The caravan thread

[Foz]

Been looking at these kinda things recently.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 4209141173

[V8Granite]

Maybe, but there was a lot less traffic on the roads back then too.

And brakes weren't as good, and tyres weren't as good, and traction control barely existed, etc...

Anyway, it wasn't so much the idea of hooking up a caravan to your Dad's Cortina that I was talking about, it was being allowed to jump in a 7 tonne truck with a 5 tonne trailer straight away without ever towing anything before.

It’s utter bells who think all they need is a licence. No—ones checks nose weight (it’s very easy to do) and you see so many cars utterly rammed to the gills not thinking it has any effect.

I mean camping folk rock up on site with a fridge in-secured next to kids and think it’s ok. The same idiots put 1.5 tons behind the vehicle which gets a cursory look over once a year.

Mumble grumble old man.

Dave!

[dinny_g]

Are the 5th Wheel style American ones any good... if you had the necessary pick-up??

[Foz]

Are the 5th Wheel style American ones any good... if you had the necessary pick-up??

The pick up is the problem? And the attachment doesn’t exactly look portable.

“Murica”

[drcarlos]

Maybe, but there was a lot less traffic on the roads back then too.

And brakes weren't as good, and tyres weren't as good, and traction control barely existed, etc...

Anyway, it wasn't so much the idea of hooking up a caravan to your Dad's Cortina that I was talking about, it was being allowed to jump in a 7 tonne truck with a 5 tonne trailer straight away without ever towing anything before.

It’s utter bells who think all they need is a licence. No—ones checks nose weight (it’s very easy to do) and you see so many cars utterly rammed to the gills not thinking it has any effect.

Dave!

I don’t bother anymore but I always load it the same. After having to watch nose weight for several years on the old car I learned the best way of balancing so just keep doing that now even though it’s not as important with the truck.

Carl

[NotoriousREV]

Maybe, but there was a lot less traffic on the roads back then too.

And brakes weren't as good, and tyres weren't as good, and traction control barely existed, etc...

Anyway, it wasn't so much the idea of hooking up a caravan to your Dad's Cortina that I was talking about, it was being allowed to jump in a 7 tonne truck with a 5 tonne trailer straight away without ever towing anything before.

It’s utter bells who think all they need is a licence. No—ones checks nose weight (it’s very easy to do) and you see so many cars utterly rammed to the gills not thinking it has any effect.

I mean camping folk rock up on site with a fridge in-secured next to kids and think it’s ok. The same idiots put 1.5 tons behind the vehicle which gets a cursory look over once a year.

Mumble grumble old man.

Dave!

Those are the ones that end up upside down on the M5 or A55 every summer.

[Ascender]

It is great to have something like this just there and ready to go, we use the camper van a lot, the kids love it, just head off on a Friday night.

We had an event last weekend and the trip up was a bit of a 'mare thanks to the usual drivers who've no idea how to drive on anything other than motorways. Combine that factor with a reasonable amount of caravans being towed by cars whose rear suspension is bottomed out and it was more than a bit frustrating.

[Carlos]

I know 2 people who've rolled a caravan and the story was the same for both.

1. Caravan weight approaching that of the tow vehicle with the justification that the max. towing weight was much more.
2. Tow car being unsettled after a HGV has overtaken them.
3. Hitting the brakes because the whole unit had a bit of a wiggle on.

They both felt afterwards it was unavoidable and I'm not cunty enough to tell them any different but the above tells you that towing is clearly not straight forward for everybody.

[NotoriousREV]

I know 2 people who've rolled a caravan and the story was the same for both.

1. Caravan weight approaching that of the tow vehicle with the justification that the max. towing weight was much more.
2. Tow car being unsettled after a HGV has overtaken them.
3. Hitting the brakes because the whole unit had a bit of a wiggle on.

They both felt afterwards it was unavoidable and I'm not cunty enough to tell them any different but the above tells you that towing is clearly not straight forward for everybody.

I've only ever towed once. I was using a Subaru pickup to pull a twin-axle trailer with the rolling shell of a Vauxhall Firenza on it and some boxes of parts. It was probably overweight, but I don't really know. I was on a downhill stretch of motorway (approaching J15 of the M6 northbound) when someone pulled out from the sliproad causing me to have to get off the gas (not even brake!). It took me a good half mile and 2 lanes to gather it up again. I don't like towing

[JonMad]

This is just helping persuade me I need a *really* heavy tow car.

[Carlos]

But you had the sense not to stamp on the brakes

[NotoriousREV]

But you had the sense not to stamp on the brakes

I saw it coming from a way back but there wasn't a lot I could do that didn't fill me with fear. After I got it straight again my mate Matt, who was following in his van with the engines and gearboxes in it, phoned me. He didn't say a word because he was laughing so much.

[V8Granite]

This is just helping persuade me I need a *really* heavy tow car.

Definitely not needed but with a twin axle loading is even more important than with a single imo.

Load up car, put caravan on, drop jockey wheel onto bathroom scales and measure nose weight. I put 150kg on the Defender but from memory cars are 75 or so?

I towed the Merc on a double axle trailer and would have no issue needing to do an emergency stop, it was very stable and controlled. My old 405 towed a 20 odd foot boat and was also really stable and the 405 was less than 1200kg. It only becomes an issue in really strong winds and then even my Defender I’d pull over and wait if I was pulling a large box.

Plus tyre pressures, towball height etc, this is why it’s important to check nose weight after you load up.

Towing something big is a lot of fun!!

As a stupid youth me and a friend towed my first 405 on a double axle trailer with a Peugeot 205 1.8xd. It needed 3rd gear on a lot of slopes and coming down the A52 to a big roundabout we realised the trailer isolator pin was still attached, so I did the handbrake as my colleague did the rest, interesting and some good idiot points earnt.

Dave!

[Richard]

Twin axles make you look like you do tarmacing

[Rich B]

Twin axles make you look like you do tarmacing

as opposed to all the positive associations of normal caravans...

[Richard]

Well, there is that

[Rich B]

[dinny_g]

Just avoid Periwinkle Blue...

[Sundayjumper]

Just avoid Periwinkle Blue...

Handkerchief code ?

[dinny_g]

"...an she's fierce fond of d'Periwinkle Blue..."