The CCA receives many complaints from owners about the handling and stability of their caravan on the road.
Some of the causes of this problem are:
1. Poor engineering design of the caravan, especially the suspension / springs system
2. Incorrect loading – and/or over-loading – of the caravan, causing the Ball-Loading to be too high, or too low, and
3. The tow-vehicle not being suitable for towing the particular caravan.
Another obvious major cause of poor handling and stability, is the incorrect selection of tyres fitted to the caravan… either original, or after-market. In some cases, the tyres are under-rated, or operate close to their Rated maximum load capability, when the ‘van is fully loaded. In the first instance, this is highly dangerous and illegal; in the second instance, this does not provide a reasonable safety-factor. In many cases, the tyres are grossly over-rated, such that when the ‘van is fully loaded, the tyres are loaded to only (typically) 50 – 70% of their capacity.
While opinions of tyre specialists may vary a bit, the general consensus is that caravan tyres should be loaded to around 85 – 90% of their maximum Rating, when running at their normal maximum load… i.e. when the ‘van is fully loaded. It is important that a tyre is inflated, to the recommended pressure, for the load that it is carrying.
The Handbook of the Tyre & Rim Association has a detailed listing – for each tyre size designation – of the recommended inflation pressures, for various tyre loadings.
The reported complaints are of one of two issues, with the ‘van:
1. Swaying, or wallowing, badly, or 2. Skipping, or bouncing, badly… even on relatively-smooth roads.
In the first instance, the inflation pressure is too low for the particular tyre size designation, and the actual tyre load.
In the second instance, the inflation pressure is too high for the particular tyre size designation, and the actual tyre load.
It is most apparent that all too often on the Trailer Plate, the “recommended inflation pressures” for the empty and loaded cases, do not correlate with the recommended pressures provided by the Tyre & Rim Association for the actual tyre loadings.
Often the “recommended inflation pressure” is simply that embossed on the tyre side-wall, for when the tyre is loaded to its maximum Rating, even though the actual tyre load is just a fraction of the tyre’s Rating.
The CCA has a simple EXCEL sheet freely available for ‘van owners to check their own situation regarding “Tyre Loadings & Pressures”.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Kind Regards
Colin
You can contact the CCA direct or visit their web site via the links below.
www.caravancouncil.com.au [email protected]
