Does seeing your caravan sway or bounce on the road make you nervous? Are you wondering what causes a caravan to bounce and how can you stop this phenomenon from occurring?
A caravan bounces mainly because of locating the two hitch too close behind the rear axle. The overhung hitch causes the caravan to sway in the opposite direction after moving in a particular direction. Swaying and bouncing in the car or caravan’s suspension system is quite dangerous, and you should find a way to minimise it or do away with it altogether. Below is an overview of various remedies you can apply to prevent the suspension system of your caravan from swaying.
What Is Bouncing In The Suspension System?
The bouncing of a suspension system is a straightforward phenomenon to recognise every time your car comes into contact with the road. It usually involves the trailer briefly sailing on air before landing on its tyres to cause a bounce.
Your car can occasionally bounce every time you go over a bump or drive down the road, depending on the cargo’s weight. The experience is usually potential damage to suspension parts such as coil springs, shocks, and struts. The leading causes of a bouncing suspension include:
- Faulty Shock Absorbers
Sometimes, your vehicle bounces if it has faulty shock absorbers. A shock absorber usually absorbs the unwanted energy of the wheels to prevent the vehicle from skidding. If your vehicle bounces due to faulty shock absorbers, you should consider installing new shocks and struts.
- Damaged Steering Wheel System
A damaged steering system is another major cause of a bouncing vehicle suspension system. This can sometimes happen, and it causes difficulties when driving as the vehicle keeps bouncing up and down. This is further emphasised by the extra weight of towing a caravan.
- Damaged Ball Joints
Your car bounces when the ball joints are damaged. Damaged ball joints make the vehicle unable to maintain a smooth and straight ride, which is dangerous to you and other road users. Always have the ball joints checked and replace them when the need arises.
How To Stop Your Caravan From Bouncing
Caravan bouncing is very regular, and it happens for several reasons. Maybe it depends on the speed you are travelling, or you have the issues we discussed above. Luckily, you can alleviate this problem using several techniques. Below are some of them.
- Avoid Too Light Weight In The Tow Ball
Every time your caravan hitches up, the tow ball transfers some weight to the tow vehicle. If the tow ball weight or download is too light, your vehicle will sway. The rule of thumb states that the tow download should be 10% of the caravan’s total weight. Your caravan’s compliance plate might tell you more about the tow download of your particular caravan.
- Ensure That The Tyre Pressure Is Ideal For Your Load
You will undoubtedly have a bouncy ride if you highly inflate the tyres. Besides the tyres wearing out faster, using them when they are highly inflated will cause the vehicle to sway and lose traction. Always ensure that the pressure is ideal for your cargo to avoid this.
- Install An Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
An Electronic Stability Control is an automatic electric braking system for caravans. Typically, if your caravan starts swaying and bouncing on the highway, you must apply the relevant accessibility standards to achieve stability and keep the car on the road.
An ESC is committed to ensuring effective and relevant accessibility standards through monitoring and responding to dangerous moves. The effective communication and digital accessibility system is an excellent tool for improving the user experience in encountering a bouncing suspension system.
Final Thoughts
There are different reasons why your caravan keeps bouncing up and down every time you are on the road. You can quickly notice this phenomenon by closely paying attention to the behaviours of the vehicle. If you notice any irregularities in the suspension system, consider taking your car to an auto repair shop. A properly working caravan suspension will give you peace of mind when taking the wheel and improve your driving experience.
Tough & Durable Caravan Suspensions
Are you concerned about the suspension system of your caravan? Perhaps you are using low-quality suspensions? Alpha Suspensions is your number one choice when it comes to caravan suspensions and we can help you.
We deal in different types of suspensions, such as ultra-duty and hollow beam axles. Get tough & durable caravan suspensions today!
Please call us today on 03 7009 2660 and get a free quote for any on or off-road caravan suspension requirements you may have or you can leave an inquiry.
