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We’ve traveled several hundred thousand miles during our adventures. We’ve seen unbelievable landscapes and experienced some of the most famous sites in American history.
However, sometimes we’ve been left speechless for all the wrong reasons. These were typically moments when we saw some of the weirdest things people have towed with an RV.
Today, we’re sharing some bizarre things we’ve seen RVers towing with their rigs. If desperate times call for desperate measures, some of these RVers must have been very desperate.
Let’s dive in!
The Road Can Be a Weird Place
You never know what you’ll see when spending as much time on the road as we have. Between the random roadside attractions and the questionable behavior of others on the road, traveling can be very weird.
Nonetheless, the weirdness is part of what makes traveling so great. Things are typically weird because they’re different, and experiencing various things helps broaden our understanding of other people. So while the road can be an odd place, we wouldn’t want it any other way.
The weirdness of the road keeps our travels interesting and exciting. If everywhere were the same, then traveling would get old fast. Whether you call these types of events weird, strange, or peculiar, the road is much more interesting because of them.
Weirdest Things We’ve Seen Being Towed by an RV
Sometimes you want to bring an item or two with you, but they won’t fit through the door of your RV. This is where a bumper-mounted storage rack can come in handy.
However, we’ve seen RVers push the limits of these situations and tow some bizarre things. Let’s get started!
Washer and Dryer
While some of the larger RVs on the market have washers and dryers pre-installed, that’s not always the case. A washer and dryer make it easy to keep up with your laundry on the road.
However, one of the weirdest and most dangerous things we saw an RV tow was a washer and dryer.
While hauling these residential appliances on a trailer or a cargo rack would still be an interesting sight, it wouldn’t be overly weird.
However, the RVer we saw had no cargo rack or trailer. They balanced the appliances on the rear-mounted spare tire and bumper. They held the machines in place with little more than a mess of cargo straps and a prayer.
We were somewhat speechless when we came upon this unique sight. We changed lanes as fast as we could and snapped a picture. It’s one of those stories you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t see it yourself.
Lawn Mower
People bring many things with them during their RV adventures. We typically take the approach of “to each their own.”
Sometimes when we see big rigs hauling odd-looking items, we try to guess how they use them. However, we were utterly perplexed when we saw an RV towing a push lawn mower on the bumper.
While we’re sure there was some logical explanation as to why an RVer would need to take a lawn mower with them, it was somewhat amusing. It’s not something you see every day, and we’ll probably never see it again.
Thankfully, the lawn mower appeared to be tightly secured to the RV after we passed them so that the RVer could cut their grass.
Mini Fridge
During one of our adventures, we saw a Class A Motorhome using a sturdy cargo rack to carry a mini fridge. Luckily, it wasn’t raining, or they could have ruined this mini fridge. However, seeing a tiny fridge on the back of an expensive and massive Class A seemed odd.
Many RVers bring a mini fridge during their adventures, but storing it on a cargo rack is a unique way to carry it.
Keeping a mini fridge outside can make it very convenient when you want to grab your favorite beverage while camping. However, it is an electrical appliance, so you want to protect it from the elements.
Drives Triple Towing
If towing a trailer isn’t hard enough, we’ve seen some brave RVers hauling an additional load behind their trailer. This is what some RVers commonly refer to as “triple towing.”
While it may sound wild and look sketchy, it’s perfectly legal in 28 states. While most of the states that allow it are out west, some midwestern states allow it on their roads.
Triple towing allows RVers to bring other gear and items during their adventures. It could be a boat, golf cart, or some kayaks. However, triple towing requires a capable vehicle and that the driver be aware of the load capacities on the trailer’s rear hitch.
Tips for Towing an RV Safely
Towing an RV can be very dangerous, especially if you don’t take the proper precautions. Here are some tips to help keep us and others on the road safe while towing.
Do a Pre-Trip Inspection
There’s a reason pilots do a pre-trip inspection before every flight. If something isn’t functioning correctly, you want to discover it before hitting the road. If not, you could be in a dangerous situation.
We recommend having a pre-trip inspection list walking through all the essential safety features of your vehicle and RV. In addition, you want to include every step necessary to get you and your RV ready for the road. Check off each step when you complete it.
