Important things to remember before you hit the road!

It is important to check a number of things before you head on the roads with your caravan….. the tyres being one of them!

Caravan tyres need to be well maintained in order to get a long life span on them. It is important that you check the tyre pressure, tighten and check the wheel nuts and that their  balanced. This will help improve the towing experience as well as reducing wear and tear.

Check your tyre pressure

It is very dangerous if you under or over inflate your tyres.  Incorrectly inflated tyres leads to less grip, increased braking distance, poor cornering, uneven tyre wear and a higher fuel consumption. Hundreds of fatal or serious road accidents happen ever year because of this.

The recommended inflated tyre pressure is found either on the tyres itself or in the drivers manual.

How to check your caravan wheel nuts

It is recommended that you check your wheel nuts regularly, ideally before every journey and ideally after 50 miles on a new caravan or service.

It is important that the wheel nuts are the correct tightness. Too tight and it can cause damage to the wheel and bolt treads, but too loose and you may loose your tyre completely and possibly causing a nasty accident.

It is a good idea to invest in a torque wrench. Most wrenches allow you to set the required force for peace of mind.

Identifying wheel nut with a brightly coloured cap also allows you to check quickly if anything has moved. Vibration can cause wheel nuts to come loose and an indicator on the wheel nuts can quickly draw your attention to a potential problem.

If all the ‘little things’ are carried out correctly, you should be in for a wonderful time away in your caravan!