As more of us hit the open road to seek adventure on home soil, buying a secondhand caravan may be the only way many Aussies can chase their dream adventure. And while the option reduces the cost of our growing wanderlust, people are being warned to consider an additional safety risk that comes with a secondhand purchase.
One Aussie recently bought a caravan and 4WD secondhand only to find out that while both were under legal weight limits, the two together were “unsafe”.
“They bought the caravan and the vehicle secondhand from different people. The caravan had additions to it… it had some jerrycans that added some weight to the back,” Jeff De Ath, the owner of Check Weight caravan weighing company, told Yahoo News.
“When you put weight on the back, you change the tow ball weight [in between the vehicle and car], and you lower it to a weight that’s too low at a certain speed to be safe,” he said.
The tow ball weight, or tow ball mass, is the weight imposed on the tow ball of the towing vehicle. Source: Supplied
De Ath explained that while there is a nationwide standard for different “maximum weights” to ensure safety on Aussie roads, there are no minimum weights. And, if the weight is unevenly distributed across a vehicle and towed caravan, this can pose disastrous consequences.
Terrifying footage of a driver losing control in front of a 57-tonne truck last October highlighted just how dangerous backloading a towed vehicle can be. Without proper weight distribution, the caravan can begin to sway drastically.
Additions to secondhand caravans can ‘hinder’ road safety
The major issue posed by secondhand caravan purchases is any additions that a previous owner made to it.
“So for the previous owner, it might have been okay [having a backloaded caravan] and it handled well, but he may have had excess weight in the front. He could have been grossly overloaded and been over the maximum weight,” he said, explaining this is not something the new owner would want to replicate, since it would be illegal.
“The new owner, say he’s a bit more of a minimalist and doing the right thing, so now, with the change of weight, there’s not good distribution and it’s unsafe.”
“It’s hard to buy a secondhand caravan as those alterations can help and hinder the stability of the overall vehicle,” he said. The overall weight distribution of a vehicle and towed caravan is a delicate dance of adding and taking away weight to ensure safety.”
What to keep in mind:
Excess weight such as bikes can backload a towed caravan. Source: Supplied
Weight issues to consider when buying a secondhand caravan
De Ath said there are five things those in the market for a secondhand caravan should consider in regards to how it affects your towing capacity.
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Understand the weight limits.
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If you already have a vehicle, weigh it first so you know where you’re at and what to look for.
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Get a mobile weigher or go to a professional to keep tabs on weight.
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Don’t buy a caravan that is “equivalent to your towing capacity”.
He explained that buying a caravan the same weight as a vehicle’s maximum towing capacity leaves no room for belongings, or people that will inevitably go inside the caravan. It’s a surefire way to fail tip number five.
5. Just don’t overload.
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