What You Need to Know Before Hitching Up
CARAVANNING TOP TIPS
Dimensions and Weights
What are the dimensions of your caravan? The maximum body length on UK roads is 7m (22ft 11½ins) not including the A frame, max width 2.55m (8ft 4ins), maximum height is 3.05m (10ft), although most are about 2.6m (8ft 6ins)
MTPLM – Maximum Technically Permitted Laden Mass, the most your caravan can weigh once loaded.
MiRO (MRO) - Mass in Running Order, the weight of your caravan once fitted out at the factory/dealers. It includes an allowance for a gas cylinder, water in the water heater, toilet flush water and water in an onboard tank in some caravans that have these (remember not to tow with water in on board tanks).
Subtracting the MiRO from the MTPLM tells you how much payload you can carry. These weights should be on a plate on the side of the caravan or in the ‘gas box’.
You need to make a list of everything added to the caravan and what it weighs. This can be an extensive list, including; extra gas bottle(s) 14-16kg, electrical hook-up cable, plates/pans/cutlery, kettle, awning/poles/pegs, leisure battery, tools and spare parts, wheel lock/clamp, hitch lock, waste and fresh water carriers, TV, toilet chemicals, shoes, clothes, chairs, bikes, food and drink.
Also bear in mind that a retro-fitted motor mover weighs an extra 30-35 kg per axle, so 4 motors on a twin axle caravan will add your weight up to 70kg.
Don’t exceed the MTPLM, the consequences can be points on your licence, a fine or having your caravan impounded. Check the MTPLM of your fully laden caravan at a Public Weighbridge if concerned.
Loading
Ensure that you load heavy items between the wheels over axle, low down on the floor and wedge them so they can’t move. Keep the weight central where the suspension is most effective and keep the centre of gravity low. These items might include, the awning, poles, wheel and hitch locks, electrical cable, tools, tables and chairs.
Nose weight / towball capacity
The nose weight of the caravan is the load which the caravan places on the tow hitch of your vehicle. It affects the handling when towing. The maximum nose weight of your caravan may be on the ‘weight plate’ on the side or in the handbook. The recommended manufacturers nose weights are usually 75kg or 100kg and this is the maximum nose weight allowed. The nose weight of your caravan should be between 5–7% of the MTPLM, eg: MTPLM 1400kg, 5% = 70kg.
You must check the towball limit/capacity for your vehicle, sometimes called the vertical load. These should be available online or in the vehicle manual. The caravan’s nose weight must be less than the towball limit of your car, otherwise it may cause damage to the car where the tow bar is connected to the chassis of the vehicle. EC Type Approved tow bars have an S (static) value in kg on the approval label. This shows the maximum vertical load (nose weight) for that towbar. That doesn’t necessarily mean that is the maximum for your vehicle because not all tow bars are vehicle specific. A towbar with an S value of 130 or 150kg may be fitted to a car with a maximum vertical load of much less, e.g. Hyundai Tucson 75kg, Kia Sportage 100kg, Range Rover Sport 150kg.
Using a nose weight gauge is a useful way to ensure that you are towing safely. Use one when the caravan is loaded and on the flat. When the caravan is hitched up to the towing vehicle, unclamp and lower the jockey wheel until it’s about 20cm from floor, clamp it tightly and then unwind it to the ground. It is important to measure the height of the towball from the ground before unhitching to make sure you get an accurate reading from the weight gauge. Unhitch the caravan from the car, pull the car forward or move the van back and lower the hitch head of the caravan onto the nose weight gauge until the jockey wheel just leaves the ground and read the scale on the gauge. Excessive nose weight can cause pitching or may exceed the towball capacity.
Towbar Mounted Bike Racks
It is important to remember that towbar mounted bicycle racks will add weight to the towbar nose weight so you must reduce the nose weight to allow for the weight of the bikes.
Pitching
Excessive nose weight stresses the A frame; hitch, towball and car chassis, it pushes down the back of the car, the front of the vehicle gets lighter and so you can lose traction and steering. It leads to poor handling and can be dangerous.
