Your big summer holiday must be just around the corner. Before you hitch up and head off for a week or two, though, it pays to make sure your car and caravan are in safe condition and ready to go.
Some preparation can be done in the days and weeks before you set off, while a few final checks can be made before setting off. A little bit of effort to both your caravan tow car and tourer in the days before your getaway should ensure a safe and uneventful journey. After all, both need to be in roadworthy condition.
Don’t miss my tips on the towing equipment which can help you have an enjoyable experience on the road, as well.
Preparing your caravan
It’s easier to make checks if you keep your caravan at home, but whether it’s on the driveway or you’re storing the caravan at a facility, you’ll be checking over the same things.
Tyres are critical for safety (and see our guide to caravan tyre care if you want to find out what you can do to keep them in tip-top condition).
Inflating the tyres to the correct pressure is a must (see: “what PSI should my caravan tyres be?” if you need help here). The caravan’s handbook should advise you of the right pressures, otherwise there are online calculators. We would recommend using the manufacturer’s recommended pressure if at all possible to give a pressure that’s tailored to your caravan.
You should also check the tread to make sure there’s enough remaining. Just as with car tyres, there should be 1.6mm as a minimum across the central three-quarters of the tyre’s width and around the full circumference.
You may also be wondering “how often do caravan tyres need changing?” After all, they cover fewer miles than car tyres, so can deteriorate through age before the tread wears down. Look to replace the tyres once they are five years old or so. We wouldn’t recommend towing with tyres that are more than seven years old as the risk of degradation is too great.
You can check the age by looking for the four-digit stamp on the side. For example, ‘2123’ means the tyre was manufactured in the 21st week of 2023.
Even younger tyres should be checked for visible damage, such as cracked sidewalls or cuts, and replaced if necessary.
Lights also need to be in proper working order. No doubt a lights check before every journey is part of your regular towing routine, but it’s a smart move to hitch up the week before a long trip to allow time to replace any faulty bulbs rather than having to delay your journey.
Perhaps you take more luggage and touring paraphernalia for a fortnight’s summer holiday than a weekend away. However, when you’re packing a caravan, you want to make sure that you do not overload it.
Either check at a weighbridge, or weigh your luggage to make sure that you will be within the caravan’s payload. Load the caravan as you would for the trip and check the noseweight. It should be 5 7% of the laden weight of the tourer, so long as this does not exceed the maximum download on the caravan towbar.
Making sure your car is ready
Checks to your car are every bit as important as those to your tourer. After all, it’s the car that will be doing the hard work on the journey.
Start thinking about any maintenance jobs that may be needed in the weeks before your holiday. If a service will be due soon after returning, it’s a sensible move to book the car in early so it’s in the best possible fettle for your holiday.
Otherwise, a little DIY maintenance will go a long way. Check the oil level. This is probably part of your regular routine anyway, but it’s especially important to do before a long towing journey that will put the engine under extra strain.
Washer fluid should also be checked and topped up as required. A quality summer screen wash will perform better than an all-season mix because it’s designed to remove insect debris and pollen.
If you run a diesel tow car with AdBlue to clean up the exhaust, check when more fluid is next required. Don’t risk running out, because the engine won’t start.
The night before or on the morning of your journey, inflate your car tyres to the correct pressures for towing. These may be higher than in normal driving to reflect the greater load on the tyres.
Don’t forget to check the spare tyre is properly inflated, if your car has one. If you have a puncture repair kit rather than a spare, make sure the kit is complete and in date. Do this a week or so before the holiday so you have time to replace it.
Preparing to leave
When the first day of your holiday arrives, you should already be confident about the condition of your car and caravan. Although it’s important to make final checks before you set off, there should be no surprises if you have prepared properly.
When loading the caravan, keep items low down and close to the axle. Likewise, when you load the car put the heaviest items in first so they are low and close to the rear wheels. Both these precautions will aid stability.
Make sure the gas cylinder valve is off to prevent any potential leaks from collisions or vibrations. The belt-and-braces approach is to switch off individual isolation valves inside the caravan, too.
When hitching up a caravan, make sure you have removed wheel locks and other security devices first. You won’t be the first or the last caravanner to have forgotten this step!
Raise the hitch so there’s room for the towball underneath. Once the hitch and towball are aligned, lower the hitch until it clamps securely to the ball. A green indicator will show that you have hitched successfully, but double check by winding the hitch back up a short distance – you should be able to see the back of the car lifting.
Once the breakaway cable is attached, the jockey wheel secure, and the electrics connected (see: caravan towing electrics), perform a lights check. You should also make sure your extension mirrors are securely fitted and give a good view down both sides of the caravan.
You’re ready to go. Enjoy your holiday!
If you’re still in the process of choosing the right car to pull your tourer, don’t miss our advice on matching a car to a caravan, either.
Lead image: Getty Images
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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