I'm a newbie at twoing a caravan (not at camping!!) I have a Volvo 440SE 2.0l and an Elddis Whirlwind GT 2 (1982) I recently went away for the weekend and encounterd the dreaded "Snake" from the caravan. I have been towing this outfit for about 2 months with No changes made to the loading. There was NO traffic on this road nor wind. I was doing 56mph. Could anyone help explain why this happened and how I can avoid? Now I don't want to use a Motorway..... Please advise....
Snaking
- Thread starter John_5062817
- Start date
- Mar 14, 2005
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If, as you say, the setup of your outfit was the same every time (same proper load distribution, same adequate noseweight) and there really was no crosswind or overtaking traffic, I can only assume the problem occured on a downhill stretch. It's always good practice to go downhill on a trailing throttle, i.e. with the caravan pushing the car slightly. That does a lot to help stability. Another tip is to increase the tyre pressure on the rear wheels of the towcar to what the manufacturer recommends for maximum load.
Many thanks,
There was one thing that felt odd on this particular setup and this was that the noseweight was light. So light infact that the a frame could be lifted with one hand. On the way home is was (i think) too heavy as the car began to really struggle and the stearing was really light and not that responsive. Does anyone know of a website or have a tip on how to load the caravan propperly please!
There was one thing that felt odd on this particular setup and this was that the noseweight was light. So light infact that the a frame could be lifted with one hand. On the way home is was (i think) too heavy as the car began to really struggle and the stearing was really light and not that responsive. Does anyone know of a website or have a tip on how to load the caravan propperly please!
- Mar 14, 2005
- 9,990
- 832
- 30,935
All heavy articles should be as low and as close as possible to the axle. The noseweight should be as close as possible to the lower of the two maximum figures quoted by the car and caravan manufacturers, respectively. A noseweight gauge (or a bathroom scale with a suiable strut to hold the caravan horizontal while measuring will also do) is worth using until you have a 'feel' for the proper noseweight.
Hi John
Don't forget as well that due to aerodynamics, the faster you go, the lighter the nose weight becomes. Therefore if you're too light then you can get into a negative nose weight situation, which can cause the tail to wag the dog.
As Lutz says, heavy things at the bottom and over the axle. If in doubt carry it in your car if you have room.
Don't forget as well that due to aerodynamics, the faster you go, the lighter the nose weight becomes. Therefore if you're too light then you can get into a negative nose weight situation, which can cause the tail to wag the dog.
As Lutz says, heavy things at the bottom and over the axle. If in doubt carry it in your car if you have room.
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