Towing and caravan safety

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 they have 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, again 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, whilst 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 is 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 the caravan parking bay, there are four movements:

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 is 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 maybe more practical to remove the caravan from the car and manoeuvre it by hand. In this situation, if the ground is uneven or slopes, make sure 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.