INFORMATION ABOUT CARAVANS CAMPING & MOTORHOMES - TIPS HINTS & ADVICE

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If a van or trailer is badly loaded, a Stabiliser will NOT prevent either "snaking" or "pitching". Loading should be carried out using the advice given in your caravan handbook, generally that heavy items should be packed low down and around the axle of your caravan, and of course not able to move during travel. Check also that the noseweight of your van does not exceed that quoted for your car. Noseweight is the "downward" weight at the tow hitch of your caravan, most cars have a maximum here of around 75kg. [large 4x4 owners will find at least twice that figure more likely]

There are two types of Stabiliser readily available in the UK, the blade or leaf type unit, and the integral tow hitch type. The blade stabiliser has a blade similar to a leaf spring which runs in an "L" bracket fitted to the caravan a-frame. The blade itself counters up and down pitches, whilst a pair of discs similar to brake pads dampens side to side movements. Check with the manufacturer of your caravan chassis before drilling fixing holes in the a-frame for the "L" bracket, you may find a special adaptor clamp is recommended to avoid weakening of the frame at that point. The integral tow hitch stabiliser replaces the factory fitted tow hitch completely, and uses internal pads which clamp around the towball to dampen both pitch and snake movements.

NOTE:-Integral tow hitch stabilisers must NOT be lubricated at or on the towball of the towing vehicle since they rely on the friction of the internal pads against the towball for them to work efficiently. For this reason, these hitches usually come with a replacement "dry" towball to suit the make and model of the stabiliser. Any lubricant contamination must be cleaned and dried off thoroughly using a suitable industrial solvent that does NOT leave any residue, and the towball must be kept covered at all times when not in use.

HITCHLOCKS

Hitchlocks are intended to lock the car and trailer unit together for security and as an anti-theft device. Those used on hitches where a blade type stabiliser is fitted tend to prevent full and easy movement of the caravan, and so it is recommended you use them only when the outfit is coupled and parked, not on the move. Some models of integral stabiliser utilise a small rod and key system which does not restrict movements of the van when coupled, these can be used on the move but are not liked by emergency services when clearing the road after accidents. [If it helps stop theft of 14k worth of van . . .???]

SPRING ASSISTERS

As you would guess, these are devices intended to assist or "beef-up" the rear suspension of your car for towing. Simplest are large doughnut shaped composition material discs that fit between the gaps in the rear coil springs, an easy DIY fit in most cases. Other options include similar devices which are inserted then blown-up to a pre-set pressure, and fairly complex gas-filled adjustable shock absorbers. The trade-off is that maybe you won't like the stiffer suspension that may result from fitting when the car is used solo and normally.