Caravan Width?

Hi Hairy,
Caravans can vary from a max of 2.4m down to around 2.0m wide.
As a general rule the smaller the van the narrower it is, but there are exceptions to this, of course.
2.4m is close to the max allowed width of 2.5 and ,in my experience as big as one would want to go.
Big vans are generally close to the vehicles towing limits and in some cases are dangerously over weight which causes issues of their own.

The biggest problems are that many drivers towing vans do not have adequate r/view mirrors and hence have little or no idea of what's behind them, some have had no experience in towing something as long and have great difficulty in judgement as a result.
Of course, inconsiderate drivers who won't allow the backup of vehicles to pass whenever possible only compound the issue.

Consideration by all road users does help to ease most of these problems.

Cheers

Disco.

G`day Hairy,
My Supreme Getaway is only 2 metres wide + awning roll.
I can stand at the rear of the van and see about half of the side mirrors on the wagon, I still use additional mirrors anyway.
An other great thing is the reduction in wind drag = better fuel economy.
Also an advantage getting to the more "off the beaten track" fishing spots amongst the gum trees. LOL

Scrubby.

Hairy, what do you mean by
"the amount of caravaners struggling with their width I have seen over the last few days is ridiculous, and to be honest bloody dangerous."?

Is it staying in lanes, turning corners, reversing or not being able to clearly see behind etc?

On the way back from fishing yesterday morning while overtaking a vehicle using the passing lane a caravan appeared over the hill, coming around the corner with his entire wheel in my lane.
If the vehicle next to me didn't see it all happening and give me some room it could have ended a lot different!
The funny thing was they just gave us a little wave as they went past totaly oblivious to the fact they just run us all off the road!!!!

Sure the tyre prints over the kerbs in town, street bins and signs ripped out of the ground from people misjudging the width of their vans is keeping someone employed but I didn't think that's what the grey nomads meant by supporting small towns. LOL

When you pass the couple cruising down the highway "spending the kids inheritance" with their wheel hugging the centre white line, eyes fixed down the centre of the road, hanging on for grim death, hoping like hell that truck isn't going to tear the van off the back of the Colorado, you wonder if they would be better off with a bit narrower van......and if they weren't, would the oncoming traffic be.

I know there are a lot of good and competent caravan drivers out there who don't have an issue with the width but there seems to be getting more and more bad ones too.

I personally hate the idea of more license classifications which always come with a price tag or compulsory courses because of a minority, but what's the option.
You need a truck licence to drive a vehicle because its heavier, wider and generally longer than a car but you can drive a car and caravan with possibly the same combined width length and weight with absolutely no qualifications?

I personally think that you should be able to tow a trailer the same width as the tow vehicle without any changes to your licence.......anything wider than that, some sort of test or classification to make sure the driver is up to it.

What do you think?

Cheers