Arrrgh - we go in a week

[Ste6t9]

Hi all.
We go abroad this time next week so now I’m trying to check everything.

My only reservation is getting on and off the ferry.

I’ve done it in the car loads of time as we use Hull regularly living so close (20 mins away)

We are crossing Hull to Rotterdam which is a HUGE ferry but I know cars definitely go in up a ramp and through a side door. Does anyone know if caravans do the same or are they round the back door with the big stuff??

Also, anything else related to Dutch/Belgian/French/Lux/German and Swiss driving will be gratefully received!!

 

[Hutch]

You just follow where the ferry guy put you, As for the driving in Europe, a bit slow in checking, everything is the same, check speed limits, but Switzerland you will need a Motorway pass ( Vignette) for the car and caravan about SF 40 each. And you can only take in 1 kg of meat for each person, but I have always bluffed that through.

 

[Ste6t9]

Yep cheers for that. I’m getting more confident with the towing but I reckon the ferry will be the tightest yet!!!

 

[Hutch]

The ferry is the lowest problem, dont trust French Caravan parking sites on the motorways, they are too small.

 

[Craigyoung]

Ste ,
don't worry mate , I ripped my battery housing door off 3 hours before we were due to go a few years ago for the first time time !!

Thursday 1st Aug' for us & cant wait this year !!

I've done three ferries ( nearly 4 ) in the last few years and other people probably more , 2 to France 1 to Holland and the two to France were & level access no problem and so was the one to Holland but on a return trip from Holland we were put on the upper level deck if that makes sense ( I'm drinking glass of wine at the same i am doing this after a midnight run ) but it was no problem apart from the bit going up the ramps but because it had been raining a bit and the ramps are a kind of metal cattle grid kind if that makes sense , the clutch was smelling a bit but others were to !! Other than that all was fine do not worry ! Enjoy . B)

 

[otherclive]

The ferry is the lowest problem, dont trust French Caravan parking sites on the motorways, they are too small.

On French autoroutes there are no problems parking within the HGV areas. We always make our lunch stop before 1200 as the French nation stops for lunch soon after and getting a space can be problematic.

 

[Ste6t9]

I’m more concerned about just getting it in the right place. Don’t fancy having to do any reversing inside the ferry.

As for the steel ramps, I’m at the mercy of the auto box I guess but can stick it in 4WD and low ratio so shouldn’t be a prob

 

[Craigyoung]

Ste ,
Don't worry about any reversing malarkey , there won't be any , as you drive in and you drive out and are directed by ferry Marshall , just when they direct you around corners watch your top end on the caravan because I have heard that they don't care about bits that come down on the ferry and watch your swing when pulling out as you will be close to other vehicles but it will be clearly 1 line at a time goes out then you follow suit .

 

[otherclive]

I’m more concerned about just getting it in the right place. Don’t fancy having to do any reversing inside the ferry.

As for the steel ramps, I’m at the mercy of the auto box I guess but can stick it in 4WD and low ratio so shouldn’t be a prob

Despite the hectic waving forward by ships staff use your own judgment on the ramps. I tend to hover back to give very good space between me and car in front. Then engage first gear and go slowly up.

Take care disembarking don’t let euphoria overcome you and then bounce the back of your caravan on the deck.

 

[Raywood]

I agree however frantic the ferry staff are, just take your time, especially if you have a steep ramp to climb or come off. Try to make sure the vehicle ahead of you is clear of the ramp as you may not want to restart on a steep wet ramp.
Other than that it should be simple and the ferry staff tend to be very precise with where they want you and give good directions.

 

[Ste6t9]

Thanks for all the advice.

One more thing- Nose weight. I have a gauge but I’m not sure how accurate it is. The towbar says 100kg and with an MPTLM of 1518kg, I’m looking at about 90kg nose weight. (I may have got mixed up somewhere here of course so please correct me) however. The gauge is topping out at 100kg. I’m wondering if I have a particularly nose heavy van (CraigYoung might be able to advise here as I believe he has the same one. Do I need to put more heavy stuff near the back?

Also when towing, what should I look out for? As in, what will it feel like if I’m too light or too heavy on the nose???

 

[RayS]

I've used ferries for 20+ years two return trips a year, and generally they have been quite OK. The exceptions have been very poor marshalling on occasions sometimes bordering on the downright dangerous so don't blindly follow instructions if you are unhappy with them and particularly don't go faster than you are comfortable with. With the extra security etc now there is likely to be a delay leaving the port and absolutely no point in racing to get off whatever others may do.
The handlers are more used to HGVs than towed caravans and sometimes don't understand that the turning geometry is quite different. Make sure your extension mirrors are in place and correctly adjusted before moving off and use them fully when moving - I've found drivers in other lanes blindly obeying orders to move and thus getting on potential collision paths.

 

[Hutch]

With RayS, senior traveller, fold wing mirrors in, On long haul ferries I tend to remove the hook up cable as it has a permanent live for the Alko ATC. But remember to hook up again, If your carrying dogs, open windows, plenty of water and do not set car alarm, your dogs will be manic on return.

