slight snaking

[carp]

hi just used my new tow car mondeo lx 2.0ltr tdci and towing a eldiss typhoon when fully laden is 1400kg

the van was no where laden to 1400kg .the first journey to the site was fantastic no problems but when coming back on the motorway i changed down from 6th gear doing only 50 mph to 5th and started to get a slight snake could this be down to the way i have packed it or nose weight as i only go 55mph top speed and no more the rest of the journey was ok as i only did 45-50 mph thanks for any advise the only bits in the van was 3 chairs water bottles and bedding and the wheel clamps thanks mike

 

[rob_jax]

Michael,

You did the right thing in reducing speed - safety is more important than possibly arriving a minute or so early

Things to check:

1. As a sweeping generalisation, UK caravan manufacturers do not build caravans to a specific nose-weight. You need to check the actual nose-weight when loaded for that journey - and try to adjust the nose-weight so that it is close to (but not above) your legal nose-weight limit

2. Check that the caravan tyre pressures are correct

3. Check that the coupling stabiliser is correctly adjusted (or that you engaged the stabiliser)

4. Check that the car tyre pressures are correct for the load in the car boot (and remember to add the nose-weight - that counts as boot load) - you may need to increase the rear tyre pressures

5. It may be a coupling of aerodynamic effects between car and caravan - not too much you can do about this - other than fit a roof box to the car roof. Side winds have a big effect on aerodynamic coupling.

6. And it may just be the way you changed gear that time - upsetting the balance between car and caravan

Robert

 

[Lutz]

In addition to all the possible causes that Robert mentioned, it could also be due to crosswind, in which case slowing down is your only option.

 

[Lol1]

What was the road surface like, Michael? Sometimes, although not often, the deep grooves worn into the tarmac by HGV's is enough to unsettle something with simple suspension, such as caravans or vans. It was probably a combination of all the answers you have had so far, all acting together.

 

[Royston]

Hi Michael,

When you experienced the slight snake on your return journey, was it on a open road(ie clear strech ahead)or following a HGV,

I had this experience once on the A14 heading north towards Cambridge, came up behind a large car transporter, my van immediately started to weave about alarmingly, dropped back several lengths van returned to normal,never had any problems with ordinary HGV's once passed a army transporter which had a large tank on board no problem again.

Whether it was a combination of side winds and the heavy ruts that are present on certain parts of the A14,But i have never had any problems towing before and after the incident along the same stretch of road, but since then I keep a sharp look out for Car transpoters.

Royston

 

[Royston]

Hi Michael,

When you experienced the slight snake on your return journey, was it on a open road(ie clear strech ahead)or following a HGV,

I had this experience once on the A14 heading north towards Cambridge, came up behind a large car transporter, my van immediately started to weave about alarmingly, dropped back several lengths van returned to normal,never had any problems with ordinary HGV's once passed a army transporter which had a large tank on board no problem again.

Whether it was a combination of side winds and the heavy ruts that are present on certain parts of the A14,But i have never had any problems towing before and after the incident along the same stretch of road, but since then I keep a sharp look out for Car transpoters.

Royston

Car transporters

 

[jennifer_374227268]

Hi Micheal, I posted on this site just before the holidays about the same problem i got lots of useful information, after checking tyre pressure and nose weight (had to re-arrange gear in caravan)I set of for Easter break I had no problem with snaking car towed beautifully and caravan was steady on the road. Hope this will help with your snaking.

jenny