# Beware of tuggers



## wildman (Jun 9, 2016)

Driving to wales on Monday I had the misfortune to be following a tugger on the M4 doing 45 mph heading west and snaking in the centre lane, he could not speed up because the caravan was unbalanced with insufficient nose weight, nor could he move into the inside lane because he did not have mirror extenders hence he was blind to everything around him. When I eventually passed him and left him snaking all over the road behind me (by the way he had an "L" plate in the rear window of the caravan. I took notice of dozens of other tuggers and very few had mirror extenders.
Driving home on Tuesday I saw on the M4 heading East what looked to be the same caravan turned over on its side on the hard shoulder and unhitched  (still no mirror extenders) from the 4x4 that was towing it. I hope no one was hurt.


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## n brown (Jun 9, 2016)

oh dear


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## Deleted member 56601 (Jun 9, 2016)

I've only seen one on it's side so far this year and that was on the M5 near Taunton; usually a fair few during the summer months. A holiday ruined, possible injuries, a written off van and damaged vehicle for what, an hour shorter journey time? I've been overtaken by tuggers when I'm doing 70mph, I just try to keep as much distance from them as possible. 
There are lots of rigs which are properly loaded and sensibly driven, but it's the others that get them a bad name.


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## Robmac (Jun 9, 2016)

When I picked up my daughters new caravan a few months ago, they wouldn't let me drive off without mirror extensions. 

They said it is now law to have them and it is being enforced more and more.


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## Asterix (Jun 9, 2016)

I drove past a couple in West Dorset last week that were unhitching their caravan and setting up on a pitch,ten minutes later I drove past again and the caravan had gone down the slope behind the pitch and landed in bushes on its side. Wifey did not look pleased!


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## Jimhunterj4 (Jun 9, 2016)

Robmac said:


> When I picked up my daughters new caravan a few months ago, they wouldn't let me drive off without mirror extensions.
> 
> They said it is now law to have them and it is being enforced more and more.



Yes rob it is the law, no mirror extensions = fine and possibly points


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## maingate (Jun 9, 2016)

Edina said:


> I've only seen one on it's side so far this year and that was on the M5 near Taunton; usually a fair few during the summer months. A holiday ruined, possible injuries, a written off van and damaged vehicle for what, an hour shorter journey time? I've been overtaken by tuggers when I'm doing 70mph, I just try to keep as much distance from them as possible.
> There are lots of rigs which are properly loaded and sensibly driven, but it's the others that get them a bad name.



I had a chat with an experienced Caravanner a few years ago and was quite shocked at what he told me. The payload of most caravans is very low. When you see them arrive on site and remove all their gear from it, they have been well over the top on payload. No wonder they roll over regularly.


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## barryd (Jun 9, 2016)

I had a similar incident yesterday on the A66 near Appleby on the dual carriageway.  I was trying to get passed him for a while as he was all over the place and overtaking just about everything and refusing to pull back in.  I clocked him at 77mph.  The Caravan was snaking like buggery when he eventually pulled in.


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## Polar Bear (Jun 9, 2016)

Where I live we see loads of caravans. The locals call them wobble boxes


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## ricc (Jun 10, 2016)

a lot of tuggers have little idea of weight distribution, both in the caravan and between van and towing vehicle, and even less on the effects of excessive speed and driving style.


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## Wooie1958 (Jun 10, 2016)

Last year a neighbour went on holiday with his family in their brand new first ever caravan to Cornwall    :drive:

3 days later they returned in a hire car     

I later found out both the car and caravan were damaged beyond repair when they hit a HGV   :scared:    coming in the opposite direction on a country lane down there.

He said he thought the HGV should have given way to them ( it didn`t ) and  ................  he hadn`t realised just how wide the caravan actually was   :rolleyes2:

He was  eventually prosecuted for dangerous driving because the HGV had a dash cam and the evidence was clear.


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## Deleted member 775 (Jun 10, 2016)

we got stuck behind on last weekend on the a19 out of york ,what a pain in the rse he was doing no more than 40 and sometimes down to below 30 ,right convoy behind him cannot understand how bad many tuggers ,wobble box pullers whatever you wanna call them drive . ive had a few vans in my time and may have again and managed to keep up with the traffic mostly . and why oh why do you see caravanners load the van to the gunnals with food barbies tables chairs sunloungers wind breakers more toys than toys ar us have in stock ,then bikes for the whole family of about 5 .,you cannot carry all that extra weight and stay within the weight limit of the van or the car and i wonder just how many weigh the nose weight very important as if its not correct ,too high or too low it makes the whole van and car in a dangerous condition to go on the road

ps i also forgot to add the microwave, telly and sat box and dish, irons ,ironing boards ,hairdriers and just about every item of clothing they have in the house


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## maxi77 (Jun 10, 2016)

maingate said:


> I had a chat with an experienced Caravanner a few years ago and was quite shocked at what he told me. The payload of most caravans is very low. When you see them arrive on site and remove all their gear from it, they have been well over the top on payload. No wonder they roll over regularly.



