How difficult is it to tow a caravan, please?

12sapphire

Thinking of buying a small (2 berth) caravan but not sure how difficult/easy towing a caravan is.

I'm a competent driver and have been for over 35 years but the largest thing that I've towed is a trailer tent.

I've been looking to upgrade to a folding caravan which I could manage to tow but I'm coming across 'pop-up' caravans which are higher but now I'm thinking about a 'normal' 2 berth caravan which has more space and there doesn't seem to be much difference in cost (second hand)

Do I compromise on space and buy what I know I can tow?

shazza40

get the right weight caravan for your car. my husband says if your mirrors go through gap so will the van.

excess speed, overloading or uneven load causes most issues.

caravan and camping club run lessons for towing. enjoy!

suki1964

Its not that difficult to tow a caravan if you are already used to towing. The right car and van - you wont even feel that you are towing anything.

We had a wee two berth van and it was so light it was towed by a corsa and when unhitching was light enough to push into position.

Just make sure you have your extra mirrors extended and keep checking them to see whats happening around you and you will be grand

joerugby

The most important thing is getting the weight right. Make sure the maximum fully laden weight of your caravan is no more than 85% of the kerbweight (i.e. unladen weight) of your car.

For example a Ford Focus 1.6 has a kerbweight of 1344kg. 85% of this is 1142kg max laden weight which is not a very big caravan

nickj_2

make sure you are competent at reversing , my friend got caught out by just not having to reverse anywhere with his trailer tent until they got caught up in a road closed by an accident and had to reverse in to a narrow lane

12sapphire

Got the maximum weight all sorted.

Think reversing is going to be the problem though. Bit like your friend, Nickj - never got myself into a situation where I had to reverse (except once, in a car park - just unhooked the trailer turned the car around and re-attached the trailer :eek:

I think I better have a lesson or two in caravan towing!

Raksha

The plus with a caravan is you can always tell it's there!

mchale

12sapphire wrote: »

Got the maximum weight all sorted.

Think reversing is going to be the problem though. Bit like your friend, Nickj - never got myself into a situation where I had to reverse (except once, in a car park - just unhooked the trailer turned the car around and re-attached the trailer :eek:

Reversing a caravan is a lot easier than a trailer, the shorter the trailer the harder it is to reverse, so have a go before you book any towing lessons

12sapphire

mchale wrote: »

Reversing a caravan is a lot easier than a trailer, the shorter the trailer the harder it is to reverse, so have a go before you book any towing lessons

What an excellent idea :T

Own_My_Own

Towing is not that hard. I used to get very funny looks when I arrived on site. ( A female with 2 small children ).
The only advice I would give is move the centre mirror so that you can't use it. I used to jump when I looked in mine and saw a large object that close behind me. My son used to laugh 'Its our caravan Mum'

greenface

It would be better to say keep the curtains open then with the centre mirror can see you snake before you feel anything happen. I have towed most size rigs and tthe bigger it is the easier it is. Driving forward isnt any problem and reverse slowly judging your turns slowly isnt difficult just stay calm and dont worry about cars around you >(practise in your street or supermarket first ) as for your first question "is it difficult to tow a caravan" how do we know what your fears and capabilities are .