Caravan Tyre Safety Checks

Caravan Tyre Safety Checks

Regular inspection of your caravan tyres is a vital part of maintaining your safety on the road. Due to modern technology, touring caravans are becoming safer and safer on today’s modern roads. But one safety consideration is sadly overlooked by many modern caravanners – the tyres! Every single movement of your caravan relies on the use and condition of the tyres especially as weather conditions causes the roads to  become wetter. In these conditions, tyres will find it harder to grip to the road surface through the excess water, especially if tread depth is low.

No matter how often you use your leisure vehicle, the tyres must be part of the regular maintenance routine in order to keep you, your family and other road users safe. Follow this step by step guide to keep you safe on the road:-

1: Check tyre age (industry recommendations are to change the tyres between 5-7 years regardless of whether they look ‘worn’ or not) This is printed on the external rim of tyre. Look out for DOT followed by 4 digits – this indicates month and year of manufacture.

2: Check for cracking or crazing on the tyre wall. Caravan tyres do not tend to wear down as often as car tyres as they are usually used less. When they are left out in the sun for long periods of time they suffer the damaging effects of the UV rays.

3: Turn the tyres. If the caravan is left in one position for long periods of time, it is good practice to periodically jack the caravan up and turn the tyres to avoid dorformation.

4: Check tread depth. Just like car tyres, caravan tyres are required by law to have a minimum tread depth. There has to be at least 1.6mm of tread remaining across the circumference of the whole tyre. You could use a 20p coin in the tread – if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre needs to be changed.

5: Check for cuts or bulges in the tyre. Replace or repair as soon as you find anything wrong.

6: Check tyre pressure. Always keep your caravan tyres to the correct inflation. The rating plate situated near the caravan door will tell you what psi your tyres should be inflated to. Always remember to check the spare tyre too.

7: Torque the wheel nuts. This should be done before EVERY journey and after 30 miles into a longer journey. Failure to do so could result in the wheel coming off and severally damaging your caravan and potentially injuring those around (THIS IS SCARILY A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE!).