Heavy Vans Why ??

[Guest]

No problem. I worked on Beatrice for Britoil for a while, nice guys. I should have joined BNOC when it started but had this mad idea of being loyal to the big 'Cloggie' oil Company I was with. Didn't last, found the Americans paid far more cash. Now a shareholder of said 'Cloggie' Company (tiny, tiny one)

 

[Val & Frank]

Hi SL

A lot of my friends worked on Beatrice, me I was on Thistle for my sins. I know the receiving terminal for Beatrice very very well.

Val & Frank

 

[VIP2006]

Hi Frank - everybody associates Shiraz with that grand Aussie Wine. however I when I joined this and other forums used the name because it was the name of my caravan at that time. ( Compass 482 Corona )

I have since chenged the van for a Coachman VIP and have used VIP as a name on other forums.

I was at Breamar last April and enjoyed it very much. have a good time and have a wee tot of the elixar of life every evening before going to sleep.

 

[Rioja]

Hi Shiraz

I've got a Lunar, yeah I know, just add tic on the end.

Instead I chose Rioja because I drink a lot of it.

Better choice and reason don't you think ?

Unlike Scotch Lad and Frank I'm well oiled in a different field !

 

[VIP2006]

Hi Rioja - Being a lover of anything Italian I usually drink their wines. although the quality of Italian wines here leaves a lot to be desired due to them keeping the best for themselves (I think) I probably should have called myself Barola or vernaccia or maybe Lambrusco the names are endless or maybe Yorkshire Tea as I drink gallons of the stuff. Have a nice day and when the wife says your nose has a red look then it is time to go teetotal. Regards. Fred

 

[Saladdodger]

Back to the original topic about heavy caravans.

We need a heavy caravan to transport all of the gubbins that Mrs Dodger takes with us. She then has the cheek to say that it is my essentials like beer and wine that take up most space.

Will need to change the van soon when Pickfords start making touring caravans

 

[RichardS1]

Good post Frank, my opinion is you buy the van you want and ensure the car is capable for it like you have done.

Enjoy Braemar its one of our favourite sites but unfortunatly a bit to far for a weekend break.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

Hi Frank.

I am married with two children, last year we decided to treat ourselves to a caravan. We started by deciding exactly what we wanted from the van and away we went. Firstly we wanted 6 berths so the kids can bring friends, secondly we wanted end bedrooms for privacy and thirdly we wanted a decent sized shower without a curtain. We looked at single axle vans with end bunks and convertible dinettes but found that they were a bit unweildy for single axles and too much compromise was made in the toilet and kitchen areas. we switched our attention to twin axle vans (having had one before, I was comfortable with the aspect of towing one) and ended up with a list of about 6 vans. our favourite by a long way also happened to be the heaviest at 1900kg MPTLM, we bought this van because it fulfilled everything we wanted and more. I realised that buying a heavy van limited my choice of tow car but when I looked at a similar sized van which was 300kg lighter I realised that most of the extra weight is in the build quality.

So we bought and are extremely happy with our Elddis Crusader Superstorm which we tow with a Shogun 3.2 diesel 7 seat, a combination which is practical, safe and surprisingly economical given it's size.

So , nice one Frank, it's good to sit in a van which is well put together, warm, comfortable and sits beautifully when towed.

Regards

Steve

 

[Mike_5041089]

Agree with all - go for the best you can afford. However vans are getting heavier & heavier. Our fist van in '86, an Avondale Perle 5 berth was less than a ton fully loaded, but was pretty basic. In '87 we bought a new Lunar Delta 560/5 twin axle which was very light at only around 24cwt MTPLM, so could easily be towed by any large estate (Volvo 240GL estate at 27cwt) The MIRO was about 19cwt so plenty of loading margin, and it had all the toys - blinds & flyscreens to all windows, full cooker & 4 ring hob, fridge, gas blown air heating & hot water, shower & electric cassette toilet. In '93 we bought a '92 Lunar 560/5, which hadn't gained much weight whereas our new 2004 Caravelair Eden 470/2 single axle and nearly a metre shorter weighs more with an MIRO at 1140kg, and an MTPLM of 1300kg - a fairly typical weight these days for this size of van. Mind you I think it'll last a lot longer than the leaky Lunars as the bodyshell is a rigid ABS material as opposed to Bacofoil on the Lunars - one of the reasons we bought a foreign van, it just seemed better made.

 

[Donnie Ban]

I had a Motorhome, but it was a nightmare to park in towns because of its size,I had to depend on buses or taxis when we went to a campsight.

I had to make a choice between towing a car behind the motorhome or towing a caravan behind a car,so I went for a 5th wheel caravan

Donald

 

[MaureenF.]

Hi...just popped by and saw your remark about not forgetting the duvets. It made me laugh as we forgot ours the last trip out. As we were only going to be away for a couple of nights we went to Tesco's to get a cheap replacement (as we're stacked out at home already with duvets!). We spent most of the night retrieving the blessed thing off the floor as it would'nt settle around you like a natural duvet does. We were glad to go home!

 

[Oldfogey]

What the comments on this thread say to me is not that people want HEAVY vans, but that they want BIG vans - i.e. lots of room for bathrooms, kitchens, fixed beds etc. etc.

Isn't anybody building big, light vans? Surely it should be possible with modern technology such as carbon fibre - and might the extra cost not be outweighed by the saving on the towcar and fuel?

 

[ericcaravanning4u]

I decided in 1994 to buy last caravan , I wanted the caravan to be the caravan that would take me through my retirement.But most of all I wanted it to be sturdy enough to last well into my retirement .

I purchased a new 1994 Eldiss Crusader Sirocco TA and still have it now . The caravan still looks nice and I have no plans to sell it we paid around