I have finally come to the conclusion that I have to get a trailer to take the weight of our camping kit when we go away for more than a weekend. I have never towed anything before. Do any of you good people know where I can get a bit of tuition on how to tow a trailer so that I don't cause a moving hazard when I get going? Is it fairly easy to do?
I don't know about trailer towing lessons but both the CC and the C & CC do caravan towing and manouevring courses at weekends, and you don't have to be a club member to do them. I suppose if you learn to tow a caravan you know you'll be ok towing just a trailer.
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
You could try the Storm Driving School at Unit 5 14 London Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2AG Tel 0800 083 2599. They do towing courses
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
I'm guessing something pretty small, 4x3, 4x4 kind of thing?
in which case I can honestly say you probably won't even notice it's there apart from the odd "wiggle" through the car when it hits a bump.
as for reversing, the shorter the trailer the harder it is to reverse primarily because you can't see it in the mirrors until it's to late, advice would be to simply un-hitch when required as it's very easy to move by hand :)
I think good on you for wanting to know how to do it. I really think that if someone is going to take to the road with a trailer then they should be able to manouvre with it hitched. You could maybe take it to a field or an empty carpark and practice yourself if you can't get proper tuition?
You need to imagine the worst, what if you came up against a vehicle on a narrow lane, would you really want to unhitch the trailer to be able to get out of the way?
Thanks, all. I will follow up some of the suggestions. I agree that I would probably be OK without lessons but I would feel more confident if I have some tuition.
By the way, I looked up the Camping & Caravan Club and their fees are much higher. The course for beginners is about £900. I think that's a bit much.
Methinks that the decimal point is in the wrong place. £90 for a two day course is about the norm.
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
I looked it up again to make sure. A 2-day course for someone with towing experience and able to reverse well is £529. For someone like me with no towing experience it is £934. For someone who feels they need extra time it is £1150. I had to do a few double checks to make sure I had not read it wrong but I have taken these figures off their website.
The links which you have all given me are much more reasonable. Thank you all very much.
Copied from the Caravan Club Website, The price is between £90 and £105 so it might be worth doing their's even if you don't own a caravan :)
Course details
1) The 10 hour Practical Caravanning Course; held over one and a half days, is ideal for newcomers. It covers instruction and practice in:
Understanding loading and how it affects towing.
Hitching up and towing, safely and efficiently.
Practice in manoeuvring an outfit forwards and backwards, easily and confidently.
Simple technical information to encourage user checks.
Everyday safety checks and the law affecting caravanners.
2) The one day Caravan Manoeuvring Course is suitable for the caravanner or other trailer tower who knows the basics but has difficulty in manoeuvring, especially reversing their outfit, with confidence.
The course takes place in the private grounds of Colleges and Commercial training schools. The courses are taught by professional instructors, and caravans are provided.
Course requirements
You will need a car fitted with a towing bracket, functional electric sockets, and two outside mirrors wide enough to see either side of the caravan. You must possess a full Group B driving licence (provisional not accepted) and the car must be insured to tow a trailer caravan.
Locations
Courses are currently held at the following locations:
Askham Bryan, York
Broxburn, West Lothian
Chelmsford, Essex
Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire
Consett, County Durham
Devizes, Wiltshire
Evesham, Worcestershire
Henfield, West Sussex
Newark, Nottinghamshire
Norwich, Norfolk
Pembrey, Carmarthenshire
Preston, Lancashire
Ruthin, Denbighshire
Stoke Climsland, Cornwall
Winchester, Hampshire
Course fees
Course fees are £105.00 for the Practical Caravanning Course and £90.00 for the Caravan Manoeuvring Course.
I looked at the caravan club towing & manoeuvring courses and they were all just too far away.
I got in touch with a local driving instructor who also teaches towing and explained that I needed to build my confidence reversing our caravan. We (OH came along) spent 2hours practising reversing into marked out 'pitches' & 'garages', basic towing & refreshed highway code in a private car park. We used instructors car & trailer and then I practised with our car and the instructors trailer. Good value in my opinion, £80 for 1to1 tuition.
I looked it up again to make sure. A 2-day course for someone with towing experience and able to reverse well is £529. For someone like me with no towing experience it is £934. For someone who feels they need extra time it is £1150. I had to do a few double checks to make sure I had not read it wrong but I have taken these figures off their website.
The links which you have all given me are much more reasonable. Thank you all very much.
You've been looking at the B+E courses which are to upgrade your driving licence if you have got it recently and aren't licenced for towing big things.
You need to look at "Manoeuvering Courses" - they are £95 (plus the cost of joining the Club if you're not a member)
Those courses are not what you want. They are about the law for caravans, loading them etc and reversing. Most of that won't apply to you. Load sensibly with heavy stuff on the bottom above the axle. If you need to practise reversing go to a supermarket car park when the shop is closed and just practise. Me, i would just unhitch and turn the car around and hitch up again.
Alan - thank you for your comments. However, you will see from the first post that, although I have held a full driving licence for many years, I have absolutely no experience of towing. I would feel more confident if I have been taught to do it properly. I would also feel that I am less likely to be a moving hazard on the roads.
Presumably the B+E licence is to establish that the driver has an appropriate level of ability to tow stuff safely which is what I want to do. Also, if I do the course, it gives me an option to upgrade later if my knees no longer want to get up off an airbed in the morning and I decide to go over to the dark side.
I am really grateful to everyone who has taken the trouble to reply and for your support.
If you passed your test before 1997, you have no legal need to take the additional B+E test even if you upgrade to a heavier caravan in the future.
You would learn all you need to with the cheaper course from one of the clubs.
As has already been mentioned, a small trailer is much harder to reverse than a large caravan. When it comes to reversing, the manoevering course will be more beneficial than a B+E course.
You would be well advised to read the highway code before towing to refresh yourself on the laws regarding towing, not least the speed limits.
The B+E test is something of a farce. A driver can tow a car with a caravan that weighs 100% of the cars weight provided it is within the manufacturers limits and under 3500kg. The same driver cannot then get a heavier car to make the outfit more stable as he then goes over the 3500kg limit.
You tell me who is the safer driver a driver towing a caravan that weighs 100% of the weight of his saloon car or the same driver with a caravan that weighs 85% of the weight of his 4x4 with an outfit weighing 3600kg?
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Topic: Help please - Towing lessons
