Thread: What speed do you tow your caravan

That would be a big change.......and getting all the states to agree for consistency would be a challenge.

We still have trucks, cars and motorbikes causing accidents. Where do you start. I think caravan would contribute the least amount.

What the local policemen did down south with caravan organization was a good process but who is going to find something like this.

I travel a lot for work and I don't see caravans as a major problem, well no worse than other road users.

Good/consistent education at point of sale would be but this only covers commercial sales not private sales.

Re: reversing a trailer, what constitutes competent? Straight reverse, 90 degree reverse into a van site....in how many attempts. A % of Truck drivers would also fail depending on the situation.

On a different note, last week on fraser the wife was driving (we always share driving when touring whether towing or not), not towing, heading down a single lane soft sand track. We were going up a ride around a bend and come across oncoming car, she started to reverse but lost confidence due to the slope, ruts, corner and the other car creeping forward at the same pace as she was reversing. I jumped in the drivers seat.

Does this mean she shouldn't be driving???

We did do some practice the next day to build on experience but I suspect it will take a bit more practice.

BTW, wife and reverse the camper trailer in some/most situations

On a different note, last week on fraser the wife was driving (we always share driving when touring whether towing or not), not towing, heading down a single lane soft sand track. We were going up a ride around a bend and come across oncoming car, she started to reverse but lost confidence due to the slope, ruts, corner and the other car creeping forward at the same pace as she was reversing. I jumped in the drivers seat.

Does this mean she shouldn't be driving???

Not at all.
Your Wife had the common sense to hand control over to you and like you said with some more practice she will be just fine.

Latest stat I read on an article up here after the head of Clayton's towing expressed an opinion was that .01% of vehicle accidents involved vans...

Every one has off days

Try as you might you can never remove it from the equation..

Originally Posted by weeds

Re: reversing a trailer, what constitutes competent? Straight reverse, 90 degree reverse into a van site....in how many attempts. A % of Truck drivers would also fail depending on the situation.

All of that - 1 correction allowed. You fail, you get your van crushed...

Make me Prime Minister for 1 day...

But seriously, you know pretty quick if someone can or can't reverse a trailer - it's so much fun going to the tip and watching people that simple cannot make the trailer go backwards more than a metre at a time without having to correct it.

Originally Posted by Homestar

All of that - 1 correction allowed. You fail, you get your van crushed...

Make me Prime Minister for 1 day...

But seriously, you know pretty quick if someone can or can't reverse a trailer - it's so much fun going to the tip and watching people that simple cannot make the trailer go backwards more than a metre at a time without having to correct it.

If you think that is fun just wait until you watch the fools at the boat ramp, especially the ones that have had a few beers during their fishing outing

Originally Posted by trout1105

If you think that is fun just wait until you watch the fools at the boat ramp, especially the ones that have had a few beers during their fishing outing

Oh hell yes! A most entertaining way to pass some time!

Well, I'm very impressed on the whole , in the way that a large majority of boaties conduct themselves on our local ramp....one of the busiest in Australia.
I am there every thurs/fri and often go and talk to and assist boaties.
I never hear a bad word or see any bad activity.
A lot of the boaties tow their boats over 200km to use the ramp so I guess they're almost the same as caravan owners.

Originally Posted by trout1105

If you think that is fun just wait until you watch the fools at the boat ramp, especially the ones that have had a few beers during their fishing outing

Now this is off topic,but,

Nearly as much fun as sitting at Eli Ck,on Fraser, and watching vehicles negotiate a rather large drop off,when the tide is a fare way up.

Many cruise along at over 60km/hr,and don't see it until they are over it........