Caravanning Tips – There is a long weekend (with a flex day Friday) coming up and the end of school holidays in some states. Many families may be heading away in their caravan for a relaxing weekend.
However, what starts as a weekend full of anticipation and excitement may end up i n disaster.
Towing a caravan isn’t the same as towing the 6 x 4 trailer to the to on the weekend.
I used to run off road towing courses previously, not any more. These days I always recommend drivers do a towing course run by the experts such as Getabout Training Services and their excellent Tow-Ed course.
In the meantime Jayco has a few tips for this weekend.
Check out these 10 essential tips from Jayco to help any caravanners further elevate their travel adventures.
Jayco’s top 10 caravanning tips:
- Carry a small tool kit for repairs and adjustments, along with spare globes, fuses, and bearing kits or their numbers for replacements.
- Ensure even distribution of load and placement across the centre of your van/wheels for better stability.
- Develop a system that works best for you to ensure you’re hooking your van to your vehicle, locking it securely, and checking all van lights.
- Before leaving anywhere, lock windows and hatches internally, keep blinds open, close drawers, secure the awning correctly, and tighten knobs.
- Be aware of weight limits for your car and caravan to avoid overloading.
- Maintain at least 10% of the van’s tow-ball weight as a minimum.
- Regularly check tyre pressure and replace tyres that are over 10 years old.
- Create and follow a checklist before leaving to ensure everything is in order.
- When reversing your van, approach from the left side of the site for a better view over your right shoulder.
- When reversing, place a highly visible object or a look out person on the spot you want the right rear corner of the van to end up. Using a phone or two way radio helps.
