Why do caravans turn over?

[Deborah_5075490]

My husband and i are new to caravanning, our new caravan should be with us next week, it was rather an impulse buy after seeing our friends new caravan. Now we have looked into it a bit more we find that our x type diesel is fine for towing our two birth caravan but I am worried about the frequent reports on the news about caravans turning over, my husband thinks I'm being silly but

My question is why do caravans turn over and can we do anything to stop this happening?

 

[jon_5062082]

simple steps avoid or go to help avoiding such accidents.

1. dont speed, particularly downhill.stick to a sensible speed & ignore the morons tearing past at 65 + mph.go as fast as feels safe.if it feels twitchy , SLOW DOWN. if this means travelling at 50-55mph , do so , its better than covering 3 lanes of motorway with your hard earned pride and joy and possesions.

2.load your van correctly , get the heavy gear over the axle and lowdown.dont get loads of weight right at the back , recipe for disaster and dont overdo the noseweight either. dont put heavy items in top lockers

3. watch out for lorries/coaches overtaking, these contribute to instability.couple this with a wrong sidewind and excess speed it can send you into a snake and possible jacknife.

4. check your tyre pressures and tyre walls for damage before each journey. a blow out can be fatal for your caravan.low pressure can also cause overheating & blowouts. get the wheels off the ground if van out of use for more than a couple of months, avoids flatspots.

5. if you are unlucky enough to get into a snake , DONT PANIC !!

ease off the throttle and hold the steering wheel tight.dont stamp on the brakes or try and accelerate through the snake,it WILL make matters worse.

6. make sure you have a good match , your towcar should be heavier than your caravan.if the vans in control of your car , you`re in bother.fit a stabiliser also , not bulletproof , but it reduces snaking problems if all other aspects of your outfit are correct.

 

[Lutz]

Yes, I basically go along with what jon has written. The explanation why caravans turn over is best demonstrated by Jim M's experiences under the title 'Driving Standards'. It's drivers like that that get caravanners a bad name and newcomers to towing overly worried.

 

[Deborah_5075490]

Hi, I've just returned from my shopping trip this morning and am very pleased to see a reply, many thanks you two! I will print this out and make my husband read it and make sure he does everything you said. I will also make sure that I keep my knitting in the car with me, my problem is that my husband has a heavy right foot so a quick poke with a knitting needle works wonders to lighten it!

Once again many thanks

 

[Ogre]

Good advice here from Jon.

Let the 'clever dicks' get on with it.

They will be the ones that you'll see smashed all over the road.

 

[Geordie]

We keep seeing remarks about overturned vans " that must have been speeding ". Has anyone spoken to a driver who has been involved in this scenario because I would like to know the reason for this to occur. I have seen many units towed at 60/65 and towing perfectly,not weaving about, not bouncing all over the road etc etc. Only the other day I was informed about a van on the motorway nowhere near the max speed limit, and it was all over the place, which just proves not all safe towing is done at lesser speeds. I know which one I'd rather sit behind.

 

[jon_5062082]

ive also seen units steady at higher speeds.doesnt detract from the fact that the faster you go the more vulnerable the outfit is to a sudden gust of wind or the harder you will have to brake if there is problem in front of you or if you do get a snake the harder it will be to control .

i will stick to 55 ish or whatever speed feels safe in the conditions , thanks.

 

[Lutz]

Improper loading, too low a noseweight, wrong tyre pressures, gusts of wind, downhill driving, all reduce the critical speed at which instability can occur.

 

[ProfJohnL]

First of all Deborah, I am sure that in comparison to other types of traffic accidents caravans are actually quite rare, so they are more "news worthy" when they do happen.

There was a long thread on this forum about towing speeds, and the safety or otherwise of towing at or above legal limit.

There are a mirrad of criteria that determin the point at which a tug + tralier will become uncontrollable by the driver. Jon has given a pretty good list of things to consider.

Some are the design of the car,and caravan, Some are the way the outfit is loaded, and the biggest influence is the driver.

The driver is responsible for ensuring the outfit is road legal, and that it is operated safely.

The biggest variable which is in the direct control of the driver is speed.

If an outfit begins to feel unsatble in any way, then you are travelling too fast so SLOW DOWN.

The speed at which this occurs will vary from outfit to outfit and according to external conditions, such as road surface, wind and other traffic This has absolutely no bearing on the speed limits imposed on roads.

Speed limits do not represent what are considered safe towing or driving speeds, but are simply to limit speeds for other reasons. Consequently you do not have to try and travel at the speed limit for the stretch of road, but if you are significantltly slower or are causing a tail back, then when it is approproriate and safe, pull over and let the speedsters pass.

Take things easy and enjoy!

 

[Royston]

Deborah,

Fit Extended towing mirrors on both the driver and passenger side.Fitted on the drivers side to enable you to see the heavy goods lorries well in advance of them overtaking you, so that you are prepared for any side drift that may occur.

