Get the balance right
Driving on the N1 recently he saw a lot of instances of caravans swaying around behind the tow vehicle, says Mic van Zyl.
Iwas returning to Gauteng from Mapungubwe recently and noticed heavy traffic heading north (thankfully on the other side of the N1 going in the opposite direction). Two things dawned on me as I watched a solid procession of laden cars towing caravans, camper trailers and trailers with off-road and quad bikes. Firstly (and most importantly), the midyear school holidays crept up on me very quietly. I suddenly realised I’d been so busy at work that I didn’t plan any kind of breakaway over this period. I felt sad and somewhat disappointed with myself for a brief period and then I decided right then and there to rectify the situation. While work is important for those of us who have bills to pay and don’t have financial freedom, it’s nowhere near as important as quality family time. I read a very interesting article a long time ago written by a person who conducted interviews with people on their death beds. When asked what these people regretted most or what they would change in their lives were they given the chance to do it over, just about everybody stated they wish they’d spent more time with family, friends and loved ones. This piece of writing had a profound effect on my life, hence my disappointment at my failure with this holiday.
THE SECOND THING that dawned on me was pointed out to me by my passenger, my dad, who is a keen caravanner and had accompanied me on my bush trip. He has a lovely mid-sized limited edition Sprite En Suite caravan with built-in bathroom, which suits him to a tee. He tows this with a late-model Prado diesel but is thinking of upgrading to a Land Cruiser 200. He was pointing out some rather huge caravans being towed up the N1 highway. I couldn’t help thinking that at some stage some of these rigs would be turning off the smooth, straight highway onto some very poor regional roads to get to where they’re going. I’ve come across these folks often while driving behind them, waiting for a safe opportunity to overtake. There seems to be an awful lot of caravans swaying behind towing vehicles.
In the past I’ve written about tow ball weight, but you should always remember that getting your tow ball weight right is not where correct caravan/ trailer setup ends. Having heavy weights at both ends of the caravan may give you the correct ball weight but this may in fact cause towing instability when these heavy loads start moving around. There are some stunning off-road caravans available that have jerry cans and a spare wheel hanging off the back and an 80 ℓ fridge in the nosecone. In some designs there’s even a full rooftop tent mounted above the front A-frame.
I TOWED ONE of these a couple of years ago with my FJ Cruiser and it was interesting. I had to “drive” the rig all the time. I can’t, however, comment about the fact that the shorter wheelbase of the FJ might have contributed to this, but I decided there and then that this was not for me. You can go a long way in stabilising your rig by paying close attention to your caravan or trailer’s weight distribution as a whole. This includes centralising heavy items over the axle where possible, filling jerry cans and water tanks, as well as buying groceries and cases of beer closer to your destination.
Having heavy weights at both ends of the caravan may give you the correct ball weight but this may in fact cause towing instability when these heavy loads start moving around.
Mic van Zyl is the director of Ironman 4x4 Africa, the sole importer and distributor of the full range of Ironman 4x4 products. ironman4x4.co.za