 

[Craigyoung]

Ste , I've got a 100 kg limit tow bar .
My front locker consists of of two gas bottles to the right where yours should be , and then to the left hand side I normally have my Waste master placed neatly then my aqua roll that fits on top with my watering can , my awning carpet slots in beside that too . 5 chocks for the feet and jockey , my pink and blue liquid and that is it , to counter balance I have my bag of awning pegs in the rear lower locker which is under the bottom bunk beside my 2 lightweight camping chairs and my electric cable plus we have the bikes on the back , all the other heavy stuff goes in the boot of car ; now we do this quite a bit and not once have I felt any instability or loss of control or anything like that , I have no ATC and no trailer assist on the car or anything like that , purely my driving skills . The Kuga is a cracking tow car .

Craig

 

[Ste6t9]

So it seems CraigYoung, you and I have a similar rather small payload to contend with so I’m thinking I may need to reshuffle a few things and get the awning out of the van and into the boot?

Also, my gas bottles are dead centre which is a bit of a pain for other big things getting in the locker.

 

[Craigyoung]

We've got a 221 kg or something like that to play with which is better than lot of people have got !
I've got the two sun loungers to which I am stuck to one at the minute in the garden as it is very nice B) , they go into boot along with our cupboard kind of unit that goes in the awning ( only when we are away on long periods ) for the breakfast like a storage unit , my cool box is plugged in in boot as I have a 12 volt socket , awning goes on top of the chairs and bits and bobs around the side .

 

[Ste6t9]

We've got a 221 kg or something like that to play with which is better than lot of people have got !
I've got the two sun loungers to which I am stuck to one at the minute in the garden as it is very nice B) , they go into boot along with our cupboard kind of unit that goes in the awning ( only when we are away on long periods ) for the breakfast like a storage unit , my cool box is plugged in in boot as I have a 12 volt socket , awning goes on top of the chairs and bits and bobs around the side .

That’s great, I’ve a bit less due to motor mover perhaps. This is the plate on the side so I calculate 176kg between MIRO and MTPLM but I will have a crack at lessening the van and being a bit more “creative” in the boot of the Mitsi.

 

[Craigyoung]

Have you taken out the table that we get with the caravan ; that weighs quite a bit & have you taken out the other two berths worth off stuff out to that you do not use like we did , that will release weight for you to . We've got the clothing and the food in the caravan packed for going away , we haven't got a roof box and all the heavy stuff like I have said goes in the boot .

My email is in my profile info .

 

[Ste6t9]

Cheers Craig - have mailed you

 

[ProfJohnL]

Nose load is the the static vertical load applied by the trailer coupling to the tow vehicles tow ball. It is defined in that manner because due to the position of a trailers centre of gravity relative to the trailers road wheels, the actual load the trailer will apply to a tow vehicle changes if the height of the trailers coupling changes, as for example due to the compliance of the tow vehicles suspension.

Consequently you have to ensure the height at which the trailers coupling rests on the measurement gauge is identical to the height of the coupling when it is attached to the tow vehicle and both are loaded with people and luggage ready to set off.

You might be surprised at how much variation in the effective nose load of a caravan there can be because its COG is quite high, and the problem is exacaseated for twin axle caravans, beside of the way the suspension of the TA interacts.

As you mention you have a 100kg limit for the caravan, using a gauge that does not adjust for height, or one that has poor measurement accuracy could lead you to being over loaded.

In your case where you have a car with 150 nose load allowance, you are limited by the caravans 100kg limit. Exceeding the limit can cause the overrun braking system to malfunction, and excess wear on the coupling.

Insufficient nose load can cause the outfit to be unstable when towed.

 

[CustardAvenger]

Ste , I've got a 100 kg limit tow bar .
My front locker consists of of two gas bottles to the right where yours should be , and then to the left hand side I normally have my Waste master placed neatly then my aqua roll that fits on top with my watering can...

The 40L aquaroll will not fit in the gas locker of my 2018 Sprite... I guess the 2019 version is the same as they are identical on the outside.

 

[Ste6t9]

Ste , I've got a 100 kg limit tow bar .
My front locker consists of of two gas bottles to the right where yours should be , and then to the left hand side I normally have my Waste master placed neatly then my aqua roll that fits on top with my watering can...

The 40L aquaroll will not fit in the gas locker of my 2018 Sprite... I guess the 2019 version is the same as they are identical on the outside.

Correct plus I’m not even sure I can get the wastemaster in there because the gas bottles are fixed right in the centre of the locker

 

[Craigyoung]

Ahhh and mmm :huh: ?!
My gas bottles are to the far right hand side corner when you look at the front locker the waste master placed in flat on the bottom to the left-hand side my aqua turned up on the side and placed in that way , bringing the van back tomorrow and I will take a picture and post it .

 

[CustardAvenger]

Ahhh and mmm :huh: ?!
My gas bottles are to the far right hand side corner when you look at the front locker the waste master placed in flat on the bottom to the left-hand side my aqua turned up on the side and placed in that way , bringing the van back tomorrow and I will take a picture and post it .

The locker must have been made smaller - the gas bottles are centralised in mine too. Only have the 1 gas bottle, the other space has a bucket strapped in with the toilet chemicals in. Keep the serviced pitch items, levelling blocks and watering can in there too. Plus an emergency diesel Jerry can and a warning triangle. Van is at the dealers so can't photograph.

I think a second gas bottle would make the nose weight go well over 100KG with my current load distribution.