If you find traffic is building up behind you, pull over at a layby or other suitable place and let the other vehicles pass. Caravans must not be parked in parking meter bays. In extreme cases, the caravan swings ever more violently from side to side, eventually dragging the back of the car with it so the driver loses control. The best way to avoid snaking and pitching is to have a well-matched car and caravan and to load your unit carefully.
See our data sheets that relate to towing and our tow match service. Electronic and friction stabilisers are fitted to many caravans, which can also reduce the problem in a well matched outfit. But even with all these precautions, you might find the back of your car being pulled by your caravan because of the air turbulence caused by a passing lorry, coach or a crosswind.
Another important term is Tow Ball Download. Often called tow ball weight, ball load or hitch weight, this is a description of the actual mass the caravan applies at its hitch. Ball load is a variable weight, as what and where you load things into the trailer will affect it.
For example, the tow ball mass could increase with water in the tanks. Although a positive tow ball mass is inherent to caravan stability, too much is a bad thing. Any weight added behind the rear axle levers the front of the car up, reducing braking performance and steering feel. It might also overload the maximum axle weight in the rear. An imbalance between the front and rear axle weights is one of the biggest causes of towing instability, poor braking performance or poor steering feel.
Finally, a caravan also has a tare weight. There is far less scrutiny on trailer manufacturing, which combined with a much higher level of customisation available to the end-user, makes specified weights like tare and tow ball mass much less reliable than weights quoted by the auto industry. If you are unsure, get it weighed. The industry standard is to offer at least kg, but some offer far more. All of this can seem arbitrary, but there can be serious consequences for overstepping any of these marks.
The least serious of these is increased mechanical wear. Overloading your car or caravan will shorten the lifespan of your tyres, brakes and engine, as well as the distance you can travel between fuel stops. Consult your caravan dealer if in doubt. After weight, the other important consideration is engine power and torque. The power to weight ratio sometimes measured as bhp per tonne can be a useful indicator of this.
For example, a Ford Mondeo 2. This is a minimum target figure for allowing reasonable performance, not delaying other traffic and having sufficient power for overtaking. Torque, or pulling power, is a measure of engine performance.
Good torque at low engine speeds will allow easy pulling away, and towing with a minimum of gear changing. In general, diesel-engined cars will offer more low-down torque, which makes them more accomplished towcars. Renewed concerns over air quality are likely to see increased levels of taxation levied on diesel vehicles in the coming years. Hybrid vehicles, which combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor, are set to become more popular.
The additional torque provided by the electric motor is useful for towing and the superior fuel economy and lower emissions mean lower fuel and tax bills. An automatic is ideally suited for caravan towing, and with its torque converter allows crawling pace where a manual's clutch would slip and wear. The latest five, six or seven speed automatics have virtually eliminated any significant fuel consumption penalty and generally deliver performance effectively equal to their manual counterparts.
Other benefits include less wear and tear on the transmission, easy re-starts on hills and excellent low speed control when reversing to hitch up. Home Caravan Insurance Guide to towing a caravan.
Guide to towing a caravan. Do you need a licence to tow a caravan? A licence issued from 19th January Small trailers that weigh no more than kg A trailer over kg, with a combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle of no more than 3,kg MAM Why would you fit a stabiliser before towing a caravan? Unwanted movement occurs in two specific ways: Yaw: Side to side movement — this is most commonly caused by sudden gusts of wind hitting the side of your caravan, or when other vehicles are overtaking you on the motorway.
Pitching: Up and down movement — generally caused when hitting a pothole or a drop in the road.
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