RV FEATURE
THE CHALLENGE OF REVERSING
At the end of the day , all these factors may mean very little when it comes to deciding on the number of axles on your caravan . You see , the ease with which you can reverse your caravan into a site reduces dramatically when you have more axles and a longer van .
I ’ ve owned three caravans over the years : one single-axle van and two with dual axles , and I can tell you the difference is dramatic .
It is an inescapable fact that single-axle caravans are very easy to reverse and manoeuvre into small , tight spaces . Multi-axle vans cannot turn as sharply as single-axle vans , which means you will need more room to manoeuvre both the van and the tow vehicle . This can restrict your options for caravan parks and other sites .
Then there ’ s the issue of what is called ‘ tyre tensioning ’. As you reverse your trailer around a corner , tension builds up as the tyre resists the turning motion . Remember , these wheels don ’ t steer , so they are forced to a certain degree to deviate off their natural course . The problem is that the tension builds in opposite directions between the left and right wheels . So when you park the van and unhitch it from the car , the tension is released , sometimes quite dramatically , swinging the A-frame around and potentially lurching the van forward . You can imagine how dangerous this can be .
No , this is not PhotoShopped . This van was 38ft long and needed four axles !
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