Q&A What

What is the maximum length of a caravan?

Caravanning is a good way to spend a vacation on a land far far away without having to spend on hotels that do not give more of the fun. There are many great places to visit in Australia where you can set your caravan on, may it be along coastlines or terrains. Yet, when doing such activity, towing your caravan must always be part of the plan.

People may be unaware of this, but you cannot tow a caravan when you just want to. You need to follow guidelines and standardized rules for towing, as this will be your safety net to drive your caravan to your desired destination. Ample considerations should be followed, to have a secured adventure whatever circumstances may happen.

Follow these legal requirements instead:

Caravan Length

You must remember that not all caravans have legal lengths for towing. Some caravans might be too long and this might lead to dangers. When purchasing a caravan, one recommendation is to opt for something short in length.

A caravan length that’s legal to be towed must not exceed 12.5 metres. This includes the length from the foremost point of the hook down to the end of the caravan. If ever you have accessories behind, make sure to still measure the length including the accessories like bikes and extra tires along.

Caravan Width

Same as the length, a caravan’s width must also have its limits. In Australia, the legal width measurement for caravan towing must not exceed 2.5 metres. This will include the overall measurement of the caravan body like the wheel guards and the other essentials that come in together for the caravan to be complete.

However, you may need not to include the rearview mirror during the measurement process. Moreover, signaling devices, anti-skid devices, side-mounted lamps and reflectors, and curtain side devices, can be measured together with the overall width but must not exceed 2.55 meters.

Caravan Height

A height requirement limited to 4.3 meters should also be considered when caravanning. Caravan height measurements must start from any type of accessories over your caravan (e.g air conditioners or any aerial accessories) and must end at the bottom of the wheels facing the ground.

Tow vehicle and Caravan Length

Aside from this, it is also important to measure the entire length of the caravan and the tow vehicle. The maximum length requirement from the front most part of the towing vehicle to the backmost part of the caravan must not exceed 19.0 metres. This will ensure the caravan follows the flow of the towing vehicle in order to prevent wobbling especially through curved roads.

Rear Overhang

Rear Overhang is the foremost point of the tow vehicle and caravan considering the accessories and other additional loads. This must not exceed 3.7 metres and is measured with the length of the front load-carrying body ahead of the rear overhang line in the axle group. The front-load carrying area is the distance from the centre of the axle group to the front load of the carrying body.

This is to ensure that the front load carrying area is longer than the rear overhang so coupling will be easy and also avoid the caravan from swerving.

Protruding Loads

Protruding loads over the caravan or the towing vehicle must be controlled as well. If a protruding load is placed on the caravan, it should not exceed 1.2 meters of the caravan’s rear. Whereas when the protruding load is placed on the towing vehicle, it may protrude 1.2 meters beyond the front of the vehicle.

Still, you may opt to use red flags and hang them on the protruding loads, for you to be able to know that the load is there. If ever you are travelling by night, you may place rechargeable lights so you can still monitor the load. Nevertheless, use lights that are not too bright; just the right amount so it will not shun your eyes.

Now, are you ready to go on a caravan trip?

Which sites can accommodate your outfit?

To help members choose the right sites for their outfits, each caravan site details page now shows the maximum length of outfit that can be accommodated on that site.

While we're aware of the growth of demand for larger pitches across the network, the width of access roads and the entrance and layout of sites can result in unavoidable restrictions.

The length of outfit refers to the size of your caravan (including A frame but not including car length, i.e. shipping length) or motorhome.

Top tips

Most sites can accommodate one or two large outfits, but to avoid disappointment, it is best to call the site direct to confirm they will have a pitch suitable for you when you travel.
In some circumstances, you may be required to pay for two pitches due to the size of your outfit - this will be the case on any site where your outfit is over 30ft / 9m (some sites may vary) and does not fit on one pitch. This will be confirmed by the warden on site.
Sites that solely offer grass pitching may not be able to accommodate large vehicles, especially during or after spells of wet weather, where larger outfits may get stuck on the pitch and cause considerable damage to the pitch.

If your outfit exceeds the specified maximum outfit length for the site, we will not be able to confirm your booking via the contact centre or website. Please call the site directly to discuss your needs with the warden.

If you do not tell the warden about an oversized outfit in advance of arrival, the Club cannot be held responsible if your outfit cannot be accommodated at your chosen site.

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Maximum Length For Towing

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Maximum Length For Towing

robsonalan

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Right I thought I understood the UK Caravan/Trailer towing Laws, but it looks like I havent fully.

I currently tow a caravan that is about 7.3m long with my Vauxhall Insignia CDTI 4X4 which has a max tow weight of 1800kg

I am considering changing the van for a reasonably light Twin Axle caravan that has a Max weight of 1650kg. I am going to take my car to a weigh bridge to get a clear understanding of the kerb weight, the manual has it at around 1775kg but it is unclear as it is basic model without extras that is listed in the manual.

If the weight of the car is ok I was very tempted.

Now I have recently read that there is a maximum length of caravan/trailer and this is dependent of the Maximum weight of the tow vehical.

If the tow vehicle maximum weight is under 3500kg which mine is then the maximum length of trailer or caravan is 7.0m excluding coupling and drawbar.

Now my current Caravan is around 7.3m but it has a big A Frame and drawbar which I presume is classed as the distance from the end of the hitch to the point that the actual caravan starts.

The new caravan I am looking at is 7.99m long I dont know the exact length of the draw bar, but I am expecting the drawbar is less that .99m long, so does this mean I can only tow it with a car max weight of over 3500kg.

The other thing what is confusing then if this is the case is why are there so many twin axle caravans of this sort of size towed by vehicals the quite clearly dont have a maximum vehicle weight in excess of 3500kg.

Is anyone able to give me an advice or guidance on this.What is used to determin the length of the drawbar, is it from hitch to start of the caravan, or does it go from hitch to under the van to the point that the a Frame meets the chassis of the caravan.

Lastly most caravan dealers quote only two lengths shipping and internal or body length. Could it be the body length that is used in these measurements.

Sorry for all the questions I am just trying to get my head around this.

Cheers

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