On owning a Caravan, CC'ers experience?

[Deleted member 26715]

Training and improving on road skills are normally a good idea for most drivers.

Hence 'possibly'

 

[Dirk]

I once had to reverse a 3.5 ton van and a 25 ft long caravan down a long, narrow loading ramp and into the bowels of an Isle of Man ferry.
Good job I knew how to do it.


 

[EltonFrog]

Just wipe your mouth and walk away from it.

 

[Gert Lush]

Do insurance companies tend to give discounts if you have completed a course ?

The Camping and Caravanning Club do

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

So, @Hill Wimp and @Fab Foodie despite all the horrors show here are you still considering this folly?

The small trailer was at the access-road into the local land-fill


Both Ifor-Williams were, yes, on the pavement, but at both sides of the road, it's circa 8 - 9 foot wide
It's parked on, for most of length of the street

 

[Dirk]

Such a relief to know.

It was for my missus.

 

[swansonj]

You have to balance that cost against the possible bills from backing your shiny new 'van into something though!
Or, just see how you get on and take the course later if you feel you need it

Incidentally, from what I've seen in my 12 years as a caravaner, I would say that the majority of people are pretty hopeless at reversing their outfit! Some don't even try any more and just unhitch then use the motor mover to position it.

That implies you're thinking primarily about the final reversing-into-place manoeuvre on site. When I raised a question about reversing upthread, I was thinking of public roads.

You've driven the main part of your journey on motorways and A roads, you're getting close to your destination on narrower roads, and you meet a farmer on a tractor towing something agricultural and large coming the other way. Do you:
- sit still, stare him out, and force him eventually to blink first and reverse
- unhitch, reverse the trailer/caravan by hand or motor mover, then reverse the car
- attempt to reverse, under pressure and flustered, with multiple false starts, probably at some point jackknifing and bending something
- reverse slowly but fluently and competently as far as needed because you've been trained/practiced a lot and know how?

I regard anything except the last as anti- social and irresponsible. Which is why I now think my own trailer-towing days were irresponsible (I did the third).

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I regard anything except the last as anti- social and irresponsible. Which is why I now think my own trailer-towing days were irresponsible (I did the third).

But not everybody is you

 

[screenman]

I think that the courses cover far more than just reversing.

 

[keithmac]

Biggest tip I would give is when you've dropped the caravan hitch onto your towball and are sure it's latched on wind the steady down and lift the back of the car up a couple of inches to double check it's hitched correctly.

I always do this as belt and braces check..

 

[screenman]

Get the nose weight correct is another of my favourites.

 

[Dirk]

Get the nose weight correct is another of my favourites.

Nose weight gauges are cheap enough and help to take out the guesswork.

 

[screenman]

Nose weight gauges are cheap enough and help to take out the guesswork.

I have used them for a long time, I weighed a friends once and it went off of the scale which I think is 150kg, should have been about 60kg.

 

[keithmac]

Worth checking your noseweight scale against a known good scale as they can be quite a way out..

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I find that our Rav4 actually tows better with a slightly higher nose weight I increase it to 90Kg which makes it more stable.