We would just like to say thank you to everyone who has posted replies to our questions while we were in the process of buying our first caravan.
We had a few reservations about buying a friend's van about warranties, towing weights, CRIS registration etc. and the speedy and really helpful replies on here were really valuable.
We have now bought the caravan and collected it from Devon. We would have made a good "carry on camping" film if you could have seen us in the first half an hour not having a clue and wandering round with instruction manuals. Then a voice from our "personal helpline" telephoned us (the friend we had bought the van from) and she talked us through which orifice to stick pipes into and turning gas and heating on and we managed to settle down with a made up bed and hot meal !!
It was a baptism of fire as we were on a grass pitch, with a very steep slope, it rained and the wind blew so strong awnings were being blown over.
The site was really helpful with a shop and servicing garage and we paid for half an hour of an engineer's time and he helped and explained the weight balance in the caravan and hitched us up, so we felt much safer.
Our Toyota granvia towed really well and we arrived at our storage site in Worcester quite relieved and pleased with ourselves after following lots of tips on here.
The only thing we forgot to secure was the sliding door between the bedroom and kitchen area and it slid across pretty hard and knocked the plastic stop off the runner. Easily fixed and not too bad an injury for a first trip!
The thing we have to master is the reversing as the storage allows only an opened caravan door width between each one!! A bit tight for the most experienced of towers so it gives us a challenge. We have looked at the towing courses but so expensive after buying the van and christmas coming up so we will use the site while it is quiet this time of year to keep practising!
So a Big Thank You to everyone. All of your advice really paid off and got us much more prepared than we otherwise would have been.
We love the van. It is immaculate and very comfortable. Enjoying the time in it so far and have the spring and summer to look forward to. I guess we better get booking some sites before they are all booked!!
So glad everything has worked out well. You'll get the hang of it. Did you get as far as putting up an awning? I reckon this is the most difficult bit - don't do it if it's really windy, IMHO.
Well done! We hope you have many happy years exploring in your new outfit.
As regards reversing: go hire a big box trailer. It costs about £25 for a day, it doesn't matter if you nudge the corners and it moves in a similar manner to your 'van. (A twin axle trailer will react more slowly than a single: so its easier to learn with)
Even though I have towed for years when I had a big twin axle out this week, it proved a very stress free way to practice manouevring, forwards or backwards. Even to the point of reversing to walls until it goes "bump". (Actually I wedged a plastic bottle in the back lite unit, so it went crunch not bump, but I still wouldn't do it with me van). Take down a quiet office park during the weekend, and knock yourself out. You wont regret it.
Box trailers are cheaper to hire than normal trailers: because they're treated with more respect!
Lovely to hear that everything went well! My initiation to towing and camping sounds very similar! LOL!
Personally I wouldn't reverse a caravan into a tight space like that, but unhitch when near enough and just push it into the space by hand. Of course that's assuming it's light enough to push! Even though mine is 'lightweight' it's far too much for me to push, so I have a Mr Shifta to push/pull mine onto the drive.
Wouldn't you think a storage facility with tight spaces like that would have something similar? Or be willing to reverse it in for you?
Towing course is pricey but its worth every penny. Get on a course as soon as you can. Enjoy the caravanning experience
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Jax365 yes they tow in and out at a cost of £5 each way. We just wanted to take advantage of the quiet period to practice so probably made it hard on ourselves trying to reverse for too much. We ended up lining it up into the gap as middle distance widthways as possible and finished tweeking it with the motor mover - which we had forgotten about in the heat of the moment doh!!
Quote: Originally posted by flip53 on 19/11/2010
Jax365 yes they tow in and out at a cost of £5 each way. We just wanted to take advantage of the quiet period to practice so probably made it hard on ourselves trying to reverse for too much. We ended up lining it up into the gap as middle distance widthways as possible and finished tweeking it with the motor mover - which we had forgotten about in the heat of the moment doh!!
£5 each way! I'm in the wrong business!! I bet they charge enough for storage never mind anything else!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Thank you