Snaking
This can be caused by incorrect loading, too much weight at back of van, excessive speed, crosswinds or the suction effect between high sided vehicle and the caravan.
Check that all water tanks are drained before towing.
If snaking occurs take your feet off the pedals.
Foot off the accelerator and change down through the gears, bringing the clutch up slowly. For automatic gearboxes can change down manually if possible.
Don’t brake; keep going straight, if a corner is coming up steer smoothly through it.
Don’t increase speed! This may pull the caravan straight but it might not and then you’re in a worse situation.
Be aware that crosswinds can occur when passing gaps in hedges, walls, buildings and on bridges.
Being aware that this could happen will prepare you in advance as to what is causing it.
Keep to the speed limits and drive appropriately according to the road and traffic conditions.
Stabilisers
The ALKO coupling head stabiliser squeezes two high friction pads onto the towball to reduce lateral movement of the caravan, this can minimize snaking. For head stabilisers the towball must be free from grease, rust or powder coating/paint. It should be cleaned with towball degreaser or brake disc cleaner and roughened up with wet and dry paper.
If your caravan has ATC (Active Trailer Control) it detects excessive lateral (swinging/pendulum) movement and applies the brakes on the caravan, this pulls the caravan straight and stops the snaking movement. A light on the A frame shows green when the caravan is plugged into the car electrics,
Beware
The DVSA and Police can carry out checks and have the power to impound caravan, issue points and fines for overloaded caravans, excessive nose weight, damaged tyres, etc.
Breakaway cables
If decoupling occurs the breakaway cable deploys the handbrake on the caravan. It is attached to the bottom of the handbrake by a steel ring which opens up and falls off after the handbrake has come on. Some tow bars have a specific attachment point for this cable, if yours doesn’t just wrap it around the towball and clip it back onto itself. You can get 3 points and a £1000 fine if the cable is not present, not clipped on properly or frayed/worn. It is advisable to carry a spare. The breakaway ring can be refitted to the bottom of the handbrake but must be fed through its ‘guide hole’ in the front of the A frame for it to work effectively.
Caravan checks before setting off
Ensure that the gas is turned off (and some say disconnected), the windows and roof lights are all closed and that detachable solar panels and satellite dishes are removed. Carry out visual checks on the outside of the caravan to make sure nothing is dangling underneath and that the caravan is correctly coupled to the towing vehicle. Check that nothing has been left under the caravan.
Make sure that all water tanks are emptied and that wardrobes and cupboards are closed, ensuring that nothing could fall out or roll around during transit.
Motor movers
When the motor movers are engaged disengage the handbrake or the movers’ motors will burn out. Disengage the motor movers before towing, otherwise you may cause tyre damage. Engage the handbrake before disengaging the motor movers. Ensure that tyre pressures are correct otherwise the motor mover may not work efficiently and slip.
Vehicle mirrors and extended mirrors
Thewhite running lights on the bottom/front corner of the caravan should be visible in the car mirrors. This gives some indication of whether the caravan is straight. You should just be able to see the drivers/front passengers door handle in your car mirrors and they should be angled so that you can see where the front corners of the caravan are in relation to the white lines demarcating your lane or the centre line in the road on the offside and the kerb or verge on the nearside. Use the car mirrors to monitor where the caravan wheel arch and/or tyre are in relation to kerbs, gate posts, railings, etc: You will use your vehicle mirrors the most when towing out on the open road. The extended mirrors are useful in urban situations and when spotting if a vehicle is about to overtake.
If the caravan is wider than the car extended mirrors are needed and required by law to take out the blind spots down the side of van, particularly at the back. They are essential for seeing pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles. You should be able to see beyond caravan out to the side for 4m and 20m back. Extended mirrors are essential when reversing as the angle of the side of the caravan can be clearly seen, the car mirrors are insufficient for this purpose.
You can only see what is behind you when going around corners. Remember to remove them when not towing as this is illegal. Also remove them when stopping at Services as they could be stolen or damaged, then you can’t continue the journey without risking 3 points and a £1000 fine. Consider a cheap or used back up set.
