Why caravans need professional towing more often than you think
Most caravan owners go years without needing a tow truck. Then a single bad day on the road covers them for the next decade of stories. Tow vehicle breakdown, caravan tyre blowout with no spare, coupling failure on the Murray Valley Highway, electric brake failure, axle damage from a pothole, a slide out that will not retract, or a tow ball that turns out to be the wrong size for the new caravan. Any of these and your holiday is on hold.
Regional Victoria has more caravans on the road in absolute numbers than almost anywhere else in the country. Lake Eildon, Echuca, Yarrawonga, Bright, the Murray River corridor, the High Country, and the lake systems around Nagambie and Lake Mulwala draw caravanners and camper trailer owners every weekend through summer and most weekends through the shoulder seasons. When something goes wrong the local tow operator gets the call.
Standard caravan towing versus flatbed transport
If your caravan is structurally sound and the coupling will accept a tow, the simplest job is to hook it up to our truck and tow it as a normal caravan to the destination. We carry the standard 50mm tow ball, the 70mm pin coupling, the heavy duty 90mm option and an Anderson plug for electric brakes. Trailer light adapters cover the standard 7 pin flat, 7 pin round and 12 pin variants.
If the caravan or camper trailer has structural damage, a failed coupling, axle damage, or any condition that makes towing unsafe, we load it onto the flatbed instead. Single axle vans up to a sensible weight fit on the deck. Tandem axle vans are case by case depending on length and weight. We confirm on the call whether towing or flatbed transport is the right call.
Motorhomes are different
Motorhomes cannot be towed with all four wheels on the road if they have an automatic transmission and the engine cannot be started. Doing so damages the transmission. The correct method for any motorhome that has lost its engine or its transmission is flatbed loading, exactly like a passenger car. Manual motorhomes with a dead engine can sometimes be towed in neutral for short distances at low speed, but flatbed is still the safer choice on long distance moves.
Motorhomes with slide outs need to be loaded with the slides retracted. If the slides are stuck out and cannot be retracted, the motorhome is over width on the deck and may need an oversize escort to move on the road. Tell us on the call whether the slides will retract so we can plan the loading accordingly.
Coupling failure on the road
Coupling failure is the most dangerous caravan emergency. The van comes off the tow ball, the safety chains take the load briefly, and then either the chains fail or the van rotates and unhitches completely. If you have just had a coupling event on the Murray Valley Highway, pull the tow vehicle off the road, secure the caravan if it has come to rest, set up warning triangles and call us straight away.
Do not attempt to re hitch the caravan. The coupling has failed for a reason. Re hitching to a failed coupling and trying to drive on is how minor incidents become major ones. We bring the right couplings and an emergency tow plate if the original coupling cannot be made safe, or we flatbed load the van and the tow vehicle separately if the situation warrants it.
Seasonal demand patterns we see
Echuca peaks in summer because of the Murray River trade and the houseboat industry. Yarrawonga and Mulwala peak in summer for the lake. Bright peaks in autumn for the leaves and in winter for the ski traffic heading further up to Falls Creek and Mt Hotham. Mansfield peaks in winter for Mt Buller and in summer for Lake Eildon. The Hume Freeway between Wangaratta and Albury runs heavy in school holidays as Queensland and NSW caravanners head south.
If you are planning a peak season trip into any of these towns, factor in that local tow operators are busier. We do not turn away breakdowns in peak season but ETAs can stretch when the region is full. The simple defence is to plan your route, check your tyres including the caravan spare, check your brake controller and check your coupling before you leave Shepparton.
Horse floats, stock trailers and tiny houses
Horse floats are a regular part of our work, particularly around Kialla, Tatura, Shepparton East and the rural blocks across the Goulburn Valley. The towing procedure is the same as for a caravan, but we will not transport a float with horses in it. Horses must be unloaded before the float is moved, both for animal welfare and because the centre of gravity on a moving float full of horses requires the prime mover to be set up specifically for live haulage.
Stock trailers, tiny houses on wheels, and small box trailers all run the same procedure as standard caravans for towing. Tiny houses are usually within standard road dimensions but are tall, so route planning has to consider low bridges. We check the route as part of the quote.
A regional travel checklist worth running
Before any long weekend in the caravan, run the checklist. Tyre pressures including the spare. Wheel bearings hand checked for heat at the first stop. Brake controller working with the LED responding correctly. Coupling locked and the locking pin in. Safety chains crossed and the shackles wired closed. Brake away cable connected to the tow vehicle. Trailer lights tested with a helper. Antennae down and the TV bracket locked. Gas bottles off. Battery isolator off if the van will be unhitched and unused.
Take a printed copy of the contact number for your roadside assist provider and a regional flatbed operator. We are SS Towing for the Shepparton, Goulburn Valley, Murray and Northeast Victoria areas. Phone signal is patchy enough through the High Country and along stretches of the Murray that a paper backup is worth having.