The travel by caravan it's a pleasure as long as the dangers of misplacing cargo on the trailer are taken into account. A bad distribution of the load in the caravan can lead to possible accidents or scares.

The importance of the Maximum Authorized Mass

The first thing to think about to move in a caravan is that this is not a cargo trailerbut it is a trailer dwelling only. It is designed and manufactured to live inside. In fact, manufacturers leave just 100 to 150 kilograms to spare in the Maximum Authorized Mass (MMA) for campers to load their supplies and other necessary implements.

It is interesting to know what, in general, is carried in a caravan and its real weight to verify that with just a few things you can exceed the limit of MMA. Therefore, when loading the caravan, be careful what you take and where you take it.

How not to overcome it

In order not to pass the MMA, you have to take into account the weight of things like, for example, an advance with sticks, which weighs thirty-seven and a half kilograms; a 25-meter extension cable with a reel, weighing three and a half kilograms; a spare wheel, which weighs twenty-one and a half kilograms ...

These are just some examples, since to drive a caravan during a long trip you need more things like two small gas cylinders, which weigh eight kilograms, or liquids for the toilet that can weigh three and a half kilograms.

To all this we must add clothes, a television or food. So, you have to be very careful with what you load to move in a caravan.

Where to put the load?

If it is the case that the vehicle does not have much space to carry things and it is necessary to load the caravan, it will always be done in the center and on the axle. Placing the load in the front will result in an imbalance resulting in the vehicle sinking through the rear suspension. This will cause the front axle to lift and lose steering.

In the same way, as is known, tow balls do not allow much weight vertically. In a normal car the weight that the tow ball can support is not much more than 70 kilograms. In the case of caravans, if you want to know the vertical weight they support to travel safely, you just have to look at the plate of the tow ball. However, it is not good to go to the limit of the weight.

If what we do is load the part behind the caravan a lot, the danger increases, since the part behind the vehicle will end up lifting and it will be totally unstable.

For all these reasons, the front chest should not support a lot of weight, although at present the caravans have a large chest, even with the possibility of placing two large butane or propane cylinders in it. However, it is recommended to carry them in the trunk.

It is important not to have a lot of weight on the drawbar because not only will the tow ball be overloaded, but also the stabilizers will not be able to support a lot of weight because they are not designed for it.

Lighter objects such as kitchen towels or towels can be carried in the mezzanine cabinets. However, it is better not to overload this part too much, since having weight in such a high position ends up raising the point of gravity and it is easier to tip over.

In the event of an imbalance, what to do is stop and re-house the load in the best possible way.

How to know the weight that is carried?

Today there are all kinds of scales to know the weight that is carried both on the shaft and on the lance. They exist from scales for the wheels to scales for the lance, passing through wheels that have the scale incorporated.

However, if you do not want to spend money on any kind of appliance, you can use a bathroom scale and a wooden slat that must be cut at the height of the tow ball.

Another option, although more imprecise, is to lift the lance by hand. It should be possible to lift it without too much effort because, otherwise, there is too much weight in the front of the caravan and it needs to be rectified.

In conclusion, travel by caravan it can be a pleasure to just heed these kinds of tips.