What do you keep in your front locker?

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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Often when I'm on a site I'm amazed at the amount of stuff that is carried in the front gas locker of caravans.
I must admit that I've been guilty of overloading my front locker in the past but I had a really good clear out, swept out the dust that had gathered on the locker floor and now I keep:

2 x lpg 7kg propane bottles, it's very rare for both of these to be full.

My waste hog after it's been emptied and cleaned, I think that most of the dust on the locker floor came from dried mud on the wheels so I give them a good clean every time before storing the waste hog now.

2 x plastic Milenco levelling ramps

1 x red bucket which doubles as a fire bucket for rallies. Inside the bucket I store the small plastic wheel chocks which go with the ramps, small blocks of wood for under the corner steadies, a toilet fluid container and some J cloths and lemon wipes.

I took out:
4 X bricks for the jockey wheel and corner steadies for use on on sloping rally fields
1 x steady winder, I hadn't realised that the front of the locker has a large air gap which the winder could have fallen through.
1 x noseweight gauge
4 x large blocks of wood

Apart from the gas bottles the items now kept inside the front locker are lightweight and they do not block any gas escape holes but it's surprising how easy it is for items to build up until it's difficult to get into the locker which is why I strictly limit whatever gets put in there now.

What do members keep in theirs?
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Aug 4, 2004
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Two gas bottles, 2 x fold up chairs (the cheap budget foldup canvas one), a small BBQ, charcoal, some blocks of wood, a door mat and levellers. Doubt if we could fit a waste master in front even though we would like to do so.
 
Aug 4, 2005
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Don't keep an awful lot in front locker now, due in the main to the fact that the Unicorn range ( Pegasus also?) has a small front locker compared to my previous Senator. I used to get the wastemaster fitted in there, now however it is 2 x Calorlite cylinder, 1 plastic bucket (fits upside down over gas cylinder) polybag with some wood blocks for under the steadies and that is about it. Steady winder lives there when on site, generally goes in car boot when towing.
I do remember being quite shocked on site one day to see the person next to me opening up his front locker just as I was passing by, I don't think he could have fitted another single thing in there no matter how small it was. Granted a lot of the stuff looked lightweight and he may well have checked his noseweight but it looked absolutely jampacked solid.
The idea of emptying out the locker and getting rid of unnecessary gear is good practice. My local dealership who do my annual service ask that all gear is emptied from the caravan before it goes in, I use this as an opportunity to clear out all the unused/unwanted stuff from throughout the caravan. Might just be me but the amount of things that get collected from one year till the next can be surprising, a case of "better keep that it might come in handy sometime" but never does.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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I keep the Calor Light Propane gas bottle or 2 Camping Gaz if going to France
A set of Fiamma plastic levelling lego lookalike blocks
2 aquarolls for fresh and waste water but one handle
Plastic bucket and plastic watering can
Plastic wheel wedges/chocks
Wooden duckboard
Any small items in plastic containers so that they don't end up on the motorway
 
Jan 5, 2011
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I keep:
2 calor light
6 blocks of wood (tanterlized because they are lighter)
Pink and Blue loo chemicals
waste pipe and mains water connector for serice pitches
box of latex gloves
Cordless drill for steadies
Nose weight guage
12 volt tyre inflator
Mover engage brace
 
Jul 21, 2009
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4 leveling ramps
Long waste hose for service pitch
Short waste hose (Y shape) for waste hog
6 wooden blocks for steadies on uneven ground
EHU cables (2 different lengths)
Lightweight folding trolley for the full toilet
5 aluminium chequer plates (9 by 9) for the steadies & jockey wheel
Loo chemicals ,pink & blue
Having an Avondale the gas locker is over the axle, therefore no nose weight problem
 
Dec 14, 2006
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1 gas bottle
1 clothes drier
1 waste container (small, not waste hog size)
2 sloped levelling ramps
4 pieces of wood x 3in thick
4 pieces of wood x 1in thick
1 sweeping brush
1 x rubber doormat for the outside
1 x fibre doormat for the top of the rubber doormat
 
Aug 14, 2006
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I must be one of the worst offenders of over loading the front locker. I have 2x7kg gas bottles 2x wheel clamps 4x wooden blocks 1x leveler ramp 1x watering can 1x water hose 2x security chains and padlocks 2x mains cables waste hoses and fittings tv aerial mast and bracket and a toolbag. I really must clear stuff out.
 
