Tips & Tricks

Pest Control

Use chlorine tablets around fuse boxes and other areas rodents commonly make nests. The smell deters them. Moth balls can also be used but their fumes are toxic and they dissipate quickly.

Set snap traps inside your RV. I always say I'd rather have a smelly RV than have wires chewed up.

Avoid glue traps. If the pest drags it around the glue can create a mess.

Poison does a great job but can hurt wildlife or the cats that help control the rodent population.

At home, if you have wild, overgrown prickly pear cacti, open up a couple paths to the main stalk. Rodents frequently build nests under these plants due to their natural protection. When you open up a couple paths you give cats and other hunters better access to the pests.

Driving & Backing up

When unsure of how your trailer will react when you go backwards; look at the bottom of the steering wheel. The direction the bottom of the wheel is going is the direction your trailer will go.

When making big adjustments while backing into places turn your wheels while stopped rather than while your rig is moving. You can get the trailer to turn in less distance if you turn your wheels before you start moving,

There is an art to lining up and positioning your vehicle and trailer before you put it in reverse. Pull up closer to one side, turn so the trailer starts to point to your parking spot, turn your tow vehicle sharply during the last few feet so it is ready to direct the trailer before you ever shift out of drive.

Use walkie talkies, speakers on cell phones, bluetooth is the car for your spotter to easily communicate with you. Even if they cant give you perfect directions, at least they can tell you to stop before you run into anything.

Storage Care

Write your name and phone number on your tire covers. When the wind blows them away maybe someone will be nice enough to call you when they find them.

??? Put a bucket of water inside your rv while its being stored. It may give the interior a tad bit of moisture to keep things in better shape.

Occasionally check your roof vents and roof for damage or potential leaks.

Security

Use a good tongue lock. The style commonly found at big box stores with a bar that goes over the top, or the yellow / red locks that go in front of the tongue can be removed effortlessly.

The style that locks the lever in place are good while the trailer is attached to your vehicle but don't do much when the trailer is disconnected.

I like the style that utilizes the lip that surrounds the area the ball goes into to receiver. It also has a ball or bolt that goes into the cavity. These require a decent amount of effort and a lot of noise to remove without the key. They are also light weight.

Amazon has a huge assortment of locks ranging from $30 - $200.