Mind you all the payload stuff is carried low down and most have a fair idea on where the weight should be carried. I think much of the problem is down to too much reliance on stabilising hitches and the contamination of the friction surfaces.


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## hextal (Jun 10, 2016)

I suspect the payload issue is fairly equally applicable to many a motorhomer too.  There are a fair few motorhomes out there that have a startlingly low payload capacity.


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## maingate (Jun 10, 2016)

maxi77 said:


> Mind you all the payload stuff is carried low down and most have a fair idea on where the weight should be carried. I think much of the problem is down to too much reliance on stabilising hitches and the contamination of the friction surfaces.



I basically agree but if the total weight is more than the recommended towing weight of the Car ......... it means trouble. :sad:


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## phillybarbour (Jun 10, 2016)

Turning the van over must be an aweful experience.


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## 100 T280 (Sep 6, 2016)

If everybody just slowed up a bit and stopped f*****g whining about being stuck behind caravans, then caravaners maybe wouldn't be "obliged" to keep up with or not impede the traffic and would stop driving like t***s. 
Even if I drive my van at 70 on a single A road, guaranteed there'll be a huge queue behind thumping their steering wheels in frustration.  Drive at 50 and they'll be 40 tons 2" from the back bumper.
Just share the damn road and slow the f*** up.
No doubt this'll wind some up on here, but the the level of aggression shown to those that drive slowly carefully or considerately is  not acceptable.


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## jake (Sep 6, 2016)

wHAT ABOUT a auto trailcomanchie and a 22ft. caravan in tow , now theres a rig if there ever was one, HGV move over !I thought that you drove faster to get out of the snaking, mabe I'm wrong ?never tried it & always slowed down to 50 , you':camper:ll know me if you see me ,a mile of traffic behind me !!:dance::mad1:


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## Deleted member 35703 (Sep 6, 2016)

Interesting thread just sold a 7.4m motorhome and have a T5 and caravan the amount of drivers that see a MH or caravan and blindly must overtake it some with a car full scary to say the least


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## Beemer (Sep 6, 2016)

Compared to UK, a lot of vehicles towing trailers on the continent exceed 70mph, I know because I tend to maintain 70mph on the motorways in my motorhome and have been overtaken by trailers.  There are not so many caravans on the road compared to UK, of which most were Dutch on my last visit.


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## Rodeo (Sep 6, 2016)

When visiting France it takes me a while to settle to the speed limits,but I always realise how good it feels to drive that bit slower than over here,and how much more serene and less aggresive it is compared to here.Maybe cos Im in holiday mode?
Last year,driving at 100kph on a dual carriageway,on the speed limit,we were passed by a estate car ,loaded to the gunwhales with family and gear,backend really low to the deck,towing a large nose heavy caravan .I estimated he was doing at least 130 kph.It still haunts me when I think about what could have happened at that speed.


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## rockape (Sep 6, 2016)

Polar Bear said:


> Where I live we see loads of caravans. The locals call them wobble boxes


I actually prefer the term " Shed dragging"


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## Robmac (Sep 6, 2016)

rockape said:


> I actually prefer the term " Shed dragging"



I've got a mate with an ugly wife who dreads sh***ing.


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## rockape (Sep 6, 2016)

Robmac said:


> I've got a mate with an ugly wife who dreads sh***ing.


 I think I,m married to her twin sister, they must be identiy clits ??


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## hextal (Sep 6, 2016)

100 T280 said:


> If everybody just slowed up a bit and stopped f*****g whining about being stuck behind caravans, then caravaners maybe wouldn't be "obliged" to keep up with or not impede the traffic and would stop driving like t***s.
> Even if I drive my van at 70 on a single A road, guaranteed there'll be a huge queue behind thumping their steering wheels in frustration.  Drive at 50 and they'll be 40 tons 2" from the back bumper.
> Just share the damn road and slow the f*** up.
> No doubt this'll wind some up on here, but the the level of aggression shown to those that drive slowly carefully or considerately is  not acceptable.



