Top up your towing knowledge!

[LizziePope]

Whether you are new to caravanning or you have been touring for years, our expert's latest blog about towing is well worth a read. Please click here. I know I'm biased but, still, humour me!

 

[Hutch]

Thanks for that article, I think the loading and Speeding being possibly the most important, and will admit to having been caught out on both points. Thanks again.

 

[ProfJohnL]

:cheer: Brownie (or should it be Cub) points to old Motty. This is one of the first formal articles form a respected caravan journalist that has taken the trouble to point out that towing ratio is not the be all and end all of choosing a car and caravan.

BUT he really has blotted his exercise book by even mentioning the 'R' word in connection with the 85% guidance hmy: . This is the second time in recent weeks where he has done this, and sadly it plays to the point where if a particular word or phrases is used enough, it will become accepted as the norm, and at that point it takes on an authoritative persona. What make it worse he goes on to point out its not a R***.!
So why even mention it?

It should be enough to banish the phrase from PC's editorials and always refer to the industry advice in the manner it was given as "recommendations" or "guidance".

Motty do you ever read this forum (and others) ? Perhaps you might like to explain your continued use of the phrase when it is clearly not best practice.

 

[Hutch]

As the older tuggers, Not in age but experience, change things in their vans weights change, we changed our matress, fixed bed, to a new Memory foam one, but increased the weight by another 20 kg, cutting down our payload yet again. So be carefull. And of course this affected the dreaded Nose weight problem.
Happy Winter touring to all.
Hutch and Elaine,

 

[Dustydog]

1 – Misunderstanding the 85% rule. The First of 6 Towing Mistakes :woohoo: Yes the R word is a mistake B)
I agree with the Prof . The R word should be banished forever in order to avoid any ambiguity.
Otherwise many thanks to Motty for cogently setting out key areas that all tuggers should pay heed to. :cheer:

 

[Parksy]

Good article.
As for the 'R word', I agree that it could be misconstrued or misunderstood in this particular instance by the terminally stupid.
I'm sorry to say that if a reader is unable to grasp from this article that Motty made it perfectly clear that the oft quoted 85% figure is a recommendation and not a rule, and that it has no basis in law, then I'd seriously worry about their competence to walk without supervision, let alone drive a car towing a caravan.
It's obvious from the advice given in Motty's piece that the 85% towing ratio figure is a recommendation for those new to towing, along with other factors, as a starting point.

 

[LizziePope]

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I think I should make it clear, however, that here at Practical Caravan we don't refer to it as the '85% rule', we always call it a recommendation/guideline. That phraseology is used by the many readers who get in touch, asking about it, hence in this article the word was used in that context and to explain that it is not a regulation.

 

[otherclive]

A good no nonsense article. I can’t agree with those posts that criticise his use of “85% rule” as that’s what many new, and old, caravanners know it by. But Motty does address that issue immediately below the sub title and quite clearly explains that it is not a rule. And then throughout the article is consistent with his terminology. So he’s recognised the issue and addressed it very clearly and succinctly. To avoid confronting what seems to be ( but shouldn’t be) such a contentious topic irrespective of context would have done the article a disservice. Well done Motty.

 

[Martin24]

I think the real problem is the people reading the article are probably following all of that advice, all very much what we all discuss and advise people coming to the forum, new to the lifestyle.

The people out there that are NOT following the advice probably already think they know it all and wouldn't even read such an article let alone act upon it.

 

[Craigyoung]

Agree with you there , obviously 99% of us on the forum and some people not on the forum are wise as to speed and loading and then you'll get some people who just go and buy a caravan and just take to the road . probably people that we pass when a caravans have jackknifed or overturned when they think they can just get their car and drive the way you drive a car without the van on .

 

[Raywood]

A useful guide for those new to towing. I accept that 85% is not a rule but personally as it is widely used I would not take people to tax for using it.
The point about towing mirrors is a bit confusing. Basically to me you need to see both sides of a trailer and if you cannot do this then extension mirrors are needed.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have a lot of respect for Motty, and he has a very approachable way of writing and presenting information, but I do take serious issue with the contained use of the R*** word in any form in relation to the industry 85% guidance.

I do not believe the majority of caravanners are idiots, but just think about how many misconceptions we all use becasue we continually hear or see key phrases that subconsciously build up the phrase's importance to the point where many even seasoned professionals will start to use it. Do you remember the Pole Tax? Speed Camera's, the Fast lane, all were in common usage but were technically incorrect, and I am sure most of us could find other examples.

Many such misconceptions may not have safety implications, but the 85% guidance potentially does. It doesn't take much effort to search through the forum threads, and posts in the actual magazine, to find examples of usually newer caravanners who have been told about the 85%, and are working very hard to meet it, when in practice they don't need to put so much faith in it.

Two questions;
1. How many caravanners have heard the 85% guidance being quoted as a "r***" by dealers, reputable reporters, even by people on this forum.

2. Why do they do it? when as professionals they should know it is only guidance- ....

From Motty's article I quote the headline

"1 – Misunderstanding the 85% r***"

That is wrong becasue it implies it is a R*** and it is the application of the r*** that is being misunderstood rather than its status.

Surely grammatically it should have been

"1 – Misunderstanding the 85% guidance"

Because it is the 'guidance' that is misunderstood; often being mistaken as a r***.

