James McDowall shared this video on Facebook Eriba Folk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzyhKd-y...pnNAtd4xiMaX3oI

Steve

It would be really useful if some more experienced towers on this forum could give their top tips for towing in safety and avoiding horrendous accidents like this to help us novices stay safe.

From what I've read, the main points seem to be:

1 - tyres in good condition and correctly inflated
2 - items stored (securely) in the van so as to avoid putting weight behind the wheel axles (ie keep the centre of gravity forward)
3 - aim for a nose weight around 75% of the recommended tow bar weight range
4 - keep to a 60mph (95kph) max speed
5 - beware lateral air pressure forces (bow waves) when overtaking lorries or being overtaken
6 - take your feet off the pedals to gentle slow down as soon as you notice the van beginning to sway

Any other pointers? What do you towing "experts" recommend? Thanks!

Get the heaviest tow car you can

If I had to bet on the reason for the accident I would place the blame on the bikes on the back. I had extra weight at the back of my Eriba and It felt very unstable. I now carry most weight in the middle and front and the ride is stable.

The other basic thing that you can do is to load your van, as you would ready to go away, and go to the nearest Public Weighbridge and get the van weighed.
You will then know what that weight was and can adjust the contents one way or the other. You only need to do it once and take photos or make a list of what goes where when you get home. Simples !

As Nick says, if you detect the van starting to sway, take your feet off the pedals until things get back under control. I have read that (not from personal experience) things can get worse for about 10 seconds but quickly recover after that. This is likely to be a 10 second brown trouser moment but easing off the accelerator and avoiding braking and things should calm down.
We initially were towing our Triton with a Volvo S40 1.6 Drive. Whist this was ok, and a good match on the towing checker sites, I felt it wasn't great, with the caravan being quite apparent on the back, very poor fuel consumption , and noticeably much hotter after the journey. I decided to switch my car to a Ford Kuga which feels much better, and has a trailer stability program which should help. Being much higher helps with the aerodynamics too. Still waiting to fill up since our last trip last month so can't comment on fuel consumption yet.

I’ve had 5 Eribas and only once had a scary wobble. That was the only one with a rear bike carrier which I didn’t use again and then removed.
Coincidentally we were held up in the long stationary traffic jam on the A1 as a result of that Eriba crash. As we passed it on the hard shoulder we were not aware that it had been the cause but recognised on the video.
Posted about it Friday 26th May 2017.

Short term might be an issue......what are you referring to?😀

As a retired motorway cop if I had a pound for every caravan I found parked on its roof on the slab (motorway) I would be a rich man. Without doubt the major causation factors are excess speed and poorly maintained tyres.
Rant over!!!

Check your tyres for wear and age!

Quote: nick13 wrote in post #3

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It would be really useful if some more experienced towers on this forum could give their top tips for towing in safety and avoiding horrendous accidents like this to help us novices stay safe.

From what I've read, the main points seem to be:

1 - tyres in good condition and correctly inflated
2 - items stored (securely) in the van so as to avoid putting weight behind the wheel axles (ie keep the centre of gravity forward)
3 - aim for a nose weight around 75% of the recommended tow bar weight range
4 - keep to a 60mph (95kph) max speed
5 - beware lateral air pressure forces (bow waves) when overtaking lorries or being overtaken
6 - take your feet off the pedals to gentle slow down as soon as you notice the van beginning to sway

Any other pointers? What do you towing "experts" recommend? Thanks!

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