"steady ties"

[john_5040735]

many years ago I purchased a set of these superb accessories from a company called Airmuscle. i would like to replace them with a new set but cannot find any trace of the company. can anyone help! does anyone know of the whereabouts of this company or any other company producing a similar product?

in case your wondering what I'm babling on about this piece of kit consisted of two lengths of wire with adjuster/tighteners which you attached diagonally across the rear corner steadies. when tightened they made the rear of the van much more stable when pitched.

Now, can anyone help

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I wonder if you would get the same effect using ratchet tie downs at

 

[RogerL_5041474]

Ratchet tie downs seems a good idea. They'll deterioate quicker in bad weather than the original wire type but at that price they could be replaced every season.

 

[RayS]

You can get galvanized tensions for use with fencing wire - each has one right hand and one left hand thread - and could easlity shackle to lengths of stranded cable so the whole thing would roll up quite small.

I had thought about these things, having a long single axle van with considerable rear overhang - perhaps they would increase the stablity on site ?

Any experience good or bad ? Thanks.

 

[MickC1]

John, were these ties very effective? We have a problem with the whole caravan shaking whenever the kids in the rear bunks make any movement. I've often wondered about trying these ties as I remember seeing them advertised years ago, but now like you can find them again. Thanks.

 

[chris_5068897]

After seeing the original post, it got me wondering why the caravan moves about with the steadies down. I found that, with the legs braced at about 45 degrees, the top of the leg is just about dead centre on the threaded part of the winder bar. This bar is about 60cms long, and simply flexes under even a moderate tug on the body handle. Curiously, where the threaded bar passes through the top of the steady, there is a metal pad on it, as though to spread any load on it from the floor-except that there is perhaps a 5mm clearance. Its as though the designer of the steady intended the pad at the top of the leg to slide on perhaps a metal plate on the floor and remove this very problem?

 

[john_5040735]

John, were these ties very effective? We have a problem with the whole caravan shaking whenever the kids in the rear bunks make any movement. I've often wondered about trying these ties as I remember seeing them advertised years ago, but now like you can find them again. Thanks.

mick, this device increases stabilty superbly and, having used them since 1996 cannot recommend them too highly. Only problem is I cannot locate the company - Airmuscle - that supplied me. Hence the reason for this post and request for assistance.

If I locate them I will post details on this forum.

 

[Lutz]

I've found the following address:

Airmuscle Ltd

12 Orchard Close

Cranfield

Bedfordshire

MK43 0HX

Tel.: 01234 750791

Fax.: 01234 750451

Hope that helps you a bit.

 

[Lutz]

I've found the following address:

Airmuscle Ltd

12 Orchard Close

Cranfield

Bedfordshire

MK43 0HX

Tel.: 01234 750791

Fax.: 01234 750451

Hope that helps you a bit.

Looks like Airmuscle doesn't exist any more, at least not at the address given above. I couldn't find them in any current directory.

 

[MickC1]

mick, this device increases stabilty superbly and, having used them since 1996 cannot recommend them too highly. Only problem is I cannot locate the company - Airmuscle - that supplied me. Hence the reason for this post and request for assistance.

If I locate them I will post details on this forum.

Thanks for your feedback John.

 

[Lutz]

I recently saw a caravan with some 'home made' steady ties. They were made from 'U'-shaped angle iron with a chain attached to one end. The angle iron was placed under the foot of the steady and held in place there by winding the steady down on to it. The free end of the chain was hooked into a suitable hole at the top of the steady. By keeping the chain at about 45

 

[Dusty1]

I've found the following address:

Airmuscle Ltd

12 Orchard Close

Cranfield

Bedfordshire

MK43 0HX

Tel.: 01234 750791

Fax.: 01234 750451

Hope that helps you a bit.

Air Muscle Ltd were dissolved in September 2003.

 

[chris_5068897]

I recently saw a caravan with some 'home made' steady ties. They were made from 'U'-shaped angle iron with a chain attached to one end. The angle iron was placed under the foot of the steady and held in place there by winding the steady down on to it. The free end of the chain was hooked into a suitable hole at the top of the steady. By keeping the chain at about 45

 

[Lutz]

I recently saw a caravan with some 'home made' steady ties. They were made from 'U'-shaped angle iron with a chain attached to one end. The angle iron was placed under the foot of the steady and held in place there by winding the steady down on to it. The free end of the chain was hooked into a suitable hole at the top of the steady. By keeping the chain at about 45

 

[chris_5068897]

Lutz

As I described in my earlier post, when a van moves relative to the steadies, it does so by bending the ends of the winder bar on one side down (and the other side up), since the centre of the bar has its height fixed by the leg. I can't see that tying the top of one leg to the bottom of the other would have any significant effect. I imgaine the solution is to tie the end of each winder vertically to its own steady in some way, thus fixing the van relative to the ground

 

[Lutz]

The device in question was set up crosswise not lengthwise, the purpose being to prevent the caravan from being shaken sideways as the steadies have little stiffness in that direction.

I can't say much more about this 'invention' because I didn't go inside the 'van to try it out.