Safe towing tips for caravan newbies

Taking your tow vehicle and caravan or camper trailer out for the first time can be a daunting experience.

You’ve probably seen enough social media videos of big caravans spearing off the road in a snaking mess to make you feel a bit nervous about the whole thing.

However, there’s no need to worry. Towing can be fuss-free – provided you follow some basic advice and build up your experience.

Towing mirror laws differ from state to state, in the definition of when you must use them. One thing is sure, however, having decent mirrors makes sense.

Using some aftermarket extension mirrors will make it a lot easier to see fast charging traffic coming up behind – well before you mistakenly change lanes into its path.

Reversing cameras have revolutionized backing a vehicle up to a caravan and then slotting it into position at the campsite, but while these electronic devices help, there are always ‘blind’ spots. The best path to reversing safety is to have a spotter communicating with you.

Electronic safety aids

There are now many potentially life-saving electronic driver-assist features including those standard on many current vehicles for towing safety.

If possible, opt for a tow vehicle fitted with trailer sway control (or trailer sway assist – the systems do the same thing.) If your rig starts to sway, the vehicle’s stability control system is programmed to step in earlier and stop the sway more quickly than just standard stability control.

Electronic stability control systems are now also available for electric braked caravans that help prevent a jack-knife. Another recent innovation is anti-lock trailer braking that prevents the caravan’s wheels from locking up under emergency braking.

Preventive maintenance

Performing caravan and trailer checks before leaving home and during longer trips can also prevent potential problems.

Make sure any external fixtures or items on the caravan are firmly attached or secured and the coupling, chains, load-rated shackles and trailer plug are all connected properly.

It’s worth checking the caravan’s wheel bearings regularly and if you’re planning a big trip, replacing and or re-packing bearings is sensible pro-active maintenance.

At least once a day and more often on longer drives, check the tyres on the tow vehicle and caravan for damage and to ensure correct inflation pressures.

Weight distribution and payload

Proper placement of gear in both the tow vehicle and caravan can make a huge difference to towing stability.

Try to load all the heaviest gear down low and as close as possible to where the trailer axles are positioned. Also be aware of how much weight you’re adding so you don’t exceed any payload limits, and if in any doubt get a weighbridge certificate.

You might find in some cases that despite your best efforts with load placement you still end up with an increased towball download. Using a weight distribution hitch can help transfer load from the tow vehicle’s rear to front axle, helping reduce the chance of sway.

Don’t forget that any towball download comes off your vehicle’s allowable payload.

With larger caravans, it’s important you double-check your vehicle’s allowable gross vehicle mass (GVM) and the gross combined mass (GCM), or the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer, are still within legal limits.

Tow vehicle upgrades

You can make big improvements to towing safety by upgrading certain components on your tow vehicle.

If your tow vehicle’s suspension is getting tired or is soft to begin with, a suspension upgrade can help improve ride comfort as well as stability when towing.

Braking performance is also important when towing a heavy camper or caravan.

Standard brakes on many vehicles are not as responsive as they could be and are prone to fade, especially when towing a heavy trailer.

Thankfully, there are a few easy upgrades that can potentially make a big difference to tow vehicle brake performance.

Leading brake expert Bendix offers a few simple bolt-on brake hardware improvements for many tow vehicles.

These include the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit which is available for all popular modern dual-cab utes such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, as well 4WD wagons including Toyota LandCruiser, Prado and Nissan Patrol.

The Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit is a comprehensive package which includes all the hardware required to significantly improve the braking performance of your vehicle.

“Our Ultimate Brake Rotors are vented and feature diamond-tipped slots that not only ensure consistent stopping power but are better at eliminating dirt build-up in off-road conditions,” explained Bendix Product Manager, Ian Campbell.

“The high carbon material used in their construction, combined with the pillar ventilation technology improve thermal conductivity for consistent performance too.”

Bendix 4WD Brake Pads are in turn specifically designed for the slotted rotors on heavy-duty four-wheel drive vehicles, providing high-temperature stability and fade resistance while reducing brake dust and noise.

When paired with Bendix Ultimate Braided Brake Hoses (included in the brake upgrade kit), the replacement Bendix pads provide a consistently firm pedal. This is thanks to the fact the Bendix braided hoses are more rigid and expand less under high pedal pressures.

To keep the brakes in tip-top condition, the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade also comes with one litre of Bendix heavy duty brake fluid, a can of Bendix Cleanup and a tube of Ceramasil lubricant and a heavy-duty touring case.

Another enhancement that can really improve braking performance on some vehicles when towing is the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Booster Upgrade.

Available for ABS and non-ABS versions of the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series range – with kits for other popular 4WD vehicles available soon – the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Booster Upgrade is designed for vehicles required to tow or carry heavy loads and will increase braking performance by up to 30 per cent.

Designed to be a direct ‘bolt in’ replacement for original equipment (OE), single diaphragm brake boosters, the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Booster Upgrade is ADR compliant and uses dual-diaphragm technology to help reduce pedal effort while significantly decreasing stopping distances.

For more information on Bendix braking products for your tow vehicle go to the Bendix website.