towing caravan meaning Page 5

“Towing a caravan” means hitching a mobile home-on-wheels to your vehicle and dragging it around Australia’s finest corrugations like a civilised snail.

In practice, your tow vehicle needs sufficient rated towing capacity and towball download to keep the rig stable and legal.

Know your acronyms: ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass), GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass), and GCM (Gross Combination Mass) — they determine what you can safely and lawfully tow.

Trailers over 750 kg ATM must have brakes, and over 2,000 kg ATM need a breakaway system that stops the van if it parts company — because slapstick is better on TV than on the highway.

Match the numbers, distribute weight sensibly, fit proper mirrors (and a weight-distribution hitch if required), and check your state regs before pointing it at the horizon.