Towing advice new caravanner
Discussion
My maiden voyage tomorrow 
WRT Mirrors, also Milenco Aero here, both with flat glass as recommended to me by the dealer. And for a hitching aid I bought a £25 Android Wi-Fi camera off fleabay and amazed myself by getting it to work.
Our Bailey Senator is 7.5m single axle. I'm going to really try and avoid the expense and weight of a mover. Luckily at my storage yard the staff put away and fetch your van for you with a quadbike which is handy.
WRT Mirrors, also Milenco Aero here, both with flat glass as recommended to me by the dealer. And for a hitching aid I bought a £25 Android Wi-Fi camera off fleabay and amazed myself by getting it to work.
Our Bailey Senator is 7.5m single axle. I'm going to really try and avoid the expense and weight of a mover. Luckily at my storage yard the staff put away and fetch your van for you with a quadbike which is handy.
If your new to towing find somewhere quiet on a Sunday and practice reversing. I came across a chap trying to park up on a caravan site couple of years ago and have never seen anything like it. He was buggered as the hill was too steep for his mover... and his clutch after driving in circles for ten minutes. I got him sorted in about 60 seconds...
Take your time - anticipate.... Smoothness wins. When about to reverse always go a bit further...
What out for the must be in front of the caravan prats... More than once they have dove out in front of me. I have no hesitation in sweeping on past them rather than hammering the brake, and enjoy seeing their open mouths when they realise that they are now behind the caravan.... They rarely keep up for long though...
If stuck on a campsite ask anyone who looks friendly. Most will help - especially a first timer...
Awnings are useful, because after you have put one up for the first time you will get divorced and have more space to yourself. Evil b
d things until you get the hang of them.
There will be buttons and switches that do not make sense. Ask away....
When towing - gas off - fridge on 12v mode.. Beer = cold when putting up said awning.
Take your time - anticipate.... Smoothness wins. When about to reverse always go a bit further...
What out for the must be in front of the caravan prats... More than once they have dove out in front of me. I have no hesitation in sweeping on past them rather than hammering the brake, and enjoy seeing their open mouths when they realise that they are now behind the caravan.... They rarely keep up for long though...
If stuck on a campsite ask anyone who looks friendly. Most will help - especially a first timer...
Awnings are useful, because after you have put one up for the first time you will get divorced and have more space to yourself. Evil b
d things until you get the hang of them.There will be buttons and switches that do not make sense. Ask away....
When towing - gas off - fridge on 12v mode.. Beer = cold when putting up said awning.
Some of these have came up but worth noting;
Reverse in from the driver side whenever you can - easier to look over your right shoulder out the window at where the van wheels are going than looking for them through the car or in the nearside mirror.
Account for about 2-3ft of tail swing. My truck driver of 42 years dad had me park against a kerb with the van on when I first got it (quiet industrial estate), stood me at the back on the pavement then full locked the car steering and pulled away slowly. The back of the van swung about 3ft over the pavement (25ft single axle van). If I'm not on full lock and in motion, I know the swing will always be less than 3ft.
Unhitching having gone forward is fine. Unhitching after reversing will result in your hitch trying to go through the car bumper as soon as it comes off the ball. The hitch compression distance is greater than the ball to bumper gap.
Tyre pressure on the tow car. If they aren't increased for towing, things will feel squirmy and unsettled.
Weight distribution in the van really changes how it is to tow - Keep weight low down in the van and run a tow ball weight that suits the car limits and feels ok on the move. Our van came from a chap who worked in the local caravan and motorhome dealer. He recommended a 75kg nose weight. Both deliberately and by accident I've ran anything from 50kg to 95kg. He was bang on, ours always feels better around the 75kg mark, even if that means a tool box on the floor of the van behind the axle or a bike wedged against the front sofas to get to within 5kg of the figure. Lighter or heavier than that it feels like the van is trying to shove the back of the car about.
Height - I spent twenty years looking in to the distance ahead and side to side for hazards. With the van I have to remind myself to look up too. A low branch, leaning signpost etc. up above the height of the car but under 2.65m is going to hit the van. Even truck wing mirrors going the other way on a narrow road are closer than I'd like.
