RV FEATURE
That ’ s why your caravan will have an independent braking system , whether electric , inertia or airactuated . As you apply your tow vehicle ’ s brakes , it will send a signal to your van ’ s brakes to do their job , thereby allowing both vehicle and van to brake together . ( Inertia or hydraulic brakes rely on the inertia of the van to activate .)
As a new caravanner , you might notice the van ’ s brakes ‘ grabbing ’ as you brake for a red light or slowing traffic . That means you ’ ve set the brake controller too high . The trick is to find the ‘ sweet spot ’, where the van and vehicle feel like they are braking together as one unit .
REVERSING
Don ’ t get me started on reversing . Backing up a caravan is a different ballgame altogether . Think you ’ re pretty good at reversing your car ? Well , I can assure you , successfully reversing a car with a caravan on the back takes experience . Do not expect to be able to reverse your caravan accurately , or even safely , on your maiden caravan voyage .
We have published articles about how to back-up a van , and we ’ ll link to one here . Our best advice : don ’ t leave it to your first caravan trip to gain an understanding of what reversing a caravan entails . Find a quiet carpark or an open area , and practise . At best , you ’ ll grasp the fundamentals quickly and start putting them into practice . At worst , the experience will show you how easy it is to muck it up when you don ’ t know what you ’ re doing , allowing you to travel accordingly , perhaps by asking the caravan park manager to help when it ’ s time to reverse onto your site , and by avoiding certain situations that might require you to reverse until you ’ ve develop the necessary skills .
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