Caravan towing season is almost upon us — and we’re pumped. But to make your caravanning holiday get off to a great start, you’ll need to get the towing setup right. Here are some towing setup tips to ensure that you’ll have a safe — and fun — spring and summer.
Start with the Right Towing Equipment
Pulling a caravan requires specialised equipment to ensure safety. Since manoeuvring with a caravan or other vehicle in tow is way different from driving a car, ute, or a 4x4 by itself, it’s critical not to skimp on your hitch setup.
From anti-sway systems to electronic brakes to even the smallest items — like hitch pins — you need to ensure that your hitch accessories are of the highest quality. Your safety depends on it.
If you live in the greater Sydney area, our team of towing experts can help you choose the safest equipment. We can even do the work for you so that you can rest assured that you have a safe and perfectly functioning towing setup.
Make Sure You Have a Suitable Vehicle
Although many caravanners prefer four-wheel-drive vehicles, especially if you want to go into rugged terrain, most passenger vehicles are suitable for towing a caravan. Always follow your vehicle manufacturer’s towing recommendations.
Here are the essentials:
• Make sure that your vehicle is heavier than what you’re towing.
• Check to see that it has enough power to pass other vehicles and manoeuvre safely with your caravan attached.
Additionally, if your vehicle has a self-levelling suspension, you’ll likely need a load distribution hitch so that you don’t damage your vehicle’s suspension.
Be sure to take into consideration all the food and equipment you’ll be hauling as well. If in doubt, be sure to ask one of our helpful team members.
Get the Right Towbar and Hitch
Even if your vehicle has a towbar already installed, it pays to check that its towing capacity is up to the task of pulling your caravan. If your loaded caravan is too heavy, you’re headed for disaster unless you install a heavy-duty hitch receiver towbar, which distributes the trailer load across a wider section of your vehicle.
Make Sure You Have Proper Weight Distribution
If there is a weight imbalance between your towing vehicle and your caravan or trailer, you might lose stability, which will likely affect your control over the vehicle. That’s especially true when the rear wheels are bearing too much of the load.
If the front wheels have too little weight on them — especially if you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle — you’ll lose some of that control that front-wheel drive gives you. To avoid such a situation, make sure that your trailer and towing vehicle are level. If they’re not, first check that your caravan’s load (equipment, food, etc.) is evenly distributed.
If that’s not the problem, you might need to consult a professional. If you’re in the Sydney area, our towing setup experts can check your hitch to ensure that your hitch’s ball height and your caravan’s coupling height match and that you have all the towing equipment to keep your rig in perfect balance.
To learn more about what you need to do to get ready for your next caravan holiday, get in touch with one of our Bars N Racks team members today.