Speed - There isn't any to be had! You can't pull away fast, corner fast (if you want the crockery to still be in the cupboard when you get there) and you certainly can't stop quickly. Truth be told, I love driving and hate towing. Its so damn frustrating! I can only liken it to flying, I doubt anyone actually enjoys it, we're all just doing it as its a means to an end!
Routes - Plan where you're going to be driving. Google street view is your friend and closed motorway diversions are not. We've almost booked sites to find that the road in is single track two way for a mile or more. I'm not squeezing the van past a tractor or minibus, nor am I reversing for a mile. Three years in I still can't reverse plumb straight for much more than the length of the car and van.
Beer - Once on site, caravan rules dictate that the driver and pitcher upper is entitled to beer. As much or as little as they wish. It is an industry standard coping mechanism for the stresses of towing and pitching. Don't listen to anyone that says otherwise!!!
Reverse in from the driver side whenever you can - easier to look over your right shoulder out the window at where the van wheels are going than looking for them through the car or in the nearside mirror.
Account for about 2-3ft of tail swing. My truck driver of 42 years dad had me park against a kerb with the van on when I first got it (quiet industrial estate), stood me at the back on the pavement then full locked the car steering and pulled away slowly. The back of the van swung about 3ft over the pavement (25ft single axle van). If I'm not on full lock and in motion, I know the swing will always be less than 3ft.
Unhitching having gone forward is fine. Unhitching after reversing will result in your hitch trying to go through the car bumper as soon as it comes off the ball. The hitch compression distance is greater than the ball to bumper gap.
Tyre pressure on the tow car. If they aren't increased for towing, things will feel squirmy and unsettled.
Weight distribution in the van really changes how it is to tow - Keep weight low down in the van and run a tow ball weight that suits the car limits and feels ok on the move. Our van came from a chap who worked in the local caravan and motorhome dealer. He recommended a 75kg nose weight. Both deliberately and by accident I've ran anything from 50kg to 95kg. He was bang on, ours always feels better around the 75kg mark, even if that means a tool box on the floor of the van behind the axle or a bike wedged against the front sofas to get to within 5kg of the figure. Lighter or heavier than that it feels like the van is trying to shove the back of the car about.
Height - I spent twenty years looking in to the distance ahead and side to side for hazards. With the van I have to remind myself to look up too. A low branch, leaning signpost etc. up above the height of the car but under 2.65m is going to hit the van. Even truck wing mirrors going the other way on a narrow road are closer than I'd like.
Speed - There isn't any to be had! You can't pull away fast, corner fast (if you want the crockery to still be in the cupboard when you get there) and you certainly can't stop quickly. Truth be told, I love driving and hate towing. Its so damn frustrating! I can only liken it to flying, I doubt anyone actually enjoys it, we're all just doing it as its a means to an end!
Routes - Plan where you're going to be driving. Google street view is your friend and closed motorway diversions are not. We've almost booked sites to find that the road in is single track two way for a mile or more. I'm not squeezing the van past a tractor or minibus, nor am I reversing for a mile. Three years in I still can't reverse plumb straight for much more than the length of the car and van.
Beer - Once on site, caravan rules dictate that the driver and pitcher upper is entitled to beer. As much or as little as they wish. It is an industry standard coping mechanism for the stresses of towing and pitching. Don't listen to anyone that says otherwise!!!
Somewhere up there it asked about how to make your van handle better. 3 things made a big difference on my van, which is 10-ish years old:
1. Servicing the brakes. On mine it was easy to do - an adjuster on the back of each drum, and a couple of bolts in the linkages. On mine the overrun was excessive, meaning that it did brake, but there was a delay. Fixing that made it tow much better.
2. Changing the friction material in the hitch. I thought it was OK, but then decided to change it anyway as it was of unknown age. Huge difference.
3. Greasing the overrun on the hitch. Not sure it had seen much care over the years.
1. Servicing the brakes. On mine it was easy to do - an adjuster on the back of each drum, and a couple of bolts in the linkages. On mine the overrun was excessive, meaning that it did brake, but there was a delay. Fixing that made it tow much better.
2. Changing the friction material in the hitch. I thought it was OK, but then decided to change it anyway as it was of unknown age. Huge difference.
3. Greasing the overrun on the hitch. Not sure it had seen much care over the years.
Thanks all for the advice, and I'm sure it'll be useful for others looking to tow for the first time.