Passenger side to enable you to see the back end of your caravan when overtaking to enable you to pull over safely.

Accidents including vans turning over have occured when incorrect overtaking manoeuvres have occurred.

Roy

 

[BaronsHuman]

We keep seeing remarks about overturned vans " that must have been speeding ". Has anyone spoken to a driver who has been involved in this scenario because I would like to know the reason for this to occur. I have seen many units towed at 60/65 and towing perfectly,not weaving about, not bouncing all over the road etc etc. Only the other day I was informed about a van on the motorway nowhere near the max speed limit, and it was all over the place, which just proves not all safe towing is done at lesser speeds. I know which one I'd rather sit behind.

speed is an issue but stability is mostly related to making sure the balance of the caravan is at it optimum through correct loading.

The only time i ever experience a van snaking was at a gentle 45 mph. I'd picked it up after a service empty apart from the awning which was in the van. Being late when i picked it up i just hitched up and set off. Unfortunately some kind sole had stored the awning in rear washroom and the pendulum effect on a less than flat road had the van all over the road.

Needless to say once i'd regained control and the adrenaline stopped flowing i stoped and found the cause.

 

[john_5061281]

Hi

Having read the forum for over the past year.I have noted that no one has said what my father in law said to me when i started 18 years ago.Put your foot down as lorrys start to overtake just a little so the caravan is beening pulled and not just free running behind the car.(this does not say to go faster)

John

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello John,

I have heard this sited previously (yes even on this forum) and I can find no logical sense to it. By applying more accelerator you are putting more energy into your system and so you will go faster.

Even if the car is in neutral and coasting (which of course it should not be) the wind Resistance of the caravan greatly exceeds that of most tow cars, and so it will be extending the tow hitch. (Unless going down hill).

There may some very limited circumstance where your strategy works, but it is very risky, and goes against the best professional advice given.

John L

 

[Caroline3]

Is it not time that all car manufactures started putting a maximum speed on cars that was much lower . My suggestion would be 80MPH as this would cover legal solo towing on French motorways even though it is 10MPH above our legal limit. Another solution would be to have somekind of gadget attached to the towbar which limited the speed of the car to the legal towing speed!so when you were hitched up you HAD to stick to the speed limit. The only vehicles which need to speed are emergency vehicles the rest of us have no excuse whatsoever. This may be radical but the only people who would protest are those speed merchants that break the law anyway.

 

[Lutz]

I agree with John L. The best thing you can do as soon as you notice you're about to be overtaken by a big lorry or bus is to take the foot off the accelerator until it has passed.

 

[Roy2]

I have found,since towing various caravans/trailers that the best way to avoid that "suck in" when the coach/large combination passes is to continously monitor the "extended mirror" and when the outfit approaching is within distance,just pull slighty towards it, then go back into line.This has seen me ok for 25 years..But I must admit its a bit strange at first.

Or the best way is to have a properly matched and loaded outfit!!! Also slow down on ANY incline,

Richie

 

[Bob_5072217]

Deborah

There are a couple of things to check.

1. Check your towball height is between 370 - 420mm to centre without van. Make sure once coupled the van is slightly nose down.

2. check your noseweight is around 6 - 7% of your caravan loaded mass.

3. don't put heavy loads at the back.

4. Stick to

 

[cris_408518]

My two p`s worth. New to the forum . But here I go. As a very high mileage business driver. I see 4X4 drivers who cars have a higher centre of gravity getting into problems. Also Vans loaded with gear riding at strange angles whilst the car has a couple with virtually nothing in the car. If the car and van do nor sit level when you start off. Forget it! And why the heck do the police not stop caravans that are obviously badly loaded?

Vans are fine with wait low down, but those who drive heavy 4X4 cars and think they are bullet proof. Beware that higher centre of gravity.

 

[Lutz]

It's not so much the higher centre of gravity of 4x4's that's at fault but the fact that they usually have high aspect ratio tyres (their sidewalls are relatively high compared to the tread width). Especially if the tyres are of the all-terrain type with soft sidewalls, they have less lateral stiffness, making the car sensitive to sideways forces from the caravan.

 

[CliveV]

Lutz is certainly correct re the tyres on a 4x4 - I have AT's (All Terrains) and due to the high side wall you do get "lag" in the steering responce compared to the rubber band type tyres you see on modern performance cars that give superb "feel" and directional stability. I need the AT's as I do have to drive off-road in all weathers. I just drive accordingly when towing on the road.

The most accurate reason why caravans turnover that I have read on this Forum?? - its all due to the nut behind the wheel.

If you plan correctly, drive within your abilities and those of your outfit you should not have a problem. Tho' it must be said that there are many other wheels out there with nuts behind them - so caution rather than blind faith in what you are doing is probably best.

 

[bill_5078178]

Deborah,

Simple answer to prevent this happening. Get on a caravan towing course offered by the Caravan Club among others.