How To Hitch A Caravan To A Car

So you have bought your very own caravan or you could have even acquired it on rental. You may also have finished storing your things in it and filling it up with supplies. But hold on a second! Do you know how to hitch a caravan to a car? Is your method the correct approach? It is interesting to know that most caravan owners are not aware of the correct way to attach or detach a caravan to the towing vehicle. Using the wrong technique could not only increase the risk to the components but if the hitching is not a good fit, then the connection could separate during transit. You would not want that to happen, do you?

Before you learn how to hitch the caravan to your towing vehicle, you need to understand the basic construction of the caravan. The towing mechanism comprises a protruding section in the front end of the caravan which has a jockey wheel (for providing support when the caravan is not attached and also for adjusting the height of the posterior section during hitching), a tow ball and holding components. If the bearings or the ball becomes smooth or it has a fresh layer of paint on it, then use something to scrape it and make it rough for better friction.

Follow these steps to hitch the caravan safely and effectively onto a towing vehicle. Use precaution at all times and keep an eye out for anything that does not seem right.

• Lower the jockey wheel and make sure you open it up just a tad bit more so that the locking joint comes above the tow ball. When the components are in position, the jockey wheel can be pulled up to ensure that the joint is fixed properly.
• Slowly back up the towing vehicle to the caravan. Make sure that you keep the windows of the car open so that the driver can hear your instructions clearly. The last thing that you would want is for the car to back up in the wrong manner and hit the caravan’s front which would damage both the car and the caravan.
• Before you actually hitch the caravan to the car, you need to attach the breakaway cable. The breakaway cable is a safety device that prevents the car from moving away from the caravan. The cable applies the brakes if the vehicle moves out of control.
• With the cable in place, you need to position the fixing joint above the tow ball and then lower the height of the caravan by pulling the jockey wheel up. The contraption should produce a clicking sound as soon as the tow ball is positioned perfectly in the hitch head. Juts give it a tug to make sure that it has a perfect fit.
• When the tow ball has been securely held in place, apply the lock to strength the bond.
• After this, apply the hitch head stabilizer. This can be done by pushing down on it and this activates the two lateral pads that are placed on it.
• Now wind up the jockey wheel completely till it is position in the provided groove. Once it is free, pull it up and bring it to the travelling position. Hold the wheel in place by applying the provided clamp. This will keep the wheel nice and secure in position and the tight grip will prevent it from wriggling around during transit.
• With the mechanical connections done properly, it is time to connect the electrical components. Connect the electric cable protruding from the caravan to the socket on the car. This socket should be present next to the tow ball section. As a safety precaution, you may twist the electric cable so that it does not dangle between the car and the caravan.
• The last thing that you need to do is to take the hand-break off and you are ready to go.

Following these steps could save you a lot of hassles and you would also prevent damage to the caravan or the car. After all, no one likes to bring along a baggage of issues when out on a holiday!