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Topic: Caravan towing (Read 1498 times) |
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mikeart
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Caravan towing
« on: Sep 20th, 2008, 12:26pm » |
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Hello on this fine sunny day, i am getting a new "old" caravan i have a 2.5 TD scorpio estate, these are the pics, would i have any great problems in towing this, it is 20" feet long and weighs about 3/4 of a ton, i think.  thanks guys and gals.
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cossie_al
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Ex 24v
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #1 on: Sep 20th, 2008, 5:36pm » |
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Hi Mike,
What is the make model and year of the caravan?
Al
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #2 on: Sep 20th, 2008, 8:36pm » |
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These are the EBAY details thanks for your reply cheers Mike.
1989 Sterling Eccles Sapphire 5 berth caravan
Nice condition for year. One Family owned since new. Ideal first caravan.
Nice specification with double glazing, hot and cold pumped water, shower room, fully usable kitchen with grill and fridge. Wired for mains electricity & TV with sinnal amplifier.
Only used once this year for a 3 day trip to Le Mans. Prior to this it had a full service and the towing damper was replaced at large cost. The large rear window was also replaced in June this year.
Table at both ends, with 2 doubles and a single bunk.
Accessories include aqua roller, waste butts and spare wheel. Again all tyres are nearly new.
For a 19 year old van it’s generally in good condition, but could do with a little bit of TLC. The upholstery in one corner could be replaced but this can‘t be seen. The cause was rectified with a solid oak repair. Tops to both tables are faded, and the smaller one is slightly damaged. The pull handles on each corner are slightly corroded.
Stabiliser bracket is included together with a tow ball lock.
Outfit is ready for immediate use.
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cossie_al
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #3 on: Sep 20th, 2008, 10:21pm » |
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Hi Mike,
If you take a look at www.whattowcar.com there is an outfit matching system on there but I could not find your car or caravan details listed 
However, it does tell you how to work out safe outfits using kerb weights etc.
Also the caravan club website has some usefull info.
According to info on this site yor car can tow up to 2000kg if its not an auto. That said the weight of your car will be between 1605kg and 1781kg and as a general rule the caravan when fully loaded should be no more than 85% of the weight of the car. Although it is also said that drivers who are well experienced can tow upto but no more than the total weight of the car.
Al
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #4 on: Sep 20th, 2008, 11:34pm » |
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As stated on the excellent website you sent me to, that is just great i do thank you so very much, if you get stuck behind me on the M25 when i bring it back to Kent i apologise 
"The match between car and caravan is plausible in accordance with a mix of European standards. However, according to the British Towing Code the percentage (loaded caravan / kerbweight tow car) is 94%.
The towing performances of this Ford with your Sterling are perfect (performance index = 109 km/h or 68 mph).
You may expect very lively performances from this outfit. On flat roads it's easy to come along, in which case top gear is applicable under favourable circumstances.
On motorway inclines you will be able not only to come along, but be the first at the top. Steep roads should be avoided as much as possible due to lack of power to keep going. On hill starts there will be more than enough power to get going, provided the wheels have traction."
Brilliant your a star thanks my friend 
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Scorpio
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #5 on: Sep 21st, 2008, 3:11am » |
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Mike, if your Scorpio is an Auto it maybe worth looking to fit a larger oil cooler to help maintain temperature.
Adam
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #6 on: Sep 21st, 2008, 11:07am » |
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Thanks again, it is not an automatic, so i hope it will be ok, not sure about the weight if the wife comes with me .......... ducks for cover 
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cossie_al
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #7 on: Sep 21st, 2008, 2:36pm » |
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Mike,
Another thing to take into consideration is the nose weight of your caravan,
simply put its what down force your caravan puts on the tow bar. Sometimes the tow bar itself has a plate with the maximum stamped on it or it may even be in your hand book. I use a set of normal bathroom scales and a length of wood to measure mine. make sure the wood is just long enough so the caravan hitch is the same hight it would be if it was attached to the car. then its a case of resting the hitch on the wood and the wood on the scales. I aim for 75 kg but obviously it will be different for your car. its fairly easy to get the optimum nose weight by moving the load around in the caravan but remeber the caravan does need to be nose heavy or you will end up with snaking.
