HI NEWBIE HERE

[susanswift]

Newbie here, I just joined the caravan forum after
purchasing the mag today.

I was a motorhome person but Monday I sold it, Tuesday bought
caravan, swift, and weds bought new car.

I currently have caravan in dealers, car in dealers and no
towbar so I wont be going anywhere for a while.

I have made up a list of things I think I need and would
appreciate some advice (all advice gratefully received

My list is :-

Wheel Lock – don’t know which one

Hitch lock - don’t know
which one

Step – for disabled person, what evers easy to get in and
out

Water containers – a fesh one and wastey one

Mains hook up (how long?)

Gas bottles?

Towing mirrors?

An awning don’t need a big one and can you get ones that are
fixed to caravan? I need like a porch that can fit two chairs and a table. We
have helped put up awnings for people but they`re hard work and we`d come to
blows.

I`ve only ever seen a caravan being set up through a window
so any advice would be fantastic

Sorry for all the questions can you tell I`m panicking. I
can tow and have driven 7.5t lorries with trailers and cars on the back so that
bit doesn’t worry me.

Thank you ever so much for any advice and I`ll be trawling
this site as I cant go anywhere for a while

 

[Gagakev]

Hi Susan, can we call you sue?
Wheel Lock – don’t know which one There are many types on the market, but check first if your van has the facility of the built in Alko system. If you go for the other type which fits over the wheel make sure the motor mover (if fitted) does not intefere with it.
Hitch lock - don’t know which one Do you have the Alko type Hitch?
Step – for disabled person, what evers easy to get in andout out, Sorry cant help with that one

Water containers – a fesh one and wastey one The most popular are the Waste hog version's but there are cheaper alternatives availible
Mains hook up (how long?) Think the standard one is 25m long, do you have aFocus near youi they are closing down and I saw some in our local branch with 30% off
Gas bottles? Again this may depend on which type the previous one's were (Different Fittings) Two types Butane (Blue) and propane (Red)

Towing mirrors? Again many types availible but I use pyrimid ones same as Milenco but cheaper

Think you need to do a bit of research, say on ebay and also pop down to your local dealers and choose a couple of each of the items then come back and the folks on here will give you there honest opinions. also go to the accessory section on here and all the answer's will jump at you, Good luck and welcome.

 

[forestgump]

hi just go to halfords and get a book by john wickersam (haynes manuals) caravan manual.

 

[craigstaiano]

Welcome to the club! Sure you'll find caravaning great fun.

Your local caravan dealer accessory shop should sell everything you need and give you the advice. Or if you know what you need buy online.

My personal tips are - wheel lock - make sure its easy to fit and Approved Insuresafe. Hitch lock you need one that matches your hitch be it alko or winterhoff. your dealer can advise.

Water containers i'd go with the pyramid water and waste hog. they are slightly cheaper that water and waste masters and hold more. there are loads of double steps about so thats easy.

You should have a mains cable in your van. when we PX'd our first van he asked us to leave the cable in. you need a 25m one as some sites a 15m might not reach. Pester your dealer

Towing mirrors. Try Milenco with the screwon attachments. avoid the ones with rubber straps. they are s***!

Gas i use propane (orange bottles) if first time buying you will need to buy the bottle as well as the gas then just exchange in future for refils. if van has a regular fitted in nose box thats ok otherwise if slightly older van you'll need to buy one. make sure you get the one to match the bottle.

Awning. well we're in the process of switching as we fell out of favour with ours. but sure lots of other people can advise

Have loads of fun

Craig

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Hi Susan,
Kevin has given you some good tips in his reply, Forest Grumpy has given you Haynes manual I suggest you forget that all good advise will be given to you here and we are such a friendly bunch you will find its quite easy to learn things with us
There is a wealth of knowledge that will come forward.
Quite important thing to remember is a teapot always a good idea when you arrive on site first job get the kettle on.
I too am like Kevin and wont fill you head full of things that wont matter until you get your van and an important thing here is no matter how silly you think a question may be....... ask as only the answers may be silly.
I wish you luck and welcome to this wonderful world of cravanning
Sir Roger

 

[Gagakev]

Now come on Sir Rog, you cant be serious a TEAPOT, lets get Sue on the right track, its a cork screw and bottle opener

 

[craigstaiano]

oh yeah that too. most important hehe

 

[SirRogerFFS]

OH .OK then Corkscrew and Bottle opener,but I do enjoy my cuppa when we get on site thats of course after Ive sat down watched her indoors level the Van up , put the awning up fill the toilet flush tank etc and of course the cassette and then that cuppa.
Toodle Pip
Sir Roger

 

[Parksy]

Hi Susan, welcome to the Practical Caravan forum and congratulations on buying your Swift tourer.
As mentioned earlier there is an ehu lead supplied with every new caravan but no leisure battery so you will need to buy one.
Often it's possible to negotiate the inclusion of a 'starter pack' when you buy a caravan which includes water and waste containers but if you have already completed the deal it may be too late to do this. There's no harm in asking though, you might also try asking for a discount, say 10% on purchases of accessories from the dealership and remember, if you don't ask you don't get.
The step depends on the degree of disability, I would recommend that you buy a double step with rubber treads (rather than aluminium treads which can become slippery when wet) something similar to This
I'm sure that you will have many questions to ask, it's best to post them in the General section of the forum where they will be seen by the most members who will be happy to offer tips and advice.
I hope that you will have some great times in your caravan and that you will enjoy using this forum

 

[susanswift]

Thanks everyone for such a warm welcome. I have made a note of all your comments and have now got a big A4 file for all my notes..

