27 - Why Caravans Crash

We talk to Mike Clayton from Clayton's Towing. Started 45 years ago on the Sunshine Coast, Clayton's now has 15 depots and 100 staff. 

Have a listen to this podcast if you ever tow a caravan, there are a lot of factors that you need to consider when planning your trip, and those factors can change between the start of your trip and the end, so knowing how to drive with a caravan is really important.  Please share with anyone who tows a caravan.

Mike drives a FJ Cruiser, goes offroad and tows a caravan - on top of that, he and his crews have seen a lot of caravan crashes, they are often one of the first people that drivers get to talk to after having a crash while towing a caravan so he is uniquely place to talk about some of the reasons why caravans crash.

Claytons Towing has seen a lot of unusual crashes, including a boat recovery off the beach, the sinkhole and aircraft crashes.  We talk about how they worked to move winch a boat of the beach and the technical difficulties they faced with that. 

Caravan crashes create a lot of mayhem on the roads and tend to get more publicity,

We discuss towball weight,the weight of vehicles, electric breaking, caravan wobbles.

Towball weight can either be too light or too heavy and the weight on the towball can change during a trip, so a good understanding of what towball weight is and how it effects the towing performance is really important.

Vehicle weight - just because a car or ute is rated to 2.5 ton, doesn't mean that you should.  Some vehicles, especially utes can be quite light when towing a large caravan.

Electric brakes need to be adjusted for different driving.  Highway driving needs more brakes than city driving.

A lot of people think that when the caravan starts to wobble you should speed up, but Mike has seen many people who have speed up and it has only made things worse.  You might be better off using the caravan brakes to straighten out the caravan and pull it straight, rather than speeding up.

Be cautious on windy roads, especially when going downhill.

Mike isn't an engineer, but his wisdom is based on years of experience in dealing with caravan crashes.

Please share this podcast with anyone who tows a caravan so that we can help more people get to their holiday and return safe and sound.

Keep an eye out on 7 Mate for their new TV Show - Towie's featuring the crew from Clayton's and some of the interesting people and jobs that they do.

Avsnitt(63)

Track 6 - Everything you wanted to know about diff locks but were afraid to ask

Track 6 - Everything you wanted to know about diff locks but were afraid to ask

It this episode of the 4WD podcast, we discuss with 4x4 expert Jason Lock everything Diff Lock.  What are they, how do they work, when should you use them and what can go wrong.  Diff Locks are on of those mods that many people think about or get but don't really know how to use them.  Have a listen and hopefully you will learn a little to be a better driver.

5 Okt 201519min

Track 5 - How be a 4x4 Trip Leader

Track 5 - How be a 4x4 Trip Leader

Every weekend hundreds of people all over Australia set out as leaders of a 4WD Trip.  Whether it is just you and a couple of mates or an organised trip with 10 newbies, we discuss with NickJ the things that you should think about before, during and after your big trip out.  Being a great trip leader is really important because it helps people get out and explore the great outdoors that we have and also introduces new people to 4 wheel driving.  NickJ was the trip leader for the first 4x4earth trip in Victoria all those years ago, so sit back and listen to all of Nicks awesome experiences as a trip leader so we can all go out this weekend and have a great 4WD trip.

17 Sep 201535min

Track 4 - The day I killed my Jeep

Track 4 - The day I killed my Jeep

Talbotville Campground was the site for the 6th Annual 4x4earth Victorian Gathering.  Home of some of Australia's iconic tracks, including Blue Rag and Billy Goat's Bluff, there is plenty of amazing 4 wheel driving to be had in this beautiful part of the world.  Find out what went tragically wrong on this trip and the mistakes that James made that resulted in him destroying his Jeep Wrangler. This is a tragic story, and a fate that has occurred to many other 4 wheel drivers.  Please have a listen and learn from James' mistakes and share the story so we can make sure that more people have a great time out in the bush and go 4 wheel driving without any damage to their vehicles. We discuss the driving technique that was wrong (a lot of people do this - James wasn't the only one that day with this nasty habit) We discuss the one accessory that could of saved him. We discuss some what to do when caught in this situation. Big shout out to Davids and Mandy for helping us get home! Have a listen and please share with a mate so we can see less vehicles getting busted like this.

2 Sep 201521min

Track 3 - How we built a Gazebo at O'Tooles Campground

Track 3 - How we built a Gazebo at O'Tooles Campground

We talk to Ian Smith, Grumpy on 4x4earth, and discuss the amazing work that he has led with members of Earth to put in bollards, fire pits and to build a Gazebo at O'Tooles Campground, a favorite camping spot for 4 wheel drivers in the region.  In danger of being closed because of hoons wrecking the grounds, Grumpy and team have made a huge contribution for all 4x4 drivers and campers using the area. Grumpy organised for the materials to be donated, worked with DEPI, and run the working bees to get the work done that has made O'Tooles a much better place and ensured that these campgrounds will be kept open. This is a fantastic model for 4 wheel drivers looking to keep infrastructure available for all of us to enjoy.  Have a listen, have a think and hopefully do the same thing in your back yard to keep open the tracks and campgrounds that we all love.

28 Aug 201533min

Track 2 - Snatch Strap Recoveries

Track 2 - Snatch Strap Recoveries

In this episode we interview Jason Lock from TJM to learn how to properly and safely use a Snatch Strap.  Used poorly, Snatch Straps can kill, so it is really important that you know exactly what you are doing to avoid killing or injuring yourself or someone else, as well as avoiding damage to your vehicle. We also look at what to look at in a snatch strap and what brands to avoid.

19 Aug 201531min

Track 1 - Preparing for your first 4WD trip out

Track 1 - Preparing for your first 4WD trip out

Our first Track covers  the story of my first trip out in my Jeep Patriot and we are going to cover off on all of the mistakes that I made on my first trip out.  There was a lot of them, including the vehicle ending up on the back of a truck, going back to Jeep for repairs!  More importantly we will go over some great tips to help you be much better preparing to go offroad in your 4x4!

17 Aug 201518min

Track 0 - Introduction to 4x4earth

Track 0 - Introduction to 4x4earth

In this track we learn about the story of 4x4earth, how it all started and how we want to spread our love of 4 wheel driving and enjoying the great outdoors.  We go over the early days of the forum, talk about a couple of the early mods.  We also discuss our tracks map, with over 1,000 4WD tracks to explore. I'll also discuss my 4WD.  What mods I've done and want I wan to do to my BT-50. We also look at why 4 wheel driving is so important for many country towns.  Enjoy!

13 Aug 201517min

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