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #8 on: Sep 21st, 2008, 2:49pm » |
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Thanks for this info, i have some anti snake bars ready to fit so should be ok, looks like we are off to the isle of Wight in half term so give you a full report on our return, thanks again for all this info, ps i have made a small donation to the website. kind regards Mike.
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pete from Hull
Senior Member
Non Scorpio at the moment, but still interested...
Posts: 1365
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #9 on: Sep 22nd, 2008, 6:52am » |
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on Sep 20th, 2008, 8:36pm, mikeart wrote:
These are the EBAY details thanks for your reply cheers Mike.
Only used once this year for a 3 day trip to Le Mans. and spare wheel. Again all tyres are nearly new.
For a 19 year old van it’s generally in good condition, but could do with a little bit of TLC. The pull handles on each corner are slightly corroded.
Stabiliser bracket is included together with a tow ball lock.
Outfit is ready for immediate use. |
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Just a word of caution.... Though the caravan sounds good it is worth paying particular attention to the points quoted.
Regarding the wheels and tyres, tyres on a caravan ALWAYS look brand new as they get very little use comparable with a car etc, they could however be donkey's years old and could be suffering from deterioration of the layers that go to make them up. I say this because it happened to me once with a blow out on the A1M, could have been very nasty. Tyres are degraded by UV light when parked up so even though the treads may be like new you don't know what the underlying structure is like until it's too late. Best cover the tyres during periods of storage.
Does it have a cassette toilet? I found that emptying the toilet in our old van was a very difficult task with the risk of back strain as you had to lift the whole thing out with it being the old "Elsan" portapotty type.
Now it's just a matter of unlocking the door outside and sliding the cassette out..... Worth a thought too.
Enjoy your caravan, you'll be able to have many fabulous holidays..... We do.... Oh another tip... If you aren't already a member, join the caravan club and make full use of the C/L facilities for some very cheap hols.....
Happy Camping.... 
Pete
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pete from Hull
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Non Scorpio at the moment, but still interested...
Posts: 1365
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #10 on: Sep 22nd, 2008, 7:06am » |
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on Sep 21st, 2008, 2:49pm, mikeart wrote:| Thanks for this info, i have some anti snake bars ready to fit so should be ok, ) |
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Don't put all your faith in stabeliser arms, they can give you a false sense of security, they only 'help' to control snaking as an add on facility. The best type of control are the types where it is actually a part of the tow hitch such as the AKS 3004 Stabiliser from AL-KO, however at £200 it can be quite an outlay if you decide that caravanning isn't your scene.
Further to the problem of snaking... the best way to control it is by carefull driving, not speeding, and braking well in advance with the outfit in full control. Always be aware, use your mirrors to give you advanced warning of big lorries passing etc they can start your outfit going if they are too close (which they usually are)
hth
Pete
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #11 on: Sep 22nd, 2008, 7:38am » |
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WOW all this information, what would i do with out you lot, great advice and some great tips, i do know this van had a full service including tyres checked, the people that own it seem to be very rich, hope they don't mind me arriving in my old but much loved Scorp ps i am picking it up on Thursday this week, wish me luck !!
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harry.m1byt
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #12 on: Sep 22nd, 2008, 11:47pm » |
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on Sep 22nd, 2008, 7:06am, peteHull wrote:
The best type of control are the types where it is actually a part of the tow hitch such as the AKS 3004 Stabiliser from AL-KO, however at £200 it can be quite an outlay if you decide that caravanning isn't your scene. Pete |
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Sorry Pete, I cannot agree with that point. The best, as in most effective are the separate arm type, rather than the ALKO. They present more friction to the coupling and therefore better damping. They are not of course quite as convenient as the ALKO, but they also provide some assistance to the cars rear spings in that they help lift the rear of the car. They are also much cheaper.
