How to buy a vintage caravan

May 7, 2008
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Unfortunately, this article doesn't even scratch the surface of buying a classic caravan. We're seeing more classic caravans being bought back to life than ever, but there's not a lot of "insider tips" out there for newcomers to the hobby. Knowing what it is and what to pay for it are important, but roadworthiness and structural rigidity are by far the most important. We always tell the members of our Retro Caravan Club the following:

1) Inspect the body shell first. Are all the windows in tact? A broken window will allow wind into the caravan as it is moved and this will cause damage to the side walls if it is moved at speed. Board any broken windows up first. Check the corners, as in some cases extremely damp caravans can part in the corners. If this has happened, it will need bracing before the caravan is moved. Make sure there's no loose trim that may drop off down the road. Generally, unless damp has turned into wood rot, it will not significantly weaken the structure enough to make the caravan unroadworthy.

2) Inspect the chassis. Generally, pre-1982 caravans don't have a galvanised chassis so they need painting regularly to ensure that they don't rot. They're most prone to rust on the A-frame as this is permanently exposed to the rain. Also check the hitch - this may need some freeing up. The handle should easily fully raise and lower without getting stuck. The jockeywheel needs to be raised high enough to give sufficient ground clearance for towing. Sometimes the clamp gets rusted solid on old cast steel hitch units with a built in clamp and the jockeywheel shaft no longer moves. So long as the jockeywheel can be raised for sufficient ground clearance, it will be okay for the purposes of getting it home. Give everything a generous coating of WD40 or 3 in 1 oil to get it all moving as it should.

3) Inspect the wheels and tyres. As a rule of thumb, always replace the tyres on an old caravan before towing unless you can clearly see a date stamp on them and they're not visibly worn/damaged. Long lay ups lead to flat spots and cracks in the sidewalls. If in any doubt, replace. Always tighten wheel nuts by hand with a cross brace. Like you would tighten a spark plug, tighten until you can't easily tighten them any more and then one quick hard turn. Torque settings vary greatly on old caravans, and using a torque wrench often leads to stretching and snapping the studs.

4) The most common cause of road accidents with older caravans is bearings that seize up as they've been allowed to dry out. Simply work the end cap off (with a large flat head screwdriver and mallet) and ensure that there is grease inside. A modern lithium or copper based grease is fine to use.

5) Don't forget the brakes. Often with old caravans that have stood a while, the brakes can stick on. Sometimes a tap on the brake drum with a hammer is enough to make the mechanism free off as the springs in the mechanisms settle in the 'on' position. You can adjust the brakes properly later (a full technical article on doing this has just been published in our Retro Caravan Club Journal if you wish to read further on this) but the main thing is that they don't stick on when you're towing it home. Remember that all pre-1975 caravans have no automatic reversing mechanism, so you need to manually stop the hitch from sliding back to disengage the brakes for reversing. The most common sort of brake disengaging device is a small upright lever just across from the jockeywheel. With the hitch compressed (slid back towards the caravan) by about an inch (you should be able to do this by hand with the handbrake on), the lever will click into place. The brakes are now disengaged but every time you pull forward, the lever will return to allow the brakes to operate - it's a failsafe mechanism. This can make reversing maneuvers a little time consuming!

6) Road lights. These rarely work on old caravans. The cause of most of the problems is the black socket that connects them to the car. These are known technically as a 12N socket. Cutting the old one off and wiring up a new one solves most problems and is really easy to do. If you can wire up a household plug socket, you're well within your capabilities to do this. The coloured wires are all numbered on the socket and are as follows: 1) Yellow, 2) Blue, 3) White, 4) Green, 5) Brown, 6) Red, 7 Middle) Black. You'll often find that indicators and brakes work on their own, but indicate and brake together or turn on the driving lights and there's a whole disco of flashing lights going on at the back of the caravan! This is just a bad earth. The earth wire is usually white and will run from the light junction box to the caravan chassis. Removing the attachment to the chassis and sanding this area of the chassis allows the wire to make good contact with the chassis and will cure the problem.

7) If in doubt, have the caravan transported home on a trailer or low loader, then you're free to do recommissioning works in your own time. Removing a caravan from a garden where it has sat for years is an art itself. There's lots of places to ask for help. The most active and up to date forum is the Retro Caravan Club Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/groups/retrocaravanclub) where technical advice from experts on old caravans is available 24/7. We're working to keep more classic caravans on the road, but as safely as possible.
 

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