for a Safe Trip
Hitting the open road with a caravan or trailer in tow offers incredible freedom. You can explore new destinations, set up camp wherever you please, and bring all your home comforts along for the ride. But before you hitch up and pull out of the driveway, you need to make sure your vehicle is actually ready for the job.
Towing puts significant strain on your vehicle. It affects braking, handling, and visibility. To keep yourself, your passengers, and other road users safe, setting up your vehicle with the right gear is absolutely essential.
Here is a complete breakdown of the must-have towing accessories you need for a safe and successful journey, plus a look at how additional gear impacts your overall weight limits.
Every safe towing experience starts with a solid foundation. These six accessories are non-negotiable if you plan on towing a heavy load.
1. A Heavy-Duty Towbar
Your towbar is the primary connection point between your vehicle and your trailer. You need a towbar rated specifically for the weight you plan to pull. Always check your vehicle manufacturer’s maximum towing capacity and ensure your towbar matches or exceeds this number. A high-quality, properly installed towbar prevents dangerous swaying and keeps your connection secure over rough roads.
2. Electric Brake Controller
When you add several tonnes of weight to the back of your vehicle, your factory brakes simply cannot handle the stopping process alone. An electric brake controller is a device mounted in your cabin that activates your trailer’s brakes when you press the brake pedal in your car. This accessory is legally required for trailers over a certain weight limit. It ensures smooth, controlled stops and prevents your trailer from pushing your vehicle forward during sudden braking.
3. Extended Towing Mirrors
Standard side mirrors do not offer the width required to see past a large caravan, trailer, horse float or boat. Towing mirrors are essential for safe lane changes, reversing, and monitoring traffic behind you. High-quality replacement towing mirrors give you the wide field of vision you need to reduce blind spots. Replacing your factory mirrors with dedicated, extendable towing mirrors is one of the smartest upgrades you can make for overall safety and peace of mind on the highway. Towing mirrors are required by law in Australia when towing anything wider than your vehicle.
4. The Right Anderson Plug
Modern caravans require a steady flow of electricity to keep fridges running and battery banks charged while you drive. A standard trailer plug only handles the basic lighting requirements, like brake lights and turn signals. An Anderson plug provides a secure, high-current connection directly from your vehicle’s alternator to your caravan. This ensures your van’s accessories stay powered and your batteries arrive fully charged.
5. UHF Radio for Communication
A reliable UHF radio is your direct line to the world outside your cabin. When you’re towing, communicating with truck drivers and other travellers becomes crucial. You can use your UHF to alert others that you are passing, listen for road hazard warnings, or coordinate with a spotter while reversing into a tight campsite. It is an invaluable safety tool.
6. Stiffer Rear Springs and Airbags
A heavy tow ball weight pushes the rear of your vehicle down and lifts the front end up. This steering geometry imbalance leads to poor handling, uneven tyre wear, and compromised braking capability. Depending on your specific tow ball weight, upgrading to stiffer rear springs or installing helper airbags levels out your ride. These suspension upgrades restore proper steering control and keep your headlights pointed at the road instead of the trees.
Once you have the basics covered, it is tempting to start adding lifestyle and off-road accessories. There is a massive market of gear designed to make your vehicle safer, more capable and comfortable. Some of the most popular additions include:
While all of these accessories serve a great purpose and look fantastic, they come with a hidden cost: weight.
Every single item you bolt onto your vehicle eats directly into your available payload. Your payload is the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can legally carry, which includes passengers, fuel, luggage, the accessories listed above, and the downward weight of your trailer on the tow ball.
Knowing Your Limits: GVM and Rear Axle Loads
If you add a steel bull bar, a winch, a drawer system, and a fridge to the back, you might consume your entire payload capacity before you even hitch up your caravan. Exceeding your Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) or rear axle load limits is illegal, voids your insurance, and places massive stress on your vehicle’s chassis and drivetrain.
When planning out your build, you must calculate the combined weight of your vehicle, your passengers, your accessories, and your tow ball weight.
If your necessary accessories push you over the legal weight limit, you will need a GVM upgrade. A GVM upgrade involves replacing key suspension components with engineered, heavy-duty alternatives that legally increase the amount of weight your vehicle can carry. This compensates for the extra weight from your accessories and ensures your vehicle remains safe, legal, and reliable under heavy loads.
Take the Next Step
Building the ultimate towing vehicle requires careful planning. Start with the non-negotiable items like a towbar, electric brakes, and proper towing mirrors to guarantee safety. Then, assess your remaining payload before adding lifestyle accessories.
Take a moment to calculate your vehicle’s current weight. If you are unsure about your GVM, visit a local public weighbridge to get an accurate reading. Investing in the right gear today prevents costly damage and dangerous situations on the road tomorrow.
Keep your setup balanced, stay within your limits, and enjoy the journey ahead.
Hitting the open road allows us to explore all that our beautiful Great Southern Land has to offer, at our own pace and within our own budgets! When set up properly, our vehicles provide us with the freedom to explore all the very best destinations, from remote beaches and sleepy coastal towns to lush rainforests and thundering waterfalls, to outback cattle stations and the dusty red heart of Australia, all without a boarding pass in sight! All we need for a successful road trip is good company, a great destination, and the right audio books & music… right?
Not quite. Whether you’re heading off for a weekend escape or a lap of Australia, we’ve put together some helpful tips for your next adventure!
Towing a caravan, fifth wheeler, horse float, boat or any trailer requires additional driving skills, knowledge, and safety precautions to normal driving, as well as compliance to additional relevant regulations. Federal and State regulations encompass licence requirements, trailer load distribution, rear-view mirrors and more.
Education and raising awareness of safe towing practices results in safer roads for everyone. A well set up vehicle and trailer or caravan results in a safer, more enjoyable and less stressful drive. We recommend that drivers undertake a towing course prior to heading out on the road for the first time. For this reason, we’ve partnered with Driver Training providers that offer towing courses in your state.
Clearview Fridge Slides are more than just a luxury – They’re a practical upgrade that provide ease and convenience to your outdoor dining experiences.
Clearview fridge slides bridge the gap between the practicality of chest fridges and their accessibility challenges, ensuring you get the best of both worlds.
Here’s why a drop down fridge slide should be the next essential addition to your outdoor gear.
Do you or your passengers struggle to climb into your lifted 4×4 or family vehicle? Clearview® Power Boards Electric Side Steps revolutionise your vehicle’s accessibility.
These smart, retractable side steps automatically lower to a comfortable stepping height when you open your door, providing effortless entry and exit. When the door closes, they tuck safely away to preserve your all-important off-road ground clearance. Built to endure the toughest conditions, each step boasts a 300kg load capacity. They also feature an intelligent safety cut-off mechanism that stops the board instantly if it detects any resistance, keeping your family safe.
Perfect for rugged off-roaders and everyday family vehicles alike, Clearview Power Boards blend sophisticated engineering with rugged durability. Upgrade your daily drive and explore the Power Boards range today!
Protect your valuable setup from damaging stones and debris with the Rock Tamers Mudflap System. This is the ultimate adjustable and removable mudflap solution for all your towing needs. Whether you’re towing a caravan, boat, or large trailer, these heavy-duty mudflaps safely deflect damaging road debris, mud, and rocks away from your gear.
Designed for true versatility, Rock Tamers easily adjust to fit almost any tow vehicle. You can install or remove them in minutes with no drilling required. Investing in a high-quality mudflap system prevents costly dents and broken windows, ultimately extending the life of both your vehicle and your accessories.
Equip your rig with Rock Tamers today and travel with total peace of mind.
