single or twin axle?

[AnnKeith]

we hope to upgrade our old lunar meteor van in the next few weeks. however i would like advice regrading if best to stay with single axle or go for twin axle.

people have told me it's harder to manouver twin axle but safer to tow than single axle.

we have a trooper as tow car; so weight is not too much of a problem.

also do some sites not allow twin axles on site?

thanks for reading we've only been caravaning 18 months but love it.

ann , keith and 2 nutty springer spaniels.

 

[jamie_374554552]

go for twin we just bought ours well haveing it saturday we also got to nutty spaniels ass well that why we wen to twin wheeler .........

 

[Martin24]

just changed to a twin axle and am gradually adjusting to the slower reactions reversing and using the motor mover, that to one side, and have only had it since easter and only been out in it 4 times, but it does tow nicely and feel more stable. I would say that you do feel some bumps and ruts more with two axles riding them as opposed to one. All in all though very happy with the change to twin and the extra couple of feet we've gained.

 

[AnnKeith]

go for twin we just bought ours well haveing it saturday we also got to nutty spaniels ass well that why we wen to twin wheeler .........

are twins safer to tow? what make of van are you collecting?

why i ask about twin or single i went to local dealer and was looking at a twin when sales man asked my husband what he towed with? he said he didn't drive that it would be me towing the van. sales man said i shouldn't look at a twin as i would never be able to handle towing of a twin. he then lost intrest in selling us anything once he found out it was me he would be dealing with.

so with this i got in car and drove away!!

my 2 spaniels are 11 & 10 but are still young at heart.

ann

 

[jamie_374554552]

just changed to a twin axle and am gradually adjusting to the slower reactions reversing and using the motor mover, that to one side, and have only had it since easter and only been out in it 4 times, but it does tow nicely and feel more stable. I would say that you do feel some bumps and ruts more with two axles riding them as opposed to one. All in all though very happy with the change to twin and the extra couple of feet we've gained.

what mover have u got single or twin

 

[AnnKeith]

thanks for comments jamie & martin.

think i'll have another look at twins.

ann

 

[Parksy]

We have a twin axle Abbey which we bought from new two and a half years ago. It's heavier than a caravan with a single axle so the towcar uses more fuel and in terms of stability it's no more and no less stable than a properly loaded caravan on a single axle.

After a few tows you don't really notice much difference, reversing is easy enough although it helps to have the o/h keeping a look out behind when reversing just to be on the safe side. You have to bear in mind that the back of the caravan can swing wide when turning, care needs to be taken in traffic where there is more than one lane such as at busy traffic islands.

Servicing is more expensive on a t/a caravan.

I wouldn't fancy trying to manoeuvre our t/a by hand, its possible to move the hitch across a couple of inches by hand to get it to line up and I always reverse our caravan using the towcar so I save on the added weight of a motor mover.

Some continental t/a caravans are excluded from some sites but as far as I know most sites are happy to accommodate t/a caravans.I use a lot of certified sites so I always mention that the caravan is a t/a when I contact the site mainly to make sure that there are no really tight entrances. I think that Haven holiday parks might levy an extra charge for longer caravans but I don't use Haven sites anyway.

The advantages of having a t/a caravan outweigh any disadvantages as far as we are concerned, we like plenty of room to stretch out and move around. We once owned a Lunar Meteorite which we loved and we had many happy times in it but the after the sheer luxury of a fixed bed and roomy end washroom with a large separate shower I'd never revert back.

 

[Lutz]

I would go along with what Parksy has said other than to add that single axle caravans can be just as big and as heavy as twins. My single axle is an 1800kg with a total length of a fraction under 26' and that's bigger than many a twin.

 

[Zafiral]

We nearly got a twin axle when we changed this time, but one downside is levelling a t/a is more difficult than a s/a.

Our insurance also insisted on more security for a t/a presumably because they are a greater theft risk.

To get a mover for the new van would be

 

[Parksy]

We have no difficulty in levelling our t/a caravan. After we've chosen a pitch, (often on a rally field) I park where I intend to pitch and leave the caravan hitched up. We then check for side to side level, place our levelling ramps just at the side of the wheels we want to raise at the correct distance apart and I reverse the unit for a few feet.

We then slide the ramps across so that they are in line with the caravans intended track and I drive forward.

I let the front axle continue over the rearmost ramp and when it starts to climb the front ramp the rear axle climbs the rear ramp by approximately the same amount. Herself raises her hand to signal when the caravan is level, handbrake on and unhitch and that's it - seemples!

Our caravan is fitted with an alarm and a Phantom tracker and our caravan insurance with the C&CC is less expensive for the t/a than it was for the s/a. As long as the wheel clamps and hitchlock are on when the caravan is unattended I'm covered.

 

[thursdays child]

We changed to a t/a last year because of the layout it had.If the same set up had been available in s/a then that would have been fine.On the whole there is more "usable" space in t/a models but it is all down to personal preference.Good luck with your search and just bear in mind what it is you want/need most.

Thursdays Child

 

[Zafiral]

Parksy, perhaps I gave in too easily as it was the other half who was the one with the real doubts over the t/a. Would the leveling method you use work if you have a mover installed on the front axle? We also use an axle lock just to compicate things. My reversing is not tip top (also to reduce dmf wear) so most parking is at least finished off with the mover.

