3/22/24 SOLSC Day 22
What do YOU think “tail swing” means? A dance step? A skier’s move? An animal’s display?
Nope.
I’m talking about the tail swing that longer vehicles have. Any vehicle with more than three feet in length past the back tires experiences this to some degree. (Luckily, most of us just don’t have enough length behind the wheels to matter.)
Picture a tractor trailer’s back tires. See the many feet of truck that hangs past the back tires? When the truck turns, the driver has to take into account the amount of distance the tail will swing out when it is turning. Most RVers also have tail swing to consider when they drive. Luckily, we have NOT found this out the hard way!
As we continue our camping experiences, we do a lot of research in RV groups and forums, through goggle searches, and other recommendations. We try to be proactive, and look up things before we need them.
I just found a whole article about driving an RV safely on RVLove. (I will be downloading it & keeping it!!) Although they talk about driving safely in a campground, their tips are good for gas stations, parking lots, traffic, signs, building corners and anywhere else where the back part of your vehicle might come into contact with anything other than air!
Here’s what they had to say about tail swing.
Did you know that the tail of an RV can swing outward approximately 1 foot for every 3 feet of length behind the rear axle? When maneuvering your RV in tight spaces like gas stations and campsites, it can be easy to hit a pole, tree, or other objects when making a turn. Calculate your tail swing by measuring the distance between your rear axle to the rear bumper of your RV and dividing by 3. Stay at least that distance away from any object if you know you’ll be turning, to maintain a safe clearance.
We often use a “spotter” – the passenger stands outside with a walkie-talkie to help steer the RV. I’m not sure which is harder, being the driver or the spotter. I guess I’m going to get plenty of practice with both!
So the next time you are driving, watch for tail swing on longer vehicles. Oh, and stay out of their way!
Pictures from RVLove
WhereWeRV 
You’ve taught me something new today. I had heard of the tail end, but not a tail swing!
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I’ll have to keep this in mind if we ever do the RV thing. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a tail swing, and I’m not sure I’d want to be the driver OR the spotter!
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There are advantages to both – I’m not sure which is harder!!
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Stay out of the way sounds like good advice, for sure! I was not sure what to expect from the title “Tail swing”, but I definitely didn’t consider RVs as I made my guesses. It is fascinating to learn that there is a formula for calculating that!
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I didn’t know about the formula until I read that article! Very helpful. Tomorrow I’ll be measuring the length of the end of our RV!!
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The more knowledge you have the better prepared you are and the safer you and others will be. Although I don’t own an RV, I learned a lot from reading this.
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