The extended mirrors should be set up securely on the vehicle’s mirrors and in such a way as not to interfere with the movement of the glass section of those mirrors. The mirror on the offside should have at least enough room for your flat hand (thumb up) to fit in the gap between it and the vehicle mirror. On the near side you should be able to fit a fist between the mirrors.
The image in your extended mirrors from the driver’s seat should show the front edge of the caravan in the first fifth of the mirror, you only need to see the front edge and then adjust the mirror so that you can see the middle section and towards the bottom of the caravan.
Security - Your insurance company will insist that you have a good quality hitch lock and wheel lock. When towing the caravan and leaving your outfit unattended use the hitchlock to lock the caravan to the car in order to prevent theft.
Levelling
Level the caravan from side to side first, use plastic ramps or an airbag to raise one side of the caravan. If you don’t have motor movers keep the caravan hitched up as you will need to use the car to push or pull the caravan up the ramp. Use a spirit level on the floor of the caravan or kitchen units. Level up from front to back using the jockey wheel. Don’t use the corner steadies to level the caravan as these are just to steady the caravan, they aren’t jacks to lift the van. Some caravans are self-levelling.
Hitching
Breakaway cable on, push hitch release lever into up position, lower with jockey wheel onto towball, when engaged wind back up until the back of the car rises, wind up jockey wheel into tube (flange of wheel in groove of tube), release clamp and pull up, make sure the wheel still turns, tighten the jockey wheel clamp. Engage the ALKO stabiliser by pushing down, the green collar will be visible when engaged. Plug the electrics cable into the socket on the car (black tab lined up to corresponding groove) push in as you twist the locking sleeve clockwise one quarter turn. Take the handbrake off and then carry out your light checks, it’s useful to have a spotter at the rear of the caravan to call out what they can see, although you can set up your phone to video the back of the caravan while you operate the lights. The caravan and car should be reasonably level.
Unhitching
Firstly, apply the handbrake, disconnect the electrics plug (anti-clockwise release, clockwise in) and stow it, disengage the ALKO stabiliser, then hold up the hitch release lever with your left hand and wind up the jockey wheel with your right. The caravan hitch will come up off the towball. It’s good to check that the brakes are holding with a push back on the caravan. Finally, remove the breakaway cable.
Storage and when on a pitch
Chock the wheels front and rear and let handbrake off when in storage or on a pitch, particularly if you’re on wet grass as this can possibly lead to the brake shoes binding with the drum lining. If they seize up this can lead to damage to the brake linings or overheating of the brakes and a possibility that they will catch fire. Then put the hitch lock and wheel lock on to secure. If staying on a pitch or storing the caravan at home you will have the added support of the corner steadies.
Maintenance
Keep up with your annual service, and keep your service records. If buying a second-hand caravan make sure that it has evidence of a service history. Push rods, cables, levers, brakes, bearings, gas and electrics will be checked and the caravan will be checked for signs of damp.
Lights
You may have to adjust your headlights when towing as the nose of the car may be higher than usual because of the additional weight bearing down on the back of the car.
Tyres
Your vehicle tyres need pumping up to the fully laden pressures, these can be found on stickers inside the doors or fuel flap and the vehicle handbook. Check the caravan’s tyre pressures before every trip. They stand still in storage for much of the time and can develop pressure bulges and flat spots, the rubber gets brittle/cracked through not being rolled, that keeps tyres more supple. Any damage to the sidewalls (chunks out or steel wires sticking out) will require them to be replaced as there will be a danger of blowouts.
Keep an eye on the age of your tyres, it is recommended by the membership clubs that you replace them after they have been on the caravan for 5 years (7 years for spare), look on the tyre for characters beginning DOT, the last 4 numbers on this section of tyre data will have 4 numbers, eg: 3521, this means that the tyre was manufactured in week 35 of 2021.
The caravan can only be safely lifted with a trolley jack or airbag to change tyres. Wheel nuts can be checked with a torque wrench occasionally but beware of over tightening the wheel nuts by operating the torque wrench on the wheel nuts without loosening them off slightly first.
