Dollywobbler's Caravan Capers

[Six-cylinder]

We have a caravan, 8 years ago my next door neighbour asked me to tow it away for scrap instead we parked it in our field and use it as a storage shed.

 

Anybody know what it is?

 

Anybody going to Shitefest will be able to inspect it!

[RayMK]

Forgot to mention. A fairly sizeable problem is that it knackers up the XM's ride entirely! With the back end unable to float due to the great weight hanging off it, things get quite bouncy, even with new spheres.

 

If you watch the A frame flexing relative to the caravan's body (they all do it, even new 'vans), the physics of moments of inertia and sometimes structural resonance can be seen in action.  Unless your car is extremely heavy or has suspension as solid as a leaf sprung Landy, you will feel the 'van modifying the car's suspension response.  XMs ride so well that the jiggliness (?!) is bound to be noticed. Fine tuning the noseweight to around 40kg can help, though recommendations vary.  With the XM being self levelling, high noseweight won't show up so readily.

[bub2006]

Thanks,looks a nice old van on grand scheme of things. Old vans are a lot lighter than late 90s onwards I think. Apparently Volvo has 75kg nose weight and can tow 1200kg. I just wonder if it will tow ok if your xm had issues.

[dollywobbler]

I think there's a certain amount of expectation setting here. I've used the XM to tow a 200-300kg trailer tent that effectively just wasn't there at all, or my trailer with the 2CV body in it, which it did notice up a REALLY steep hill, but generally not very much. It did seem to get better (ride and effort required to shift it) as we progressed, so perhaps things were freeing off a bit. It looks like it's been barely used. I'm so used to the XM just shrugging off whatever I ask it to haul about, but it is a lot of weight back there. So, I actually have to downchange from fifth sometimes. 

 

XM is rated to 1500kg towing weight. If attempting that, I'd definitely ensure the clutch wasn't covered in diesel.

[bub2006]

How much does this one way in at?

[dollywobbler]

Weighs about 740kg if the brochure is to be believed. I'll do some more pics of the brochure tomorrow. Contains nudity! See? Dripping with sex appeal these things. Don't come a knockin'...

[UltraWomble]

Weighs about 740kg if the brochure is to be believed. I'll do some more pics of the brochure tomorrow. Contains nudity! See? Dripping with sex appeal these things. Don't come a knockin'...

How very odd - Ive had 1700kgs hanging off the arse of a Xantia and the ride was very stable, not wafty admittedly, but not bouncy either.

 

Please check the rubber gas pipes for perishing on an old van as they will go brittle, it doesnt take a lot for them to start leaking.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Ours weighs 750kg empty, allegedly. Add in gas bottles, leisure battery, radio, Portaloo* etc and it'll be a fair bit more.

 

*autocorrect keeps trying to type Portillo. Adding Michael Portillo would add more than just excess weight.....

 

I want to strip and check brakes and bearings etc, I'm pleased / encouraged yours seems to tow the same way mine does but I've always suspected mine drags a bit....

[Six-cylinder]

I am going to put about 1300kg behind the Xantia V6 tomorrow as both my Range Rover are with garages, we will see what that is like?

[vulgalour]

If you're noticing it with the XM in a bad way then something's off.  With the Renault on a trailer behind the Xantia it was only really noticeable on very long uphills and setting off from road ends, with momentum maintained fuel consumption wasn't even that bad.  The reason I mention this is that the Renault +trailer combo must be getting on for slight more weight than your 'van (Renault is about 750kg, I think) behind a lighter, lower powered car so the XM should manage just fine.

 

Even with it's saggy roof, that van looks very appealing.  Particularly like its shiny undercarriage panels and cut velour seat fabric.

 

 

Edit to add:  I remember when Mike towed a shit trailer with the same Xantia that he had kangarooing and jiggly issues with the handling whenever he tried to set off.  That trailer had sticking brakes and was generally shonky so it could be the caravan is dragging its heels a bit.

[dollywobbler]

The caravan did do something odd at one point when I did a 'not quite an emergency' stop. It seemed to judder, as if it had very badly adjusted stoppers. I was trying to check whether they were working. They definitely did something! I'll give it a proper check over before we go anywhere in it. 

 

I don't think the struggle to pull it is that surprising. There was quite a headwind (I later discovered, thanks to a handy windsock), and it is like pulling a fair-sized car behind it. That's going to take the sparkle off the acceleration. 

 

Incidentally, I once towed (not very far!) a Bond Equipe on a very nice car trailer behind the stripey BX. Obviously that wasn't brisk, but it felt surprisingly stable considering the outfit must have weighed a good 1500kg (BX has an 1100kg limit). Also once A-framed the 2CV behind that BX. Again, it did blunt performance somewhat. Though not as much as when I used the 2CV to tow an Eriba Puck. That was a lesson in frustration.