Re the insurance, the Olympus didn't have a std tracker and they insisted it did.

My doubt is that a t/a restricts any future car choice and with cars getting lighter, finding an affordable suitable towcar in 5 years or so could be difficult. This point may restrict the resale of a t/a as a higher percentage of towers fall into the post 1997 licence restrictions.

 

[Parksy]

You're right about the t/a restricting the choice of a towcar Zafiral. I've never had a motor mover so I'm afraid that I have no idea whether the mm would be powerful enough to drive the front axle over the ramp or not.

I've noticed recently that many caravanners who buy new seem to be opting for the fixed bed / end washroom / single axle layout rather than buying a t/a so weight and fuel costs are definitely a consideration nowadays.

 

[AnnKeith]

thanks everyone for your comments. we will have to think long and hard on which to choose.

my reversing skills are nil when towing but solo i can do it with eyes shut so to speak, will get my self booked on course; any one in sheffield area feel free to give me a call and show me how its done hehe.

thanks again

ann & keith

 

[Zafiral]

Parksy, I am concerned that the mover would catch on the ramp if I try to drive (using the mover) that the mover mechanism would catch on the ramp. We currently reverse onto the ramp.

Re layout, we have gone for the fixed bed, but with the corner rather than end washroom. The van has the same footprint as the end washroom version so we get a similar size lounge to the t/a Pegasus. We hope the washroom is not too much of a compromise as the awkward side washroom in out Pageant 6 birth is the main reason we are changing it when it is only 14 months old.

We have had some strange looks checking the shower so extensively for size (clothed & without water of course) in dealers.

Only 9 days to go until collection

 

[Parksy]

As long as your brakes hold after reversing over the ramp it's probably the best way, certainly less faffing around lol.

We had to make sure that our caravan had a good shower because Herself is so tiny! At four feet ten inches tall she sometimes has difficulty reaching the taps in campsite shower blocks so she prefers to use the caravan facilities. Since last year we've taken up rallying so the shower is fine for me as well.

We checked the bed before we bought our caravan, fully clothed of course!

Enjoy your new Pegasus, we are starting to see them regularly on rally fields now where they stand out from the crowd with their 'black noses'.

 

[Zafiral]

Thanks Parksy

I keep thinking about rallying, but the thought of being the only newbie when everyone else knows everyone else is a dampener.

Do you rally with the C&C club?

 

[Parksy]

I rally with the C&CC either with the Birmingham DA who are a very friendly and welcoming bunch or with the West Midlands DA who normally attract quite a large following at their rallies so there are always some there who don't know everybody else but they are always made to feel welcome and included.

I know what you mean about being the newbie Zafiral, many of the regular rally goers know each other which can seem a bit daunting at first but if you carry on going you will soon get to know other ralliers and before you know it you will have made friends and get to know peoples names etc.

This weekend we're going to the intriguingly named 'inflatable weekend', I wondered if had to take one of those plastic dolls along but apparently it's for the children to play on bouncy castles lol.

We don't have small children but there's entertainment laid on in the marquee for the adults on Friday and Saturday night and the rally site is close by the river Severn so the scenery should be ok.

We don't go in for the welly wanging and egg & spoon race type of rally and the thought of that had put us off for years but it turns out we had completely the wrong idea. There are occasional golf and fishing weekends but there is also a massive 60s weekend with people from all over who attend. The 60s weekend has really first class entertainers and most of the rallies that we attend have something for the grown ups.

Why not give it a try? Even if you don't actually know anybody the people there are not unfriendly and you will be able to use your new caravan to the maximum for not much money.

 

[Martin24]

what mover have u got single or twin

Twin

 

[Zafiral]

Parksy, I am going to suggest it to the OH over the weekend as I have just looked on the East Essex DA site and it looks good (I know we live in Kent, but as we store in Essex it is silly to drag the van over the dartford crossing unnecessarily.)

Thanks for the advice.

 

[AnnKeith]

well just to let you all now we've gone for an elddis odyssey 550 2008 with single axle it had a motor mover fitted.

we pick it up on tue morning then off to yarmouth for 5 nights.

thanks to you all for your comments we found them very helpful.

Ann

 

[Zafiral]

Congratulations on your new van. We pick up our new Pegasus 524 tomorrow & I can't wait.

 

[Parksy]

Congratulations on the new caravans and I hope that both sets of owners have many happy times away in their respective caravans.

I hope that you persuade your o/h to try the rallies Zafiral, we had a great time last weekend even though the weather was not brilliant.

We're off once again on a rally later today to a site in the Vale of Evesham,

 

[Soozeeg]

Congratulations on the new caravans and I hope that both sets of owners have many happy times away in their respective caravans.

I hope that you persuade your o/h to try the rallies Zafiral, we had a great time last weekend even though the weather was not brilliant.

We're off once again on a rally later today to a site in the Vale of Evesham,

 

[Zafiral]

Parksy, I am confident about the rallies, the OH was impressed and willing to give it a go.

I'll report back when we have been.