As a great British pastime, every year thousands of holidaymakers pack up their caravans and head down to the coast for a mini-break, enjoying everything that some of our beautiful seaside towns have to offer. The greatest things about caravaning are the flexibility and home comforts, but how should you prepare your trailer before towing it?
Read on for some top tips on making your trailer safe and towable for your journey.
Check your licence
Before you start planning your trip, you’ll need to make sure that you are actually able to tow a caravan. It may sound silly, but if your caravan usually sits on a caravan site you may not have had to tow it before. In summary:
If you passed your test before 1 January 1997: Combined weight of car and caravan outfit up to 8,250kg.
If you passed your test after 1 January 1997: Combined weight of car and caravan outfit up to 3,500kg.
Over 70 years of age (provided licence obtained before 1 January 1997): Only vehicles that can be safely towed by a 3,500kg towing vehicle.
Additionally, if you want to tow anything heavier, you’ll need to take a B+E test or a C1+E test depending on the requirements.
Pack it correctly
Your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity should be listed in your car’s handbook so always make sure you find this out before you start packing, weighing any items such as bikes, portable TVs and barbeques that you plan on taking.
Overloading your caravan or packing it incorrectly can cause real problems while you’re driving such as accelerating and climbing hills, plus the heavier it is the more unstable it becomes. The heaviest items should be placed as low as possible over the caravan’s wheels, as storing anything too close to the front of the caravan will cause unnecessary pressure on your car’s rear suspension. Following this, medium weighing items should be placed within the middle of the caravan and the lightest items at the top in overhead storage.
Extra tips
- Never carry passengers in the caravan when it’s being towed.
- To prevent the caravan from becoming unstable, make sure you have a well-matched car and caravan.
- Water can be extremely heavy, so try and pack enough for the journey and fill your supply back up once you’ve reached your destination or campsite.
- You must have towing mirrors attached to your wing mirrors so you have full visibility.
SG Haulage is one of the UK’s leading haulage companies based in Lincoln. From caravan transportation to crane hire and international road haulage, we can move a whole host of machinery at your convenience.
