Caravan

T 024 7767 0975 W campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk | 25 CHOOSING handbrake is on, the corner steadies are raised, and that the height of the caravan’s hitch is higher than its towball. Reverse the car until the towball is underneath the caravan hitch. A motor mover can make final adjustments easier, especially if you’re doing this alone. Raise the stabiliser and hitch levers and lower the hitch onto the towball by winding the jockey wheel up. Keep winding the jockey wheel until the hitch fits over the towball, and the visual indicator pops out, showing green. To double-check that the hitch is located correctly, wind the jockey wheel back down until the rear of your towcar lifts an inch or two. Wind the jockey wheel all the way up, then undo the jockey wheel clamp, then lift and secure out of the way. If you have a stabiliser hitch, push down the stabiliser arm and check that this visual indicator is also showing green. Attach the connector or connectors for the lights, etc. If the cable is too long, twist it to keep it from dragging on the road. Connect the breakaway cable. If your towbar has an eyelet as a breakaway cable attachment point, loop the cable through this eyelet before clipping it back on itself. Making sure that your car’s handbrake is on, release the caravan handbrake, and the motor mover if you have one. Check that the caravan lights are working, and that doors, windows and rooflights are closed. Make any final adjustments to the towing mirrors and you’re ready to go! TOWING & MANOEUVRING Both major Clubs offer towing and manoeuvring courses at various locations. However, If you’ve yet to book a course, these simple tips could prove useful. When towing a caravan, the speed limit on single carriageways is 50 instead of 60. Dual carriageways and motorways are 60 instead of 70. The caravan adds width and length, so spend time seeing how the caravan ‘tracks’ behind your car. Like anything else, reversing a caravan comes with practice and it helps if car and caravan are straight before you begin. A good tip for reversing in a straight line is to turn the top of the steering ABOVE Once you've set up, you can relax and enjoy the break! BELOW The hitch Camping & Caravanning Club West Runton campsite wheel towards the mirror that shows the larger part of the caravan. Small, slow movements are important and always try to pick a point behind the caravan to ‘aim’ at. If you’re reversing onto a pitch and using the pitch peg as an aim point, remember that the caravan will pivot around the wheel(s). Don’t worry if it doesn’t go right first time; just pull forward, straighten up, and give it another go. Practice makes perfect. A motor mover is a great get-out-of- jail-free card for when things don’t go to plan. ELECTRIC CARS The power characteristics of an electric motor, coupled with the additional weight of battery packs, make electric vehicles a viable proposition, on paper at least. There are two main electric vehicle types – hybrid and fully electric. Hybrids use a combination of conventional engine and electric motors and can be very capable towcars. I towed a Bailey caravan with a Mitsubishi PHEV and it made relatively light work of Millbrook’s demanding Alpine circuit. At present, few manufacturers (Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Tesla, etc) have pure electric towing capacities large enough for a reasonably sized caravan, but this will undoubtedly change soon. ‘Range anxiety’ is a well-used term and towing a caravan will limit range further due to the extra weight. Electric towcars will undoubtedly become the norm, especially as we near 2040, with the instant torque and quiet nature of an ‘EV’ promising to add to the enjoyment of our caravanning trips. When towing a caravan, the speed limit on single carriageways is 50 instead of 60. Dual carriageways and motorways are 60 instead of 70. The caravan adds width and length, so spend time seeing how the caravan ‘tracks’ behind your car