Twin or Single Axle?

[MartinJeffes_5041014]

Excuse our ignorance , we are looking to start travelling round europe and the med in a caravan in the near future . We will be living in the caravan for 6 months at a time and originally thought that twin axle would be best . Since then a number of people have warned us off twin axles . Can anyone help us with this , what is best and why , Thank You

 

[Gavel_5041435]

We are on our 3rd T/A we toured through The Netherlands, Belgium, down to the Swiss border and never had any problems. Last year we toured in France without mishap. I think some people believe that twins are not welcome on foreign sites but that is not our experience.

All the best Martyn

 

[VIP2006]

It would appear that some French sites are turning people with 4 wheeled caravans away because they might be "travelling folk"

I am given to understand that once they are booked in they do not book out.

 

[Richard_5041394]

We have towed extensively with a T/A van on the continent. France/Switzerland/Italy, most recently last September. Never had any problems, other than some site pitches are a little on the small side so you need to be adept at manouvering skills! I do check the Caravan Club entries for all sites in advance though to make sure there isn't a 'no twin axle' rule, as there are some sites that do have this. We never book ahead, as we tour out of season, and like I say, have never encountered any problems. As long as you are a genuine leisure/touring caravanner (and look like it!), a reasonable outfit should be no trouble to you (don't tow with a commercial vehicle). It is unfortunately the 'travelling community' that are causing these problems (in all parts of Europe - inc the UK). Good luck.

Richard.

 

[BillThompson_5039934]

We have been touring for 15years with a T/A without any problems.We have visited,France, Holland, Italy, Former Yugoslavia,Austria, Spain and last winter Africa. Go for it, don't listen to to people who try to put you off. On a long tour you need space and a T/A is ideal. Please contact me if you need further info.

Bill

 

[unknown_915041]

I'm on my 3rd twin axle van and have never experienced any problems throughout France, Germany, Austria, Hungry, Italy, Croatia etc. The only point to watch out for has already been made and that is that some piches are difficult to access due to the inherrant size of caravan and towcar.

 

[hornpipe]

Call me oldfashioned but most of the above is misleading. Whether a van has twin axles or not does not indicate it's size or the status of its' occupants in any way! What twin axles DO DO is make manouevring much more difficult and damn near impossible manually. And the reason site owners don't like them is that they tear up the ground when you swing them around. They are no better to tow than a single axle, so why have double the wheels and tyres that you need?

 

[Mike_5041089]

Martin it's all a question of choice and budget. Some single axle vans are as big as some of the twins - 560's for example. We've had both, and never had any problems with getting on to Continental sites - provided the pitches are big enough. Twin axle vans tend to have a higher loading margin, and higher MTPLM's which means a bigger tug & higher fuel costs. Singles are much easier to maneouvre by hand. If you're a good reverser & can afford the extra - get a twin, if not buy a big single.