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This is a genuine question, not a stir.

Why do people towing caravans drive so sloooow? I got stuck behind one doing 80 !! Kms an hour on the way home yesterday. 130 k limit. Dirty great big Toyota Land Cruiser, not a huge van, why can't they do 100??

I like to sit on 85kph towing the car we can't go over 90kph. I think it is good that some caravanners don't go to fast esp if they are new to towing. Relax Mrs Goinbush don't worry about stuff you can't fix

GoinBush wrote:This is a genuine question, not a stir.

Why do people towing caravans drive so sloooow? I got stuck behind one doing 80 !! Kms an hour on the way home yesterday. 130 k limit. Dirty great big Toyota Land Cruiser, not a huge van, why can't they do 100??

Stability issues can affect rigs which on paper and by appearances should be well-suited. I have a contact who owns the most popular twin turbo diesel 4WD towing a leading brand 16 footer, and the combination is utterly appalling on the road. It doesn't seem to matter how it's loaded... predictable sway sets in at much above the discussed speed. The circular finger pointing from all involved manufacturers and suppliers has left the unfortunate owners with no option other than enjoy the slow going.

Then there's the ones who are packing a bigger load than their asthmatic tug can motivate. They can't afford more horses, so everyone else pays.

Also some people are simply in no hurry, and can't see that their relaxed pace negatively affects many others.

With our lawmakers happy to bust you for a few seconds above the limit when overtaking, it's sometimes very hard to get past longer vehicle combinations safety and legally. Unfortunately there is no bottom limit, so all these situations are apparently acceptable and to be tolerated.

My beef is with the ones who speed up when overtaking opportunities arise. In my world, that would be instant loss of licence for at least a week.
[emoji106]
Cheers,
Steve

Except for the last eggsample (which I fully agree with, a weeks detention) all I can say is

you will understand one day, Steve

Ha, sounds like a volvo driver !

As someone that hasn't towed a caravan for at least 30 years, and I'm not in a hurry to change that, I must point out that 100 kmh or 130 or whatever it is, is only the limit, not the challenge. As others have already said, they might only be able to go 80 k's for safety reasons, and you must accept that as a plus. Either that or maybe they are on a fuel economy trip, whatever it is, don't get upset, just wait until it's safe then put on the right indicator and go round them. Don't let it upset you, you will probably never see them again.

If they are doing 80 in a 130 limit you should be able to overtake them with ease without exceeding the speed limit when safe to do so, particularly if you aren't sitting right up their bum.

George

Depending on where you are and what you've got. For example, there's a 100km/h towing limit in WA. Irrespective of this, being able to reach and maintain the posted limit does not necessarily mean being able to do it quickly on demand.

We do OK [emoji6] unless there's a queue all bunched up. [emoji35]

Cheers,
Steve

The number of vans over the decades I've seen being towed at 100kph+ that end up off the road is endless. Towing these things at between 80-90kph is the safest speed, but when yo take into account how many setup and load their vans, it;s no wonder you see so many overturned or wiped out when they lose control overtaking in high winds of because they have them set up badly.

Had a couple of vans in the past and would never have one again, over priced fragile mobile matchboxes in my opinion, hit anything even lightly and they fall apart instantly. Give me a converted bus any day that's reasonably solid and setup for highway work and they are stable under most conditions.

native pepper wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:59 am The number of vans over the decades I've seen being towed at 100kph+ that end up off the road is endless. Towing these things at between 80-90kph is the safest speed, but when yo take into account how many setup and load their vans, it;s no wonder you see so many overturned or wiped out when they lose control overtaking in high winds of because they have them set up badly.

Had a couple of vans in the past and would never have one again, over priced fragile mobile matchboxes in my opinion, hit anything even lightly and they fall apart instantly. Give me a converted bus any day that's reasonably solid and setup for highway work and they are stable under most conditions.

Wobbley boxes.
No thanks. Been there done that.