What is the best wheel clamp for caravan security on the market
***Spoiler – If you don’t want to read the whole article, scroll to the conclusion at the bottom of this page to read what we think is the best wheel clamp for your caravan available in the UK at the moment.***
With an average of *2800 caravans stolen per year finding the best security devices is a must. In this article we will look at the best wheel clamp for caravan security available in 2021.
*Source The Crime Prevention website
Caravans are stolen, not just from the drive way at home, shocking enough, or from the caravan site but surprisingly many are also taken from motorway service stations. So whether you are towing or siting, security is vital.
I was surprised when I insured my first caravan. Not only did the brain box underwriters at the insurance company, require that the caravan should be locked onto the car, but that I should also fit the wheel clamp even at a service station.
If you could have seen the caravan wheel clamp that I first owned…
It was made up of six parts, weighed the same as a small child and took longer to fit than many bunglers take to ransack a modest semi detached house. Fitting the caravan wheel clamp each time I stopped, would have meant adding an extra night to our holiday.
I am surprised that with such risk-averse underwriters, my insurance company didn’t request that I placed traffic cones around my parked caravan and stand next to it with a fire extinguisher on standby whilst my family went for a comfort break.
The clamp that I have on my current caravan is better. I can fit it in about a minute and without kneeling on the ground or needing a shower afterwards.
How to choose a Caravan Wheel Clamp
It is recommended again by the insurance companies that you should use a hitch lock, a wheel clamp and even locking wheel nuts to prevent the wheel being removed.
It sounds crazy that the manufacturer would design a clamp that allows the wheel to be removed. These are usually at the cheaper end end of the range and could be a good option if you have a very old caravan that is only worth a few hundred quid.
It wouldn’t be unheard of for a thief to bring their own wheel and simply remove the clamped wheel and replace it with their own.
To make choosing a clamp easy for us leisure seeking funsters, there are a range of testing organisations that test security products so that we don’t have to.
The boffins at the insurance companies can then require that you should only use products approved by these organisations. This reduces the risk that they should ever need to actually pay out on a policy. If your caravan gets nicked and you haven’t fitted the required devises then you can whistle for a payout, because the theft is effectively your fault (a glimpse inside the mind of an insurance underwriter). So here are the main testing organisations :
Caravan Security Testing Organisations
TÜV Rheinland – founded in 1872 with headquarters in Cologne in Germany. Need I say more? They employ 20,000 people in 65 countries around the world.
TNO – – From The Netherlands in English this translates to Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research.
Sold Secure – Now owned and administered by the Master Locksmith Association, established in 1992 by Northumbria in the UK
Thatcham – Well know to the UK automotive industry, providing safety security and testing for over 50 years.
Kiwa – Dutch approval body approving to european SCM standard
Check with your own insurance provider what approval rating is required. Also check the details as some have specific requirements such as the requirement to have wheel clamps fitted to both wheels on a twin axle caravan.
Different types of wheel clamps
There are a few different types of wheel clamp and a few main advantages and disadvantages.
I have used the following metrics to help decide on the best wheel clamp.
- Approved / Tested
- Weight
- Difficulty to store
- Difficulty to install
- *Price
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So the main types are
Full wheel clamp
This type of wheel clamp is usually made up of several parts. Brackets that hook over the wheel, a plate where all of the parts meet a plate to go over where all of the parts meet and a lock to lock the top plate in place. There are a few variations of this type of clamp.
Advantages –
They are often the most secure and have the highest rating by the testing organizations.
Disadvantages –
They are heavy, difficult to store and can be tricky to fit. With difficult key access and two hands required at low level, you can find yourself needing to kneel on the ground to install the clamp.
Overall…
A great clamp for securing your caravan particularly whilst sited or in storage, not great for touring.
Lock and receiver wheel clamps
There are a couple of different ways that the lock and receiver wheel clamps work. Some caravans with an AL-KO chassis have a receiver thread fixed behind the wheel. The wheel clamp then goes through the spaces in the wheel and screws into the receiver thread and locks on. For this type of clamp the space in your wheels need to be lined up with the receiver thread.
Advantages –
Very light and very small. These are easy to store and easy to fit.
Disadvantages –
You have to line up the space in the wheel with the receiver hole. Depending on the design of your wheels this may mean that you have to move the caravan to a position several feet forward or backward from where you would like to to be, especially if you are tight for space on you drive. If you do have this problem however you can lift the caravan slightly using a jack so that you can turn the wheel.
Overall…
A great lock and easy to fit depending of your type of wheel.
We like the Milenco Compace C
The variation of this type of lock has a receiver bolt. You remove one of the existing bolts of your wheel and replace it with the bold supplied with the lock. this is a great solution to the problem of lining up the hole.
The purpleline nemesis wheel clamp uses this exact method as you can see from the video below.
We like the milenco Wraith, Ace and purpleline nemesis
Other wheel clamps that use the same method of replacing a wheel nut are a cross between the full clamp and the lock and receiver method. Again Milenco have the Compace wheel clamp that uses this method.
Advantages –
Is comparable with most caravans and is quite easy to fit.
Disadvantages –
Is larger heavier and harder to store.
Overall –
Slightly more cost effective than the through the wheel options.
Caravan wheel clamp comparison table
Conclusion…
In conclusion I think that the best clamp for touring is the Milenco Wraith. It has the highest approval rating as Sold Secure is thought of as higher than Kiwa as a security testing body. It isn’t the lightest in weight however weight can be a signal of how robust the device is. It’s small though and easy to store. Above all it’s easy it fit – great for touring, particularly if you want to pop it on at the motorway service station.
If you are siting or storing your caravan then the Milenco C14 is the best option. It is head and shoulders above all other devices with both Sold Secure and TNO ratings. What takes a while to put on may take a while to get of should anyone try.
If you have a twin axle caravan and the insurance company request a device to be placed on both wheels the I would say to get both. You can use the convenience of the Wraith at the service station and fit both devices on arrival at site.
You may like to employ other security measures like fitting and alarm or even simple measures such as leaving the caravan motor mover engaged. You should also use a hitch lock that suites your caravan stabiliser
What ever you decide I hope that you have a great time in your caravan this season.
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