A concerned driver has raised the alarm about a worrying problem regularly witnessed on Aussie roads as more and more caravans appear to take to busy highways without meeting roadworthy requirements.
Driving behind a caravan on Queensland’s Bruce highway on Saturday, a motorist noticed the van’s tyres “leaning in quite a way”. Sharing an image on Facebook, the driver said the “van was wobbling when changing lanes”.
While their intention was to seemingly alert the caravan owner of the issue, hoping they’d see the post in the ‘caravan and camping’ group, the image exposed a worrying trend often witnessed by industry experts, with one telling to Yahoo News it “could be pretty dangerous”.
Dave Jason from caravan weighing company Get-A-Weigh said “there could be so many issues or a combination of many” that’s caused the wheels to turn in on the caravan shown in the image.
“It could have been severely overloaded on the axle, a bearing seizing or a suspension issue or even damaged rim,” he suggested.
Darrin Anderson from Weigh Your Rig, another caravan weighing service, said his first thoughts when looking at the image are that it’s likely an issue with the independent suspension and that “the bushes are badly worn”.
An independent suspension allows for each wheel to move up and down separately from the others, he explained. While the bushes allow for movement.
There’s been an explosion of caravans on our roads in recent years. Source: Getty
“When these wear, the arms get movement in them and this will cause the suspension geometry to be out (like in the image),” he explained. “Eventually, the mounting bolts will wear out completely and the suspension may depart the vehicle or caravan”.
If this happens, it can be “pretty dangerous,” he warned. Last month, the back wheels and axle fell off a caravan trailer, causing the vehicle to swerve wildly across lanes.
‘Most’ people not servicing caravans and it’s problematic
Dave said “caravans should have a wheel alignment from time to time” and a full service carried out every 10,000 kilometres. This will ensure caravans are up to scratch before hitting the road. However, alarmingly, “most people” don’t, he said.
“Issues that would have been picked up and resolved often go undetected until the inevitable happens,” he warned, such as an accident or serious incident when travelling.
Insiders say caravan industry ‘poorly regulated’
In September, Dave revealed more than 80 per cent of vehicles his team checks before a trip are over the weight limit, and don’t meet roadworthy requirements. While one Yahoo reader who owns a caravan weighing company and spoke on the condition of anonymity previously complained about the build and quality of fittings on certain vans.
A driver was filmed swerving across lanes after the axel on the caravan trailer fell off last month. Source: Dashcam Owners Australia
“Despite ADR (Australian Design Rules), the caravan manufacturing and sales industry is extremely poorly regulated,” they said.
“Many caravans have unsuitable tyres, incapable of carrying sufficient load. However it isn’t the owners who fitted these tyres, it is the caravan manufacturers.”
“Caravans are being supplied brand new with inadequate tyres. Weights specified are often incorrectly determined,” he added. “Specified minimum tow ball weights are often too low”.
Caravan owners raise concern over safety on roads
Responding to the post, other caravan owners also expressed concern. “That doesn’t look good. Tyres will wear out in no time,” one said. Another suggested, “flagging them down and getting them to pull over”.
“I wish people would make a habit of doing a visual check of their vehicle and caravan… not only up close but from a short distance,” another hit out. “Sadly, few even check to see if their lights are functional before leaving.”
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia has backed calls for better regulations and even driver training but stopped short of supporting a mandatory licence class for new caravan owners.
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