Caravan safety for first-time buyers
RVs
What you need to know before hitching up and hitting the road.
With travel still restricted, a lot of us are looking at alternative holidays for the foreseeable future and caravanning is being considered for the first time by many families.
When looking at your proposed caravan or camper trailer purchase, there will be a lot to consider and one of these is the weight of the caravan as your tow vehicle may not be up to the task. Remember, the combination must be legal to tow.
The vehicle towing capacity should be confirmed either in the owner’s manual or with the vehicle manufacturer.
We generally recommend the ATM of the van does not exceed about 75% of the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity if regular or long-distance towing is envisaged.
When you have found the correct vehicle and caravan combination, it’s time to hit the road. Or is it?
Before you head off, it would be a good idea to take a towing course so that you can learn about correctly loading and hitching your vehicle and van, as well as how to reverse and other general road safety advice related to towing.
We would also recommend that before you start your family’s new adventure, you practise hitching and unhitching the van and reversing it with an assistant, if required. Also, practise and agree on any hand signals that you and your travel assistant will use when reversing the van.
This would also be a good time to check that you are loading the van correctly and everything is secure.
With all this in mind it’s time to enjoy your family’s adventures and the memories it will provide for years to come.
When looking at your proposed caravan or camper trailer purchase, there will be a lot to consider and one of these is the weight of the caravan as your tow vehicle may not be up to the task. Remember, the combination must be legal to tow.
The vehicle towing capacity should be confirmed either in the owner’s manual or with the vehicle manufacturer.
We generally recommend the ATM of the van does not exceed about 75% of the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity if regular or long-distance towing is envisaged.
When you have found the correct vehicle and caravan combination, it’s time to hit the road. Or is it?
Before you head off, it would be a good idea to take a towing course so that you can learn about correctly loading and hitching your vehicle and van, as well as how to reverse and other general road safety advice related to towing.
We would also recommend that before you start your family’s new adventure, you practise hitching and unhitching the van and reversing it with an assistant, if required. Also, practise and agree on any hand signals that you and your travel assistant will use when reversing the van.
This would also be a good time to check that you are loading the van correctly and everything is secure.
With all this in mind it’s time to enjoy your family’s adventures and the memories it will provide for years to come.
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The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.