I attended the practical caravaners course run by the CC last weekend and really enjoyed it. I have never towed (have left it up to Hubby until now) so did it to give me enough confidence to start towing.
Just wondered if any of the people on here who have been towing for years might have any tips for reversing a caravan onto a pitch? Any help for a newbie would be gratefully received.
PS the ladies on the course were really good .
Yes. My top tip is drive just past the pitch so that the caravan wheels are barely past the corner, then unhitch and motor-move the caravan where you want it to be using the remote control.
In France this year though we got stuck in the tollbooth lane behind a broken-down car and I had to reverse quite a way backwards while my wife moved traffic from behind. The trick is to go slowly and not over-spin the wheel.
Of course no-one could see the car in question and everyone assumed it was me being unable to work the barrier.
------------- Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.
drive up so the pitch is on the drivers side (assuming the pitch is at a right angle to the road) Put your OH on near side rear corner watching duties, with instructios to shout rather than wave or use hand signsls if you're about to clobber comething, and look backwards out of the window watch the off side of the caravan and reverse it backwards S L O W L Y :D
Nice to hear of another fellow female tower
------------- Doing whatever the rice krispies tell me to.
practice makes you perfect
Do whatever you feel good at.
The above is correct, approach pitch on drivers side makes it easy.
Good luck, and pleased you enjoy towing.
Thanks for this... told to take things slowly ..if not happy straighten up again before reversing around a corner and really important ..spend time getting your mirrors in the right place . Thanks for the replies x
I think pitch selection is the first thing to get right. Is it fairly even, flat and easy to get onto.
Reversing a trailer/caravan is a matter of practice, and to be honest you should be able to do it before embarking on a trip........You never know when you will have to do it!
I would always reverse in on the right side hold the steering wheel with one hand at the bottom of the wheel this eliminates the need to steer the opposite way
------------- its our imperfections that makes us perfect
Use your mirrors. If you want to straighten turn the steering wheel in the direction of the mirror that the caravan appears in, if you want to turn a corner do the opposite.
Reversing to the right (or the driver's side) is easier as you can see more.
You'll obviously fine tune that with practice, but in principle that's all there is to it. Have fun ... !
I have tried and tried to reverse my very small caravan without much success! If I can, I go around in a circle to get the caravan where I want it to be... or use the motormover. :)
Another tip, if things are going wrong, drive forward only about a yard or two and turn the wheel the opposit way it was turned, it will quickly get you to a position to have another go without starting from scratch. I think the manoeuver is called a 'shunt'.
Dave
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Quote: Originally posted by Jax365 on 22/9/2016
I have tried and tried to reverse my very small caravan without much success! If I can, I go around in a circle to get the caravan where I want it to be... or use the motormover. :)
The smaller the trailer, the harder it is. To a point its virtually impossible. Ideally your trailer/van will be at least as long as your tow car. Even better if its half again or twice as long. Gives you so much more time to adjust as its moving.
But, its practice. Doing it once every couple of months once on site isnt enough. Especially when there is an audience and you have locked the wheels in exactly the same place for the fourth time, and folk are coming out with their chairs and a beer for the entertainment.
The best advice I think anyone can give you is to attend a caravan manoeuvring course, I did and it gave me so much confidence the first trip out. I'm not certain the same sort of course that you attended, but most of it was all about reversing and manoeuvring with the van.
Plus as others have said, a smaller van is much harder to reverse with than a larger van (as I now know first hand)
Thanks for all the tips , brilliant.
Shaggy , I did the CC practical course last w/end. That included straight reversing and reversing around a corner. No problem going straight but round a corner? Blimey I really had to concentrate on which way the wheel should turn !You all have my respect
I absolutely loved it and hopefully with practice it will get easier. They did say a smaller van is harder to reverse as it reacts a lot faster than a larger one. Also twin axles are easier but I'm not ready for that yet .
Another tip that makes it easier going 'round corners', if you can do it, is forget the mirrors and look back out of the drivers window (assuming you are backing to this side). One arm on the top of the door (window down obviously), the other on the top of the steering wheel, and go slowly back, turning the wheel in relation to where the van needs to go. You know instantly if its going the wrong way, so move the wheel the opposite way to what you had it. Forget left and right and 'its going this way and that' and opposite lock etc. thats too confusing. If the van is not going the way you want,turn the wheel the other way. It cuts out the aspect of doing 'the opposite' if you are driving on the mirrors. Simples.
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Topic: Reversing a caravan