Speed Limits
Keep below all speed limits; 20, 30, 40, 50. On single carriageways where the National speed limit is shown you must stay below 50mph. On dual carriageways, with a solid central barrier, where the national speed limit is shown, on motorways and single lanes with solid lane divider the limit is 60mph. However, you are not in allowed in the outside lane of a motorway unless directed by an authorised person. Lane restrictions may reduce the carriageway to two lanes and in this case the outside lane can only be used for overtaking.
Driving style whilst towing
Adding a laden caravan to a vehicle will have a serious effect on the vehicle’s performance. Starting off can be laboured; hill starts more difficult, stopping can take longer in time and distance, cornering and negotiating sharp bends requires extra care and anticipation.
Be more aware of upcoming hazards and take more care, anticipate what other drivers will do in advance, try to drive smoothly, particularly approaching junctions and roundabouts, adjust speed to enter junction without need for excessive braking or acceleration.
Indicate in plenty of time, give other drivers more notice.
Drive at a speed which is within your capabilities and appropriate to prevailing road and weather conditions.
Caravans will push the car as you brake, then the overrun system applies the caravan brakes. Brake smoothly and in plenty of time on approach to junctions and roundabouts, keep your speed down when going downhill.
On bends the caravan will cut in as you go round corners, monitor the caravan wheel position when going round corners in order to avoid kerbs. Don’t brake on bends, reduce your speed before the bend, select the appropriate gear for your speed and gently accelerate out of bend when you can see the road ahead. On sharp deviations to the right go deeper into the corner, keeping further left, as this draws the van away from the central white line(s). With sharp turns to the left, check that the nearside caravan wheel doesn’t cut into corner. Monitor and make steering adjustments as necessary.
Reversing techniques
Straight-line reversing
Control your speed carefully when reversing, this gives you longer to make corrections as required. When reversing the caravan in a straight line only use your extended mirrors, ignore the car mirrors! Monitor the left and right mirrors every couple of seconds, switch from one to the other quickly and don’t become fixated on one. What you’re looking for is the caravan starting to fill one extended mirror more than the other. This shows that the back end of the caravan is turning out to that side. The remedy is to turn the steering wheel towards that mirror until the caravan side disappears, after which the steering wheel should be returned to the centre position.
Reversing around a corner or onto a pitch
A good starting position for your hands on the steering wheel are at 20 to 4, rather than the more usual 10 to 2 position. Feeding the steering wheel upwards by leading with the hand on your offside (right hand side) will result in the back of the caravan beginning to turn out on the same side. Similarly, feeding the steering wheel up by leading with the opposite hand on the nearside (left hand side) will result in the back of the caravan on that side beginning to move out and fill the nearside mirror.
It is always useful to get a view of the side of the caravan on the side you wish to turn towards as soon as possible. In doing this you can just concentrate on the mirrors on the side you are turning towards.
When reversing to the offside it is useful if you can also check the angle of the caravan with a glance out of the window to get direct feedback relating to its progress around the corner and towards your intended finishing point.
The simple version is to push up the steering wheel on the side that you wish to turn towards.
When reversing towards a pitch marker it is usually the case that the rear offside of the caravan has to be as close to the marker as possible. This means that when reversing in on the nearside towards this pitch you would not be able to see the marker. Another marker, such as an awning pole can be positioned a caravan width away from the marker on the nearside so that you have something to aim for.
Insurance
You should tell your insurance company if you have a towball fitted as it’s a modification to the car, they probably won’t care but it’s worth mentioning in case they make a fuss if you have to claim later! Check that you have appropriate breakdown cover and double-check that it covers the caravan as well as the towing vehicle.
Glossary
MTPLM = Maximum Technically Permitted Laden Mass of caravan. Also known as MAM = Maximum Authorised Mass
MiRO = Mass in Running Order, weight of the caravan off production line. Subtracting the MiRO from the MTPLM, gives you your payload.
GVW = Gross Vehicle Weight (Vehicle + Max load) GTW= Gross Train Weight (Vehicle with caravan combined maximum load)
Kerb weight = vehicle with all fluids, inc. 90% tank of fuel.
Sometimes manufacturers allow caravans to ‘up-plated’ to higher MTPLMs if they have been modified. A new weight plate is needed then.
Watch our videos: