Quote: Originally posted by brianconwy on 07/3/2010
You can't do much to avoid vehicles swerving into your path, but thankfully it doesn't happen very often. Traffic lights should be anticipated.
The point you are missing is that if you are towing a very heavy trailer then you should have enough sense not to be approaching traffic lights at 60mph or even towing at that speed. The laws of physics state the kinetic energy of a body in motion = 1/2 mv2. So speed is a major factor along with many others.
And you also have to attempt to keep up with the flow of traffic. It's a difficult one. But you're missing the point, not me - an unstable trailer towed more slowly is likely to be more of a danger than a stable trailer towed at normal road speeds. It's does no-one any good to have a massively mismatched unit and crawl along in an attempt to make it safe.
------------- * You never know where you're going 'til you get there...
Many 4x4s are designed to tow up to 3500kg and are plated as such. So having a trailer up to 100% of the vehicles weight is not a mismatch and not unstable. As some people tow caravans at 60mph on dual carriageways then towing at 50mph isn't unreasonable.
When I tow our horse trailer I do go more cautiously than when I have the van on the back. This isn't because it is mismatched or unstable but because we don't want the horses to arrive stressed out.
Life isn't so black and white there are 2 groups of trailers stable and unstable. If that were the case then all caravans should have lon A-frames because that makes for more stable towing. The point of this discussion is that there is no magic figure for weght ratio where at 86% an outfit is unstable and at 85% it is totally stable.
Because in your perception an outfit may be mismatched and unstable, doesn't mean its true. The driver of the outfit may drive this sort of combination every day as part of his job and knows more about towing than us amateurs.
I put this post on because a magazine has come out and said the advice for new caravanners should be 90% match for a safe tow. The advice from the clubs is 85%.
Forget all the experience stuff, horse trailers etc. We are just talking about advice to new caravanners. Where do they go for advice. Previously it would have been the clubs and dealers and the caravan magazines. All of which offered 85% with the usual provisos. Now we have ONE magazine saying 90%.
There are lots of things confusing enough with regards to weight without meddling with advice, unless they all change.
"There are lots of things confusing enough with regards to weight without meddling with advice, unless they all change"
How very true
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
The original post mentioned nothing about new caravanners.
I can understand the need for clear advice for new caravanners. The discussion only got sidetracked by people saying that it shouldn't be advice but should become law.
For someone towing for the first time then I think even 85% is a bit high but if thats the recommendation of the caravan club then that should be the advice to follow. Just remember they advise that is the maximum recommended figure.
I t is widely publicised that for safety purposes, a caravan should be up to 85% of the towing cars kerbweight. Caravan Club and C& CC included.
An article in this months "Go Caravan" is suggesting that this should be increased to 90%, as safety features in both cars and caravans has improved over the 46 years since this "rule" was devised.
Just wondersing what's your opinion?
Is it time for a change? Or should it remain 85%
Major Caravan Manufacturers are backing this.
I can see caravans mentioned several times ! But not new caravanners - missed that myself Brian !!!
Obviously though, if the whole thing causes such disagreement between people who are `experienced' what on earth is it like for those who are new to it all ? Nightmare.
Its never really affected me as our caravan fully loaded only weighs 1000kg. It is mainly people with large vans or small cars who are affected and hopefully they will check available advice from sources such as the clubs. I don't know much about Go Caravan and its contributors.
Nor me. We have a small light van & Landys. Not so easy for other peeps though, 4 x 4s not the answer for everyone, though I'd not like towing with anything else myself - specially my dobbins
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Topic: Change to 85% Rule?
But not new caravanners - missed that myself Brian !!! 
