Should I have a Caravan Stabiliser Fitted?

Anyone new to towing a caravan will feel a little nervous the first time out and will undoubtedly be a little slow and exaggerated in their actions like reversing and turning corners. But as you gain more experience you will become more confident with towing and what exactly you are able to do with the caravan behind you. This learning curve is something all new caravanners had to go through but by attaching a caravan stabiliser to their van it can make the experience a little less hair raising. This is not to say that if you have a stabiliser fitted you will become experienced at towing and it defiantly doesn’t mean that if you have a caravan stabiliser fitted you can do more things with your caravan.

To better understand why a stabiliser is a good purchase for new and experienced caravanners alike you should first understand the 3 main causes of instability.

The first and most common cause of instability is snaking. Most if not all caravan owners will have experienced snaking at one time or another and in different grades of severity. Snaking is when your caravan moves side to side behind the car and is most often caused by excessive speed but speed alone won’t cause snaking. It usually takes an external force like the change in pressure caused when a lorry over takes added to excessive speed before snaking occurs.

The second cause of instability is caravan roll which happens when one wheel of the caravan leave the ground. This rocking from one wheel to the other is commonly seen when snaking becomes uncontrollable and really needs to be kept under control for obvious reasons. There are other occasions when a caravan is in danger of rolling other than snaking including for example when it has been packed poorly with heavy items at the top or all on the one side, but these can easily be avoided by taking time and being sure you pack the caravan properly.

The third cause of caravan instability is pitching which basically happens when the caravan starts rocking backwards and forwards at the hitching point. Pitching isn’t really that but like other forms of caravan instability you need to know what it is and how to minimise it while towing. It is normally caused by potholes and severe dips in the road and speed ramps, not something that is easy to avoid in modern day driving.

Caravan stabilisers were designed primarily to help stop snaking as this was the most common problem when towing high sided trailers, like caravans. As far as the other forms of insatiability and preventing them, the stabiliser will also help out. Caravan roll often happens in an uncontrollable snaking situation, therefore if you reduce the effects and occurrences of snaking you’ll help stop roll. Pitching is something different all together but with modern 4 pad ball type stabilisers or blade type stabilisers pitching can often be reduced hugely.

So to answer the original question asked in the title, well that’s really easy a simple yes always does but with an added word of caution. A caravan stabiliser is a great way to add an extra layer of safety and stability when towing a caravan and it will help a great deal with driver comfort. However it should never be used as a way to skip the need for good caravan towing skills.