RVs, like pretty much everything, requires maintenance in order to stay nice. This means you, as the RV owner, should take the necessary steps to ensure your RV is maintained on the right schedule.
It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do the work yourself; it just means that you must have the foresight and the dedication to make sure your RV doesn’t fall into dispare. The better care you take of your RV, the more fun you’ll have camping and the better the resale value will be for your rig.
While there’s a long list of maintenance items for RVs, one of the most important is brakes. The brakes on a RV are a vitally important part of your rig. Without them you wouldn’t want to tow your RV or drive your motorhome down the road. Just like with your car, your RV’s braking system requires care. Here’s a look at how often you should have your brakes checked.
Checking Brakes for Motorhome
Motorhomes have brake systems a lot like trucks and cars. This means the brake maintenance for these RVs is honestly very similar to a brake check for a large truck.
Many motorhomes have two braking systems on them. There are the regular hydraulic brakes and then there are the air brakes. If you have a diesel engine, you likely have air brakes or engine brakes available to you. Both systems need to be checked.
Hydraulic brakes should be checked every one to two years. Having them checked annually is recommended. The same goes for air brakes but those can go a little longer between checks.
Unless you’re a mechanic, or an automotive service professional, it’s worth heading into a service center to have the brakes inspected. You can never be too safe, and your brakes aren’t something you want to guess on.
Checking Brakes for Towable RVs
When it comes to towable RVs like travel trailers and fifth wheels, the braking system should be checked regularly. Most trailers will have brake shoes that can be adjusted. In general, it’s smart to have the brake system checked annually.
If you ever question the performance of the brakes, it’s smart to either adjust the brakes yourself fi you know how, or take your RV in for service somewhere. Inspecting and cleaning brake shoes on your RV isn’t a horribly difficult job, but if you don’t wnat to do it there are plenty of service centers out there happy to help.