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pete from Hull
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Non Scorpio at the moment, but still interested...
Posts: 1365
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #13 on: Sep 23rd, 2008, 4:13pm » |
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on Sep 22nd, 2008, 11:47pm, harry.m1byt wrote:
Sorry Pete, I cannot agree with that point. The best, as in most effective are the separate arm type, rather than the ALKO. They present more friction to the coupling and therefore better damping. They are not of course quite as convenient as the ALKO, but they also provide some assistance to the cars rear spings in that they help lift the rear of the car. They are also much cheaper.
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I hear what you're saying Harry but everyone has a differing view on this matter, I have 2 of the arm types and although they do work to an extent I wasn't saying otherwise, they wouldn't be able to sell them otherwise. However after many occasions of crawling about to attatch the thing in all weathers, hearing the creaking and groaning while manouvering, paying loads for new friction pads etc for the past years it just seems so much easier with the setup I have now. The only thing needed is to make sure the towball is spotlessly clean.... Mine is the German one (can't remember its name) but it sure does work a treat.
hth
Pete
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #14 on: Sep 28th, 2008, 1:46pm » |
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Well here is an update, all went well apart from some snaking after about 3 miles, but i have since put that down to my driving, i was doing three things at once and not watching the road, we got into a snake but i slowed and it stopped, the next hundred plus miles went just fine, apart from the 3 hours on the M25 it took that long to travel 60 miles !!, any way i have had it checked over by a mechanic mate and it has been given a clean bill of health, in the drive of the house i picked it up from was a brand new c class MERC, a brand new pickup monster and a couple of new sports cars BMW i think, and this was just the family's run around's as i was told, i was more nervous getting it out of their drive than any thing else, I WAS ASKED WHAT MY CAR WAS ? i told them it was a rare version of the best car ever built, stuff em !!!
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lesterlad aka Rodders
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #15 on: Sep 29th, 2008, 8:04pm » |
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on Sep 28th, 2008, 1:46pm, mikeart wrote:| I WAS ASKED WHAT MY CAR WAS ? i told them it was a rare version of the best car ever built, stuff em !!! |
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You are absolutely spot on with that.
Nothing wrong in telling the truth buddy
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pete from Hull
Senior Member
Non Scorpio at the moment, but still interested...
Posts: 1365
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #16 on: Sep 30th, 2008, 10:44pm » |
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Here's my rig... on our way to Scotland
http://www.box.net/shared/cou30c8spn
Glad you enjoyed your new found liesure pleasure, we have been caravanning now for 12 years and have been all over the place as far as Rostock on the Baltic coast, over to Giants causeway and up to John O'Groats and down to Lands End.
I started because we got a Sierra which had a towbar so we thought we'd put it to the test. We never looked back.
I have only ever had one instance of snaking, it was on the A1m when a juggernaught flew past unexpected like.
Best procedure is to just take clog of pedal and allow the car to slow down gradually. soon comes back into control. however it is mostly caused by an unbalanced rig. Uneven weight distribution or sudden jerky movements etc.
Always check the noseweight, don't carry excess load such as water etc and adjust the hitch hight so the rig is level thruout. Never have the coupling sloping upwards and always attatch the break away cable.
You will have many good holidays.... you got the bug
hth
Pete
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mikeart
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Re: Caravan towing
« Reply #17 on: Oct 1st, 2008, 8:09pm » |
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Hi, well we have it home and set up in the front garden, bit of a squeeze but it is clear of the pathway, as i said before the next trip will be to the Isle of Wight in half term, should be fun getting it on the ferry, and i am so pleased we bought the small cheap one to try caravanning out with, two trips to the New Forest convinced me that this was for us, the kids think it is great, so shall post some picks when we do the trip, thanks for advice it is great to have you guys and girls about to do this, take care Mike.
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