Skills books › Caravanning in South Africa

How to load a caravan and stop it snaking

Snaking is when a caravan starts to sway from side to side and each swing makes the next one larger. At speed it can pull the vehicle sideways and roll the combination. Good loading and a sensible speed stop it from starting.

If the caravan starts to sway

1. Ease off the accelerator gently. Do not brake hard.
2. Hold the steering wheel firmly and straight. Do not steer against the swings.
3. Let the combination slow down until the swaying stops.
4. Stop safely and find the cause before you go on.

Almost every snaking crash happens because the driver brakes hard or fights the wheel.

What causes snaking

• too much speed, which is the most common cause;
• too little nose weight, or heavy items at the back of the caravan;
• a caravan that is too heavy for the vehicle;
• wind gusts or a passing truck;
• low or uneven tyre pressures;
• going downhill too fast, so that the caravan pushes the vehicle.

Load it properly

• Heavy items low and over the axle: tins, water containers and tools. Never put them high in cupboards or at the very back.
• Light items high: bedding, clothes and towels.
• Even from side to side.
• Nothing loose: close the cupboards and wedge the crockery.
• Water tanks nearly empty while driving. Fill them near your stop.
• Bicycles on the vehicle, not on the caravan's back wall, where their weight does the most harm.
• Heavy things in the vehicle where its payload allows. A heavier vehicle and a lighter caravan make a more stable combination.

Get the nose weight right

The coupling must press down on the tow ball. A common rule of thumb is 5 to 7% of the caravan's loaded mass, within the maximum for the vehicle and the towbar. For a 1 400 kg caravan, that is about 70 to 100 kg. Measure it with a nose weight gauge, with the caravan level.

When hitched, the vehicle and caravan should sit roughly level.

Hitch up the same way every time

1. Lower the coupling onto the ball until it locks, then wind the jockey wheel down to check that the coupling stays on.
2. Clip the breakaway cable to a fixed point on the towbar, not to the ball.
3. Connect the plug and test every light.
4. Raise and lock the jockey wheel and the corner steadies.
5. Release the caravan's handbrake.
6. Fit the towing mirrors.
7. Walk round: door locked, windows and vents closed, gas off at the cylinder.

Drive a few metres and brake gently to feel that the caravan's brakes work.

On the road

• Keep well below the speed limit. Many experienced caravanners keep to about 80 to 100 km/h, and slower in wind or rain.
• Leave four to five seconds to the vehicle in front.
• Brake earlier and more gently.
• Choose a lower gear before a long descent.
• Swing wider at corners, because the caravan cuts in.
• When a truck passes, hold the wheel straight and ease off slightly.
• Slow down in side winds. If gusts are moving the caravan, stop and wait.
• Stop every two hours and check the combination.

Reversing

Hold the bottom of the steering wheel: the back of the caravan goes the way your hand moves. Go very slowly, with small movements. If it goes wrong, drive forward and start again. Practise in an empty car park first.

This guide is based on Chapter 4 of Caravanning in South Africa, which includes a hitching checklist.