LOADING THE VEHICLE
What does your vehicle’s manufacturer say about
its Gross Combined Mass? As stated on page 12,
this figure refers to the total permissible weight of
the van and vehicle combined. The vehicle might
be rated to tow, say, 3500kg, but what if the
vehicle’s Gross Combined Mass is 6000kg (total
weight of the trailer and vehicle combined)?
In this example, towing 3500kg would mean
there’s only 2500kg left to account for the weight
of the tow vehicle, its occupants, the fuel, luggage
and aftermarket accessories.
It might be worth repositioning those rear
jerry can holders to the front.
STOPPING SWAY
This one is controversial. Campfire lore has it that
a driver should speed up to counter a swaying
van. “My dad reckons you should just floor it.”
Words we’ve all heard before.
But is there any truth to this?
Well, sort of. The principle is that by accelerating,
you’re ‘stretching out’ the combination. But
in reality, there are few tow vehicles with the
necessary engine performance to carry out this
feat, so don’t even try. Instead, you can achieve
this same effect by maintaining your speed and
pressing the override button on the electric brake
controller, thereby independently slowing the van.
Caravan sway control is also highly recommended.
This will kick in as soon as sway is detected and
stop it in its tracks.
If you experience sway, stop the vehicle and van
as soon as it is safe to do so and reassess how it
has been loaded.
Our old Cruiser could legally tow 2500kg but performed best when towing no more than 2000kg.
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