Pre Departure Checklist

[Deleted]

Hi guys. As a newbie to caravanning (and an old aviator) do you use a checklist prior to towing.

In aviation, BUMPH is a mnemonic for the pre-landing checks carried out by pilots of light aircraft when approaching an airport with intention to land.
BUMPH is an acronym for
Brakes - unlocked so that wheels are free to rotate on touchdown
Undercarriage - down and locked (or welded in the case of fixed-gear aircraft)
Mixture - set full rich (or as appropriate to temperature and altitude)
Propellor - set full fine pitch (when a variable pitch propellor is fitted)
Hatches (and Harnesses) - secured.

So, has anyone come up with caravanning pre departure checks?
Some items (remember I'm a newbie) I can thing of are;
1) attached properly (hitch, chains, electrical plug, brakes off)
2) lights tested
3) gas off
4) antenna stowed
5) doors, hatches and windows secure
6) undercarriage (legs up step stowed chocks away)
7) power disconnected
8) site clean
Remembered by ALGADUPS

Just a thought.
Regards, Rod.

[Deleted]

Hi All

I think you'd have to add "make sure hatch is secured down!" - I can't tell you how many people I've spoken to who have lost their hatches on the highway. Maybe they forget because we rarely look UP.

Cheers
Seeshell

[Deleted]

I will add that to 5) doors and windows :-)
Remember, checklists are to CHECK that you have done items. It is not a "to do" list.

[ForumMod]

G'day Rod,

I don't have a specific checklist as such, but I do cover all the things you've mentioned, plus an electric brake check, using only the control lever on the controller, at the first available slope.

I usually just walk around the combined car/caravan before taking off, and double check that everything seems to be in its place.

Before I leave home, I do a tyre pressure test with my gauge, particularly if the van has been sitting at home for a while. I usually head for the local servo to fill up with petrol after we leave the front yard, and I'll top up all the tyre pressures on both the car and caravan while I'm there. And that includes the spare wheels for both the car and the van.

It's also worth checking that you have a jack that enables you to change a wheel on the van. Not all car jacks will lift a van high enough for the wheel to clear the arch. I have a bottle jack that is rated at 4 tonnes and will lift the van about 350mm. I also carry a couple of timber blocks to use as a base under the jack if necessary. Touch wood, I haven't had a flat tyre on the road yet, but what I've got has worked well at home in a mock-up test.

cheers,
Al.

[bobt]

Gidday Heycharger (wish I had kept mine)

2 things spring to mind,
No 1 the fridge, check the door is closed and locked. Been greated at the van door by its contents a couple of times over the years.

No 2 the wheel nuts. I have this sticker attached to side of my white box telling me to check my nuts each time I head off.

happy travels

bobt