It was so nice of you to answer so quickly and I don’t mind being called anything.
I will post any new questions onto the main forum and will start reading up other posts to answer some.
Thanks again and I look forward to many days trawling the site, learning and posting

Take care
Everyone

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Susan.
A nosey question where are you in this big wide wonderful world.
I am only being nosey as sometimes I have the odd bit of kit I have doubled up on and always loking for a good home.
Sir Roger.

 

[susanswift]

Hi Sir Roger, you`re ok, I live near Huddersfield in west yorks.

I have found another question, I need to get a porch awning. A small , easy to put up one, save coming to blows…lol

A one person one preferably

Thank you

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Ok Susan Not knowing your Budget so at this point I would recommend one of the Kampa porch awning s,I believe the 260 would be ideal , there are a couple of us on here that have bought them purely because of ease to erect and quality,
I do believe GagaKev now has his and of course our dear friend Lord Braykewynde is a big fan of the Kampa
I hope this helps .
Sir Roger.
.

 

[erica11]

hello, i have on my outside of our caravan one of those plastic stick on handles , the type you can use in a bathroom etc. they sell in certain shops for abt 2. 99. I stick mine on when we reach our destination and our setting up on pitch. It helps me greatly, in fact i have one just inside the caravan door, one in the shower compartment and the one outside the caravan. They definately work , give them a good push on and they are safe as houses. Thought this maybe of some help as i read u asked for a disabled step. Not got one of them but the stick on handle on the caravan door is smashing.e this helps. Good luck with your caravanning as well.

 

[Beachball]

Hi susan welcome to the practical caravan forum we have something in common i am disabled for a step outside van i brought a Milenco original aluminium double step and a handle that you fix on outside of van . We also brought a Alko Stabilisers 3004 triple pack if you want more help have a look at this online ( Riverway Leisure they have everything you need for setting up and there is a sale on.)

 

[loadsadogs]

Hi Sue

Our last caravan was stolen, despite top-of-the-range locks, so we're going for the ALKO wheel lock this time. There has to be a 'receiver plate' already fitted to accept the lock, and the lock itself is 200 quids worth, but the caravan engineer tells us that even they can't remove it without the special key, and if you lose that, you can't get a new one cut without a secret code from the manufacturer. Added to which, it gets us a decent discount on our insurance.

If there is no receiver plate fitted, I think there are other similar locks for alloy wheels, which are not only good at stopping theft, but cover the wheel nuts, so that the wheel can't be removed. Made by Pyramid? It might be worth a phone call to your insurers to see which security devices they will give you a discount for.

Still on the subject of security, think carefully before using an alarm, because they take power from the battery, which is OK for a short holiday, but no good if your 'van is stored away from home. We had an alarm fitted as standard and accordingly got a discount from the insurers, only to find it stopped working after quite a short while. Insurance was void without the alarm running, so we had to pay another £30 to keep the 'van covered. Trackers also run the battery down, I believe.

Gas bottles can be heavy or lightweight. We've now got the light ones and I think they have a gauge on the top to tell you how much gas is left, which is quite handy.

You mentioned you'd only seen a caravan being set up through the window. Trust me, that is the best way. If you were within range of us setting up, you would hear some very heated exchanges ) Whatever it is that people need after a long drive, it most definitely is not having to get a caravan set up, all that jiggling about with levels, clamps, water etc etc etc, just at a time when you're probably on the verge or divorce anyway. No, Kev's right, forget the tea, go straight for the alcohol as soon as you can after arrival. In fact, do yourself a favour, start on the wine *before* you arrive. Get a head start. For all the moaning my husband does about my packing, he never suggests leaving the bottles behind and we never go anywhere without enough wine for at least the first three days. It makes everything sooo much easier.

Good luck with the new outfit and hope all goes well for you.

Jenny

 

[susanswift]

Hi everyone, thanks for your warm replies and good wishes.

Sorry but I have a couple of more Q`s

I read what beachball said about a triple alko thingy, I`m not very techie I know. I went to see my caravan today and it has the big bit of the triple pack on it. So what are the other two bits , do I need those?

Also when posting can I post anywhere on the forum or have I got to use a particular bit?

Sorry guys and gals as well, but I don’t drink as the medical issues are abit strange at the moment….teas good though…lol

The handles sound good too, so I`ll be checking those out and the kampa awning. Glad I joined here or i`d be off buying things I don’t need.

Thank you

 

[Parksy]

Hi Susan
The best thing to do before rushing out and buying stuff may be to use your caravan a few times. It's advisable (but not compulsory) to invest in an insurance policy for your caravan so wait and find out what security equipment is required to satisfy the policy conditions.
General caravanning questions are best posted in the General section of the forum where they will be seen by most members who can then offer a wider range of advice.
Never apologise for asking questions, we all have to start somewhere and the only silly question is the one that you should have asked - but didn't.