INFORMATION ABOUT CARAVANS CAMPING & MOTORHOMES - TIPS HINTS & ADVICE

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Towing Tips

TYPICAL PROBLEMS

The following tips are just a few widely accepted guidelines to promote safe towing - particularly before you are on the road or when reversing. For the novice, reversing the combination can be daunting but a few easy to follow rules should help this considerably

The law currently states that both towing vehicles and caravans/trailers and the loads they carry must be in such a condition that no danger or nuisance is caused.

Loading up
Keep all the heaviest items over the axle. The remainder should be distributed to give a suitable nose weight at the coupling. Correct loading is crucial to stability. Ideally the maximum laden weight of the caravan/trailer should not exceed 85% of the kerbside weight of the towcar.

On the road
The actual laden weight of the caravan/trailer should be kept as low as possible; the lower it is the safer the caravan/trailer combination will be. Think about the overall length of the towing combination, all too often, accidents occur because the driver has forgotten to take into account the increased length of both vehicles. The addition of an extension mirror will assist in improving vision and, depending on the width of the vehicle being towed, may be a legal requirement.

Reversing
As a rule of thumb, to reverse in a straight line, once the caravan or trailer is visible in either mirror, gradually turn the steering wheel towards that mirror to re-align the towed vehicle. If reversing round a corner or into an opening, your initial movement of the steering wheel should be in the opposite direction to where you want the caravan or trailer to turn into. Once moving gradually reverse this action as necessary. Practise makes perfect - don't be put off by early failed attempts at reversing.

HOW TO AVOID SNAKING

Snaking occurs for varying reasons - from buffeting winds to aggressive driving - but it can be reduced by fitting a quality stabiliser. However, a stabiliser should never be used to counteract a poor towing combination or bad driving.

Points to remember
The following points will drastically reduce the chance of snaking:

Keep within the nose weight and laden weight limits of your combination
Check tyre pressures regularly
Reduce speed on downhill roads
Keep an eye on overtaking vehicles slipstream effects from lorries and coaches can cause snaking. Keep well to the left of your carriageway.

If you feel you are snaking, your instinctive reaction may be to brake hard or accelerate out. This is not advisable and is extremely dangerous. The proper course of action on sensing the snake is to brake gently and gradually until full control is regained.

Stabiliser systems
Brink provide a traditional, friction pad stabiliser compatible with the UK style towbar which utilises a standard, bolt-on ball. When used in conjunction with an adaptor bracket - also available from Brink - the stabiliser is compatible with most swan neck towbars. The SSK 2 model, also available from Brink, acts directly on the point of pivot, working equally on each side of the towball, and so does not affect balance and stability. Easy to use, it engages in one simple movement. Equally as effective on small trailers as on large caravans, the SSK-2 works on loads from 180kg up to a maximum gross weight of 2000kg.

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