It goes both ways though. 

It doesn't matter how fast you are travelling, chances are you'll end up with an Audi half an inch from your rear bumper, cos he's gotta be somewhere frightfully important frightfully quickly and thinks everyone should be driving as urgently.

However, chances are, if you're driving a motorhome or towing a caravan then your likely on 'leisure time' so not trying to get anywhere urgently. That's nice, but it doesn't mean that others don't have places to be and time frames to be there in.  So perhaps if the leisure drivers were more willing to pull over when the opportunity arises there would be less tailgating..... Well, aside from Mr Audi of course.


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## Captain Biggles (Sep 7, 2016)

*A call to the Plods might have proved useful.*



barryd said:


> I had a similar incident yesterday on the A66 near Appleby on the dual carriageway.  I was trying to get passed him for a while as he was all over the place and overtaking just about everything and refusing to pull back in.  I clocked him at 77mph.  The Caravan was snaking like buggery when he eventually pulled in.



If you felt that this Caravanner/Motorist was driving "...all over the place..." and/or his/her other actions were 'likely to endanger other motorists/road users', then a quick call to the Plods would perhaps have proved useful......?

      Captain Biggles      lane:


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## antiquesam (Sep 7, 2016)

Captain Biggles said:


> If you felt that this Caravanner/Motorist was driving "...all over the place..." and/or his/her other actions were 'likely to endanger other motorists/road users', then a quick call to the Plods would perhaps have proved useful......?
> 
> Captain Biggles      lane:



I'm afraid "quick call" and "plods" are not words that should be used together. Minutes waiting to be put through followed by questions about who you are and a policeman might do something next week. There in is the problem.


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## 100 T280 (Sep 7, 2016)

hextal said:


> It goes both ways though.
> 
> It doesn't matter how fast you are travelling, chances are you'll end up with an Audi half an inch from your rear bumper, cos he's gotta be somewhere frightfully important frightfully quickly and thinks everyone should be driving as urgently.
> 
> However, chances are, if you're driving a motorhome or towing a caravan then your likely on 'leisure time' so not trying to get anywhere urgently. That's nice, but it doesn't mean that others don't have places to be and time frames to be there in.  So perhaps if the leisure drivers were more willing to pull over when the opportunity arises there would be less tailgating..... Well, aside from Mr Audi of course.



Whenever I get something tailgating or get a queue behind, I usually end up speeding up a little,  sometimes to way over the limit, but as soon as I can will pull over and let these tw**s go. 
Why these people don't just allow a little more time, and let those that want to stay within the limits have less of the attitude I don't understand. 
Many times I've had an impatient sort behind me going into Sainsbury's car park, hurtling into a space nearest the entrance, then seen them spending their precious time deliberating over which brand of baked beans to get... :wacko:


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## Robmac (Sep 7, 2016)

100 T280 said:


> Whenever I get something tailgating or get a queue behind, I usually end up speeding up a little,  sometimes to way over the limit, but as soon as I can will pull over and let these tw**s go.
> Why these people don't just allow a little more time, and let those that want to stay within the limits have less of the attitude I don't understand.
> Many times I've had an impatient sort behind me going into Sainsbury's car park, hurtling into a space nearest the entrance, then seen them spending their precious time deliberating over which brand of baked beans to get... :wacko:



I will pull over if a queue is forming behind me.

But if somebody starts to tailgate me, I will slow right down and they will be delayed even longer.


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## mark61 (Sep 7, 2016)

Never had a queue behind me.


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## caledonia (Sep 7, 2016)

No point in dreaming up new laws when th police won't enforce the laws we already have. Like the speed limits for white van man, and mobile phone use.


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## mark61 (Sep 7, 2016)

The only speed limits for WVM is when he drops his egg, bacon and chip butty under the throttle


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## hextal (Sep 7, 2016)

100 T280 said:


> Whenever I get something tailgating or get a queue behind, I usually end up speeding up a little,  sometimes to way over the limit, but as soon as I can will pull over and let these tw**s go.
> Why these people don't just allow a little more time, and let those that want to stay within the limits have less of the attitude I don't understand.
> Many times I've had an impatient sort behind me going into Sainsbury's car park, hurtling into a space nearest the entrance, then seen them spending their precious time deliberating over which brand of baked beans to get... :wacko:



Coincidentally, I had an engineering progress meeting the other day and one of the issues that came up under the 'safety' heading was tailgating.  The company in question has relatively recently fitted limiters and trackers to their fleet to ensure (as much as possible) that their staff are driving at the correct speeds to improve safety. The knock on effect though is that they now often get tailgated by HGVs, so reducing their safety.


