Picture log from epic road trip Donegal to Germany to collect Dethleff Pacific 530SK (b/w warning)

[Parksy]

As promised in original post here.....

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/new-members-say-hello/made-it-germany-and-back-my-new-dethleff-pacific-530sk
...some pictures of our epic road trip Donegal to germany to collect Dethleff Pacific 530 SK

Enjoy

 

[earlyriser]

hi donegal
unable to open any of the links.

 

[Donegal_TDI]

I don't get it.
The above format works on other forums, but not this one.
I tried putting them in one at a time but was loosing the will to live.
Maybe Parksy has a quick fix,
otherwise I will look at again tomorrow evening.

 

[Donegal_TDI]

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hotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/315580_2403118691480_1656489086_2264276_1464539410_n.jpg 71.

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75. <img src="[/img]" alt="" />

 

[Donegal_TDI]

By God I think I got it. They're slighly cropped on right side but the general story is there.
Enjoy.

 

[Surfer]

Nice caravan but i was beginning to lose the wil to live after the first 5. Wouldl have been a lot more inetresting if it had been pictures of scenery on the way there and back. Enjoy your new caravan.

 

[Parksy]

By God I think I got it. They're slighly cropped on right side but the general story is there.
Enjoy.

I'm glad that you managed to post your pictures in the end, I would have been able to help if you hadn't succeeded.
Lovely looking outfit and I hope that you will have some great times away.

 

[emmerson]

Nice pics, but what was no 74 about???

 

[Donegal_TDI]

No 74 was of a truck on the back of a lowloader being towed with another truck, presented a somewhat unusual effect.

 

[Donegal_TDI]

Nice caravan but i was beginning to lose the wil to live after the first 5. Wouldl have been a lot more inetresting if it had been pictures of scenery on the way there and back. Enjoy your new caravan.

The objective of the excercise was to present a birds eye view for the benefit of others, who could be in a position similar to the one I was in, having never driven in either countries, NL & Germany, before. Might help someone prepare for whats there. That was the intent.

 

[Sproket]

Brilliant !

Nice big tow car.....

Nice big new van ......... 2.30 mts wide

Picture 55 ??

Picture 66 ??

Car mirrors do not look to be as wide as the van ??

But where are your towing mirrors ??

Go on tell us they don't look very photogenic

Apart from that brilliant

 

[Donegal_TDI]

Following the strict letter of the law, towing mirrors probably were required. However, on my vehicle the outer inch of both mirrors is parabolic, in that it performs some trickery that more is squeezed into that inch of view. I could just about see the rear corners of the caravan in a straight ahead position. The fact that I survived over there, got no honking from other motorists, managed lane changes and reversing, means that the standard mirrors were fit for task and retrofitting towing mirrors would have been overkill in my view. The X5 is pretty wide as is with mirror tip to mirror tip coming in at about 7' 9". The Pacific 530 is 2.3m (7' 6") wide. At the dealer in Germany, 98% of his stock was 2.5m (8' 2 1/2")wide. They are fabulous inside but really not suited to the smaller roads in the UK & Irl and would require some serious detailed route planning if one were to take to the road towing such a beast.

 

[ValA.]

Was the process of buying the caravan straightforward? We've often thought about replacing our current (wrong side door, 2.3m wide) caravan with a continental van, and years ago did explore buying and bringing one back. We've not done it - but it may still be on the cards, given that some of the cheaper European vans are the sort of thing we're looking for.

 

[DerekBrad]

Great picture show! I just couldn't help grinning each time the lad appeared...either posing or feeding his face!! But always with a huge smile on his face. What an adventure for him. Well done!

Good luck with the new van and safe journeys.
Regards
Derek

 

[Donegal_TDI]

@ Val A. Same as buying at home. In my case I had to act quickly as I was after a rare model that was nearly sold out. After tracking it down, and checking out the dealer concerned, I sent them a deposit by bank transfer to hold the vehicle until I could get time to go over for it. They sent me a contract for signing, which I did, adding the caveat that the caravan would have to pass inspection by me on collection. That was 2 months ago, So on arrival it was a case of checking all the paperwork, checking the operation of every window, switch, and function, hooking it on, fit my number plate and tow it home after a brief explanation as to how everything worked as a lot of the documentation was in German. Their second hand stock was in impeccable condition although most were of the 2.5m wide variety. "Caravan Park Thrun", I would highly recommend them, if you deal with the guy I did, Andreas Fries.
Again, what took me over there was the layout of the caravan, I did search all the UK manufacturers, buy none had any as standard to suit my particular requirements.

 

[Donegal_TDI]

Great picture show! I just couldn't help grinning each time the lad appeared...either posing or feeding his face!! But always with a huge smile on his face. What an adventure for him. Well done!

Good luck with the new van and safe journeys.
Regards
Derek

Thanks Derek, he is more photogenic than I.

 

[DavidKlyne]

Some of those roads you use looked very familiar!!!
David

 

[Robtel]

Hi Donegal, glad you got your van home safely, looks good. That little fellow you had with you looks as though he takes some feeding! just about every picture of him shows him sitting with a plate of heaped food.

 

[Donegal_TDI]

Some of those roads you use looked very familiar!!!
David

From looking at your website David I see why the roads are familiar, well done on that, very informative.

 

[NigelDonnelly]

Thanks for all your effort in uploading the pics - Great looking van and an exciting adventure...

 

[DerekBrad]

I reckon that this has been the most entertaining post for a long time! Thanks to Donegal tdi and of course"the lad"
Thanks
Derek

 

[Donegal_TDI]

After watching this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWBB3s1wXkE

.....I've just fitted 2 different locking studs to each of the alloys on the caravan,
an Alko hitch lock,
which locks the hitch both on and off the vehicle.

Waiting on a wheel clamp and an extra double hard sas military standard specialist chain from a supplier in the UK
to lock one wheel to a hole in the chassis,
has an ultra hardened bolt that goes through any opening in the wheel and the chain has a soft cover to be kind to paint or galv.

Any other ideas would be welcome.
I do know the best I can do is slow them down.