Dollywobbler's Caravan Capers

[dollywobbler]

A kindly Autoshiter has already offered a pair, though I can't collect for a week or so. Will see if I can borrow a pair just for Tuesday, though an XM is pretty wide anyway...

[bub2006]

I was given some strap one ones other day. Surprisingly make a difference even with just a trailer

[Richard]

Towing mirrors aren't for seeing past the caravan, they're for seeing behind it. Even on a wide tow car without towing mirrors you can't always see a car that's following at a reasonable distance.

[dollywobbler]

All I need is a caravan periscope!

 

[doobietoo]

I believe it is *illegal to tow a caravan without said mirrors. .... blame the eu lol

[JohnK]

Cleveland Police didn't seem too phased when I barrelled past them towing my caravan without extended mirrors or the correct number plate (I was driving my old 58reg 525d, which was blatantly not an 'E' registration as displayed on the back of the van). I was also doing about 75 at the time IIRC.

 

That was on an arterial route through Teesside at rush hour, so I don't think Ian will have much trouble in the welsh sticks!

 

Verdict - wing it

[billyboy406v6]

Caravanning = Top Gear stunt ?

[They_all_do_that_sir]

We have a 1989 Swift Corvette 4 berth. With a max weight under 1000kg I thought my massive 5 cylinder 2.4ltr pez volvo would tow it no bother.

 

However being the 140bhp model it was useless

[dollywobbler]

I'm hoping the XM will be ok, thanks to stump-ripping torque at low revs. My 2.4-litre petrol Maverick was appalling for towing, as maximum torque was delivered at 4000rpm! Noisy. My main concern is braking. I've no idea what the brakes will be like. Glad I've just upgraded front discs and pads. Needless to say, I'll be steering well clear of Snowdonia on the way back.

 

Biggest worry at the moment is other road users. Four people were killed on one stretch of the A470 near here on Friday, and there's been another road-closing smash today, on the A44. Which I'll be driving along twice tomorrow as part of the Prelude's collection capers...That's in addition to the fatal smash in a different part of the A470 on Tuesday. People driving like twats really is becoming a problem.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

When my kids were small and fewer in number , not to mention I had company cars and a fuel card , caravan nine was how we spent our holidays.

If I could blag a decent fleet demo or something big with a towbar about to be de-fleeted, I'd use that, Granadas and Carltons were always nice and stable if a little slow. A manual 827si dragged its arse on the ground for 2,000 miles round France one year, but would cruise at 80 uphill and down dale. The best should have been a K plate Range Rover Brooklands, but it was so wallowy and bouncy on a weekend to the Cotswolds Mrs N refused to use it for 2 weeks in France so we took my company BX TZi estate which was far too light and rarely got out of 4th but didn't miss a beat or make the kids throw up.

I've never towed with an XM , but based on how good that BX was , it should be awesome.

Now I drive 3.0 Dizzler autos with 400lb/ft of torque I'm too old for caravans- ironic.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

The scenic 1.5dci we had actually towed better than the volvo as the turbo came on song nice and early. Low down torque is the way.

 

As for braking, if the caravan brakes are in good order they are usually dead on, our caravan brakes alone can slow the whole outfit down quite well

[dollywobbler]

The scenic 1.5dci we had actually towed better than the volvo as the turbo came on song nice and early. Low down torque is the way.

 

As for braking, if the caravan brakes are in good order they are usually dead on, our caravan brakes alone can slow the whole outfit down quite well

 

Indeed. I'm just wondering how good the brakes will be on a £222 caravan. I quite like the security you get from feeling the trailer braking on the overrun. I've towed some very nice trailers over the years. 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Indeed. I'm just wondering how good the brakes will be on a £222 caravan. I quite like the security you get from feeling the trailer braking on the overrun. I've towed some very nice trailers over the years.

Caravans won't have done anywhere near the same mileage as a normal trailer, so IME you are more likely to find seized or stuck brakes, the parts themselves respond well to a strip clean and lube. Not that that helps you much on the collection!

 

Our van is worth about £500 and while tired and rough round the edges it's dry as a bone and the mechanicals are grand - only thing I replaced was the breakaway cable (£5) and the tyres (£20 each)

[bub2006]

This reminds me I must find out the towing capacity of the Volvo. Don't plan towing anything large anyway

[Christine]

Check for perished tyres ,and pressure ,caravan tyres pop for fun 

[KruJoe]

 

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant! That'll be me on Tuesday then. 

[anonymous user]

The brochure shot appears to feature a young Stephen Fry (lookalike) sporting a rather loud jacket

[Barry Cade]

I believe it is *illegal to tow a caravan without said mirrors. .... blame the eu lol

oops...

 

Better get a pair then! I can wait to get away in our newly purchased 'van- got it fettled and checked and ready for the off, find myself just sitting in it, and find any excuse to got down and put the kettle on.I prefer caravans to hooses..specially when it's raining, just puts me to sleep.

