Matching car and caravan

Correctly matching your car and caravan will depend on how heavy each of them is when loaded. The weight ratio between them will determine how stable your unit will be when you are on the road. In general the heavier the car and the lighter the caravan the more stable the combination will be. You will need to find the weight of the items you carry and then decide where you put them in the car or caravan to give you the best overall stability.

Finding the weight of your car and caravan is not always as easy as you may think and your car and caravan handbooks are only approximate weights - the actual weight could vary as much as plus or minus 5%.

1) Look for a small plate on the A-frame or on the sill under the door of your caravan. This will tell you the allowable gross weight and payload that your caravan has been designed to carry.

2) The easiest way to find out the actual weight of your car and caravan is to take them to a public weighbridge. It will cost between £2 and £10 depending how the car and caravan are weighed.
Tips: Weigh your car and caravan separately.
Make sure that you get a written record of the weights before you leave.
Warning: Weighbridges are not always accurate and you may find a variance between two.

3) Use a portable weighing machine. At about £80 each it is unlikely that many caravanners will have one themselves. Your local group of caravanners may have purchased one between themselves and may be prepared to loan it to you.

Kerbweight is the weight of an empty car as it leaves the factory plus a full tank of fuel. It is important as it is used as the basis to determine the weight of the caravan you are able to tow safely.

If you are new to towing you should restrict the actual laden weight of your caravan to 85% of the kerbweight of your car.

Warning: NEVER exceed the car's kerbweight, manufacturer's recommended towing figure or trainweight. You will not only invalidate your car insurance, you could also be faced with an expensive repair bill as well as being unsafe on the road.

Payload is the weight of the items the caravan manufacturer recommends you can put in your caravan.
Warning: You should never exceed the manufacturer's recommended payload and gross weight.

Tips and advice
1) As a general guide basic items for two people will weigh a minimum of 100kg with a further 25kg for each additional person.

2) Heavy items, like an awning, are best carried in the car.

3) Don't overload your car. Putting too much weight in the boot will compress the car's suspension. Lowering the back end too much will affect the car's road holding ability which in turn will affect the unit's stability. Similarly loading up the roof rack will raise the car's centre of gravity and this can also affect the stability of the combination.

It is important to keep weight low down and over the axle. In our diagram above the area for heavy items, such as awnings, is indicated in red, medium weight items can be loaded in the pink area, the rest of the caravan should be used for storing light items only.

Warning: Placing too much weight at the front will add to your noseweight, too much at the back will cause the 'tail to wag the dog'.

Noseweight is the downward load on the tow ball of your vehicle. The coupling rating is normally the maximum allowed for the caravan. This is either 75 or 100kgs. A caravan noseweight of around seven per cent of actual laden weight is ideal. You will need to check each of them when matching your car and caravan. Always adopt the lower one of the two. It is generally between 50 100kgs.

Warning: Exceeding either will add additional strain on the car or caravan chassis and could result in damage.

Tips:
1) A cheap method of measuring the noseweight is to use a pair of bathroom scales and a short length of broom handle. With the caravan brake fully on and the steadies raised, lower the coupling on to the bathroom scales using the broom handle. As soon as the jockey wheel lifts free from the ground read the weight off the scales. Make sure that the caravan is level while taking the reading.
2) Adjusting the position of items inside on either side of the axle will help you achieve the ideal noseweight. Generally speaking, the higher the noseweight, without exceeding the car and caravan's limit, the more stable your unit will be.

When you couple up your unit it should be level. If it is slightly nose down don't worry but never tow with the caravan nose upwards. You are always likely to experience some snaking and pitching, it isn't possible to eliminate them altogether. A stabiliser will help to dampen these effects but it should never be used to overcome instability as a result of incorrect loading. Experience will determine your reaction. Keep your speed down and be aware of the vehicles around you and you will reach your destination safely.

Get a caravan insurance quote
Information about caravan insurance

Get UK Directions From To     Get directions!     Also: Worldwide Maps:     Directions