Newbie saying Hi

[Philk]

Hi all.

After tenting for the last 5 years and much debating for the last year we've finally taken the plunge and brought our first caravan.

Should, all bring well pick up our 2014 Compass Corona 574 next weekend,
It should have been yesterday but slight delay due to a misbehaving Motor Moover spotted on handover.

Fairly new to Caravanning and Towing so may be calling upon your collective experteese a d knowledge

 

[Mel]

Hi. Welcome to Caravanning and to the forum. Any questions, just ask.
Mel

 

[Jcloughie]

Hi and welcome to the forum. What do you tow with?

You may like to see Angela's topic who is looking for accessories.

NEC Show: Extras and accessories for Coachman VIP 520

We have just bought a new Coachman VIP 520 and think we may need to buy extras and accessories for it. Is it a good idea to wait for the October show at the NEC or buy now? Who knew there were so many things to buy! We are not sure what we actually need now and what can wait. Excited to go...

forums.practicalcaravan.com

John

 

[otherclive]

Welcome to the Forum and enjoy your new hobby.

 

[Raywood]

Welcome to the forum. Plenty of help here if you need it.

 

[Philk]

Thanks for the warm welcom.
Towing with a Mk2 Kuga AWD.
Thanks Jcloughie, will be sure to take a look

 

[Beachball]

Hi Philk Welcome to the forum any questions you will receive a answer they are a great bunch on here

 

[Philk]

After what felt like a long week of waiting we finally picked the van up this afternoon.
A slightly tentative drive back as it was my first time towing. Everything seemed to settle down after the first few miles and the Van is now tucked up for the night in storage.
Everything felt a bit bouncy, almost like on a boat so I'm guessing the nose weight was a bit low, it and the car were completely empty, will go down with the nose weight gauge tomorrow and see what it's at.

 

[Hutch]

After what felt like a long week of waiting we finally picked the van up this afternoon.
A slightly tentative drive back as it was my first time towing. Everything seemed to settle down after the first few miles and the Van is now tucked up for the night in storage.
Everything felt a bit bouncy, almost like on a boat so I'm guessing the nose weight was a bit low, it and the car were completely empty, will go down with the nose weight gauge tomorrow and see what it's at.

Well done on getting your van safely into storage, once you have added a few of the things into the caravan and got your nose weight within 5 kg, and have another tow you will get a "feel" for the car and van together. Some roads really give a wallowy effect and motorways give the "tramline effect" on the inside lane.
Stay safe and enjoy your trips.

 

[Philk]

Our maiden voyage was a success.
Car tyres up the the correct pressure and a bit of extra weight in the van reduced bouncing quite a bit. Still got a bit of tweaking to get the weight right as struggled to get the nose weight below 105kg but sure we will get there.
Even managed to reverse onto the pitch, alrhough there were no cans either side

Back to the dealer on Friday for a few warranty bits but so far so good.

**edit for typo**

 

[otherclive]

Hi welcome to the Forum. What is the noseweight limit for your car. It’s likely that the caravan chassis has a 100kg limit, so go with the one that is the lowest of car or caravan.

 

[Philk]

95-100 is the aim for the car so not far off.
Not got a lot of stuff in the van yet so reckon as we collect more stuff we don't really need the balance will sort itself out.

 

[Dustydog]

Welcome to the Forum Philk.
You are doing well and grasping the fundamentals of tugging. Well done.
Is your Compass fitted with dampers/ shock absorbers?

 

[Philk]

Morning DustyDog.

I don't think it does have dampers fitted. I'll have a look next time I go to the van.
Do they make a big difference, and is it worth adding to a nearly 10 year old van?

 

[Dustydog]

There is quite a wide difference of opinion. Some for some against.
For me it’s a no brainer. Years ago I fitted a set to my Bailey Pageant. I noticed a big difference. All my subsequent caravans are so fitted.
Most manufacturers now fit them as standard. Ask yourself why? I say less bounce and less damage to the caravan‘s structure.

 

[otherclive]

I fitted them to my last caravan after I had to have a new axle When the offside suspension dropped. They aren’t as effective as car dampers but my decision was based on the fact any reduction in forces to the axle suspension bushes would be useful, and they aren’t expensive and are an easy DIY fit. As regards improving towing I can’t really comment as the outfit had a low ratio between kerbweight and MTPLM.

 

[Philk]

Thanks both.
Looks like I'm off down another Google black hole

 

[Hutch]

I bought a pair at the NEC show, a few days later I changed the caravan for my present one, which had them already fitted. Got a refund on them from Alko.
I would say , yes .

 

[otherclive]

Thanks both.
Looks like I'm off down another Google black hole

This thread may help, in particular #29 by Lutz

Page 2 - Another trip - another breakage

Page 2 - Passionate about caravans & motorhome? Join our community to share that passion with a global audience!

forums.practicalcaravan.com

 

[Caravan newbie]

Hi all.

After tenting for the last 5 years and much debating for the last year we've finally taken the plunge and brought our first caravan.

Should, all bring well pick up our 2014 Compass Corona 574 next weekend,
It should have been yesterday but slight delay due to a misbehaving Motor Moover spotted on handover.

Fairly new to Caravanning and Towing so may be calling upon your collective experteese a d knowledge

Hi Phil,

We are also new to caravanning and collect our caravan in October, but from Spain. My mother is selling hers to us for a really good price so it was difficult to say no. Plus it will be the start of some pretty good adventures, along with some stress I'm sure. I have found these forums extremely helpful and everyone is happy to give advice and point you in the right direction. Good luck with your adventure

 

[Philk]

Well. Taking a lot of advice, I spent some time getting the nose weight spot on at 95KG, pumped the car tyres up plus got a load of weight into the car and what a difference it made. 275 miles today and it felt like a different outfit, no wallowing or sea sick wife.
Thanks for the advice and tips

 

[otherclive]

Glad it’s now been sorted and you are happy with the outfits towing capabilities