To invest in towing training or not?

Hedgehurst
Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
100 Comments
edited February 2017 in Towcars & Towing #1

Hi, I'll welcome advice from experienced towers and those who've attended training courses, please.
I'm new to caravanning, have so far only towed it about 80 miles, which felt fine; but prior to that have for some years happily towed an old steel bodied ex-camping trailer which we used to keep tent & gear in. It's only 2.5m long  and is prone to disappear from rear view when the car's loaded, so backing needs quick reflexes when doing a 3 point turn in a car park! Our  caravan is 5m long and at barely over 2m wide, I can see down both sides with the car's own mirrors, though I do have the extensions on, so it's not vast.


There's the CC course, either introductory or "improvers" or there's a local training centre offering one-to one tuition for 3 hours, but either way it would cost nearly £150,  more for the 2 day CC intro course.
I'm naturally cautious and all for being safe, but not for throwing money out I don't need, so I'm wondering whether I'd be better advised to spend the money or, given where I am now, to save it for other things.

Thanks,

Richard

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
    10,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited February 2017 #2

    It's a question that only you can answer, HH as we have no way of knowing if you are competent at towing.

    How for you feel? Are you nervous, can you judge widths, can you turn corners, can you reverse? I think you need to evaluate your own ability and then decide if you need tuition.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2017 #3

    If  you  can  find  a  local  car park  or  Industrial  estate

    with  virtually  no,  or  at  least  very  little,  traffic  over

    a  week-end  have  a  play  there  Richard.  Then  you

    will  have  some  idea  about  your  nervousness, 

    competence  and  willingness  to  make  a  very  public

    plonker  of  yourself  .  I'm  not  being  unkind  about

    the  last  part  --  its  something  we  have  all  done,

    believe  me  --  its  one  of  the  reasons  we  advise

    first  timer  caravanners  and  m/homers  to  ensure

    the  first  thing  they  pack  &  unpack  is  their  Sense

    of  Humour  !!

  • Hedgehurst
    Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
    100 Comments
    edited February 2017 #4

    Thanks for these... I'm puzzled over how my one thread has turned itself into two, but the comments are welcome :-)

     

    Dear Moderators, is there a way of combining this self-splitting thread back into one, please, to save confusion?

     

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