GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #60 | Page 9

RV FEATURE
When you purchase your first caravan , thoughts turn to all the fabulous accessories you can buy to make your travels more like staying in a luxury resort . Not that there ’ s anything wrong with that . I ’ m all for getting the latest gadgets to play with while you ’ re away . But what about the essential gear you need to make your towing experience safer ?
This month , we want to get you thinking about the accessories you actually need to make your towing as safe as possible . Here ’ s a list of the things you should purchase right now if you already haven ’ t done so . We realise some caravanners would nominate a weight distribution hitch as essential ; however , these are not required by all caravanners , so for the purposes of this list , let ’ s assume your rig is already safe and level .
If you have control over the centre diff , you should be able to use low range to reverse into a caravan park site .
These small bollards can easily disappear from view over the bonnet of a large 4WD .
This sign warns drivers behind you that you may need to straddle two lanes when cornering .
1 . ‘ DO NOT OVERTAKE TURNING VEHICLE ’ SIGN
Did you know that if your vehicle is greater than 7.5m in length , and , as a result of that length , you need to straddle turning lanes such as those at a roundabout , you are required to fit a Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle sign to the back of your trailer ?
This includes car and trailer combinations that exceed this length . Now , before you jump down my throat and say your rig couldn ’ t possibly be that long , consider a Ford Ranger on its own is around 5.5m . It ’ s not going to take a long caravan to put you well over 7.5m .
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