I HAVE JUST CHANGED MY CARAVAN AAND THERE IS A WINTERHOFF HITCH FITTED ON IT . I STILL HAVE AN ALKO TOE BALL FITTED TO MY CAR IS THIS THE PROBLEM THAT MY CARAVAN IS NOT STABLE OR IS THE WEAR INDICATOR DOWN TOO FAR ON MY HITCH ITS SHOWING IT AT 2 ON THE INDICATOR
------------- 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
Simple things, make sure your noseweight is within both van and tow bar tolerances, make sure everything heavy is laoded centrally and cannot move and finally ensure the tyres are correctly inflated! (The wife has trained me well you know)...
------------- Just remember, if it is older than yours, smaller than yours but next to yours, there is probably no credit owing on it...
First check your loading, as mentioned above...Nose weight etc.
Pulled a Monza thru UK......Correctly loaded, I assume, without stabilizer.....Had to constantly check the rear mirror to make sure the van was still there, it towed like a dream...Not even the wee side pull when overtaken by bigger vehicles
There was an article a few years back in the Forum section of the Camping & Caravanning Club magazine. Apparently a chap had been towing 4 different types of caravan units for over 20 years without any problem. He had bought a brand new Bailey which every time he hitched up the van started to sway when out on the road. From experience he knew it was nothing to do with loading or nose weights and the van went back to the dealer and eventually to the manufacturer to no avail as to what the problem was. He went out on a DA meet and got talking to another guy about his dilemma. He was advised to have the tyres balanced as the manufacturers don't do this before leaving the factory. He was willing to do anything to cure the problem so took the advice and had both wheels and tyres balanced. Unbelivably, it cured his problem once and for all and he decided to write in to the Camping & Caravanning Club saying that although people don't travel in the caravans as they do in cars, he felt that all wheels should be balanced as a matter of safety to avoid any snaking and instability. I had both my wheels balanced 5 years ago and have never had any instabilty problems whatsoever. I have just recently bought another caravan and towed it to storage but I won't go out with it now until I have had the wheels balanced. I like to be safe on the road at all times so the mere cost of balancing.....well I think it's worth it!
as well as poor loading and incorrect nose weight the tyres take a very important part ie.different sizes,this has been found on caravans just bought.also incorrect pressures can give a very poor ride.on our first van it towed like it had the brakes on.it was discovered only 30 psi in the tyres and should have been 54 psi.the low pressures also caused shunting as well.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.