We’ve all found ourselves in a situation that could have been avoided. Whether we were distracted or life just happened, it’s no fun. Today we want to share with you 10 RV fails caught on video.
We share these videos in hopes it will motivate you to do your due diligence before your next RV trip.
10. Jeep Wrangler Pulling Camper Wrecks
A Jeep Wrangler towing a small travel trailer exits a gas station. After leaving the gas station, the Jeep accelerates onto the on-ramp of the interstate. Within 30 seconds of merging onto the interstate, the Jeep begins to sway uncontrollably.
The Jeep’s driver cannot gain control of the vehicle, and the result is both the trailer and Jeep on their sides laying across the interstate. Fortunately, the driver escaped unharmed, but there was considerable damage to both the Jeep and trailer.
If you didn’t know, Jeep Wranglers have a very short wheelbase, the distance between the front and rear axles, and are not designed for towing. Jeep Wranglers are intended for offroad use and the characteristics of an excellent off-road vehicle are very different from that of a tow vehicle. Many older Jeep Wranglers have a towing capacity of 1,000-3,500 pounds and newer models have only slightly increased. This could have all been avoided had the driver had the correct tow bar installed.
9. 11 Foot Bridge Always Win Against RVs
This video is a compilation of RVers who broke one of RVing’s first rules, know your height. In other words, this video is 90 painful seconds of seeing RV after RV attempt an extremely low clearance bridge. The multiple signs and flashing yellow lights indicate that every effort has been made to stop towed vehicles from running into the underpass. The drivers in these accidents each walked away unharmed, but not so much their roof-mounted AC’s.
The various drivers in this video ignored the many warning signs indicating that they were approaching a low clearance, including flashing lights. Drivers should always be aware of their height, especially when towing an RV.
Various apps would have aided these drivers by guiding them away from the low clearance and down a safer path. If you are regularly towing, it is advised to have the height in feet (and meters) on a label on your tow vehicle’s dashboard. This will help you know in the heat of a moment whether you are safe to drive under an underpass or not.
8. RVer Destroys a Whole Bank
In this short video clip, we see a truck towing a large fifth wheel pull up in front of a bank’s ATM. Moments later, the drive-thru awning comes crashing down and appears to smash the truck. Miraculously no one was injured in this incident, but the driver most likely had an awkward phone call with his insurance company afterward.
The driver in this video is another victim of not being fully aware of their height and surroundings. For instance, the truck and trailer struck the awning with enough force to collapse the awning and bring it down onto the truck’s driver side. Knowing your height in this situation is not enough. When navigating side streets, parking lots, or other tight spaces, the driver and co-pilot must be fully aware of all potential hazards.
7. RV Crushes Truck
Tom and Cheri, from Enjoy the Journey, are excited about upgrading to their Grand Design Momentum. The previous owner helps them install the hitch in their truck and walks them through the hitching and unhitching instructions.
After that, they begin preparing for their first move day in their new rig. When Tom and Cheri go to tow their rig for the first time, their rig unexpectedly unhitches and smashes the bed of their truck!
Dropping your fifth wheel onto the bed of your truck is not something any RVer wants to experience. The trailer dropped onto their vehicle because the kingpin was not fully locked into the hitch. The locking indicator was out, but not completely. Unfortunately, Tom and Cheri were unfamiliar with how to use their hitch and the hitching process. Tom also failed to do a tug test, which would have indicated the trailer wasn’t hitched correctly. If a tug test had been done, the trailer would have dropped an inch or less, but not onto the bed of the truck.
6. RV Life Driving Fail
Marc and Julie, of RV Love, find themselves stuck in a parking lot with no place to exit. Marc has to unhitch their toad, make many back and forth maneuvers to turn their massive Class A around, and then reattach their toad. The couple laughs about the mistake and how it only took him 15 minutes to complete the entire process.
There are some rules in RVing that are flexible, but some that cannot be broken. Marc admits that it took him 16 months to break one of his cardinal rules of driving their RV – never go into a parking lot or a driveway without seeing his entire route and exit point. There was no place for him to turn around, and thus he had to complete this maneuver.
5. RV Gets Stuck in the Mud
Jason and Rae, of Getaway Couple, anticipated staying at an incredible boondocking location right outside of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Sadly, their truck and rig were unable to get up the hill into their boondocking area due to mud. After many attempts, Jason and Rae opted to turn around and try again later. This is where their rig became stuck in the mud and needed to be pulled out by a good samaritan.
Unfortunately, there was about 30 minutes worth of rain before Jason and Rae arrived at the location. This specific location is known for being impassable after heavy rains, and the deep ruts are scars from previous campers experiencing what Jason and Rae experienced. Therefore, individuals wishing to boondock at Nomad’s View should check the weather conditions leading up to their arrival and their departure.
4. RV Triple Towing Fail
Dashcam footage captures a truck towing a fifth wheel and a trailer loaded with four-wheelers. The truck towing cruises off into the distance when suddenly the trailer with the four-wheelers begins to go in a different direction than the truck and fifth wheel. Footage continues as the trailer slams into the guard rail and the truck, and the fifth wheel pulls to the side of the road.
Triple towing is not legal in every state, and this video is evidence as to why. The hitches on the rear of the fifth wheels are generally not rated for substantial weight. When reviewing the dashcam footage, it is evident that significant weight was being placed on the rear hitch by the trailer’s angle. It is this weight that caused the hitch to fail and the trailer to disconnect from the RV. Luckily no one was injured in the incident, and the individual towing learned a valuable lesson.
3. Honey Wagon Fail (Warning: Bad Language)
Two campers try their luck at emptying their RV honey wagon for the first time. These campers soon discover a correct way and an incorrect way to connect the honey wagon to the dump station. This fail is so bad you can almost smell it!
Knowing how to secure the honey wagon to the dump station is essential to know before getting to the dump station. Ensuring you have the correct adapters and understanding how they connect is critical to successfully and sanitarily emptying your honey wagon.
These campers did not correctly connect the hose to the honey wagon, or else they could have avoided this mess. These kinds of fails often only happen once for most campers because you learn your lesson the first time.
2. RV Tire Blowout
Tiny Home Tours breaks down a video of a Class A experiencing a blowout on the interstate and then went into the median where it came to rest after rolling over. Viewers can hear from the creator an analysis of what exactly happened and what the driver did right, and what he/she could have done differently. The creator shares best practices for preventing tire blowouts and how to best respond should a blowout occur.
The Class A driver responded by letting up on the gas, which then pushed the vehicle into the median. Once in the median, the driver does a fantastic job of navigating the RV to avoid crossing into oncoming traffic despite rolling and coming to a rest in the median. Being prepared for how to respond when a blowout occurs is essential.
1. RV Tow Car Fail
Eric, the Nomadic Fanatic, updates his subscribers on his travels as well as his failures. He is closing out his video while boondocking in a Walmart parking lot for the night when he hears an awful sound. He jumps up and notices a fellow camper was leaving and seriously damaged their toad.
The Class A did not correctly attach their toad and thus detached when maneuvering their rig. When the toad unattached, it started to damage both the back of the Class A and the toad itself. Eric reminds viewers of the importance of checking your connections when towing, whether it is a toad or a trailer. You can never be too safe when towing!
Now You Know
In conclusion, mistakes happen to imperfect people. Because we are all imperfect people, we should expect to make mistakes now and then. It is how we respond and handle ourselves amid those mistakes that reveal our true selves. What’s your biggest RV fail?
