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We found some of the autoroutes quite rutted in June. Coming back we had a combination of the ruts and wind (the mistral!) in the south. We found  doing about 50mph was about the safest speed at times!

Our Bailey Burgundy has the Al Ko trailer assist and stabiliser hitch, plus shock absorbers -it definitely feels more stable than our previous Vendee which was not bad.

Plus our big hefty Sorento helps, as 1400Kg is way under its capability.

When going downhill the best advice is to drop down to a lower or the lowest gear and reduce speed, this should be the case whenever you see descent warning signs or the use lower gear signs which are often on stretches of road recognised as being in need of extra care and attention.

Caravan mirrors, the easiest way to decide this is to park your hitched unit in a straight line. if when looking from the rear of the van down the side in a straight line you cannot see ALL of the wing mirrors on both sides of the car then extension mirrors are most certainly needed. (like the sign on many large lorries these days says, "if you can't see my mirrors I can't see you!) Extention mirrors are actually extremly good at providing an additional perspective on what is behind you and greatly enhance your view and in turn your understanding of what to expect from behind when travelling. They are in my humble opinion a much needed safety device on the vast majority of outfits and especially for those towing caravans or high trailers which are wider than the tow vehicle.

Speed limits. Speed limits are not a target to be acheived or broken they are the MAXIMUM speed at which you are legally entitled to drive on UK roads.

UK speed limits aren’t always obvious.  Firstly although the UK is now part of Europe we have managed to keep miles rather than kilometres so all speed limit signs are in MPH.  The speed limit in built up areas is generally 30, although in some places, e.g. near schools it can be 20.  

If there are no speed limit signs but there is street lighting, then this counts as a built up area and the limit is 30.  Outside towns, the most commonly seen speed limit sign is a white circle with a black sloping line.  This means National Speed Limit which is 60 on single carriageway roads and 70 on dual carriageways and motorways.  So be careful as this one sign can mean 60 or 70 mph.

Carrying bikes! This is something that is a problem on many units i have seen. The towbal weight limit on an average car is 75kg, on some heavier vehicles, 4x4 etc, this can be higher but you should always check with your car manual first. Similarly the max hitch weight on average caravans is 75kg, on some it is higher and others lower, ranging from 50-100kg from what information I have to hand.
When adding anything to the A-frame of the caravan this should be weighed and the weight deducted from the limit in order to comply with the limit of the caravan hitch or the towball/back of car weight limit. Where a lot of folks seem to go wrong is when using a rear mounted bike rack which does not connect to the towball or towing bracket. These racks should be weighed along with any bikes and this weight added to the cars towball weight and if it is higher then the bikes should be removed along with the rack in order to gain the correct weight limit. If you are going to carry bikes it is often wiser to use a roof bar setup or put them inside the caravan over the axle and secure with tie down straps. Some caravan manufacturers do allow the use of a bike rack on the rear of acaravan and if this is the case then you should always load everything onto the caravan and then check the noseweight before hitching to the car in order to have the correct limit.
If the car and caravan/trailer dip in the middle where they connect then this is a sure sign that you are not within the weight limits and will cause instability which when mixed with rutted loads will greatly increase your chance of an accident.
One should not add the towball weight to the caravan nosewight in order to get a higher limit, the weight is either the hitch wieght or the towball weight whichever is the lower, IE if the van is max 50kg and the car 75kg then you are only allowed 50kg. Hope this helps with some folks queries on weight.

As in all things there is a great deal of common sense which is needed to drive and equally so if not more so when towing any trailer or caravan.

Just found this article

Road Speed limit cut to 50MPH

THE government is to cut the national speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on most of Britain’s roads, enforced by a new generation of average speed cameras.

The reduction, to be imposed as early as next year, will affect two thirds of the country’s road network. Drivers will still be able to reach 70mph on motorways and dual carriageways and 60mph on the safest A roads.

Jim Fitzpatrick, the roads minister, defended the plan, which will be the most dramatic cut since 1978, when the national speed limit was reduced from 70mph to 60mph.

“There will be some in the driving lobby who think this is a further attack and a restriction on people’s freedom,” he said. “But when you compare that to the fact we are killing 3,000 people a year on our roads, it would be irresponsible not to do something about it. I’m sure that the vast majority of motorists would support the proposals.” continued here

Hope this helps answer a few questions posed on this thread which I have found very interesting.

Re trailer tests, if you passed your driving test after 1st january 1997 then you may need to pass an additional towing test. (Basically that is all drivers born after 1980. or who past their test in the last 12years!) This topic has been covered several times on the forums and you should check to see if that means you.

ATB
PP

Interesting information on towing mirrors here:
http://www.caravan-advice.co.uk/towing-mirrors.html

This bit is particularly interesting:

As we have received so many questions regarding the law and towing mirrors, we decided to ask towing mirror manufacturer Milenco. This is what they had to say:

"We are awaiting further clarification of many points of laws and it is without doubt a fluid situation as a result of DOT (Dept of Transport) contradicting information previously supplied to us and the clubs.

Please do not assume that because mirrors are not fitted to tha tow car the driver cannot see, with my outfit I can see through the van when driving so I get a better view than most.

I do use extension mirrors as well but do not like them as I have yet to find a set that do not vibrate.

I have not found a definative answer to the legal requirement of ext.mirrors, yes it makes sense if you cannot see clearly behind, I just wish I could find out the true requirement to be happy.

I fail to see how you can see properly Deltaman I am afraid.  Being able to see through a caravan is a very narrow area of visibility.

