Caravan checks to make before you depart
A practical guide from Caravan Information Services
After you’ve planned your journey, it’s time to prepare for hitting the road by performing a series of caravan checks.
This guide explains straightforward steps to create a caravan tow check and ensure safe travel.
Start with these essentials:
Towbar and hitch, essential caravan tow check
Check your towbar for signs of excessive wear, rust, cracks, and loosening bolts. Ensure the tow ball is freshly greased if you are using a conventional hitch. But make sure the tow ball is free of grease, dirt and rust if you use an Alko Stabiliser. You can use methylated spirits or a similar solvent to clean a dirty or greasy tow ball.
Check the stabiliser friction pads are only worn as far as the manufacturer’s recommended limit. You can also clean the fruition pads with fine-grade wet-and-dry sandpaper.
Wheels and tyres
Check the wheel bolts are sufficiently tight with a torque wrench. You can also fit reusable plastic indicators for a quick visual safety check.
Only a tiny part of the tyres keeps your caravan in contact with the road. So it’s vital that your tyres are in legal roadworthy condition and inflated correctly.
Inspect your tyres for signs of excessive and uneven wear, cuts, bulges, perished walls or nails. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the centre three-quarters of the tyre. However, the tyre’s performance reduces in line with wear. Most manufacturers recommend replacing tyres when they reach 3mm.
Now check your tyre pressures and ensure they match the recommendation in the manufacturer’s handbook. Under or overinflated tyres can destabilise the caravan’s handling and lead to overheating and a potential blowout.
Brakes
Check the handbrake activates to stop the caravan from moving, and that the wheels turn freely when the handbrake is released. Servicing the brakes annually is recommended. Brake shoes sometimes stick to the drums when the handbrake is activated for long periods. In this case, freeing the brakes is vital to prevent overheating when in motion.
Lights
Check that the lights work correctly, including the number plate lights. Replace any faulty bulbs. If a new bulb doesn’t work, check for moisture or corrosion in the 12v connection plug and socket. Finally, remove any dirt from the lenses with a damp cloth.
Suspension
Start by checking your shock absorbers for signs of fluid leaks. Then, hitch up and ensure the caravan is level. Use your eye, a spirit level, or a dedicated App on your smartphone. The caravan should be level or with the nose pointing slightly down. If the nose points up or one corner of the caravan is low, this could indicate worn suspension.
The suspension may be worn if the caravan leans back when you accelerate, nosedives when you brake or leans when you corner.
Mirrors
The law requires 4m of visibility on either side of your caravan for 20m behind the driver. So once you’ve hitched up, double-check the sight in your towing mirrors and adjust accordingly.
You can also apply an aftermarket film that prevents fogging and beads water off for better visibility in the rain.
Number plate
Double-check that the caravan and vehicle number plates match. This is an obvious point but easy to miss if you’ve switched cars for any reason or are collecting a recently purchased caravan. The caravan number plate should be visible, free from excessive dirt, and illuminated at night.
Gas
Check that your gas appliances work correctly, then turn off the appliance controls and gas cylinder taps while securely fastening the cylinders.
Final caravan checks
Isolate the mains electrics, turn the fridge selector to 12v and engage the door lock.
Turn off the water pump master switch and close the taps and shower controls. Drain the water and waste tanks to avoid carrying too much weight.
Close and secure the roof lights, lockers, and cupboard doors. Stow heavy items, such as pots and pans, where they can’t move or fall in transit.
Finally, check your caravan’s nose weight to ensure it doesn’t exceed the lowest maximum figure from the following three sources:
- the caravan chassis manufacturer
- the towing vehicle manufacturer
- the towbar manufacturer
That’s it. You’ve completed your pre-departure caravan tow check and are ready to leave on your travels.