Took the van out last week for its maiden voyage, ended up tackling a 15% gradient both up and down. Did about 80 miles in total (fairly empty van admittedly) but it was more the challenge of regulating speed, being smooth and being aware of the size of the thing!
Took the van out last week for its maiden voyage, ended up tackling a 15% gradient both up and down. Did about 80 miles in total (fairly empty van admittedly) but it was more the challenge of regulating speed, being smooth and being aware of the size of the thing!
Picking up mine in a few weeks, all the maiden voyage needs to be is about 3 miles to the storage yard but I think I'll aim for a longer run just to try things out provided my kids are behaving, nothing worse for the concentration than them two bickering in the back.
After that it will be Worcestershire to Suffolk for the Easter weekend so will hopefully have the hang of it by the end of that trip
After that it will be Worcestershire to Suffolk for the Easter weekend so will hopefully have the hang of it by the end of that trip
Me and the wife attended a towing course organised by the caravan club.
Would recommend as it teaches you properly and your other half also appreciates what’s involved even if she doesn’t do the driving. My wife can guide me onto pitches and tow hook really well. Which is what you need after a long drive.
The anticipation of what site access is like is more of a concern than the journey usually.
Always remember to have a full tank when you set off and think about where you might need to refuel as some stations have better access than others.
Never trust sat navs, to my cost I have had some terrible surprises! Trace your journey, especially the last few miles. Google street view is brilliant.
It’s daunting to start with but after a few trips it gets easier and more enjoyable.
Would recommend as it teaches you properly and your other half also appreciates what’s involved even if she doesn’t do the driving. My wife can guide me onto pitches and tow hook really well. Which is what you need after a long drive.
The anticipation of what site access is like is more of a concern than the journey usually.
Always remember to have a full tank when you set off and think about where you might need to refuel as some stations have better access than others.
Never trust sat navs, to my cost I have had some terrible surprises! Trace your journey, especially the last few miles. Google street view is brilliant.
It’s daunting to start with but after a few trips it gets easier and more enjoyable.
Awesome advice guys!
I'm picking up a Conway folding caravan on Saturday - I'm on the South Coast, it's in Leicester...
Picking it up first thing en route to see mates in Nottingham, then spend the night in a campsite just outside Nottingham before heading back to Chichester Sunday night.
Hoping the couple of shorter runs will make me more confident for the longer drive home.
Car is a big ass diesel S Max, max weight of the Conway is 750kg (and it'll be a fair bit less than that) so hoping that'll make life much simpler.
Couple of quick questions:
How do I tell the nose weight?
and do you think I need mirror extenders for something like this?
I'm picking up a Conway folding caravan on Saturday - I'm on the South Coast, it's in Leicester...
Picking it up first thing en route to see mates in Nottingham, then spend the night in a campsite just outside Nottingham before heading back to Chichester Sunday night.
Hoping the couple of shorter runs will make me more confident for the longer drive home.
Car is a big ass diesel S Max, max weight of the Conway is 750kg (and it'll be a fair bit less than that) so hoping that'll make life much simpler.
Couple of quick questions:
How do I tell the nose weight?
and do you think I need mirror extenders for something like this?
all the disadvantages of a caravan with none of the advantages.... 
Traditional way of checking nose weight is a pole between hitch and scales.
For mirrors there is a set distance that you should be able to see. If it's as wide as a caravan then looking at it's bulk I suspect you will need extenders. Do get Milenco aero if you go down that route - not the ste rubber ones.
Traditional way of checking nose weight is a pole between hitch and scales.
For mirrors there is a set distance that you should be able to see. If it's as wide as a caravan then looking at it's bulk I suspect you will need extenders. Do get Milenco aero if you go down that route - not the s
te rubber ones.
Sway said:
Awesome advice guys!
I'm picking up a Conway folding caravan on Saturday - I'm on the South Coast, it's in Leicester...
Picking it up first thing en route to see mates in Nottingham, then spend the night in a campsite just outside Nottingham before heading back to Chichester Sunday night.
Hoping the couple of shorter runs will make me more confident for the longer drive home.
Car is a big ass diesel S Max, max weight of the Conway is 750kg (and it'll be a fair bit less than that) so hoping that'll make life much simpler.
Couple of quick questions:
How do I tell the nose weight?
and do you think I need mirror extenders for something like this?
