In recent months there has been growing concern among the motoring fraternity (this goes for manufacturers, journalists and the general public) about how suitable new SUVs and double-cab bakkies are for towing, after motorists have claimed that certain brands are unstable and dangerous where heavy lugging is concerned – especially after accidents while towing caravans and large trailers etc. In a fun-loving, lifestyle market like South Africa, this is especially relevant.
In an attempt to prove that it is, in fact, uneducated motorists who are getting it wrong, Bosal, Toyota and JurgensCi collaborated with Shayela Approved and invited a handful of motoring publications to a demonstration drive proving their suspicion of driver error, instead of vehicle fault, correct.
Our day started with the obligatory instruction of how each vehicle was set up, with a Hilux 3.0 D-4D towing an Xplorer II caravan and a Fortuner towing a Penta caravan (the larger of the two). Both towing vehicles had incorrect tyre pressures at the back axle as well as incorrect pressure on the caravans, incorrect tow ball height, and each caravan was improperly loaded with a bias towards the rear of the axle.
- Independent tests have discovered that it is in fact dealers who incorrectly advise their clients of the fitment of towbars and that customers opt for a tow bar that just juts out from the rear of the vehicle as so not to interrupt its lines. This is not only foolhardy, but also especially dangerous as the general agreement is that the caravan should, at least, be level with no more than 25 mm nose-down favour. The SABS guideline recommends that the tow ball be between 350 mm to 465 mm from the ground for loaded vehicles. A short investigation indicated that at least two manufacturers with a large bakkie following in the SA market offer their range-topping models with tow balls at least 75 mm too high for the kind of towing most South Africans are likely to undertake – or in the very least, caravanning. Drop plates are therefore necessary additions to the tow hitch in order to drop the towball to the correct height.
- Tyre pressures are also imperative where towing stability is concerned and reputable caravan manufacturers will recommend a tyre pressure for the GVM of the caravan (or suitably, a loaded caravan). The harder the tyres, the less movement there is in the tyre wall and therefore the chance that a towing vehicle and/or caravan will tend to sway is greatly reduced. It is generally recommended that the pressures on the towing vehicle’s rear tyres equal that of the caravan.
- It is also important that caravaners pack their recreational vehicles accordingly; the SABS recommends a tow ball weight of 25 to 100 kg and 10 percent of the GVM should be carried on the nose for good towing. It is also important that caravaners balance the weight evenly over the caravan’s axle as too much rear-biased weight can be to the detriment of towing vehicle and caravan stability.
- Other important factors to take into consideration are that long-wheelbase vehicles tow better than short-wheelbase vehicles, slightly exceeding the speed limit (as you might get away with otherwise) also multiplies the risk of danger if the caravan/trailer starts swaying, caravans have to be serviced regularly (check for axle alignment and roadworthy overrun brake system), the shock absorbers have to be in peak working condition and caravaners should remember that towing stabilizers are merely for assisting the driver in the event of fishtailing – not correcting driver error or reckless behaviour.
Our party that met at the Gerotek Testing Facility soon set off with the incorrect setup on the Hilux towing the Xplorer II caravan and the Fortuner towing the Penta caravan. As soon as I got the Hilux/Xplorer combination to over 80 km/h, I immediately started feeling uncomfortable as the incorrect road camber, bumps here and there and the sheer lunacy of trying to get this setup to run safely over 120 km/h left me doubting whether this experience would positively affect my aspiration of owning a caravan, large speedboat or trailer for quadbikes. The weird sensations in the seats, the steering wheel and the rest of the cabin for that matter sure didn’t inspire confident driving.
Next I sampled the combination of the Fortuner and Penta and after an initial feeling of assurance (the disturbances in handling I experienced earlier with the Hilux), I discovered that it was in fact more of the caravan driving the Fortuner than I was. I was aware that the large Penta had swayed behind me, but those following (in the Hilux and Fortuner set up correctly for towing) indicated with their hands the kind of movement I’d never have though happening – at least 300 mm swaying out from side to side. The real scary thing is that the towing vehicles and caravans were set up so that those driving at least retained some form of control over the situation – in some cases, the average Joe might not be able to discern between an unsafe setup and safe combination.
After we reached the turnaround point, the caravans were hitched onto the following Hilux and Fortuner (with the correct tyre pressures and drop plates for lowering the tow bar) and our drive back ensured stable driving without the slightest indication of yanking, twisting or shoving – at least at reasonable speeds that is.
I mean come on, if you’ve got a caravan hitched behind your new double-cab and you’re en route to your destination, you’re on holiday already and there is absolutely no need to rush, so caravaners and those lugging heavy loads are urged to keep their speeds under 120 km/h and take regular breaks if possible. In the event of unsteadiness, the driver should remove his/her foot from the throttle and hold the steering wheel in the forward direction to regain control. In an emergency, the driver is recommended to use ABS braking (most new vehicles are equipped with ABS, the caravan will do the same as the towing vehicle) otherwise brake and release to emulate ABS braking.
The group assembled at Gerotek also had reason to believe that most South Africans who buy new SUVs/double-cabs tend to neglect the maximum recommended tyre pressure to compensate for the increased weight when caravaning and that many buyers dislike the drop plate necessary for towing with these vehicles, so they opt not to fit it to their tow hitches.
After my experience at Gerotek, I have to say that how some motorists push for speeds exceeding 120 km/h with an unsafe vehicle/caravan combination on the dreadful state that SA roads are in absolutely beats me …
