By Jay Khan, January 4, 2017
When checking your tires, keep an eye out for any perished rubber, or debris that can get caught in the bulges or the tread. Before you take the caravan on the road, you should check the pressure. As caravan suspension is a lot less comprehensive, the tires need to do a lot more work, and so they should be at the correct pressure to be performing at their best.
Loading The Caravan
While it may be a place for storage for most of the year, it is not advisable to treat your caravan as a suitcase with wheels. When loading the heaviest items, they need to be loaded over the axle securely, so they don’t move while the vehicle is in transit. If it is possible, put the heavier items in the car and put the lighter items in the caravan.
Avoid storing things in the overhead lockers like tins, glass, or heavy items as the lockers can easily swing open if you are going around many bends on your journey. And before you set off, make sure to double-check that everything is secured, and invest in wing mirror extensions so you can see the caravan properly.
While Driving…
It is important to remember that with the extra weight you have, stopping distances will be much longer, so increase the gap between you and the car in front, and when on approach to junctions, slow down with plenty of time as any sudden stoppages are likely to cause an accident or breakdown. When driving around corners, take a wider line than usual to allow for the extra length and width. Remember, driving with a caravan requires a lot more vigilance and attention, so if there is a breakdown or you are rendered unable to take the caravan any further, and you are not comfortable leaving it on the side of the road, towing specialists like Towing Services can cater for multi-car towing.
A major peril in towing a caravan is the potential to jack-knife, which can be done if you are trying to reverse into a space, which can be caused by oversteering, or it can happen when the caravan is snaking. This is when the caravan axles move out of line with the vehicle that is towing. The caravan will try to move back into line, but as it goes too far, it then starts a side-to-side movement which can increase and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Fitting stabilizers will help with this, but if it happens, start to drive in a lower gear to slow the snaking down. And don’t brake too suddenly.
