situation.
- Another common response to losing sway control in a motorhome is to press the brakes. Again, pushing the brake in a frenzy will not work. Instead, try using your auxiliary brake’s manual override very slowly to regain control.
Find a Motorhome Repair Shop Near You
If you are looking for a motorhome repair shop near you, you can find well-reputed, quality providers on the internet or ask for suggestions from friends and family. You may also be able to get hands-on tips from experienced drivers and RV experts while you are there.
