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Never Towed Anything Before

S

skida

Hi! As the title suggests I am a total novice, but I have a plan. I am intending to buy an extremely cheap caravan so that I can sleep in comfort when trading at outdoor events.

I would like your advice/ridicule/warnings/urine extraction etc.

I have a smallish car: Rover 416i with a towbar. The towbar has two electrical sockets (one for lights and one to power caravan?). It states "Vertical Load 75kg" which I assume is the same as Nose Weight.

I am looking at a small caravan and have seen a lot on ebay for around £200-£300. I know they are old but I am only intending to use it at events lasting two nights and am not bothered about how clean it is - I previously slept in the back of an LDV Convoy.

Do you think it is possible to do this or am I heading for disaster?

I also don't know about insurance requirements but assume I have to have a separate policy or update my car policy.

Apart from water ingress what are the common problems with 20-30y.o. caravans?

Serious advice welcome, but I will probably laugh along at the ribald remarks and sarcasm.
 
Hi,

If you chose the right caravan you'll have little trouble.

However a 20 or 30 year old UK caravan stands a good chance of having degenerated into a damp shed on wheels. So a good inspection - particularly for damp and any mechanical bits - before you buy will be very important.

You'll probably need to replace things like tyres (about
 
Rather than looking on fleabay have you tried loking in your local adtrader, autotrader. I think you should be able to pick up a private sale for
 
Thanks for your advice chaps. I feel encouraged and ready to go looking. I do realise that an older van will require closer scrutiny. Having read your comments and a copy or two of Practical Caravan I have an idea where the problems may lie.

Thanks again.
 
If you are familiar with the Haynes manuals for car repair, they also do a version for caravans - in a generic sort of way because most things like chassis, brakes, cooker, heater, etc., are common across the industry.

Take a look in Halfords for "The Caravan Manual - 3rd Edition" about
 
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