Bailey Unicorn - Towing; Speed Limits; Pulling Away; Caravan Handling

16
CARAVANANDTOWVEHICLE
7. TOWING
Speed Limits
Where a lower limit is not in force, caravans
maybetowedatuptoamaximumof50mph
on single carriageways or 60 mph on dual
carriagewaysandmotorways.
Pulling Away
Allowmoreenginespeedtoproducethepower
tomovetheadditionalweightofthecaravan.
Lettheclutchoutsmoothly.
Avoid wear and tear on the clutch and
transmissionbytakingextracare.
Changegearssmoothly.
Trynottojerktheclutch.
Caravan Handling
Allowforthecaravanbeingslightlywiderthan
thecar.
Allow additional distance from the kerb with
caravanwheelssothattheyarenot“bumped”.
Whenpassingothervehiclesallowmorethan
normalclearancefordrivingsolo.
Overtaking and stopping distances are
increasedwhenyouaretowing.
Always indicate in plenty of time before
carryingoutanymanoeuvre.
Allow longer to accelerate up to speed prior
toovertaking.
Allow for the vehicle being twice its normal
length.
Donotsuddenlyswingout.
Carry out all manoeuvres as smoothly as
possible.
Usenearsidewingmirrortocheckcaravanhas
clearedwhenovertaking.
Reversing
Prociencyatreversingcanonlybeachieved
withpracticeandshouldberstattemptedin
alargeopenarea.Considertakingasuitable
trainingcourse.
Motorway Driving
Caravansmaynotbetowedintheoutsidelane
of three or four lane Motorways (Reg 12(2)
of the motorway Trafc [England and Wales]
Regulations1982).
Reduce speed in high winds, cross winds,
downhillorinpoorvisibility.
High-sidedvehiclessuchaslorriesorcoaches
can cause air buffeting, so extra care must
betakenwhenpassingorbeingpassed.Give
as much space as is possible between your
caravanandthehigh-sidedvehicle.
Mirrors
The law requires the driver of the towing
vehicletohaveanadequateviewtotherear.
If there is no rear view through the caravan
windows it may be necessary to have
additional exterior towing mirrors tted to
provideaviewalongbothsidesofthecaravan.
Insomecountriestheseadditionalmirrorsare
alegalrequirement.
Any rear view mirror must not project more
than200mmoutside.
•Thewidthofthecaravanwhenbeingtowed.
•The width of the towing vehicle when
drivensolo.
Anyadditionalrearviewmirrorttedshallbe
ofan approvedEuropean typeand coverthe
eldofviewasstipulatedbytheregulators.
!
      Passengers are forbidden to ride in a
caravanatanytime.
Snaking
Thisisatermusedtodenoteanunstablecar
and caravan combination where the caravan
“weaves’” from side to side often causing a
similar swaying movement in the car itself.
Possiblecausesare:
•Insufcient tyre pressure on either the
caravanorthetowvehicle.
•Towvehicletoolightorweightdistribution.
•Incorrectloadingorweightdistribution.
•Excessivespeedespeciallydownhill.
•Sidewinds.
•Overtaking.
•Beingovertakenbyahigh-sidedvehicle.
•Erraticdriving.
•Mixingradialandcrossplytyres.
•Noseofthecaravanistowingtoohigh.
•Insufcientnoseweight.
For best stability aim at an 85% ratio of
weights.
Stabilisers
A stabiliser should never be used to try to
improveacaravan/towingvehiclecombination
that has poor stability as instability may
appearathighspeed.
However, a good stabiliser can make
an acceptable caravan/towing vehicle
combination more comfortable and easier to
handle.