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Towing Rules
| 1. |
When towing a caravan you are restricted
to a maximum speed of 50mph on single carriageway roads, and 60mph
on dual carriageways and motorways, provided no lower limit is in
force. You are not allowed to use outside lane of a three or more,
lane motorway when towing, except where there are lane closures which
restrict the lanes to two or less, or when instructed to do so by
the police. |
| 2. |
If you tow a small caravan without brakes, the
weight of the caravan is limited to 50% of the kerb weight of the
car or 750kg, whichever is less. |
| 3. |
When towing larger caravans that have brakes fitted,
the weight of the vehicle should not (as a rule of thumb) exceed
100% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. |
| 4. |
Most vehicle manufacturers state the maximum
towing limit in their hand books, but you must bear in mind the total
weight including passengers and luggage, also any items put in the
caravan or caravan. The weight can soon add up. |
Before Towing
| 1. |
Make sure your caravan is regularly
serviced and maintained. It is not wise to leave your caravan unused
for the majority of the year before taking it out on the road without
checking it for serviceability, brakes and tyres in particular. |
| 2. |
If your caravan has brakes, a common problem that
may occur is that brake cable and linkages could seize. This may
cause brakes to bind, overheating the wheel bearings. This may result
in the wheel, complete with the hub assembly, parting company with
the caravan. |
| 3. |
Check the condition of tyres and tyre pressures
regularly. |
| 4. |
If you are towing a large high sided caravan you
may require extended door mirrors. These will help visibility along
both sides of your vehicle and caravan. |
| 5. |
You will need to be aware that the vehicle and
caravan will take longer to stop, accelerate and turn than a vehicle
on it’s own. |
Loading Your Caravan
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Many problems associated with towing
a caravan are caused by incorrect loading. |
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Try to put all heavy items over the axle and make
sure they are secured to prevent movement when cornering or braking. |
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If possible, put heavier items in the car and
larger lighter items in the caravan. |
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Consult your caravan and car handbooks to establish
the correct “nose weight” for your caravan. Most cars
state 50kgs to 75kgs. |
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To check your nose weight place a flat piece of
wood on your bathroom scales (to spread the load and prevent damage
to the scales). |
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Lower the jockey wheel of the caravan onto the
centre of the wood and adjust the angle of the caravan so that it
is level. |
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To be more accurate, put a length of wood between
the couping head and the flat piece of wood on your scales ensuring
the caravan is level. |
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Check the weight shown on the scales and compare
with your car / caravan requirements. |
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If incorrect adjust the caravan load to compensate. |
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Finally, check the load is secure and can’t
move. It is always good policy to recheck your load after afew miles
to confirm everything is secured properly. |
Hitching Up
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If the caravan is heavy to handle
it is far easier to reverse the car up to the caravan. |
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If you are in a tight position and wish to manually
manoeuvre a double axle caravan, it will be easier, if you raise
the front axle off the ground by using the jockey wheel. |
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This would result in the caravan only having three
wheels on the ground making it far easier to turn. |
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Adjust the jockey wheel so that coupling the head
is approximately 2” to 3” above the ball hitch on the
back of the car. |
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It is helpful to have a companion to guide you
when reversing your vehicle, so that the ball is underneath the coupling
head of the caravan. |
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Lower the jockey wheel and lock the coupling head
onto the ball, making sure it is properly locked on. Continue winding
the jockey wheel to fully retract it into its outer case. Release
the clamp lever and raise the whole unit and firmly reclamp, attach
break away cable / securing chain to the hook on the tow bar, not
ball, and connect electrical plugs to car. |
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Finally, check all lights are working, cables
do not drag on the road and the caravan hand brake is off. |
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Stand back from the vehicle and the caravan and
check that both are level. |
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If the back of the car is too low and the nose
weight is correct and the car tow ball is the correct height, then
you have either got too much weight in the back of the car or the
car springs need strengthening with spring assistors. |
Manoevring
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Remember to allow for the extra length
and width of your vehicle and caravan when taking corners or manoeuvring
in a confined space. |
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Take a wide line to ensure the caravan does not
clip the kerb, keeping a watchful eye on both door mirrors. Revering
a small caravan is far more awkward than a large one as it is a lot
more sensitive to steering, and can be difficult to see. |
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When reversing into a space, turn the steering
wheel the opposite way to normal to start the tiler turning, then
slacken off and turn the normal way to enable the car to follow the
caravan. |
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If you oversteer your caravan it could jack-knife
and cause damage. Therefore, stop, pull forward in a straight line,
and retry. |
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Don’t give up, keep practicing. |
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It would be useful to practice in a large open
space before you are competent enough to go out on the road. |
Snaking and Stabilisers
As long as the caravan is evenly loaded, nose
weight is correct and the whole outfit sits level on the road you are
unlikely to experience
a problem with snaking, except for high sided caravans where side winds
or passing HGV’s can unrest the caravan.
You may need a stabiliser. These reduce snaking by increasing the turning
friction between towing vehicle and caravan. However a stabilisr will
not compensate for bad loading, weight distribution.
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