Useful Tips

Towing safety tips

Towing an Elite Camper trailer is not difficult if you follow some of our tips.

Towing the trailer

When towing an Elite Camper trailer greatly increases the stress placed on the safety limits of any bike or car. It is essential that the vehicle you drive is in first class mechanical condition, with special attention to brakes, steering, suspension, tyres and most importantly the cooling system (particularly cars).

Short trips at first

Complete a few short towing trips at first, gradually increasing the distance travelled, before embarking on a long trip. This allows you to familiarise yourself with the Elite Camper trailer, to get to understand the feel of the weight of the Elite Camper trailer on the back of the bike or car, to understand the adjustments necessary when accelerating, braking and especially overtaking.

Drive to a plan

When heading off on the first trip, an early start is recommended, as this will give you the advantage of light traffic conditions and assist in developing the feel of the Elite Camper trailer on the back of the bike or car.

Routine check

Before moving the Elite Camper trailer at any time, make a routine check to ensure that everything is in order for travelling. Power, water and waste water services should be disconnected, parking legs fully raised, step up and jockey wheel removed. Most importantly, check that the coupling electrical connection and chains are properly located and secure. Have someone assist you in checking that all the tail/brake lights indicators and side marker lights are working properly, including the rear number plate light.

Trailer tyres

The tyres on the Elite Camper trailer must be all the same have good tread and no cracks in the sidewalls. Tyre pressures must be maintained at least to the recommended pressure by the tyre manufacturer.

Remember to check Elite Camper trailer tyres regularly. Tyres can deteriorate quite considerably if the Elite Camper trailer is sitting idle on its tyres for many months of the year or they have been exposed to the weather.

Towbars and hitches

There are many types of towbars/tow hitches available to suit different bikes and cars. The most satisfactory system is a load distribution hitch, which returns both the car and the caravan to a level position, once it is properly set up. It is best to consult with a specialist in this field for your particular rig.

Fuel usage

An increase in the fuel consumption is to be expected when towing an Elite Camper trailer. Knowing its size and weight, we feel it will give you greater fuel efficiency than other camper trailers on the market. Also if the bike or car is used continuously for towing, a reduction in the overall life of the car must be expected.

Moving off

When moving off from stationary, take your time to avoid harsh acceleration, as the only result will be excess use of fuel with the extra load. With a bike and especially a manual car when starting on a steep hill, where possible, allow the rig to roll back several metres with the steering wheel turned so that the car and the Elite Camper trailer are at an angle to each other. This will dramatically relieve the load on the clutch, as the first few metres the car moves, it is only straightening the Elite Camper trailer out and is not pulling the full weight.

Use of gears

When climbing hills don't wait until the bike or car is struggling to decide to change down to a lower gear, as the vehicle will only struggle again after the gear change. In automatic cars, change down to second gear to prevent the transmission from hunting up and down from gear to gear.

On steep downgrades it is very important to change down to a lower gear to assist the brakes, or even better, to reduce the need to use the brakes. It is not unusual for the brakes to overheat during a long decent, when the driver neglects to select a lower gear.

Cornering

When taking corners, it is important to remember the extra length of the rig. For a left turn, approach a little further out from the side of the road. Always allow the car to continue straight for a few metres. This will prevent the Elite Camper trailer from being too close to the side of the road, with the potential of colliding into any stationery object.

Reversing

Reversing is often considered a nightmare, but it is not as difficult as it may seem. It just needs some thought and for the driver to take their time.

To reverse around a corner, like parking into the parking bay, there are four movements:

  1. Point the Elite Camper trailer in the direction you wish it to go.
  2. Get the bike or car to basically follow the Elite Camper trailer where it is going and maintain a manageable angle between car and trailer.
  3. Bring the bike or car in a straight line with the Elite Camper trailer.
  4. Straighten the bike or car wheels.

It sounds complicated, but if it is taken one step at a time the technique will gradually develop. At any time you must be prepared to stop, get out and take a look at what the rig is doing, so that you can be fully aware of what happens at each stage. Like any new procedure it only takes practice.

Manoeuvring by hand

There are times where it maybe more practical to remove the Elite Camper trailer from the bike or car and manoeuvre it by hand. In this situation, if the ground is uneven or slopes, make sure that you can keep control of the Elite Camper trailer handbrake to prevent it running away from you. If the Elite Camper trailer does start to get away, immediately stop it, lock on the handbrake, step back and take a break while you consider the situation.