Caravans need to watch their weight
Posted on June 25th 2010
Caravan owners need to pay strict attention to noseweights when hitching up to avoid unnecessary touring caravan insurance claims.
This advice comes from the National Caravan Council which publishes a free hitching up guide. This can be downloaded from their website as a pdf document. The advice was highlighted by TyreSafe, the tyre industry representative body, as its Caravan Tyre Safety Month initiative drew to a close at the end of June.
The noseweight should be trimmed according to the caravan's laden weight using a noseweight gauge. The Council advises that a noseweight of between five to seven per cent of the laden weight is safest. Noseweight gauges cost around thirty pounds from caravan accessory shops.
The importance of noseweight is in maintaining stability. The weight on the tow hitch needs to be enough to prevent instability and control problems, which can lead to accidents and touring insurance claims. These in turn hit the prospect of a cheap touring caravan insurance quote the following year.
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