New Caravanner!

[jkspoff]

We have just been looking at caravans and have seen a Bailey 556/6 with a Bradcot Vantage awning (must mean something to someone :P ), its priced about 8k, and is a 2004 model, anyone any experience with these caravans or the like before we take the plunge ?

What I am mostly concerned about is manoevering it at a camp site, how easy is it, as I have never even reversed a trailer before ! or do you actually very rarely need to reverse it ?

I would really appreciate any advice on towing and general day to day living with a caravan, the kids are really excited about it, but I'm a bit dubious, as its a whole new unexpplored world for me :P .

How often do you use yours and how much does an everage weekend away cost you ?

Sorry lots of questions, but I may go buy it this week. Thanks

[jkspoff]

Oh, and just one other thing, not got a tow hook, anyone know of the best place to get one fitted ?

[Grumpy]

Caravaning is great, we have just returned from the New Forest albeit early as the rain sent us packing!

 

Most important thing about towing is to make sure you have a well matched outfit, the Caravan Club recommend that the max laden weight of the caravan should not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car, as the Galaxy is fairly heavy then this gives you a wider choice of caravans. I dont know how much the van you are looking at weighs but check it before you buy and allow for the awning as these can be very heavy. My van is around 1200kg and we only have a small porch awning.

 

As long as you take care and dont rush, towing is just about as easy as solo driving. Make sure you give plenty of room on the inside of curves especially if pedestrians or cyclists are about. It is a good idea to have a stabaliser to prevent snaking, these make motorways much more relaxing

 

Reversing is simple once you have practiced a little and assuming you have guides to hand to help out, its a right pain whan pitching up at a Caravan Club site without assistance as you have to reverse the van up to a post which of course you cant see

 

We go away 4 or 5 times in the year and a normal pitch fee for our family is around

[adrianf.]

Go for it,

I was brought up with caravans as mum & dad have always had caravans so i bought my first one at the grand old age of 29.

I dont know what it is about caravaning but it is just so relaxing and my two kids love it also.

 

Like everything the reversing will come with practice, just remember to start the turn with opposite lock and then slowly take it off as the van goes round.

 

Ive just sold my Galaxy this weekend but it was a fab towcar with a lightweight twin axle on the back it would keep up with the flow of traffic no problem. Just this weekend i followed an outfit down the M5 doing 75mph and was very stable. Ok it was breaking the speed limit but it just shows what a well matched outfit will tow like.

 

One thing to remember is that if you are buying from a dealer you will need a few more bits which probably wont be included, Water carriers and waste containers, Electric hook up cable and a leisure battery to name but a few.

If buying private double check for damp areas. The front corners under the beds can be a common area as well as in the shower area and even on the back end.

 

We tend to go to the bigger sites with kids entertainment etc to keep them happy. The cost does vary a bit but is more expensive during the school holidays but we tend to pay

[jkspoff]

Thanks for the excellent advice and recommendation, you've both helped make my mind up for me, I am now certain that its what we want. Just looking at another couple of caravans on ebay classifieds before we return to the dealer. We look forward to our first outing as caravanners. :P

[Grumpy]

Best of luck when choosing your caravan, you will enjoy it (or else!!)

 

Best tip I van give for reversing is to set up the angle between the car and caravan whilst going forward then reversing is a simple matter of keeping this angle as you go back.

 

To expand on Adrianf, you will need as well as the cravan:-

 

Fresh water container and submersible pump

Waste water container and connecting pipe

Gas bottle (preferably 2 if you need to rely on it)

Gas regulator(s)

Battery

Electric hook-up cable

Towing mirrors

Step

Leveling ramps

 

And its good to keep in the caravan:-

 

Cutlery, crockery, pans etc (easier than emptying the kitchen cuboards everytime you hitch up)

Washing up stuff

Bedding

Camp chairs

Windbreaks

Kids games (indoor and outdoor)

 

 

As to sites, we tend to use the Caravan Club sites, these often have kids play areas which keep out 2 (4 & 8) happy but do not offer entertainment etc. These sites also feel pretty safe for kids and even before I have finished setting up the caravan, the kids usually have dissapeared and are playing with the other kids around. One really useful feature of the Caravan Club is being able to brows for vaccancies and then book a site on line.

[jkspoff]

Well, we've been and left a deposit today, so we're in with the caravanners, another road hogger ! Just need a tow hook now, anyone any advice on choosing who to fit one and any tips on what to look out for ?

[Smilge]

JKS ..... buy yourself a damp tester please and test the van thouroughly for damp ...I learnt the hard way!

[adrianf.]

Well, we've been and left a deposit today, so we're in with the caravanners, another road hogger ! Just need a tow hook now, anyone any advice on choosing who to fit one and any tips on what to look out for ?

 

 

If you can i would go for the detachable towbar then you have no worries about the reversing sensors being a pain.

I had an ordinary type and whilst the sensors were a pain to start with i managed to get around it but the detachable just looks neater in my opinion but obviously costs more.

[Grumpy]

My tow bar is a fixed one, it sometimes interfears with the reversing sensors but normally its OK.

 

A removable tow bar is better but if I recall correctly, you cant use a leaf-spring type stabaliser (which I use) with them as the stabaliser bolts between the ball and bracket.

 

My current bar was fitted by a mobile fitter organised by the garage I bought the car from. In the past I have fitted my own, used mobile fitters and a specialist trailer center, and have never had any problems. When I priced up the tow bar 4 years ago for my Xantia there was not much cost saving between DIY and using a nearby Indespension trailer center, so I let them do it. If you want to go down the DIY route then check out www.towsure.co.uk, they are pretty good and stock just about anything you need for caravanning.

