Towing a caravan demanding

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 19

Towing a caravan demanding

Are you the sort who hitches up the caragan for the annual summer holiday then forgets all about it, wondering later why the car doesn't seem to be performing very well and why you’re snaking down the road sideways after taking a sharp corner at speed? Caravan towing demands particular driving skills. Steering needs to be gentle and smooth — try to avoid jerky steering movements, as this could set the car and caravan snaking badly. On the open road keep as close as possible to the side of the road and if the traffic starts to build up behind you pull over at the earliest opportunity and let it past — this is self-preservation as well as good manners, as a frustrated motorist can become a dangerous motorist, and you could become involved in his or her accident.

Remember the openroad towing speed limit of 70 km/h, and the road code also states that you must have a rear-vision mirror which allows you to see behind your caravan or trailer and that at night the towing connection must be lit from the front of the towed vehicle, and the towed vehicle must have a red taillight. If you in turn get held up on the road by slower

traffic, make sure that it is absolutely safe before attempting to pass — your car’s acceleration will be reduced by the caravan’s weight. When passing give the other vehicle a wide berth.

When braking while towing remember that the extra weight of the ’van will reduce the effectiveness of the brakes, so you must brake earlier. When cornering, swing slightly wider than usual. Use your car’s gearbox freely when towing a caravan — this will save wear and tear on the engine when going uphill and help braking downhill. Beware of winds, particularly when driving in the back country, where many a holiday has ended suddenly with an upturned. smashed caravan. If it is windy, beware of sudden wind gusts when emerging from cuttings. At low speed, trailer sway can be corrected by acceleration, but if this is impossible brake gently and carefully until the swaying stops.

Before setting off on your holiday, make sure your caravan .is loaded evenly — heavy loads should be placed on the floor and as near to the caravan’s axle as possible, a good guide is to check whether the floors of the towing and towed vehicles are level — if they’re not, the caravan is not loaded correctly.

Dunlop New Zealand warns against overloading caravans. "For reasons of function and cost, most boat trailers and caravans usually have tyres of a sufficient size only to carry their own weight, plus a safety margin,” said Mr Alastair Corbett, of Dunlop. "There is a great temptation for holidaymakers tn fill up boats on trailers and caravans with all sorts of holiday equipment before setting off. This in many cases results in

overloading of the tyres on the towed vehicle, which can cause rapid tyre wear and in some ca-.es tyre failure,” be said. Mr Corbett said that danger could be avoided by strict observance of the manufacturer's recommended load limits. "Tyre maintenance is also important. Ensure that tyres are correctly inflated and inspect for signs of damage or de erioration s nee the towed vehicle was last ui-ed ”