Index- - < Page 10----- Page 12 >----- Enter site. View index page | Visit our Facebook page
Experience of towing is not essential for taking up caravanning. Any driver should soon find towing a caravan both rewarding and pleasurable. If you are at all unsure, the Clubs offer towing and manoeuvring courses.
The caravan should always be towed either level or slightly nose down.
You should always build up speed gradually to get used to the different handling and braking characteristics when towing. A caravan will alter the performance of the car and the driver will have to anticipate potential hazards at an earlier stage. This experience will allow the driver to eliminate sudden speed and/or course changes by using earlier anticipation to create a calmer and safer driving enviroment.
The speed at which a caravan is towed is very important. The aerodynamic forces that act on the caravan at speed may tend to reduce the noseweight, increasingly as road speed increases. At a critical speed any loss of noseweight can cause instability and this could occur at a lower speed when driving into a head wind. Gusting cross winds, exposed bridge section, valleys and proximity to lage goods vehcles may also initiate aerodynamic instability. Slow down, but do not brake, to return to stability.
Speed limits:
A good reserve of power is necessary for towing up gradients at altitude.
When going uphill, change gear in good time. If your car is running short of power or is behind a slower vehicle, keep well into the nearside and out of the way of other vehicles. Remember that some hills which can be ascended with relative ease often pose an unexpected challenge if you come to a standstill in traffic and then have to re-start from scratch.
When going downhill, take extra care to ensure you do not gain speed. This can be avioded by changing down a gear and reducing speed as you approach the slope. Don't leave this gear change too late. Using low gears thoughout the decent will reduce the strain on the car’s brakes. For automatics, you may need to manually change to a lower gear in anticipation of the effect caused by the gradient change.
Note: If you plan to tow in countries where long, high altitude climbs can be anticipated, you should seek expert advice on the suitability of your car for such a journeys. Further experience and training should be gained before tackling some of the more difficult elements of towing (mountan passes, difficult terrain, etc).
Reversing competently comes with practice. Watch for slopes, cambers, potholes and other irregularities that can cause the caravan tp deviate, As with all manoeuvres, the secret is to do things smoothly and at low speed. At night, additional lighting and/or a second pair of eyes may be needed.
Steering a caravan in reverse is counter-intuitive:
1.---To cause the rear of the caravan to turn one way, the steering wheel has to be moved initially in the opposite direction from how you would normally steer the car.
2.---One technique is to remove the hand from the steering wheel in the direction in which the turn is intended and pull downwards on thr steering wheel with the other hand.
3.---Once the initial turn is established, the steering wheel is turned through the straight ahead position toprovide a small amount of positive steering.
Note: Reversing in a straight line may be difficult if there ia a significant camber or irregularities on the road surface.