Australian caravanners make a ‘simple mistake’ along the way with disastrous consequences

The number of caravans on Australian roads has increased dramatically, but many are unknowingly putting themselves in danger by making a surprise ‘mistake’ that could have disastrous consequences that not only cost them money but also compromise their safety.

Darren Anderson of Weigh Your Rig, a service that helps caravanners ensure their vehicle meets compliance laws, told Yahoo News that many caravan drivers don’t have their tires properly inflated – and the results could be catastrophic.

“Most caravanners normally have their tires under-inflated,” he explains. “If you’re towing a caravan and it’s not pressurized correctly, it can cause the caravan to sway on the road.”

At the very least, an underinflated tire is likely to fail, leaving drivers stranded or forced to attempt to change the tire on the side of the road, which is “not very easy.”

How can caravanners best protect their safety?

There are two things caravanners need to consider when it comes to their tyres: pressure and age.

Anderson explained that most caravanners’ tires are the same pressure as their cars. However, large vehicles require tires to be inflated higher than cars because they carry heavier loads. Ensuring that tires are inflated to the correct pressure is critical to safety and can also improve fuel economy.

“It’s case by case specific per brand of caravan, but a general rule of thumb would be somewhere around 50 PSI. Most caravans we weigh end up being around 30, similar to what cars are,” he said.

He recalled a time when he weighed a driver’s caravan and not only was it 700 kilograms heavier than the legal guidelines for a vehicle of that size, but the tire pressure was comparable to what was required for a car. This extreme example shows how important it is to consider the weight difference between a car and a caravan when it comes to tire pressure, explains Anderson.

The age of a tire is also important, and regardless of what a tire tread looks like, they should be replaced every five years.

“A lot of people are now turning to caravans to get around the country… and there are simple mistakes they make. There’s a lot of education that needs to be done in that area; tyres, weights, connections, that’s all something that will require a lot of new caravanners don’t understand it,” he said.

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