Caravan Tips: What to do when You’re Starting Out

When the pandemic hit, caravans had become a hit since most Australians were unable to travel overseas.

The caravan lifestyle has a lot to offer especially for the enthusiasts who want to explore Australia.

But before you get excited on your Caravan trip, here are a few things you need to know:

KNOW THE WEIGHTS

You need to know and understand your towing terminologies and if your car/caravan combination is legal.

HITCH and CHECK

Once you have the right caravan / towing vehicle combination, you will need to hitch your caravan to your vehicle.

Remember to do a safety check before towing. Some caravan manufacturers provide a comprehensive checklist covering towing, storing and using the van. Some of the safety measures you need to check are ensuring that your doors, hatches, windows, covers and loads are secured. In addition, don’t forget to check you tyre pressure and that your safety chains have been connected properly.

ADJUST YOUR DRIVING

Keep in mind (you don’t need a comma after “mind”) that you are towing a caravan, so don’t speed up! Your driving skill set needs to be adjusted. The tow vehicle will be longer, higher and heavier. Acceleration is slower, and stopping is much slower as well.

You need to take note that your fuel consumption will increase, so in order to minimize this, you need to keep your speed down – just make sure that you are still aware of motorists behind you and the use of turnouts. Speed limits vary between states and territories, so check the speed limits that apply when towing.

TAKE COURSE

If you are a first timer when it comes to caravanning, we suggest that you take a towing course. This covers safety and maintenance checks, legal requirements, loading strategies, hitching and unhitching, braking and reserving, sway management and control.

When it comes to your caravan towing solutions, Bars N Racks is your go-to! They have a range of standard tow bars, hitch receivers, weight distributing hitches, brake controllers for all your caravan needs.

If you don’t know what you need, our team of friendly professionals can help you. You can drop by at our store in Brookvale, or call us up at 02 9905 2442. Our team will be glad to assist you!