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## maxi77 (Sep 7, 2016)

hextal said:


> Coincidentally, I had an engineering progress meeting the other day and one of the issues that came up under the 'safety' heading was tailgating.  The company in question has relatively recently fitted limiters and trackers to their fleet to ensure (as much as possible) that their staff are driving at the correct speeds to improve safety. The knock on effect though is that they now often get tailgated by HGVs, so reducing their safety.



Mind you an HGV between you and the rest of the traffic is a bloody good shock absorber, as long as the HGV doesn't hit you no one else will


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## Deleted member 9849 (Sep 7, 2016)

I've seen quite a few caravans on the hard shoulder this summer,all with blow outs.The problem is they only use their vans for the summer holidays,don't check the tyres which are probably quite old and then have a flat on the motorway.I think motorhomers are more responsible regarding tyre safety,changing them every 5-6 years regardless of tread wear.

edit.....I've never seen a motorhome on the hard shoulder with a blow out,a few broken down yes but none with a flat tyre.


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## ashbyspannerman (Sep 8, 2016)

maxi77 said:


> Mind you an HGV between you and the rest of the traffic is a bloody good shock absorber, as long as the HGV doesn't hit you no one else will


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## jda (Sep 8, 2016)

*towing caravan*

Sold motorhome as being 70+ was on the limit of weight & relationship was on the brink. I wonder if most motorhomes are similarly on the edge or over weight limits! Bought a cheap caravan to replace - supposedly well within weight limits & nose weight ok for my Renault Kangoo. All fine until overtaking a lorry at 50 mph & overtaken by a Lexus 4x4 doing about 80. The two sets of air deflections created havoc for a few seconds. Since have bought an additional Renault Trafic Hi top - done a basic camper conversion for stealth camping - but so much easier to tow though intend to fit reversing cameras to the caravan to reverse off the main road in my village (with many parked cars!) into my narrow private road to my garage. Tried some extending mirrors from the Kangoo, without success but found the van mirrors ok.


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## delicagirl (Sep 8, 2016)

100 T280 said:


> Whenever I get something tailgating or get a queue behind, I usually end up speeding up a little,  sometimes to way over the limit, but as soon as I can will pull over and let these tw**s go.
> Why these people don't just allow a little more time, and let those that want to stay within the limits have less of the attitude I don't understand.
> Many times I've had an impatient sort behind me going into Sainsbury's car park, hurtling into a space nearest the entrance, then seen them spending their precious time deliberating over *which brand of baked beans to get*... :wacko:



Aldi's of course


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## roamingman (Sep 9, 2016)

Robmac said:


> I will pull over if a queue is forming behind me.
> 
> But if somebody starts to tailgate me, I will slow right down and they will be delayed even longer.



Thats what I do especially HGV's that try to push you along,


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## Deadsfo (Sep 9, 2016)

My old Merc is flat out at 95Kph whats that  55,60 ish  nearside lane on the motorway...just overtake me,   other roads well I'l pull in when I can but if I can't  sorry anyone stuck behind me will you just have to wind there necks in and relax, sooner or later  I'l find somewhere to pull in or they will find somewhere to overtake me


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## StevenJ (Sep 9, 2016)

mark61 said:


> The only speed limits for WVM is when he drops his egg, bacon and chip butty under the throttle



Don't tar us all !! 

I prefer my egg not to have bits of grit on it


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## Myrkk (Sep 10, 2016)

100 T280 said:


> If everybody just slowed up a bit and stopped f*****g whining about being stuck behind caravans, then caravaners maybe wouldn't be "obliged" to keep up with or not impede the traffic and would stop driving like t***s.
> Even if I drive my van at 70 on a single A road, guaranteed there'll be a huge queue behind thumping their steering wheels in frustration.  Drive at 50 and they'll be 40 tons 2" from the back bumper.
> Just share the damn road and slow the f*** up.
> No doubt this'll wind some up on here, but the the level of aggression shown to those that drive slowly carefully or considerately is  not acceptable.



I spent 3 yrs as a driving instructor for my sins and the amount of people who overtook me in 30mph built up areas was incredible.  Coming up to a school... no problem,  drop into 3rd and burn past.  Blind corner... no worries... people need to seriously chill the f*** out


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