Whether you are an experienced traveler or it’s your first time towing a caravan, there are a lot of safety things you need to look out before you hit the road. Here is a simple checklist to go through before towing a caravan for your next adventure.

YOUR CARAVAN TOWING CHECKLIST:

  • Secure the Caravan Connections
  • Close & Clip External Covers & Boot Hatches
  • Wind Up & Fasten Legs
  • Test Tire Pressure & Tighten Wingnuts
  • Load the Caravan Correctly
  • Tighten Awning Brace Knobs
  • Turn Off Gas Bottles
  • Secure Inside the Vehicle
  • Wind down the Antenna
  • Check Water & Battery levels
  • Check Lights are Working
  • Empty the Toilet

SECURE THE CARAVAN CONNECTIONS

So one of the most important things before towing a caravan is making sure the van is connected to the caravan safely. Simple making sure that your two shackles are connected properly, your trailer plug is plugged in and your break away wire is hooked on to the van as well.

CLOSE & CLIP EXTERNAL COVERS & BOOT HATCHES

Make sure all of your external covers and your boot hatches are all shut and secured properly. So making sure that you clip them in and check that they are safe for travel.

WIND UP & FASTEN LEGS

It’s really easy to forget things like pulling your leg up, okay. But make sure you go around, you check everything out, you wind your legs up and you fasten the legs before you travel.

TEST TIRE PRESSURE & TIGHTEN WINGNUTS

Before every trip make sure you check your wingnuts, to ensure you’re ready for travel. Tire pressure is really important for travel as well. Therefore make sure you check with your tire manufacturer on the tire pressure required before you travel.

LOAD THE CARAVAN CORRECTLY

So to ensure that your towing experience is great and you’re not wobbling all over the road, how you load your caravan up is important. You want to make sure that the weight is evenly distributed throughout the van, especially not towards the back of the caravan. So if anything, if you’ve got to load some stuff towards one way or another, store it at the front. If you have it at the back, you’re going to get sway out when you’re traveling and it’s going to be a pretty ordinary experience.

TIGHTEN AWNING BRACE KNOBS

By now you know how to put your awing away and set it up. One of the key important thing that everyone forgets is tightening your brace knobs before you travel. At $33 for a pair, make sure you tighten them up so they can’t come loose while you travel.

TURN OFF GAS BOTTLES

Another one that may seem really obvious is to make sure you turn your gas bottles off before you travel.

SECURE INSIDE THE VEHICLE

Make sure that the plate is out of the microwave, cooktop cover is down, windows are shut with latches closed, fridge door locked and secure and all drawers & cupboards are secured shut. Make sure that your TV is removed before you travel and store it somewhere where it is safe and secure. Also, your roof hatchet blinds need to be open when you travel with the actual roof hatchet shut.

WIND DOWN THE ANTENNA

Okay, another really important one is to ensure that the antenna is down before you travel. Simply wind it down until it can’t go any further.

CHECK WATER & BATTERY LEVELS

Check you have the necessary water and charge in your batteries required for your travels. Equally as important before you leave is to make sure we turn the battery switch off. We do this so that the loads are isolated from the battery, so you can get charge off the car or off solar but you are actually not going to drain the batteries while driving.

CHECK LIGHTS ARE WORKING

Check your trailer plugs are connected properly and have someone else make sure the lights, the brakes, and the indicators are all working before you travel.

EMPTY THE TOILET

Once you’re ready to leave and go home or move on, make sure you empty the toilet in the allocated dump point before you leave.

Now you’re ready to hit the road! For more helpful videos see our Youtube channel or other blogs.

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