Caravan

T 024 7767 0975 W campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk | 23 CHOOSING Guidelines from the major UK caravanning Clubs suggest keeping the caravan’s fully loaded weight, or MTPLM, to 85%, or less, of the car’s kerbweight, while the National Caravan Council states 100% is OK for experienced caravanners. Where practical, these guidelines are worth following, although legal towing limits are often different. The car’s towing limit can be found on the V5, under category O.1, or on a weight plate fitted to the car itself. The top two weight plate figures give the car’s maximum weight (MAM) and gross train weight (GTW). The GTW is the combined weight of both car and caravan. Subtracting these two figures will give the maximum legal towing weight, subject to driving licence limits. However, some cars vary so check figures on V5s, weight plates, and handbooks. DO I NEED TOWING MIRRORS? The law surrounding towing mirrors is dictated by rearward view, not the automatic fitting of mirrors when towing. However, if I’m towing our slimline vintage caravan with my Mercedes Vito, I’ll minimise chance conversations with the Highways team by fitting mirrors regardless. Hey, they give a good view when reversing, so why not fit a set? Also, an 8ft-wide caravan may require towing mirrors with extended arms. LOADING YOUR CARAVAN Loading a caravan is a fairly straightforward process and boils down to two things – how much extra weight the caravan can carry and where you put it. Calculating this weight-carrying capacity, or payload, is as simple as subtracting one figure from another – the MRO (lower figure) from the MTPLM (higher figure), both of which can be found in the handbook or on the data sticker. If you’ve had any equipment fitted to the caravan since it left the factory, such as a motor mover or solar panel, the weight of these items will need to be deducted from your payload figure. For example, a motor mover could be 30kg, a large roof-mounted solar panel 10kg, Aquaroll 4.5kg and so on. If it’s your first time, or you’re packing something new, it’s worth weighing each box or bag on a set of bathroom scales to make sure you stay within this weight limit. Putting caravanning essentials in the correct place makes it more stable and less prone to snaking or pitching. Personally, I load the boot of the car first, with the remainder going into the caravan, but don’t forget that the car has a load limit, too. ABOVE Hitching up is easy if you take it slow! BELOW Lee tows a Bailey Phoenix 760 with a Mercedes Vito