 

THIS has come up for sale locally...

https://www.gumtree.com/p/campervans-motorhomes/renault-clio-4-berth-camper-motorhome-/1161162308

 

 

 

[RayMK]

I enjoyed my caravanning years.  Dad had a 1966 Taunus 17m estate and an Astral 12ft.  Despite the Ford's 6volt electrics (4.5volts at the back end of the caravan!) we toured all over the continent.  The 'van always seemed much more cosy than a draughty tent.  A few years after I got married, we decided to avoid the hassle of camping (two young kids) or the expense of hotels and bought a 1962 Robin 14ft caravan.  It was cheap, had some rot which I enjoyed repairing, and was hitched up to my Renault 12TS.  We got around, but it was a struggle.  The 12 was a bit light for the van and needed 3rd gear rather a lot of the time.  The 12 was replaced with a Renault 20 and that handled the van superbly.  Many miles were covered.  A Stellar replaced the R20 and also proved to be an excellent tow car. We upgraded to a much newer Adria of similar length which also towed well behind the Stellar.  A 1995 Hyundai Sonata replaced the Stellar.  That did not manage the 'van so well - less stable.  A 1985 BMW 520i replaced the Sonata and, apart from the rather soft rear suspension and a slight tendency to overheat when in traffic (viscous fan on its last legs), it was a pleasant way to go on holiday.  One can feel suitably smug when reversing the outfit at caravan sites and when getting it  back on the driveway at home.  You could well enjoy the experience.  Nice quiet roads.  They are all stuck behind you  .

[andrew e]

Check for perished tyres ,and pressure ,caravan tyres pop for fun

 

WHS. The tyres on my just 10 year old trailer tent were egg shaped grenades.

[Richard]

The trouble with caravan tyres is that they almost never wear out, so they can be decades old. You're not supposed to use car tyres on them either, although that's likely to be more of an issue on heavy modern caravans.

 

Having said that I think the commonest cause of blowouts on caravans, and any other vehicle, is underinflation.

[dollywobbler]

New tyres apparently!

[Christine]

New tyres apparently!

The wheels rust and the centre comes out.   .like you wouldn't know that    Live collection thread please !

[dollywobbler]

I'm really quite excited about this. The roads today suggest it'll actually be quite difficult to hold any traffic up. It's barely moving anyway. YAY TOURISTS!

 

Still haven't sorted out any towing mirrors. Need to give that some thought. I'm guessing attaching the 2CV's door mirrors with cable ties is not considered acceptable behaviour. May just have to buy some.

[skattrd]

 I'm guessing attaching the 2CV's door mirrors with cable ties is not considered acceptable behaviour.

 

That sounds perfectly acceptable to me, although the curve/angle of the mirror might be wrong.

[taxi paul]

When I went to view my current old adria van. I was in my Hyundai i800 with big mirrors on a big car. Fast forward one week when I go to collect it. I have now swapped car to the craptiva. So narrow car and little mirrors. New style 13 pin towing connection on craptiva. So I had to tow a 7' 6" wide x 23 ft long caravan from Lancaster to Ormskirk with no mirrors and no electrics for lights and indicators. Made it in one piece.

[Sloth in a bowl]

I'm now waiting for the thread where Ian adds rear doors to the caravan and strips out the interior so that he can collect the 2CV bodyshell in it.

[chaseracer]

Just buy the coach in the other thread for ultimate shite points.

[RayMK]

I enjoyed my caravanning years.  Dad had a 1966 Taunus 17m estate and an Astral 12ft.  Despite the Ford's 6volt electrics (4.5volts at the back end of the caravan!) we toured all over the continent.  The 'van always seemed much more cosy than a draughty tent.  A few years after I got married, we decided to avoid the hassle of camping (two young kids) or the expense of hotels and bought a 1962 Robin 14ft caravan.  It was cheap, had some rot which I enjoyed repairing, and was hitched up to my Renault 12TS.  We got around, but it was a struggle.  The 12 was a bit light for the van and needed 3rd gear rather a lot of the time.  The 12 was replaced with a Renault 20 and that handled the van superbly.  Many miles were covered.  A Stellar replaced the R20 and also proved to be an excellent tow car. We upgraded to a much newer Adria of similar length which also towed well behind the Stellar.  A 1995 Hyundai Sonata replaced the Stellar.  That did not manage the 'van so well - less stable.  A 1985 BMW 520i replaced the Sonata and, apart from the rather soft rear suspension and a slight tendency to overheat when in traffic (viscous fan on its last legs), it was a pleasant way to go on holiday.  One can feel suitably smug when reversing the outfit at caravan sites and when getting it  back on the driveway at home.  You could well enjoy the experience.  Nice quiet roads.  They are all stuck behind you  .

 

Please excuse the mild hijack.  Some photos, just to show I'm not spinning a yarn , bearing in mind the mention of a R20  .

Image 1:  Our 1966 RHD Ford Taunus 17m estate and Astral 12ft caravan in an autobahn services.  Note the export version of the caravan (Door on the right side).  In the background, there's an Osi i.e. a Taunus based Italian special bodied version, a rare sight even then, and the main  reason I took the photo.

Image 2: Again, in glorious faded colour print copy, somewhere in Germany or possibly France.

Image 4: A typical Autoshite household, showing my broken R12 (after it dropped a valve and wrote off the engine); the Renault 20 which replaced it but was refused as a part exchange by the Hyundai dealer; my brand new 1986 Stellar SL and in the background the old Robin caravan before I repainted it.

Image 3: A pit stop at Market Deeping (I think), with the Stellar and repainted Robin.

(the last two swapped places, hence the edit)

 

Sorry about the hijack DW.  Photos of the Sonata, 520i and Adria are available on request  .