 

[WestieGill]

Prof,
I think you may find that the "Pole Tax" was actually the Poll Tax!

Predictive text eh?

 

[Craigyoung]

Prof,
I think you may find that the "Pole Tax" was actually the Poll Tax!

Predictive text eh?

Ouch ! hmy:

 

[Parksy]

..............I do not believe the majority of caravanners are idiots, but just think about how many misconceptions we all use becasue we continually hear or see key phrases that subconsciously build up the phrase's importance to the point where many even seasoned professionals will start to use it. Do you remember the Pole Tax? Speed Camera's, the Fast lane, all were in common usage but were technically incorrect, and I am sure most of us could find other examples.

Many such misconceptions may not have safety implications, but the 85% guidance potentially does. It doesn't take much effort to search through the forum threads, and posts in the actual magazine, to find examples of usually newer caravanners who have been told about the 85%, and are working very hard to meet it, when in practice they don't need to put so much faith in it.

Two questions;
1. How many caravanners have heard the 85% guidance being quoted as a "r***" by dealers, reputable reporters, even by people on this forum.

2. Why do they do it? when as professionals they should know it is only guidance- ....

From Motty's article I quote the headline

"1 – Misunderstanding the 85% r***"

That is wrong becasue it implies it is a R*** and it is the application of the r*** that is being misunderstood rather than its status.

Surely grammatically it should have been

"1 – Misunderstanding the 85% guidance"

Because it is the 'guidance' that is misunderstood; often being mistaken as a r***.

It's hard to see why anyone who works very hard to achieve an 85% car / caravan ratio would increase their probability of danger Prof, so I disagree that the use of the word 'rule' colloquially would have safety implications, or at least negative safety implications.
None of us could possibly know whether dealers, sales staff etc use the word 'rule', or if they explain that the rule that they mentioned is in fact a guideline, as Motty has for those who take the trouble to read the article.
As in much of the electronic media or the written word, context is everything.

 

[Craigyoung]

Must admit when we first picked up our 1st caravan I had a lot of reading to do to get my knowledge up to speed .
Its like starting from scratch when driving, I was told next to nothing when picking the van up, the handover was rubbish and wasn't told anything re' loading , we learnt off friends & even more on this forum to where i have gettin now , confident to know what to do in a situation if one should arise . So thankyou one & all .
P.s confident and still learning new
things

Craig .

 

[Dustydog]

1 – Misunderstanding the 85% rule. The First of 6 Towing Mistakes

Have I missed something
I highlighted the above phrase in red deliberately to high light Motty’s reference to the R*** word being a mistake.
That’s the point isn’t it

 

[Martin24]

Only once has any dealer asked what we are towing with now and that was because he'd seen the previous Omega and didn't know we'd changed to a Shogun. The 6 berth Coachman we were looking at would have been too heavy for the Omega.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Parksy,

It may seem daft to seasoned caravanners, but there have been some who are new to caravanning , who have 'worked hard' to get their outfit up to 85% becasue of the wrong usage of the advice!.

Because of the continued misquoting of the guidance it has in some peoples eyes become a requirement and an end its its own right, rather than a means.

We all know how daunting the prospect of setting up your first outfit can be, and I know several people who have started on their caravanning life and who have sought advice by reading magazines, and asking experienced friends. It always amazed me when without prompting the first conversation arises its usually their concerns about weights and the 85% R***!

We have got to break this circle and set the guidance in to it's proper context. It is therefore especially important for the magazines to be clear and not to muddy the waters by repeating inaccuracies especially in headlines.

 

[Parksy]

Hello Parksy,

It may seem daft to seasoned caravanners, but there have been some who are new to caravanning , who have 'worked hard' to get their outfit up to 85% becasue of the wrong usage of the advice!.

Because of the continued misquoting of the guidance it has in some peoples eyes become a requirement and an end its its own right, rather than a means.

We all know how daunting the prospect of setting up your first outfit can be, and I know several people who have started on their caravanning life and who have sought advice by reading magazines, and asking experienced friends. It always amazed me when without prompting the first conversation arises its usually their concerns about weights and the 85% R***!

We have got to break this circle and set the guidance in to it's proper context. It is therefore especially important for the magazines to be clear and not to muddy the waters by repeating inaccuracies especially in headlines.

There's no real evidence to back up your assertion that new caravanners have wrongly used any advice to achieve any particular towing ratio.
There are many sources of caravan related information in print and on the internet, some of it is absolutely correct and some of it may not be so accurate.
People are not stupid, and it's a simple matter to cross check any information that is offered against other sources.
As far as I'm concerned the article made it perfectly clear that the 85% figure is a guideline and has no legal basis.
The article was well written, covering the salient points that a newbie needs to know.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Parksy,

I am not deploring the article in general, and like you I find it well written. I totally agree it states the 85% has no legal basis, and provided everyone reads and takes in the detail that should be fine. The major problem from my perspective, is the use of the work "Rule" in a headline. That gives it more impact and that will be what is remembered by those who do not take in and remember the detail. And it reinforces the misconception.

Regarding caravanners not understanding the information, there have been many instances of new contributors to the forum over the years who have given a very clear indication they are trying to achieve an 85% match becasue they believed that was what was required. From memory there have been at least two who specifically indicated they we anticipating adding load to get their caravan up to 85% That is a potential safety issue, and I'm not going to try to find them.

We will have to agree to disagree about the impact of such headlines.