By William Coleman
I am sure we have all hooked up our caravan to our tow car a thousand times, so much so that it has now become second nature. Can you become so used to it that sometimes you can overlook things? After speaking with a keen caravaner who spotted two instances where the hitch lock lever was not locked in I thought I would put together a little chick list for a little refresher. Lord knows I have made a few mistakes.
The Interior
There is nothing worse than pulling up to pitch and having to spend an age putting everything back in its place. I have been guilty of rushing to get out the door and not making sure all the cupboards were securely closed and the doors shut. It may sound silly but it is a lot more common than you’d think.
I will never forget the time I did a full clean and in my excitement I did not correctly fasten and of the upholstery and when I pulled up it looked like the fold out bed had tried to make itself. Rookie move on my part.
Hookups
I know a lot of modern camper vans and motorhomes have systems in place to let you know that you are still connected, but what about caravans?
This is something that needs to be checked manually as there is no in cab system in place when you turn the ignition on. So ensure that you do a 360 of the outside of your caravan, it’s actually the first thing I do when I’m packing up.
Nose Weight
I always knew how important the nose weight was but it was certainly reinforced while I was driving around Europe. The driving habits of some of the motorits around Europe does leave a little bit to be desired, especially on the motorways. Even if you are slightly off those rough road conditions and articulated lorries can make for a very swingy caravan.
One thing that I did underestimate was just how heavy all the kit onboard would be. I have towed many times in the UK with enough onboard for 2 people, as well as having luggage and bags in the tow car. When there around 21 people with 2 caravans there is going to be a lot more onboard weight.
When driving in the convoy, with the caravan I had loaded the nose weight on, I was soon being told that we needed to pull over and adjust. This was totally on me as I had not checked what had been stowed away by others inside the caravan. So be mindful who has put what onboard and where they have put it. A little drop in communication can go a very long way.
There are tools you can use to make sure the weight is correct. You can use something as simple as set of bathroom scales or if you want something a bit more tailor made for the job you can use a spring loaded nose weight gauge. If you really want a state of the art setup you can attach a jockey wheel that incorporates a nose weight gauge.
Mirrors
When taking trips it’s always nice to share the driving, especially if you have a 4-6 drive like I do when I travel to Devon from London.
Taking turns for me means that every time you swap seats the first thing you need to do is make sure that the set up is right for you. In fact, that is the first thing that I was taught when I took my towing course and then once more when I took a towing refresh course.
If it is not right for you change it, otherwise it can be quite dangerous. So take your time, adjust the seating, mirrors and make sure you are comfortable before you set off.
This is not a complete list of checks but a few keys ones that I have recently seen neglected on certain sites. If there are any checks that you live by that you think our readers would benefit from let us know. You can email us directly on editor@caravantimes.co.uk or on our Twitter o Facebook.
