Tagged: pre-trip checks

Loose wheel nuts cause more roadside dramas than blown tyres. Here's the torque figures, re-check intervals and pattern I actually use on my 21ft off-road van.

What an actual annual caravan service should cover beyond a quick tyre kick, and why families touring school holidays get caught out most.

Electric brake linings wear quietly and fail loudly. Here's the ten-minute hub check I do every 10,000km, and what worn shoes actually feel like on the road.

How often to repack caravan wheel bearings, what a proper repack actually involves, and why the servicing sticker interval isn't the whole story off-road.

A quick, honest walk-through of the tyre check I do before every trip — pressures, tread, age and the spot most parents skip.

Worn brake magnets and a poorly tuned controller can quietly rob half your stopping power. Here's the check I do on my 21ft van every few months.

A seized jockey wheel or worn hitch handle can strand a 3-tonne van in a driveway. Priya Raman on the small parts worth checking before you leave.

Tread depth isn't the test. Here's how to read the manufacture date, spot sidewall cracking and know when a caravan tyre with plenty of rubber left is still done.

A standard caravan service misses the things that actually strand you on the Gibb or the Anne Beadell. Here's the checklist I run before every remote lap.

Electric brakes fail quietly until they don't. Here's the pre-trip brake check I do on every van before a big trip, and what actually goes wrong.

A hot, roaring hub on the Oodnadatta doesn't lie. Here's how I check caravan wheel bearings before every big trip, and what the warning signs actually mean.