The Uses of an RV Steering Stabilizer
RVs, or recreational vehicles, are popular for camping with four solid walls. A motor home, for example, may resemble a city bus with fewer windows, but the inside is far different. These large camping vehicles can be parked, then deploy their side-out rooms to create a house-like living space inside. These vehicles are often fully furnished with a working kitchen and shower, full-size beds, and even air conditioning and heating. But these are ultimately still vehicles, and they need the right hardware in place to function well on the road. This is why, like cars and trucks, steering control for RVs is essential, and steering control parts should be kept in good shape. An RV steering stabilizer will do a lot of good to keep these vehicles steady and safe on the road, and a busted RV steering stabilizer can be trouble. What is there to know about RV shocks and an RV steering stabilizer? And who owns all these RVs, at any rate?
American RV Ownership
RVs are expensive, and not all households have them. Still, many households do indeed have RVs, and statistics have been compiled to measure trends of American RV ownership. In fact, more households own RVs than ever before. According to a 2011 University of Michigan study commissioned by the RV Industry Association, ownership has reached record levels. Nearly 10 million households now own RVs, and these vehicles tend to be owned by middle to upper class households. The 2011 report showed that a typical RV owner is around 48 years old, married, and has an above-average yearly income of $62,000 or so. These RVs owners are more likely than the average American to own their houses and spend about three or four weeks per year using their RVs. Most often, RVs are owned by those in the 35-54 age group, generally Gen Xers and younger Baby Boomers. About 11% of American households headed by a 35-54 year old own an RV, higher than the 9.3% ownership rate of homes headed by those aged 55 and up. But even the best RV needs an RV steering stabilizer to stay safe on the road and make it to a campsite in one piece. How does this work?
An RV Steering Stabilizer
An RV steering stabilizer keeps an RV’s steering system in fine working order on the road. According to RV To Freedom, a steering stabilizer for an motor home is simply a metal spring built around a shock absorber. The hardware itself is simple, but that doesn’t make its work any less important. During travel, this device is connected to the front steering tie rod and the axle. The shock absorber’s role is to smooth out any steering inputs to keep the motor home driving safely, and the spring will act as natural resistance that wants to draw the wheels back to the neutral position. In a sense, when the wheels are turned, they are resisting the pull of the metal coil, sort of like stretching out a rubber band. The steering system is strong enough to overpower that resistance, but the coil’s resistance is vital for when the wheels are manually pulled back to the center.
During driving, suppose the motor homne’s driver steers to the right. Now, the coils will pull to try and bring the wheels back left to re-align them, and while driving left, the spring does the same thing in the right-facing direction. It’s a sort of “return to neutral” system. In the case of a tire blowing out during driving, a steering stabilizer will help minimize erratic and dangerous movement, which can protect the motor home and the lives of everyone in and around it. What is more, the installation of these devices is quite simple. Crews can be hired to simply bolt it into place, and the procedure can be quick and easy. And a responsible motor home owner will have their vehicle inspected every so often for safety’s sake. This can include the steering stabilizer to ensure that nothing is worn out or about to break free. A steering stabilizer won’t do much good if it’s busted, so a damaged one can be replaced with a fresh model to keep things secure and safe during driving.