May 21, 2008
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I keep a 7kg butane bottle and a 11kg propane bottle.
A nylon sceenic portch awning (7kgs incl pegs)
Inner tent for the Inaca full awning. (5kgs)
two orange ramps
nose weight guage
two puffa jackets to lag the water barrels.
Car battery/starter charger (4kgs)
Lastly a can of de-icer
The Full awning and poles goes in the roof box on the car. Waste masters (x2) and 2 barrels inside the car on the back seat which is covered in a plastic tarp.

The van is loaded with 3 100 litre storage boxes for food and cooking regailia. These are positioned over the axle area and moved to achieve 75 Kg hitch weight.

As a fulltimer, I have to move a lot more stuff than those of you who do 4 day breaks or weeks away. But I have to be very mindfull of how much weight we have inside the van.
 
Jun 20, 2005
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2x 7kg propane gas cylinders
1 x wastemaster in a cover
2x handles for Aquarolls. Don't ask why I take 2 . Never thought about it before!
Large assortment of steel and plastic pegs for awning.
Noseweight guage
5 x 6"x6" x 1" wooden blocks for steadies and nose wheel
4 x 4"x 36" x 1" wooden boards for levelling.
1 x steady winder
I x mallet
1 x claw hammer
2 x storm lashings with large steel pegs
2 x knee pads
1 x hitch cover
1x hitch lock
1x 12' x 12' lightweight plastic ground sheet

I keep the noseweight just above 100kgs + or - 5.
 

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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Parksy said:
2 x lpg 7kg propane bottles, it's very rare for both of these to be full.

My waste hog after it's been emptied and cleaned, I think that most of the dust on the locker floor came from dried mud on the wheels so I give them a good clean every time before storing the waste hog now.

2 x plastic Milenco levelling ramps

1 x red bucket which doubles as a fire bucket for rallies. Inside the bucket I store the small plastic wheel chocks which go with the ramps, small blocks of wood for under the corner steadies, a toilet fluid container and some J cloths and lemon wipes.
I almost forgot, I keep my Aquaroll handle in the locker at the back. I manage to fit the waste hog in by taking out the left hand lpg bottle, sliding in the waste hog and replacing the bottle.
I try to keep my nose weight at between 90 - 100 kgs for a stable tow with no dramas when being passed by large vehicles on motorways.
 
Jun 20, 2008
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Hi front locker certainly needs a good clean out.

2 x 6kg calor lites plus spanner
2 x levelling ramps as its a t/a
4 blocks of tanalised wood for the legs
Leg winder
aqua roll handle
waste water Y connection tubes
extension waste hose for super pitch
Aqua roll hose and connections for when on a super pitch
fiber flag pole thanks to the nec show and assorted flags or flying thingies
Solar lights assorted
two kids fishing nets and beach / crab buckets / lightweight football for the sports field
mop
clothes airer tripod thing
One chem duel toilet fluid
and nose weight gage to ensure this lot doesnt tip me over the edge lol.

cheers
John
 
Nov 11, 2009
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two 7kg (10kg full) propane bottles if on long tour say 4 weeks in France. Normally one bottle full and other running down. Two plastic ramps, Bulldog wheelclamp (11kg) and two leg extenders (5kg). Sometimes to get noseweight to 85-90kg the electric cable goes in too. Aquaroll. grey water container sit in van. I am often amazed at just how much some people carry in the fronnt locker and also within the van. Most of our heavy stuff goes in the car.
 

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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We used to carry all sorts of stuff that we didn't need inside the front locker and also inside the caravan.
Because we do a fair bit of rallying these days and we are only away for 3 or 4 nights I had a cull and took away a car load of items that we can do without.
The trouble is that most of them have ended up in my garden shed
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May 21, 2008
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You can just see it can't you
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500 caravnners all turfing out the excess junk this weekend.
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Until we started fulltiming, we didn't pay much attention to how much we stuffed in the locker, but when you have a sort out and end up with 30kgs of un-necessary junk, it reminds you just how many tinnies you could of got in the van before it was over weight
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.