 

2 other things you will need especially if you want to get insurance on the van:-

 

Wheel Clamp

Hitch Lock

 

Note that some insurances insist that you either apply a wheel clamp or hitch lock whenever you park up (eg motorway services) my hitch has a built in lock so it automatically locks to the car whenever you attach the caravan.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Grumpy

[AndeeeH]

Just to re-iterate Grumpy's advise about Towsure. They have everything you could possibly want as far as caravanning goes and their main shop/workshop is in Sheffield. They have an excellent towbar fitting service. B) Andy. Edited May 29, 2007 by AndeeeH

[jkspoff]

Thanks for all the great advice, I have a mobile fitter coming out this week to fit a fixed one, hope it doesn't interfere too much with sensors, the caravan I am getting comes with a wheel clamp and hitch lock included, I have got an insurance quote of

[Grumpy]

I could be talking rubbish here but as far as I am aware, there are 2 basic types of stabaliser:-

 

1) Leaf-spring type

These have a bracket attached to the tow bar which has a set of friction plates and a clamping arrangement to push them all together. From this a leafspring extends which rests in a "U" shaped bracket attached to the caravan draw bar. The leafspring does 2 things, first it resists the caravan turning (because of the friction plates) and therefore damps out snaking (where the caravan swings back and forth on the hitch until you crash!). Secondly the leafspring pushes the caravan draw bar down onto the tow bar and prevents pitching movements between the car and caravan.

 

2) Built in type

These have friction pads built into the hitch which react directly onto the tow ball and damp out snaking by virtue of the friction generated.

 

The second type is more normall on newer caravans, however the first type seem to work fine although its one more job to fit it each time you hitch up.

 

A decent fitter should know about reversing sensors, when mine was fitted they had to go away and get "something" to cure the problem of the sensors seeing the ball. It normally is not a problem, last year when I fitted the stabaliser, the longer bolts touched the bumper and slightly angled it and this caused the sensors to see the ball, this problem went away on its own. I have heard (but it could be a myth) that the sensors learn and can ignore obsticles that are always there.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Grumpy

[jkspoff]

Great advice Grumpy thanks. I think the stabilisers are the manual type described in your 1st point, so will have a play. Tow hook fitter coming tomorrow so I will definately have a word about the gadget you mentioned regarding parking sensors.

I have just done a HPI check on the caravan and there is outstanding finance on it (private seller), the seller didn't mention anything about it, so the whole sale might fall through now unless I can clear the oustanding debt directly myself and get a faxed letter stating no outstanding finance from the company, whilst he is here with the van. Then pay him the balance if any remaining.

Is this the best way to do it ?

I can't see any other option, as if I pay him in full and he states he will pay it off, he may not, and do a runner.

It is also an offence to sell any type of vehicle with oustanding finance.

Edited May 30, 2007 by jkspoff

[gregers]

make the seller aware you know there is outstanding finance left on it (you never know you might get it cheaper)and see what excuse he comes up with,then do what youve said.

[Nigel63]

We tow an Adria 5 berth, towing with the galaxy is so easy compared to our last car you dont notice the caravans there when going, needs a little more accelarator to pull off than normal though. Parking at campsites is normally not to bad, if you pick grass pitches you can normally drive through to where you want it. Hardstanding gets a little move difficult but you can always get is somewhere near then unhitch and push it into place just to get it where you want it.

 

We joined the Caravan club and mainly use their sites, cost on average around

[jkspoff]

I've joined the Caravan Club on-line yesterday for

[Grumpy]

The Caravan Clubs on-line booking system is excellent, it makes it so easy to choose and book a site. Also with the Caravan Club you get access to CC's (certified locations) these are much smaller sites (up to 5 vans if I recall correctly) one of my neighbours swears by these.

[jkspoff]

The tow hook is fitted and looks great, nice neat job, but the parking sensors still periodically pick up on the electrics connector, is there any way to switch one of them off, as I know which it will be, or can one be disconnected without affecting the others ?

[Jonny75]

Hi i'm a bit of a newbie to this site. I have been caravanning for a while, but have recently bought a '98 Galaxy TDI 110 bhp. I need to get a towbar fitted. I have been looking around and some require the bumber to be cut, which i don't really want to do. As i'l be fitting it myself does anyone recommend any particular type and make. Also do i need to get a car specefic wiring kit for the job, or special relays? Your answers will help greatly. Thanks

[Grumpy]

Jonny75

 

Check out www.towsure.co.uk for details of towbar and electrics required

[7up]

Hi Jonny75, I have a 1998 110bhp Galaxy same as you. Shame i didn't know you was looking for one as I'm putting mine up for sale. I have twin electrics and the fixed tow bar and no you don't need to cut the bumper, but you will need to remove it and take out the black moulded bit inside the bumper. Mine was done by a tow bar company

[Jonny75]

Hi 7up Thanks 4 your reply, I have been checking out loadsa different types of tow bars. Think I'll go for a witter. It's the electrics that got me a bit. Whats the crack with car specific wiring kit or a 7 pin bypass relay? I bought my Galaxy Last December, 1 yrs MOT, 6 Mths tax just had a service from a Garage near my Parents. The Mileage was 97000, price in window was

[jkspoff]

Well, after starting this post and getting the tow bar fitted and buying the caravan and looking forward to a trip off somewhere, the last thing on my mind was problems with the Gal:

 

http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.ph...c=13206&hl=

[Jonny75]

Definately sounds like a head gasket. One sure way to check is that if you remove a spark plug and there is water on it then head definately gone