I have not been a member of this forum for very long, however I have been towing most of my adult life (nearly 30 years since passing my car test) and I have picked up a fair bit of experience in that time.
As a teenager I started out towing a heavy home made trailer, full of heavy diving and camping equipment on the back of a 1.0 litre Vauxhall Nova and couldn't understand why there was no traction at the front wheels and why it would barely pull away from junctions without spinning the front wheels.
A year later, when a friends tow car broke down, rather than cancel our planned dive, I offered to tow his RIB (boat) to the coast, during which time I experienced my first (and thankfully last) snake.
My friend's advice at that time was to accelerate out of the snake, which as well as being wrong, was not possible as my car didn't have the power left to do that.
More out of fright and good luck than anything else, I eased off and gently slowed down enough for the snaking to stop and lived to tell the tale.
We did not have access to computer sites such as this and I had never heard of Caravan or Camping Clubs, so everything I learnt about safe towing weights and nose weights etc., was pretty much the hard way and over the years I have become a much more responsible and safer driver.
These days, having progressed to much more powerful cars and towing big twin axle vans, I try to be safe and responsible in all aspects of my driving/towing and I'm happy to share my experience in forums such as this.
I am fortunate that my employer put me through an advanced driving course 10 years ago and I retain that status with 3 yearly advanced refresher courses.
I am still learning and would never consider myself to be so experienced that I could afford to become complacent.
I thoroughly enjoy reading other people's opinions and whether I agree with those opinions or not, doesn't matter to me.
If I feel I can make a valued contribution, I am at liberty to do so and on other matters where I may consider myself as 'not experienced enough' to make a valued contribution, I don't offer comment.
I have picked up an awful about caravanning simply by reading through the questions and responses in this excellent forum, however it seems as if some members feel they have to make comment, whether they are experienced on a subject or not and some of the discussions now seem to be personal competitions to win an argument, rather than addressing the question posed in the first place.
This atmosphere is not conducive to newer or less experienced members contributing to the discussions at hand and in fact, is likely to deter them from sharing their experiences, fearing their opinions will be openly shot down.
This will eventually lead to the discussions being biased in favour of the more vociferous members' personal opinions, rather than providing a broader picture of members' views, where as adults, we can read and form our own opinions on a subject.
I feel that the site would be much more open and richer in an atmosphere where we can all share and build on our experiences, rather than starting arguments over who's opinion and ego's are most important and who expresses those opinions loudest.
Just a thought...waiting to be shot down !
As a teenager I started out towing a heavy home made trailer, full of heavy diving and camping equipment on the back of a 1.0 litre Vauxhall Nova and couldn't understand why there was no traction at the front wheels and why it would barely pull away from junctions without spinning the front wheels.
A year later, when a friends tow car broke down, rather than cancel our planned dive, I offered to tow his RIB (boat) to the coast, during which time I experienced my first (and thankfully last) snake.
My friend's advice at that time was to accelerate out of the snake, which as well as being wrong, was not possible as my car didn't have the power left to do that.
More out of fright and good luck than anything else, I eased off and gently slowed down enough for the snaking to stop and lived to tell the tale.
We did not have access to computer sites such as this and I had never heard of Caravan or Camping Clubs, so everything I learnt about safe towing weights and nose weights etc., was pretty much the hard way and over the years I have become a much more responsible and safer driver.
These days, having progressed to much more powerful cars and towing big twin axle vans, I try to be safe and responsible in all aspects of my driving/towing and I'm happy to share my experience in forums such as this.
I am fortunate that my employer put me through an advanced driving course 10 years ago and I retain that status with 3 yearly advanced refresher courses.
I am still learning and would never consider myself to be so experienced that I could afford to become complacent.
I thoroughly enjoy reading other people's opinions and whether I agree with those opinions or not, doesn't matter to me.
If I feel I can make a valued contribution, I am at liberty to do so and on other matters where I may consider myself as 'not experienced enough' to make a valued contribution, I don't offer comment.
I have picked up an awful about caravanning simply by reading through the questions and responses in this excellent forum, however it seems as if some members feel they have to make comment, whether they are experienced on a subject or not and some of the discussions now seem to be personal competitions to win an argument, rather than addressing the question posed in the first place.
This atmosphere is not conducive to newer or less experienced members contributing to the discussions at hand and in fact, is likely to deter them from sharing their experiences, fearing their opinions will be openly shot down.
This will eventually lead to the discussions being biased in favour of the more vociferous members' personal opinions, rather than providing a broader picture of members' views, where as adults, we can read and form our own opinions on a subject.
I feel that the site would be much more open and richer in an atmosphere where we can all share and build on our experiences, rather than starting arguments over who's opinion and ego's are most important and who expresses those opinions loudest.
Just a thought...waiting to be shot down !
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