Re: [A/S] Rollover in SUVs, pickups and Suburbans

["Jim Dunmyer" <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg,
 There's 2 manuevers that you need to practice:

Emergency stops

Sudden turns/lane changes

Now, the idea isn't to get 'er up to 60 MPH and slam on the brakes or do a
sudden lane switch. You'd want to start slowly, perhaps 20 MPH and try a
stop or 2. Try a sudden lane change; use a mark on the road, or if you have
the room, put down some traffic cones, cardboard boxes, or whatever, to give
yourself a benchmark. Imagine having to swerve to miss an object in the
road.

After becoming comfortable at 20 MPH, go to 30 and repeat the exercises.
Because you have no traffic, you should be able to observe your trailer in
the mirrors and see how it's reacting, especially during the 2nd and 3rd
passes.

There probably IS a slight bit of risk of bending some sheetmetal while
practicing, but the risk should be minimal if you approach things slowly.
The idea isn't to necessarily learn the ultimate limits of your rig, as that
might well entail breaking something, but to learn what YOUR limits are. Of
course, you'll learn if a sudden lane change induces sway, so you'll know
that you need to adjust SOMETHING to get rid of that. (usually adding tounge
weight)

You might learn something that you didn't want to, like that your hitch
isn't up to the job. Can-Am RV (http://www.can-am-rv.com) claims that they
often see reciever platforms that are bent after only a few thousand miles.
They weld in reinforcing to bring them up to snuff.

The best thing, of course, would be to have a professional/trained person
with you to give you some pointers. There actually are schools for RV
driving, but they're not nearly as common as would be desirable. Dunno about
anyone else, but I'd pay several hundred $$$ for a few hours of "dual".

To elaborate a bit on my previous message: you need to really concentrate on
your surroundings when you're driving. Does that chair sitting in the back
of the P/U in front of you look like it's about to blow off and land in your
lane? Is someone alongside you, preventing an escape manuever in that
direction? Did that car that's 3 vehicles in front of you suddenly swerve or
hit his brakes? Did an oncoming trucker flash his lights?

It goes without saying that you shouldn't be eating, talking on a cell
phone, or doing any of the other myriad distracting things that Americans
seem to do while behind the wheel.

Although it's only a very minor percentage of folks who have trouble while
towing, you want to tilt things in your favor as much as possible so that
you don't become one of them. Remember that nearly all accidents are due to
a combination of factors; if you can remove just one, the accident will be
prevented. IE: a blowout will probably be only an inconvenience to the
person who is alert, driving at a reasonable speed, and has both hands on
the wheel. Add in a driver who is tired, distracted, or speeding, and the
story might well be different. You get the idea.


<<Jim>>