Checking your tire pressure, confirming you’ve hitched it correctly, and testing all your lights and signals are only a few of the essential safety checks you should be doing before each trip.
We’ve seen experienced RVers drop their massive fifth wheels on their tow vehicles because they skipped a step while hitching.
Using a checklist can help ensure you finish everything in the correct order. This helps improve safety and reduce the chance of damaging something.
Keep in Mind: How Do You Adjust the Sensitivity on Your Trailer Brakes? Click the link to find out!
Avoid Overloading Your RV
Overloading your rig is one mistake you don’t want to make while RVing. It can be tempting to bring everything from home during your adventures. However, RVs have a cargo-carrying capacity manufacturers base on how much weight the axles can handle. Overloading your rig can cause severe damage to the frame of your RV.
In addition, the primary items allowing your RV to roll down the road are the rubber tires. Wheels have a weight rating, and exceeding it can increase the friction between the ground and the tire, generating heat.
The rubber compounds in a tire begin to break down as the tire heats up, resulting in a blowout. These can be dangerous and cause thousands of dollars in damage to an RV. You want to avoid this.
Driving across a CAT scale is the best way to check your weight. Because truckers typically use these to weigh their loads, you can find them at most truck stops.
Once you confirm that your weight is within your vehicle’s cargo-carrying and towing capacities, focus on distributing the weight evenly.
You don’t want all your weight on one side of your rig. If all your appliances are on one side, store as many items on the opposite side as possible when packing up your rig.
Stay Within Your Tow Ratings
A beefy and capable-looking truck doesn’t require you to hitch it to every load. Knowing your vehicle’s tow ratings is essential if you value safety while towing. While your vehicle may be capable of pulling a hefty load, it may not be able to stop it; and stopping is essential.
One of the easiest tow rating numbers to overlook is a vehicle’s payload capacity. Like an RV’s cargo-carrying capacity, the payload is the maximum weight the vehicle can hold.
This includes anything in the vehicle, including passengers, gear, and the weight of a trailer. All vehicles have a towing capacity, even if they’re not for towing.
Exceeding your tow ratings will create an unstable and unsafe towing experience. A driver is more likely to have trailer sway in these situations.
Putting too much weight on the rear axle of a vehicle will reduce the weight on the front axle, which is essential for steering and controlling the vehicle. In addition, you also increase the wear and tear on the vehicle’s brakes, suspension, and drivetrain.
Take Your Time
Many RVers quickly realize that you should never try to do anything fast while RVing. If you do, you typically end up getting hurt or breaking something. Either way, it will likely cost you time, money, or pain.
Always take your time during every step when RVing. You’re inevitably going to make mistakes. However, you can limit the frequency of those mistakes and the damage they cause by taking your time and paying attention to what you’re doing.
You may think you are good at multitasking, but it’s not a good idea. Doing multiple things at one time can lead to you making a costly mistake. Give your full attention to the task and save the introductions or goodbyes with your camping neighbors for later.
Keep in Mind: You need a reliable truck for towing an RV! Are Ram Trucks worth considering?
These Spottings Make for a Good Story
While it’s fun to sit around the campfire with other travelers and talk about the exciting places we’ve all been to, these stories keep the conversation going.
Luckily, we snapped a picture of these incredible towing situations, as many of our friends and family wouldn’t believe us otherwise.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen an RV tow during your travels?
In the 1970s traveling through Utah on US40 from Steamboat Springs CO. to Salt Lake City UT we came across a really weird setup. there was a crew cab pickup truck pulling a Fifth Wheel Trailer pulling a Ski Boat and Trailer pulling a trailer with two dirt bikes! The mountainous terrain and curves on the road was not detering those folks from all the fun they could do!
Several of those red steel mechanic’s tool chests on a hitch-counted platform. The drawers were kept closed with straps and the chests were strapped to the platform only! They also had other heavy, heavy equipment, like a pancake compressor and a buzz-box welder and a small drill press. It was probably within the weight limit of the hitch, but we steered around them.
Now we all know that RVs being currently built are often crap and will need significant repairs, but this doesn’t speak well of the owner’s expectations.
When I hit the road, I sold and gave away thousands of dollars worth of my tools, and it was a “wrenching” experience…..
The wildest one I saw was a big Class A towing a helicopter on a trailer.
I have a picture somwhere.