[bub2006]

Goes to show older vans are a lot lighter than a modern! I'll report back when I get a van sorted myself

[Skizzer]

27 and 43 please.

 

Actually no, scratch that, towing gives me the fear. But it's not nearly as miserable as I expected, which is as close to excitement as you're going to get from me about a caravan that isn't a mad wooden homebrew affair.

 

Which leads naturally on to wondering what your plans are for the bathroom?

[Richard]

I used the bathroom as a cupboard in our caravans. I decided that I didn't really want a bucket of effluent in such a small space, even if it was behind a door.

[mouseflakes]

I used the bathroom as a cupboard in our caravans.

 

I did just the opposite in ours. Made the clothes in there a bit smelly mind.

[dollywobbler]

 

Which leads naturally on to wondering what your plans are for the bathroom?

 

Fix the roof and tidy things up a bit. Having a working sink (even if it's just the draining bit) has its benefits. I'd hope that there's value in smartening this thing up a bit. The Retro Caravan market doesn't seem overly huge, but I'm hoping a nice van might turn a little profit if well presented.

[UltraWomble]

Goes to show older vans are a lot lighter than a modern! I'll report back when I get a van sorted myself

Bub next week....

 

[Stroller133]

Forgot to mention. A fairly sizeable problem is that it knackers up the XM's ride entirely! With the back end unable to float due to the great weight hanging off it, things get quite bouncy, even with new spheres.

Have you checked the nose weight? I think that can have a big impact on the stability and comfort of the car.

[dollywobbler]

Have you checked the nose weight? I think that can have a big impact on the stability and comfort of the car.

 

All I've done is drag it home. And we don't have any scales. If anything, adding more nose weight did stabilise things and improve the ride. Moving the awning and spare wheel forward did the trick. I've had it before with hydro-Cits though. They just can't float as well as they'd like to when towing. I did notice that the caravan seemed a little nose-up at times. That doesn't strike me as ideal. No adjustment on car or caravan though.

[bub2006]

Bub next week....

 

I've had no issues regularly towing with the van and Volvo just yet!

[taxi paul]

Nose weight of the van should be 10% of the laden weight. So around 85 kilo for yours. Check your cars tow hitch weight is sufficient. Borrow a set of bathroom scales and put a bit of wood on them , to even out weight. Then get caravan tow hitch level over scales and measure and cut a bit of wood to fit into tow hitch and onto scales et voilà a scale. The nose weight on the van is important so do that and then trial and error moving stuff round. Don't forget to check again if you pit a full gas bottle and other crap, sorry essential equipment in the front locker.

[dollywobbler]

Gosh. I can see me going right off this caravanning lark. My neighbours will get upset when I borrow their scales too.

[Bstardchild]

I like that - top purchase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do not want to own it...................

[RayMK]

Gosh. I can see me going right off this caravanning lark. My neighbours will get upset when I borrow their scales too.

 

  .  Loading the van to get a resasonable nose weight is important, as is keeping all stowed heavy items e.g. awning, spare wheel etc near the caravan's axle line for greater stability.  Extreme precision in measuring nose weight is unnecessary.  My caravans were older and smaller than yours and only needed about 50kg i.e. light enough to heave on to the hitch without faffing about winding the jockey wheel up and down. I had caravanning friends who had special nose weight scales, spirit levels and fancy wheel chock/stands to level the van when parked across a slope.  It took them a year to fight through all the clutter before they could brew up.  Keep it simple, use common sense and perhaps use a 2nd hand stabiliser to make a stable outfit even more resistant to snaking (usually most noticeable on fast downhill corners when wind or a minor steering input can upset serene progress).  At least the XM does not have a panhard rod at the rear.  They are ideal for unsettling large outfits on some undulating curves, aided by the 'I've got an invincible Shogun (others are available) and can tow megatonnage at 70mph attitude.'  I see them in ditches frequently. 

[vulgalour]

You'll be fine.  If these guys can do it you've got no worries.

 

 

 

You've made me want a caravan again too.  Doesn't take much to be fair.

[mat_the_cat]

Do you want to borrow a noseweight gauge? Can bring on Sunday. I tend to use it when towing cars, to get the best position on the trailer (if the bed is long enough for a choice!)

[dollywobbler]

Well, if you don't mind, I guess it'd be foolish to decline. Though obviously thins would be different if we were travelling. I'm not going to load the van up for a test. Will be useful to get a baseline though.

[Tetleysmooth]

To complete your purchase, Wobbler.....

 

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/114733446/riviera-390-porch-awning.html?link=%2Fadverts%2Flist%3FpromotionType%3Dfree%26page%3D3

[dollywobbler]

It came with an awning!

 

Regarding the battle royale between caravan clubs, I plan to solve this by not joining either. There are limits! It'll be used for car events, not actual holidays. Car events are usually about as close as we get to holidays.

[Tetleysmooth]

It came with an awning!

 

 

 

I'm obviously not keeping up with the thread as I should.