| Towing requirements
Caravan Dimensions | Suitable
Towcars | Driving Licence | Tyres | Towbar |
Stabilisers | Mirrors | Lighting
|
Breakaway Cables | Speed Limits
There is a mixture of
laws and common sense guidelines which need to be adhered to if you you are going to take
to the roads with a caravan in tow. First of all you need to understand some of the
phrases and descriptions you will come across in these pages. Some of the following
descriptions have been recently introduced to comply with EU laws and most 'old school'
caravanners will recognise them as something slightly different.
Maximum
Technically Permissible Laden Mass ( M.T.P.L.M) - The maximum weight the caravan can be including itself
and all its user payload.
User payload - Items such as awnings, food ,
childrens toys and any extra equipment you take which is carried in the caravan.
Mass in
running order - The
weight of the caravan alone.
Actual laden
weight - The weight
of the caravan and its user payload added together.
Noseweight - The weight exerted on the
towbar.
Vehicle
Kerbweight - The
weight of the towcar as stated by the manufacturer.
Maximum
Permissible Towing Mass - The maximum weight that the vehicle is allowed to
tow.
Train Weight - The maximum combined weight of
towcar and trailer that is allowed.
Caravan Dimensions
The law states that the
maximum size of a caravan that can be legally towed on UK. roads is 2.3 metres
wide, 7 metres long and has an Actual laden weight of
3500 kg or less. This is the maximum that can be towed by a motor vehicle with a kerbweight that is less than 3500 kg.
It is recommended that
the actual laden
weight of the caravan should not
exceed 85 % of the kerbside weight of the towing vehicle.
Suitable
towcars
There are no hard and
fast rules governing the type of vehicles to be used for towing. Most caravan owners will
opt for 4x4 models as they will have extra stability and usually run diesel engines.
However most 1600cc petrol cars and 1800cc diesel engines will have enough power to cope.
You just need to apply the 85% rule and base your choice on the results. It is worth
bearing in mind that vehicles with automatic transmissions may need an extra oil cooler
fitted to the gearbox.
Go to
our Towcar page to see
the kerbweights of popular towcars
Check your handbook to
obtain the Maximum
Permissible Towing Mass for your
vehicle which must never be exceeded.
Driving Licence
You will need a Category
B licence to be able to tow a caravan. If you passed your test before 1st January 1997
you will have automatically gained this but if you passed later and you want to tow a
car/caravan combination which has a train weight greater than 3500kg ( this can be 4250kg
if the caravan alone weighs less than 750kg) you will need to take an extra test. This
also applies if the M.T.P.L.M. of the caravan is greater than the unladen
weight of the towcar.
Tyres
Caravan tyres are subject
to the same laws as towcar tyres. This means they need to be the correct speed rating for
the vehicle/trailer to which they are fitted. and also have a minimum of 1.6mm of
tread throughout a continuous band 75% across the breadth of the tyre. Check your handbook
for details of tyre pressures. If in doubt visit your nearest dealer for more advice.
Towbar
These should be fitted by
a qualified fitter. Cars that are 'S' registered or later must be fitted with a towbar
that conforms to EU Directive 94/20/EC. For cars registered before this the towbar needs
to conform to BS AU114B.
Stabilisers
There is no doubt that a
stabiliser can improve the handling of an already good car/caravan combination. It must
not however be used to improve a problem setup. This will lead to even worse trouble
somewhere else along the line. Stabilisers will stop the caravan pitching and yawing and
there are a wide selection available - some of which have featured in our review pages.
Mirrors
The law states that the
driver of the towing vehicle should have an adequate view to the rear of the unit. In most
cases this will mean that extra towing mirrors will need to be fitted to the towcar. These
mirrors must not project more than 200mm outside the width of the caravan.
Lighting
If the caravan is wider
than the towing vehicle it will need to display two white lights to the front positioned
on its outer corners. At the rear it will need to display two red triangular reflectors,
two red tail lights, two red stop lights and a direction indicator on each side. Some
newer models may also come with a third high level stop light as standard. The towcar
should also have an audio or visual indicator fitted to show the driver that the caravan
indicators are working. In addition to the lights the caravan must also show an
illuminated number plate to match the towing vehicle.
Breakaway Cables
These are steel cables
that are attached to the brake on the caravan. They connect to the towing bracket and will
automatically pull the brake on if the the coupling comes undone.
Speed Limits
On single carriageway UK.
roads the speed limt for towing is 50mph unless otherwise stated. On dual
carriageways and motorways the limit is 60mph unless otherwise stated.
For more
information on loading you caravan click here.
For
vehicle lighting information and help click here.
Home page
Please note: All information given on this
page is intended purely for reference only and should not be construed as a legal
document. |
tourer.net 
Caravan Security
