The caravan’s tow hitch is the device that connects the tow ball on your car to the caravan, forming an extremely secure and articulated connection that allows for secure towing.
There’s much more on the front of a caravan’s exterior other that just an A-frame connection.
Technology can stop the caravan from sliding from side to side when on the road. Smart parts of equipment set the brakes in automatically and when required and electrical components ensure that everything is running smoothly on the road to ensure your safety and the other road motorists security (and to keep your milk cold in the fridge Naturally).
Look below for an overview of everything related to caravan hitches…
Drawbar
The drawbar is compressed and expands when you accelerate or brake. To ensure that your caravan’s brakes do not turn to the side when it is pitching (to stop them from becoming stuck) It’s recommended to move forward and extend the drawbar prior to unhitching your caravan before pressing the handbrake.
Hitch-head stabiliser
The majority of caravans today (apart from a few lightweights in which they’re not required) include hitch-head stabilisers. They reduce the risk of instability during towing. They are produced from AL-KO (or from Winterhoff on a chassis designed by BPW.
Most often, the stabiliser has stability control systems which use the brakes of the caravan in a different manner, to prevent snaking should it occur. They are referred to as ATC (active controlling the trailer) to refer to AL-KO and the BPW iDC (intelligent drive control).
Handbrake
Uses the equivalent of the handbrake in your car to when you’ve pitched your caravan.
Cable breakaway
It is perhaps the most crucial component of your touring vehicle for security. If your tow hitch becomes disconnected breakaway cables are the last piece of equipment that will stop your caravan from slipping away. Stunningly, should the breakaway cable come loose to the side, it’ll put the brakes to your caravan.
Jockey wheel
Third (on one-axles) or the fifth (on twin axles) wheel in a caravan lets you lift or lower the head of your hitch for levelling and hooking up.
Jockey wheel clamp
This stops the jockey wheel from sliding on the road while towing.
Electricity
The road lights of the caravan (and additional lights) when towing , brakes and indicators, reversing and more – are linked to your car using an 13-pin plug that is plugged in a socket on the towbar. The older tourers use seven-pin systems.