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Pre Towing Check List

If your an experienced caravanner you will have it a second nature to do the most of the things listed in our pre-tow checklist. But to become over confident in your caravanning experience could too easily be an expensive mistake to make, insured or not it's impossible to replace a limb or a life if something goes wrong when towing your caravan. OK so that may sound a bit severe, but its true and it's not worth risking anything when a few simple checks that only take just a few short minutes will ensure you have a safe tow. So for the beginners out there and as a reminder for all us experienced caravanners here's a list of what we should be checking before we set out:

Check the wheel nuts, best done with a torque wrench. Your handbook should tell you how tight these should be but it is usually around 62lb for nuts and 65lb for bolts.
Check the tyre pressure in all the tyres (the spare as well) and adjust the for towing if necessary.
Make sure all LPG cylinders are shut off and are fastened in securely and are upright.
Empty all water tanks, it is not recommended that these are empty when you tow regardless of how little they are holding. Carry any water you may need fir the journey in a small water container such as a small plastic bottle.
Check your nose weight, you'll find information about nose weights in our other pages.
Close, lock and secure all windows, vents, roof lights and cupboard doors, including the refrigerator.
If you have a electric control panel in the caravan, set it to 12v car setting.
Set the refrigerator to 12v setting.
Check that the tow ball and hitch are properly coupled.
Check that all corner legs or fully withdrawn.
Check that jockey wheel is fully withdrawn, some caravanners prefer to remove the jockey wheel completely on modern caravans.
Fit and check stabiliser.
Attach break away cable securely, don't just drop it over the tow ball.
Connect towing electrics (12N and 12S sockets) ensuring they don't drag but there is sufficient slack so as they are not snagged and pulled out when turning corners.
Check at external lights and indicators.
Ensure the caravan handbrake is fully released.
Adjust towing mirrors.

Take a final walk around the caravan and your ready to start out, after driving for the first half an hour it is advisable to find a safe place to pull over and stop to make sure everything is still secure and that your brakes are not binding and the wheel nuts are cool. That's all you need to do to ensure you and your loved ones have a safe journey and arrive at your destination with a smile on your face. Once your there it's still important to follow some kind of set procedure to ensure all those checks you made back at home don't fall flat:

Whether you prefer to maneuver your caravan into your pitch whilst it is still coupled up to your car or disconnect the caravan and man handle it onto your pitch you should take a look at the pitch first and decide the best position to ensure the caravan is as level as you can get it without putting unnecessary strain on your corner legs. If the pitch is uneven you may need to put a ramp under one of the wheels to level it up. At whichever point you prefer to uncouple your caravan if you follow this simple procedure you'll be alright.

Pull on the hand brake so that the wheels are choked.
Disconnect the 12v towing electrics.
Disconnect the stabiliser.
Remove the break away cable.
Lower the jockey wheel, or replace the jockey wheel and ensure it touches the ground and then clamp into position. Then whilst holding the hitch handle in the open position wind down the jockey wheel until the hitch is full clear of the tow ball.
Move your car away to a safe place and remove any towing mirrors and replace the tow ball and electrics covers.
With a spirit level check the level of the caravan lengthways and adjust accordingly using the jockey wheel, your now ready to firm the caravans placement with the corner steadies.
Place your caravan step outside the door.
Enter the caravan and switch over the 12v settings on the control panel from car to caravan battery or connect to a mains power supply and select 240v on your control panel and refrigerator.
Connect and turn on your LPG and check your gas appliances.
Fetch and connect your water supply and fill up any water tanks, including the one in your chemical toilet.
Connect your waste water container(s).