I have a Pennine Pathfinder as it fits on our drive and a caravan that has comparable sleeping arrangements would not. They are very easy to tow. Get the tyre pressures correct on both the car and the Conway. With all the gubbins you take with you, put the awning, groundsheet and skirts in the sofa lockers and anything heavy as close to the axle as you can. This makes a big difference when towing. It is easy to go above 60mph when towing without realising. So keep an eye on your speed. Mirror extenders make a big difference and as with anything, you get what you pay for.I'm picking up a Conway folding caravan on Saturday - I'm on the South Coast, it's in Leicester...
Picking it up first thing en route to see mates in Nottingham, then spend the night in a campsite just outside Nottingham before heading back to Chichester Sunday night.
Hoping the couple of shorter runs will make me more confident for the longer drive home.
Car is a big ass diesel S Max, max weight of the Conway is 750kg (and it'll be a fair bit less than that) so hoping that'll make life much simpler.
Couple of quick questions:
How do I tell the nose weight?
and do you think I need mirror extenders for something like this?
Cheers Roscoe.
Intention is to keep very little in the Conway. The S Max is bloody huge (there's only the two of us and the two kids), so there's tonnes of room - and there's plenty of stuff we've typically packed for camping holidays over the last couple of years we won't need to take anymore.
The bullet smoker is still coming with us though!
Intention is to keep very little in the Conway. The S Max is bloody huge (there's only the two of us and the two kids), so there's tonnes of room - and there's plenty of stuff we've typically packed for camping holidays over the last couple of years we won't need to take anymore.
The bullet smoker is still coming with us though!
Sway said:
Cheers Roscoe.
Intention is to keep very little in the Conway. The S Max is bloody huge (there's only the two of us and the two kids), so there's tonnes of room - and there's plenty of stuff we've typically packed for camping holidays over the last couple of years we won't need to take anymore.
The bullet smoker is still coming with us though!
No worries. Get the person you are buying from to show you how to put it up and try it a couple of times at home. Youtube has some great videos on what order to put it up and down. The awning is tricky the first few times, but practice makes perfect. Get decent rock pegs for the skirts and awning and a decent claw hammer. If it is a canvas model don't do this in the rain as it needs to be put away dry or, put up to dry as soon as possible to stop any mould. Believe it or not we have had 6 sleeping in it with ease and acres of room in the awning. Keep as much as you can in the Conway so you can just hook up and go and only put clothes, food, etc in the car. It means you don't forget anything.Intention is to keep very little in the Conway. The S Max is bloody huge (there's only the two of us and the two kids), so there's tonnes of room - and there's plenty of stuff we've typically packed for camping holidays over the last couple of years we won't need to take anymore.
The bullet smoker is still coming with us though!
So I picked up my first caravan at the weekend (08 Coachman Pastiche), had an overnight stay on the site next to the dealers and it snowed!
Was feeling a bit stressed about my first ever towing experience that afternoon, luckily the roads were mostly fine and we only had to drive a few miles to where we were storing it. I was hoping for a longer run but decided it may be better to save that for next weekend due to the weather.
It all felt a bit odd, not particularly smooth, sort of pulsing sensation when progressing under light acceleration, is that all fairly normal? Probably didn't get above 40mph anywhere. Admittedly as the van was largely empty there probably could have been a bit more weight on the nose, I will measure this and try to adjust next time I do tow.
The only thing I have towed is my kids around in a bike trailer on my push bike when they were a bit younger, this also exhibited the pulse sort of sensation so I guess it probably is to be expected. Put my mind at ease folks
Was feeling a bit stressed about my first ever towing experience that afternoon, luckily the roads were mostly fine and we only had to drive a few miles to where we were storing it. I was hoping for a longer run but decided it may be better to save that for next weekend due to the weather.
It all felt a bit odd, not particularly smooth, sort of pulsing sensation when progressing under light acceleration, is that all fairly normal? Probably didn't get above 40mph anywhere. Admittedly as the van was largely empty there probably could have been a bit more weight on the nose, I will measure this and try to adjust next time I do tow.
The only thing I have towed is my kids around in a bike trailer on my push bike when they were a bit younger, this also exhibited the pulse sort of sensation so I guess it probably is to be expected. Put my mind at ease folks
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