How to hitch up your touring caravan

Every few months we come across a story like this one on the Caravan Times website, which warns of the dangers of towing a touring caravan unsafely.

In this latest incident, a caravan became detached from a Land Rover travelling through Bishop Auckland and made contact with a Ford Focus being driven by an elderly lady. Thankfully nobody sustained any serious injuries but it serves as a stark reminder of how important it is to properly hitch up your tourer before you begin your journey.

If you’re concerned about safely towing your caravan, here are some tips from Coast:

• Before you start, make sure the handbrake is on in your caravan, place chocks under the wheels if you’re on a slope
• Your tow bar should meet EU regulations and by type approved – make sure you thoroughly research the right option before buying anything
• When you’re ready to start hitching, lower the jockey wheel on the front of your tourer and lock it in place
• Raise the hitch height until your caravan is higher than the tow ball on your car
• Reverse the car towards your caravan until the tow ball is underneath the hitch
• Secure the hitch on your tow ball and lift up your jockey wheel
• Now you’ll need to connect the electrics between your car and caravan – make sure the cables are not too tight so they don’t pull when the car turns, however they shouldn’t be so loose that they drag along the ground
• Attach the breakaway cable, remove the wheel chocks and release the handbrake
• Perform a quick check to make sure your lights and indicators work and then you’re ready to set off!

Even the most careful caravan owners can be involved in unfortunate incidents, which is why Coast offers caravanners peace of mind with our comprehensive touring caravan insurance.

For a caravan insurance quotation call Freephone 0800 614 849 or buy caravan insurance online.