So you have planned an amazing caravan road trip for you and your family. Surely you must have made a list of the places that have caravan camping sites. But is it just enough to show up on these places? You can’t just set up your RV in any way you like. There are some precautions that you need to take care of, so that your caravan or motorhome is protected from possible damage. So before you head out to these camping sites with your RV, just check out the following tips to stay out of trouble.
Image Credit: Australia Wide Annexes
Finding the Right Spot
You need to find just the right spot for your RV so that you have adequate space to move around and position the vehicle (caravan and the towing vehicle). A few things that you need to check are:
- Make sure there is a good stretch of levelled land so that you may easily back up your caravan and also the towing vehicle.
- You need to check for branches that might be present overhead. Avoid these places as these could damage the RV.
- You should also ensure that there is ample space on the sides so that if you were to bring out extensions, such as caravan awnings or caravan annexes, then you would not have trouble managing them.
- Check for water / electric connections and other amenities (if there are present on location).
Backing Up Your RV
Most caravan parks and campsites have dedicated strips of land that have been designed to accommodate RVs. But if there is no such space then just search for good levelled land strips. Now when you are backing up your motorhome, be careful not to manoeuvre the vehicle in the wrong direction. It could take some practice to move the RV around with the attached vehicle. So unless you have some experience in handling such vehicles, you should always use at least 2 members who can guide you while you are reversing the RV into position.
Levelling Your RV
Even if you think that the ground on which you have parked your RV is levelled enough, you can never be too sure. Always keep a levelling tool and some levelling bricks with you so that you may adjust the level of your RV.
Start with the sides first. The RV is already attached to the towing vehicle so that front to end section is already in place. Place the levelling tool inside the RV to find out exactly how much levelling is required. For example, if the vehicle is tilted to the right, then this is the area that you need to work upon. Just place the levelling blocks in front of the tire and make sure that you have just the right height. Now drive your vehicle ahead so that the tyres on the right side are over the blocks. When you have reached this position, stop your vehicle and make sure it doesn’t move. This should take care of the side-to-side levelling.
Now use stopping blocks to keep the tyres of the other side of the RV in place. You would not want the vehicle to roll off as soon as it is detached from the towing vehicle. The power tongue jack is an amazing tool not only for levelling your RV from front to back but also when hooking / unhooking it from the towing vehicle. Keep checking the contractor’s level tool for adjusting the level of the vehicle till it is perfectly balanced.
Stabilize the RV
Stabilizing and levelling are completely different requirements, so do not confuse them. Once the RV is levelled, you need to place your stabilizing blocks just underneath the foldable legs and then use a crank lever to fold it out into place. Make sure you do this for all the stabilization legs and don’t commit the mistake of leaving any out. With this done, you are now ready to power up the RV and get things going.
Powering Up the RV
Before you power up your RV, make sure that all appliances are tuned off to avoid sudden electrical discharges. Keep a proper extension cable, adapter and power backup with you. Just connect the power line of the RV with the cable that is provided on site. Use a surge protector to prevent surges from affecting the appliances.
Water Storage
Most camping sites do have water supplies where the RV can hook up to a water outlet and get all the water that they need. For this, you would need a hose to connect the water source, a water filter (to filter out contaminants) and a water pressure regulator (this ensures that the pressure is maintained at optimal pressures as the pressure varies from location to location). If there is not water source at the site, then you can fill up at the entry point where there is a water source.
Draining the Waste
Now obviously you cannot keep all of the waste in the RV itself. There are sewage systems with openings at site where you can connect the RV with the drainage system using a hose and first you need to empty the black water section (which contains the waste) and then you need to empty the grey water section (which would clean the hose from the inside). Now if you have drainage facilities in sites, then you can also use some water to flush and clean the waste storage section but that depends on the site completely.
Just follow these points and keep checking your stuff for possible signs of damage. Remember, it is good to take precautions than running into troubles. You want to enjoy your holiday and not spend time fixing things or overcoming hassles.
Posted By dannysmith
Updated : 28th October 2014 | Words : 960 | Views : 4973
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