Mazda BT-50 Tech Drive

How to tow a caravan safely

Mazda BT-50 Tech Drive

How to tow a caravan safely

Here are some tips before hitting the road with a heavy trailer.

Driving a vehicle connected to a heavy caravan requires preparation and care.

In this instalment of Tech Drive, Mark and Chris touch on some of the equipment and pre-drive checks to get you ready for the road ahead. They include:

Checking and setting recommended tyre pressures
Correctly connecting the caravan to the BT-50’s Mazda Genuine Accessories tow bar
Removing the caravan’s jockey wheel for safety
Checking the caravan’s lights and brakes work correctly
Equipping yourself with the right accessories for the drive

Follow Mazda’s Payload Calculator when loading your BT-50 and check out the available range of Mazda Genuine Accessories.

And always remember that driving any vehicle with a heavy trailer like a caravan requires careful driver inputs and plenty of forward planning to maintain safe distances from other road users.

Click the video below for more.

Read transcript

Mazda BT-50 Tech Drive: Caravan Towing Tips https://youtu.be/cOF7Ya5KT-8

Welcome to this series of Mazda BT-50 Tech Drive. Today we're talking towing. I'm Mark and I'm from Mazda Australia, and I'm Chris from Snowy River Caravans.

Today we've got the Mazda BT-50 SP and the Snowy River SRP 18F. A common question we may come across is: how do I tow safely with a caravan like the one we've got here today? So Chris, what do I need to know to tow safely?

Yep. We need to make sure the hitches are attached to the vehicle correctly. Important things to know when hitching include using the correct hitch, whether it's a 50mm ball or the DO35 hitch. Once you've got the coupling connected, cross the chains and make sure you're using correctly rated de-shackles. We also connect the breakaway cable and remove the jockey wheel for safe travel. All the lights need to be working correctly, and tyre pressures should be checked - they can vary per caravan and per vehicle.

On the BT-50, we also need to make sure we use additional towing mirrors or supplementary mirrors, so we have a full view of the vehicle and the caravan’s width. For safe communication on the road, it’s always advised to carry a UHF or have one installed in the vehicle, as this helps communicate with other road users and trucks safely.

Always refer to the owner’s manual, because there are some driving features you need to activate to tow safely.

Thanks for watching this series of Mazda BT-50 Tech Drive. We hope you've learned something and got some useful tips. Drive safe and happy caravanning.

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