I love the end of season weekend on our site. the stuff folks throw out is amazing. I put on my "skip rat" costume (old clothes) and go surfing around the skip. I have 2 full sets of steel wind break poles, bbq, 6 person steel & glass table with chairs (£200 from DIY). Not a bad day surfin and I didn't even get wet.

Sheds
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what can I say. Women have hand bags us men have sheds
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. I've got 2
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, can't find anything in them but the bits are there somewhere
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Jul 13, 2010
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I am nose heavy so all I have when travelling is

Aqua roll
Plastic waste + pipes
Plastic watering can

All the rest is in the car, which invariably gets put in the front locker when we get there. I get less bounce this way.

But I have seen them packed solid.
 
Apr 7, 2008
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1 x 13kg Calor gas bottle ( weighs about the same as two old 6kg cylinders, but cheaper to re-fill )

Pair of levelling ramps with wheel chocks.
Aquaroll with handle & pipe to fill it.
The ( waste water carrier is slung underneath on its own frame behind the spare wheel )
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Winding handle for the steadies in case I forget my drill.
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4 x 6"x6"x2" pieces of wood for under the steadies.
Draught skirt for the awning.
& if we are using a full service pitch,
We have a bag with the fresh water hose in & another with the drain hose in ( very little weight in both )
Good job the spare wheel is underneath the van.
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Dec 7, 2010
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1 x 7kg calor light propane bottle. (A 13kg propane bottle goes in car boot, upright and strapped secure.)
Waste water hog.
Watering can, to fill toilet flush.
1 Aquarole handle, 1 water hog handle.
Fire bucket with 6 small wooden blocks in for legs, gas spanner, waste pipe, screwing thing with leads, for dogs.
2 plastic wheel chocks.
Bottle of black streak remover.
Toilet + rinse fluid.
Nosewieght gauge.
Corner steady handle.
Hitch cover.
Plastic wheel levelling ramp.
1 metal axle stand.
Small plastic orange cone. (Pegs down over the storm strap metal peg, stops you catching your toes on it, also acts as a marker when reversing van back into storage)
With careful loading inside and under fixed bed, get a 75kg noseweight.
 
Nov 1, 2011
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I thought I had too much in the front locker but reading these replies I'm not so sure now.
2 x gas bottles (size varies according to trip)
1 x Auquaroll and handle
1 x fire bucket and lid
1 x washing up bucket
1 x spare wheel
1 x plastic ramp
1 x plastic box containg water pump, and service hose with different attachments
1 x service waste pipe
1 x short waste pipe
1 x wire cable and padlock securing the spare wheel, gas bottles and aquaroll
All the heavy stuff (EHU lead, wheel clamp, hitchlock, steady handle, wooden blocks etc) go in the Vivaro. Not that a heavy noseweight would affect that anyway.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Qty 1 Propane 6kg actual full load weight 10kg.
Qty 2 green water barrells plus towing frame
Qty 1 fresh water container.
Qty 1 waste water hose.
Probably why I have always managed to keep to 75kg towball weight.
 
Jun 11, 2012
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I think I will have to check pages size here .
1 collapsable crate containing small tool box for emergecies, diluted antifreeze incase Alde heating needs a top up, bottle of polish, tin of easing oil. cordless drill bottle of shampoo gas bottle sponge chamois leather small roll of food grade hose for full serviced pitch awning carpet cordless drill bucket. cornes steady winder and of course last but not least ....... her indoors so that I cant hear her backseat driving .
I think Parksy I should have a clear out dont you.
 
Apr 20, 2009
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My list is too exhaustive and would put the rest of the lists to shame!!!
BUT..........I posted on here earlier in the year concerned about being too light on the nose weight and even with all the items I carry in there I still only travel around the 85 to 90 kilo weight, (have 105 on truck and 100 on van) and thats putting the awning and poles just in front of the axle, with food and tinnies nearer the front. I do have rear underbed storage but travel fairly light at that end.
I have triple checked with pole type nose weight gage, bathroom scales and the sit on tow ball type and all give the same reading or there abouts.
So sometime there is a reason to have your locker stuffed to the brim!
 

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