Caravans and trailers are great travel partners, especially for long trips with the family. It serves as your second home while you journey deep into the wild with your friends, family or and loved ones. But how do you keep its tyres in good condition, when it is not on the road?
Why is there a need to care for your caravan tyres?
Your caravan tyres have direct contact on the ground, even if it is parked. This exposes it to constant ground pressure and outside factors. Not to mention the amount of weight it has to carry, which is approximately half the weight of the caravan on each wheel. This is equivalent to a quarter of the weight of typical car.
With this amount of weight, it is not surprising if you see your caravan tyres are not in good condition after it has been parked for a long time.
How to care for your caravan tyres
The below tips will help ensure the quality of your caravan tyres. Read on.
Check the pressure
Checking the stability and safety of your caravan tyres is very important. Ensure that each of these tyres are completely inflated. An under or overinflated tyre can mess up with the steering handling, which may lead to an accident.
What has to be done?
Before setting on the road, check the pressure of each of your caravan tyres. If you see that the tyres are cold, adjust the pressure prior to your journey – not after or during the ride wherein they are higher. You should also remember not to deflate a warm tyre as they can be very low once they cool down.
If your caravan tyres’ are not properly inflated, they will wear out faster. Keeping your tyres with the correct pressure, can make them last longer and save you money in return.
There are recommendations on the amount of pressure your tyre can accommodate. Thus, it is important to read the manufacturer’s handbook to know about this.
Nose Weight
For optimal stability, the nose weight should be at an approximate rate of 7% of the caravan’s laden weight. This will vary on the actual laden weight of your caravan or towed trailer. However, these might be limited by the caravan’s hitch limit.
Minimum Thread Depth
The depth of your caravan tyres’ thread must be 1.6mm minimum across its full thread width. It is also advisable to change your tyres before they reach this thread width limit.
Use the Right Caravan Tyres
Use tyres that fit your caravan. As much as possible, use tyres that are the same as the old ones. They have to be of equal size, loan index, symbol and speed specifications.
Always Have a Spare Caravan Tyre
It is highly recommended for you to choose a compatible tyre as spare for your caravan. Ensure this has the same dimensions, specifications, and strength.
Do Not Overload Your Caravan
Overloading can cause damage in your caravan tyres’ along the way. The same will happen if you poorly distribute its load.
As we have earlier mentioned, there are specific amount of loads your tyre can carry. If you go beyond this limit, then be prepared to experience an adverse reaction to your tyre’s pressure, which may even lead to an accident.
Conclusion
As a final note, you should remember to keep all of your tyres in good condition by:
- Maintaining the correct tyre pressure
- Using the correct tyres
- Avoid overloading
- Driving at a combination of comfortable speed at an allowed speed limit
Constantly check your tyres for possible signs of damage and apply the proper solution as needed. Follow the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations to prevent damages. Ultimately, let the professionals inspect your caravan tyres on a regular basis.
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