Bouncy caravan - advice please for new caravanners

[Liz_374359797]

We are new caravanners having bought a 1990 Freedom Jetstream off eBay (and are thrilled to bits with it). Our car is a Vauxhall Astra auto estate. We've just had our first weekend away about 70 miles from home. Everything worked out well - the caravan is amazingly comfortable, all the appliances worked, and we couldn't stop grinning. But the towing experience did raise a couple of questions...

Firstly, I kept the speed down - 40 tops on A roads, and 50 tops on the motorway. I was very careful around lorries, so no snaking. But every bump in the road seemed to create bouncing in the caravan. I packed with great care, low down and over the axle, and put most of the heavy stuff in the car. The ratio of car to caravan must have been about 2:1, so why the bouncing? The caravan weighs 650kg, and the car about 1250kg, and both have been serviced recently so the tyre pressures should be right. Could it just all be new and different, or can I do something to reduce the bounce? Maybe this is normal - I don't want to make it out to be dreadful - in fact towing was loads easier than I had expected. The hitched up outfit before we set off was beautifully level. Any suggestions gratefully received.

My other question is that I routinely get travel plans from the AA website. This would have sent us on some very minor roads if we hadn't got additional directions from the campsite. Is there any source of caravan friendly directions?

Thanks in advance

Liz

 

[Bezzer]

Did you check your noseweight?? If not find out the limits for your car and caravan from the handbooks and put the maximum you can on your towball. Correct weight on the front makes a better and safer tow and will cut the see-sawing.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Liz,

The majority of caravan in the UK have fairly rudimentary suspension systems and basically the caravan body is supported on springs. A spring will naturally bounce, and particularly with a lighter caravan or trailer like the Freedom, the caravan will also bounce around quite a lot.

Most cars would also bounce around, but to aid road holding and comfort they are fitted with shock absorbers or dampers. This allows the suspension to accommodate rough surfaces, but it damps the springs natural tendency to continue to bounce after the initial compression.

Some caravans have the option of having dampers fitted. This will reduce the bounce. Speak to your dealer to see if your caravan can have the fitted.

As Bezzers points out nose weight is also important. Check the limits for both the car and the caravan. If they are different select the smaller figure and that is your target nose load to aim for. For legal reasons you must not exceed that limit.

 

[Liz_374359797]

Hello Liz,

The majority of caravan in the UK have fairly rudimentary suspension systems and basically the caravan body is supported on springs. A spring will naturally bounce, and particularly with a lighter caravan or trailer like the Freedom, the caravan will also bounce around quite a lot.

Most cars would also bounce around, but to aid road holding and comfort they are fitted with shock absorbers or dampers. This allows the suspension to accommodate rough surfaces, but it damps the springs natural tendency to continue to bounce after the initial compression.

Some caravans have the option of having dampers fitted. This will reduce the bounce. Speak to your dealer to see if your caravan can have the fitted.

As Bezzers points out nose weight is also important. Check the limits for both the car and the caravan. If they are different select the smaller figure and that is your target nose load to aim for. For legal reasons you must not exceed that limit.

Thanks both for the information - I will check the noseweight. It ought to be 50kg - what should we do if it is too light? More weight obviously - over the axle, or towards the front of the caravan? Sorry to ask all these dumb questions - it's amazing what I don't know!

 

[mauron]

Thanks both for the information - I will check the noseweight. It ought to be 50kg - what should we do if it is too light? More weight obviously - over the axle, or towards the front of the caravan? Sorry to ask all these dumb questions - it's amazing what I don't know!

Hi Liz,

On the assumption that you are loading the caravan sensibly, I would just put an extra item or two in the gas locker to bring the noseweight up slightly to the 50kg weight.

Ron.