5-1
ARRIVING ON SITE
ARRIVING ON SITE
CHECK SITE REGULATIONS
On arrival at a site, you should always check the
site regulations. This will help avoid any
unnecessary conflict with site management and
other site users.
WARNING: Care has to be taken to
prevent fouling when traversing ramps or
other ground obstacles.
SELECTING A PITCH
Carefully select where you wish to place your
caravan. The site should be as level as possible,
preferably not under or near trees, well drained
and away from possible boggy areas. Consider
how you will move the caravan when it is time to
leave the site. On sloping ground it is better to
pitch facing downhill, especially during wet
weather.
SIDE-TO-SIDE LEVELLING
A quick glance at your pitch should tell you if you
are likely to need side to side levelling i.e. levelling
across the axle. On uneven ground lateral
levelling is accomplished by the use of a leveller
jack or ramp and a spirit level placed ‘across’ the
caravan floor (not supplied).
Leveller Jack
Place the leveller jack, folded flat, in front of the
wheel needed to be raised to level the axle. Tow
the caravan onto the leveller jack and adjust the
height until the spirit level shows that the caravan
is laterally level.
Ramp
(i) Reverse onto your pitch about 30cm (12")
further back than you wish to end up.
(ii) Then place the levelling ramp in front of the
wheel that needs to be raised.
(iii) Place a spirit level parallel to the axle on the
A-frame or just inside the caravan door.
It helps to have two people at this point. One
should drive the car very slowly forward moving
the caravan wheel up the ramp, and the other
should indicate when the spirit level bubble is in
the middle.
Whichever method you use, and once level:
(i) Apply the caravan handbrake and chock the
caravan wheel if necessary.
(ii) Lower the jockey wheel to ground level
before unhitching. (See index uncoupling)
(iii) If necessary use a load spreader, such as a
big foot or alternative suitable device.
You should then park your car, usually next to the
caravan furthest away from the door side.
Please Note: On upward facing pitches when
the hydraulically damped drawbar of the hitch
becomes fully extended, it will be necessary to
compress the drawbar slightly in order to achieve
a clean’ unhitching. With the caravan brake on,
reverse the towing vehicle about 2.54cm (1") to
release hitch lock tension and using the jockey
wheel adjustment, unhitch the caravan as
previously described.
FRONT & BACK LEVELLING
This should be done only when the lateral
levelling is complete.
(i) Place the spirit level pointing front to back
just inside the caravan door or on the A
frame.
(ii) Then raise or lower the jockey wheel until
the caravan is horizontally level.
Please Note: If there is a significant front to
back slope, you may need to place a block under
the jockey wheel.
(iii) Next, wind down the corner steadies onto
load spreaders (blocks of wood a minimum
of 15.25cm (6") square or ‘Big Foot’ steady
attachments) until they are firmly set against
the ground.
Please Note: It is possible on very uneven sites
that when fully extended blocks may be required
under the corner steadies to achieve this. It is
important that the caravan is correctly levelled to
ensure the correct working of the refrigerator,
cooker etc.
(iv) Now that your caravan is level, place the
caravan step in front of the door ensuring
that it is stable and safe to use.
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