chicken george wrote:

cheap brakes on a heavy load,

There is something wrong if they are sh ed after less than 1000 miles. I've just part ex'd my twin axle Coachman which we owned for 9 years and covered thousands of miles in, all over the UK and often loaded to the limit and the brakes still had a lot of mileage left on them. Updated- Waiting for a Scotland v England 6 Nations home win. 24th Feb 2018
Gone-1972 88 SWB Soft top
Gone-1981 24v FFR Lightweight
Gone-2009 Freelander 2 TD4 GS manual
Gone before it bankrupted me- 2008 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto
2013 Freelander 2 SD4 GS Auto

The woman who made the original post claims to have been caravaning for 30yrs and tows with a disco. I don’t know about you guys but every time I stop for a P break or whatever on my journey I walk around my outfit to check nothing has come loose and a touch the caravan wheels to make sure the wheels a cool ie brakes are not binding. For me it’s just good common sense.
The woman’s husband must be some sort of idiot not to notice that something wasn’t right. Do it now ! Your a long time dead !!

Yep I always check when stopped.
A neighbour of ours travelled about 12 miles without knowing the handbrake was on until one tyre caught fire! Common sense isn't very common.
_______________________________
2007 Land Rover Freelander2 I6 hse Auto

Pee on the wheels. If it hisses you have an issue. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

If you touch it you have a fan club  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I remember many years ago (25+) when we had an Adria 420B, it was a 12ft 4 berth, we holidayed every year in Cornwall. My Mrs packs for all four of us for every eventuality - will it rain / be sunny / be hot / be cold. Add on top of that 2 weeks food mainly in tins packed in crates on the floor. Awning placed on top, spare gas bottle in the toilet compartment. If I remember rightly the maximum weight of the van was 750kg, unladed was around 500kg, but never had it weight in loaded trim. Vauxhall Astra 1.4 petrol estate with two sets of spring helpers inside the rear suspension springs as towcar.

Thing is I never adjusted the brakes in the 9 years we had the van, they just worked, blew the dust out every couple of years, checked the wheel bearings, and greased the overrun and steadies. So why should a modern van even lightly overloaded ruin its brakes unless they were faulty - and yes I am suspicious of the ATC, a loose connection could cause it to repeatedly apply the brakes, but you would think that both sides would fail or at least show signs of damage. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I have just sold my 4 month old 2018 Cabrera (Bailey) single axle,it was the worst towing van ive ever had I have now gone back to a new crusader twin axle,they tow brilliantly