Towing or driving with a caravan

Here are our top tips to secure your load safely:

• Make sure your vehicle is rated to tow the load and check the handbook if in doubt.
• Make sure your vehicle and trailer are in good mechanical condition and roadworthy.
• If you're carrying small items (such as garden waste or debris), cover the load with a tarp so items don't fall or fly out.
• Don't use restraints if they're frayed, cut or damaged – replace them.
• Evenly distribute the load as much as possible.
• Remember that loads can move during a journey which can cause restraints to loosen. If possible, re-check the restraints shortly after beginning the journey.
• Make sure your number plate is visible.
• Drive to the conditions remembering that your vehicle will be less manoeuvrable and will take longer to stop.
• Avoid sudden braking, heavy acceleration and sharp cornering.

Watch our how-to videos for more information:

• How to safely secure items to your roof racks
• How to safely secure items to your trailer

For more information on road rules, see seat belts and securing heavy loads.

Tow vehicle

Towing increases the stress placed on the safety limits of any car. It's essential that the car is in first-class mechanical condition, with special attention to brakes, steering, suspension, tyres and most importantly the cooling system. If the tow vehicle is an automatic, it's essential that a transmission oil cooler is fitted.

Short trips first

Do a few short towing trips first, gradually increasing the distance travelled, before embarking on a long trip. This allows you to familiarise yourself with the rig, understand the feel of the van's weight on the back of the car, and understand the adjustments needed when accelerating, braking and overtaking.

Plan your drive

When heading off on the first trip, an early start is recommended. This gives you the advantage of light traffic conditions and gives you an opportunity to develop a feel for the caravan on the back of the car.

Know the weight of your caravan or trailer

The law allows a vehicle to tow up to 1.5 times its kerb mass, but check your owner's handbook for the recommended maximum towing mass as some vehicles aren't suitable for towing up to the legal limit. RACV recommends towing slightly less than the applicable limit to ensure there will always be a reserve of power available and that the engine of the tow vehicle won't be constantly working at its maximum.

Know the height of your van

Before leaving, measure the height of your van and any luggage on your vehicle roof racks. Be aware of:

• height clearances under bridges and car parks
• overhanging trees
• low clearance signs on public and private roads.

Before moving the caravan at any time, check that:

• the coupling electrical connection and chains are properly located and secure
• power, water and waste water services are disconnected
• the gas bottle is turned off
• all windows and cupboards are fastened
• parking legs are fully raised
• the step up and jockey wheel are removed.

Have someone assist you with checking that all the tail/brake lights, indicators, and side marker lights are working properly, including the rear number plate light.

The tyres on a caravan must all be the same, have good tread and no cracks in the sidewalls. Tyre pressures must be maintained at least to the recommended pressure by the caravan manufacturer or the tyre manufacturer.

Remember to check caravan tyres regularly. Tyres can deteriorate quite considerably if the caravan is sitting idle on its tyres for many months of the year or if they've been exposed to the weather.

There are many types of towbars/tow hitches available to suit different cars. The most satisfactory system is a load distribution hitch, which returns both the car and the caravan to a level position once properly set up. It's best to consult with a specialist in this field for your particular rig.

The most effective and efficient type of brakes today are electric brakes, which operate when the brake lights on the car operate. They have the big advantage where they can be operated separately from the car by a hand control inside the car. This means that the caravan is never pushing onto the rear of the car, which is often when the caravan can start to sway.

An increase in fuel consumption is expected when towing a caravan. Also, if the car is used continuously for towing, a reduction in the overall life of the car must be expected.

When moving off from stationary, take your time to avoid harsh acceleration. This uses excess fuel.

When starting a manual car on a steep hill, where possible, allow the rig to roll back several metres with the steering wheel turned so the car and caravan are at an angle to each other. This relieves the load on the clutch, as the first few metres the car moves, it is only straightening the caravan out and is not pulling the full weight.

Even with the latest electric braking systems, it's essential to allow a greater distance to slow or stop than the distance you would allow with only the car. In fact, forward planning when applied properly can often reduce the number of times that you will stop at traffic lights.

When you're approaching a set of traffic lights that are red, gently slacken off the power so you take longer to get to the lights; quite often you'll find that the lights will change and you can go through without coming to a stop. This practice also improves the fuel economy of the tow vehicle, because you're not starting the whole rig from stationary at every set of traffic lights.

When climbing hills, don't wait until the car is struggling to decide to change down to a lower gear, as the car will only struggle again after the gear change. In automatic cars, change down to second gear to prevent the transmission from hunting up and down from gear to gear.

On steep downgrades, it is very important to change down to a lower gear to assist the brakes – or even better, to reduce the need to use the brakes. It is not unusual for the brakes to overheat during a long descent, when the driver neglects to select a lower gear.

With a four-speed automatic, unless you are on a flat road with no head wind, it is probably better to leave the gears in third to prevent the transmission from changing up and down all the time.

When taking corners, it's important to remember the extra length of the rig. For a left turn, approach a little further out from the side of the road. Always allow the car to continue straight for a few metres. This will prevent the caravan from being too close to the side of the road, with the potential of colliding into objects such as a power pole or a shop verandah.

The most dangerous thing a caravan can do is to develop sway. Thankfully, modern load distributing hitches are available, which when properly set up, can almost completely eliminate sway. If you have a caravan/car combination that continues to sway, you should consult with the experts to have the problem rectified. Some modern vehicles have towing modes in their stability control systems, while similar systems are being incorporated into trailers, too. These can be very effective and are worth investigating.

Sway in high winds

High winds, especially side winds, can cause sway. The direction and strength of wind can be determined by observing trees on the side of the road or wind socks near ravines. There can be some situations where you should make the decision not to tow the rig at all, when there are extremely high winds blowing.

Sway when being overtaken

Sway can be caused when a large vehicle like a semi-trailer, B Double or a Road Train is going to overtake your rig.

Try to be aware of any vehicles that are going to overtake you and where possible give them as much room as you can safely manage.

As the large vehicle commences to overtake you, with the accelerator still pulling your rig, gently apply the caravan brakes only, with the hand control. This will make the caravan pull backwards on the car, which has a straightening-out effect on the whole rig.

Never use the foot brake in this situation, even if your rig is fitted with electric brakes.

Reversing is often considered a nightmare with a caravan, but it's not as difficult as it may seem. It just needs some thought and for the driver to take their time.

To reverse around a corner, like parking into a caravan parking bay, there are four movments:

1. Point the caravan in the direction you wish it to go.
2. Get the car to basically follow the caravan where it is going and maintain a manageable angle between car and caravan.
3. Bring the car in a straight line with the caravan.
4. Straighten the car wheels.

It sounds complicated, but if it's taken one step at a time the technique will gradually develop. At any time, you must be prepared to stop, get out and take a look at what the rig is doing, so you can be fully aware of what happens at each stage.

There are times where it may be more practical to remove the caravan from the car and manoeuvre it by hand.

In these situations, if the ground is uneven or slopes, make sure you that you can keep control of the caravan handbrake to prevent it running away from you. If the caravan does start to get away, immediately stop it, lock on the handbrake, step back and take a break while you consider the situation.