Caravan breaks apply when reversing

[Gary_374358511]

Hi all

I think the subject says it all but to cut a long story short, We were trying out our new van last weekend (Sterling Ecles Moonstone 2004) and all seemed fine until I came to reversing it onto its pitch which was not only grass but wet grass at that.

The pitch we parked on was on a very very slight incline. Nothing worth worrying about really but whilst reversing with my 2.0 TDCI Mondeo the breaks of the caravan applied and put unnecessary strain on my clutch.

I've had two other vans in the past and I've never had this problem before. This, however, is the newest caravan we've had and it's also the first one with the Alko hitch on it.

I suppose my question is this :- is there a way to bypass the breaks when reversing and/or are there any tips or other methods of getting round this.

It does concern me slightly as I've been on sites in the past where I've had to reverse up much steeper inclines than this.

Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Gary

 

[Lutz]

Your problem could have two possible causes:

1. The brakes are badly adjusted and need seeing to.

OR

2. You were trying to reverse immediately after the caravan was pushing against the car. This would have applied the caravan's brakes. In order to release the brakes again before reversing, you need to give them a chance, i.e. ensure that the car is pulling the caravan, not pushing against it. It's best to roll forward a bit and then reverse. If you are trying to reverse up a downhill gradient, you may need to put chocks under the wheels of the caravan first and then let the car roll forward until it is tugging.

 

[Gary_374358511]

Thanks for that Lutz. I will give it a try next time I'm out. The breaks on the van should be OK because it was bought from a dealer and they assured me that every thing has been checked but you know what they're like.

Cheers Lutz

 

[RogerP]

Hi Gary

I'm in no way technical minded on these things as others are.

However on one of our first outings , and telling the warden we were newbies , he escorted us to the pitch to help us on. Before I started to reverve he lifted the hitch handle.

I may be totally wrong here but i got the impression this was to disengage the brakes? (for info I've got an ALKO 3004 hitch).

As I say I may be well of the mark here so please , those in the know , dont shoot me down too much!!!!

 

[Gary_374358511]

Hi Gary

I'm in no way technical minded on these things as others are.

However on one of our first outings , and telling the warden we were newbies , he escorted us to the pitch to help us on. Before I started to reverve he lifted the hitch handle.

I may be totally wrong here but i got the impression this was to disengage the brakes? (for info I've got an ALKO 3004 hitch).

As I say I may be well of the mark here so please , those in the know , dont shoot me down too much!!!!

Thanks Roger,

My van has the Alko hitch on it as well but I thought that lifting this would only disengage the break from the tow ball which makes reverse and turning easier on the car because of the lack of resistance from the tow ball.

I may be wrong about this though. If this is the case then maybe someone on hear could enlighten us both.

While I'm on here, slightly different subject I know but, I've noticed quite a bit of confusion over weights between car and caravan matches. I was concerned when I first posted my question on here for the weight of my caravan(1465 MPTW) with my 53 plate Mondeo TDCI 2.0(115bph) and some responses were of the, "Your caravan is two heavy for your car", kind whilst others were more "You can easily tow a house with that car" kind. This worried me a bit because my upmost priority is safety not only to myself, wife and child but to others as well.

I feel confident towing and have been doing it for some years now so I would consider myself more than a beginner. Does this automaticaly give me a license to tow something heavier than I should be with my car.

I've also noticed a reluctancy to give a straight answer on this very same question when people ask. Is this because knowone really knows the answer or are people covering their backs incase of law suits etc.

Don't get me wrong though. I love this forum and the members have been so so helpful in the past for me and I've learned so much on here.

I think I just want someone to say to me "Your illegal. Get a bigger car" or "Your fine with your setup"

Wooops... Sorry... I do go on a bit.

Cheers for your ear's folks.

Gaz

 

[Edi_374360325]

All,

We ge the same from our Lunar Quasar FB - even when reversing onto our drive. This has been demonstrated with two different types of cars (Kia Sorento & Peugeot 807). Both experienced overheating clutches. Its clear its not the cars but the van.

Based on this post I assume its the breaking system - is it best to take it to a dealer/repairer or can the adjustment be done by a competent person?

Many thanks.

 

[Gary_374358511]

Thanks Edi,

It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with this issue. Surly it can't be that hard to adjust the breaks.

Cheers

Gary