I think somebody posted the legal requirements earlier, if not it is easily found on the net.  It is to do with how far behind and down the side of the van you can see.  Given most vans these days are on the boundary of being legal width wise, there must be very very few vehicles on our roads that would not need extension mirrors.

Ali

The Law in the United Kingdom specifies, you must be able to see clearly down both sides of the caravan, and see 4 meters either side of the caravan at a distance of 20 meters behind the rear of the caravan.
This in reality means, if your caravan/trailer is wider than the rear of your tow vehicle, you must fit towing mirrors to comply with the law. You can be fined up to £1000 and get 3 point on your licence for towing blind. (At exhibitions, we have met many caravanners that had received 3 points and £60 fixed penalty notices.)
On tow vehicles conforming to directive 2003/97 EC or sold after January 2007, the towing mirrors may project 25cms further than the widest part of the caravan. On tow vehicles pre dating this directive, the mirrors may project 20 cms further than the widest part of the caravan.
Since 12th of December 2005 it is a legal requirement that you have type approved (e-marked) mirrors on both sides of the tow vehicle.

There ya go.

Ali

Thanks Snowy for the info, the window in the rear of the van is a wide one and having a high tow vehicle means I can see through the van easily, I do use the ext. mirrors but still do not like them.

Seeing through the van means I can see the little French tailgaters before they nip out to overtake.

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 27/7/2009

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Since 12th of December 2005 it is a legal requirement that you have type approved (e-marked) mirrors on both sides of the tow vehicle.

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Quote: Originally posted by pajaholic on 27/7/2009

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Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 27/7/2009

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Since 12th of December 2005 it is a legal requirement that you have type approved (e-marked) mirrors on both sides of the tow vehicle.

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That's not quite correct. For vehicles first used on or after 26th January next year, the mirrors must conform to directives that require e-marking. However, for all current vehicles there are routes to compliance that don't require e-marking. (See the thread I linked earlier in this thread). Thus, while all mirrors must conform to one or more appropriate directives, e-marking is not required unless the directive with which conformity is claimed calls for it. IOW and pragmatically, if you bought your mirrors from a reputable source after the date on which your towcar was manufactured, those mirrors will be legal even if they're not e-marked.

HTH,

Geoff

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Info came from Milenco's website, seems they have omitted a bit of the regs then!

Ali

Lion123

Thanks for your unqualified opinion but we would like to hear from a Knight of the Road as to what it is that makes a good caravan driver in your opinion. Is it that the caravan should be at least a mile away from your truck at all times? Or is it that you need glasses to be able to see Caravans when they are closer? It is a bit much to say that the majority are bad caravan drivers without saying what it is that they are doing wrong.

I find that lorry drivers are very good providing you consider them. If they are overtaking then I always flash my headlights  when they are past me and the vast majority do the same. If you keep your eyes on the mirror then you can move over slightly to allow for the pull as they pass. I tend to keep to their speed limit of 58 mph which suits me and only ever overtake  if they are struggling up a hill. I never ever overtake if I see a decline coming up. Recipe for disaster.

Can't understand why these idiots with vans go at such a speed. They are on holiday and I thought that meant relaxed!!!!!!!!!!

I an sure lion123 has seen the same b....y idiots as me and they do give us all a bad name. There are also idiot lorry drivers too!

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 27/7/2009

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Geoff

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Info came from Milenco's website, seems they have omitted a bit of the regs then!

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Quote: From the referenced page on Milenco's site

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Since publication we have been advised the date is 26th of January 2010. To quote dft "Therefore, if a towing-mirror is already in use, or newly purchased now it should comply with the construction and testing requirements of the relevant legislation but ‘E’ or ‘e’ marking is not strictly required".

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Bit difficult to describe Lion 123 as having an unqualified opinion. In his profession, he's more qualified than most caravanners.  I don't entirely agree with him though.  Most of the caravans I see on the road are well driven and look sensibly loaded.

Others have no mirrors, very often the rear bumper of the car is dragging on the ground, or they are going for the land speed record.  In other words, when it's bad it's very bad. It does need to be addressed.

Jim

Thanks to papa pip for all the useful info above, very professional. A friend of mine has just come within a hairs breadth of cancelling his hols to france as he only passed his test in 1989 and thought that he was towing outside the confines of the law. However, papa pip, he is now less that pleased with you as I have informed him that firstly, his towing weights are within the limits for newer licences and secondly that the newer licence category came into effect in 1997 and not 1979.  I hope this stops other from mass panic!!!!

see this useful link 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022564

Another point, which is my opinion only, but one which i feel quite strongly about is the danger of low speed on motorways.  I fully agree that a speed limit is not a goal but to travel at only 45mph will be as dangerous as speeding with or without a trailer. Don't get me wrong, in an emergency (severe loss of stability for example) you have to slow down, but this low a speed presents huge dangers. An example - vehicle travels at 45mph in lane 1, HGV at 60mph indicates at a distance to move into lane 2 in order to pass. HGV moves over in a timed move to slot into lane 2 when closing in on the slow vehicle. Now a third vehicle following the HGV (maybe you or me with our twin axle) and is shamefully too close to said HGV, as many drivers sadly do, has nowwhere to go with little time to avoid the slow vehicle. This causes heavy braking and that's when accidents happen.  Let's be honest, we can't depend on everyone else to be sensible.  I know that a minimum speed limit doesn't exist but dangerous driving does. If you think you might be causing a danger by your speed, you probably are. There is always an alturnative route if the motorway is a problem.

Another link:

http://www.safermotoring.co.uk/there-minimum-speed-motorway.html

Ant

Quote: Originally posted by antjt968 on 28/7/2009

Another point, which is my opinion only, but one which i feel quite strongly about is the danger of low speed on motorways. 

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