The perfect “Daily Rig Walk-Around Checklist”

[Specter]

I’d like to begin a thread with the hopes of creating the perfect ‘daily rig walk-around checklist’ for the trail. The purpose is threefold, 1) to create a sort of best practices for everyone, 2) to educate new people to vehicle supported travel with what they should be checking, and 3) to create a list that you could train someone on and literally ‘hand-off’ to (spouse, co-pilot, etc) and they can complete the list while you are working on something else. I’ll start:

- Tire pressure/condition
- fluid levels
- Checking for any leaks, puddles, etc
- Look/listen for abnormalities while engine running
- Radio commms
- light/horn functions

Thanks for the input!

 

[Ghost]

Brilliant idea! Having lived and worked in fields where “rig checks” or pre trip inspection along with documentation is required this is good practice. I’ll be the first to say strangely I’m much more vigilant at work than I am my personal vehicle.

Along with the basic vehicle checks, special equipment / compartment checks could be added as needed. Saw, mixed fuel/oil, hand tools, batteries, med kits, recovery gear........

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Something that a lot of folks don't do, but we consider vital, is to try to check out the place you will be parking before you park there. It will make it easier to spot fluid leaks. Each morning, we pull our rig forward 20 feet and look where we parked for any colouration changes that could indicate a fluid leak. We also look visually underneath.

Another thing, if you are driving through anywhere with grass/brush/trees, get all the loose dry grass out of skid plates and bumpers before starting the day. Unless you really like a vehicle fire, which I think describes exactly no one.

Clean the windshield too! We keep a soft cloth and a can of Invisible Glass and we clean the windshield every morning. It helps get the bug guts and grossness off so you can see more clearly.

We do a bunch more stuff but the list you have pretty much sums it up, only we don't test the horn and signals each day. Since we go in two vehicles, signals and lights are kind of organically noticed each day so we don't need to specifically check them.

 

[7YODA5]

Great idea and something that could be added to the boot camp series. In the spirit of this I’d say that the fluid checks should individuality list each one. I’m confident in my wife checking them if I smashed but she wouldn’t be able to list them off the top of her head because the vehicle stuff is “my thing” and she’s out to enjoy time with me and see the sites.

I love check list because it’s easy to forget when your having fun, busy, someone gets hurt, etc. a list makes it as foolproof as possible.