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Subject Topic: Sprite caravan hitch help Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonPanda4love
via mobile 19/6/2021 at 10:09pm
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I got my dad's caravan after he passed away and never used a caravan. Got tow bar fitted with electrics on my zafira 1.7 . It's says max 750kg on car manual unbraked does this mean this caravan to heavy to tow with my car? Also this tow hitch is rusty and falling apart what hitch can I replace it with? I have uploaded pics..also how go about replacing fridge and cooker as fridge is busted and hob needs replacing for sure.


PersonPanda4love
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Just to say thank you if anyone able help me.


PersonRob and Tina
via mobile 20/6/2021 at 8:23am
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Hi and welcome to the site,
I think before you embark on this project and end up spending huge amounts of money on it, you should get a mobile caravan engineer to come and see exactly what needs doing, as with a caravan of this age there might be safety and structural problems.The tyres should be changed every 5 to 7 years, it will need to be serviced at some time but to be able to do this the caravan will need to have gas, does it have a gas bottle somewhere as originally it would have been on the drawbar.
The caravan is braked which is shown by the handbrake, do the brakes work?As it is one of the oldies it should be fine to tow with your Zafira but it's best to double check.

Tina


PersonMonty15
20/6/2021 at 9:58am
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Welcome.

Another one recommending getting a mobile engineer to inspect and advise before spending money on replacing anything.

You need to know that the van is safe to use/tow, and exactly what needs attention. As mentioned, tyres need replacing every 5 years or so regardless of remaining tread as the rubber ages, and flexible gas hoses also need replacement every 5 or so years for same reason.

An inspection should only be £100 or so (and sometimes entitles you to a partial refund/discount if you you use same engineer to do a full service, that'll be around £200 or so, plus parts). A good investment that could save you wasting money on replacing appliances etc. only to find van has other serious issues that may make it uneconomical to continue with.

Approved mobile engineers can be found here: https://www.mobilecaravanengineers.co.uk/ or here: https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/


PersonPanda4love
via mobile 20/6/2021 at 10:12am
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Hi there thank you for feed back and information...caravan has not been used for one year but before that was used and does have gas bottle as my dad used it for cooking. Only thing stop working was the cooker..also see u said it's breaked caravan does that mean when I break driving caravan also does same and apply breaks to its wheels? Also caravan hitch as two cables with one with 7 pins and one with more ...7 pun one fits my car what's the other one for? Also u think cost more than grand to get it fixed or better buying another one for same price?


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PersonPanda4love
via mobile 20/6/2021 at 10:14am
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Thank you so much for the info.


Personfromdownunder
20/6/2021 at 10:24am
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Not sure where you are located but I would advise having a local caravan specialist take a look at it especially the hob replacement and fridge if it is gas. If you take a look near the hitch there should be a plate that has Tare weight this is the weight before you load it with your and gross weight is the maximum weight it should not exceed when loaded in Kg's if it exceeds 750 loaded or not DO NOT tow it as your insurance will be void


PersonColin21
20/6/2021 at 11:25am
 Location: East Herts
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Quote: Originally posted by fromdownunder on 20/6/2021
Not sure where you are located but I would advise having a local caravan specialist take a look at it especially the hob replacement and fridge if it is gas. If you take a look near the hitch there should be a plate that has Tare weight this is the weight before you load it with your and gross weight is the maximum weight it should not exceed when loaded in Kg's if it exceeds 750 loaded or not DO NOT tow it as your insurance will be void


750kg is the UNbraked weight according to the O/P. The caravan is braked so that doesn't apply.

I would also advise having a caravan engineer do a full chassis service before towing it though, as it looks like it may need a lot of work, particularly replacing the hitch.


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


PersonRob and Tina
via mobile 20/6/2021 at 12:37pm
 Location: Royal Forest of Dean
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We have no idea how much it will cost as we don't know exactly what is wrong with it, it could be well over £1000, the best thing would be to get someone out to look at it and give you an estimate. You say it was last used 1 year ago but when was it last serviced, how old are the tyres, the hitch,fridge and hob alone even second hand if you can find the right ones won't be cheap.
When you apply the brakes on your car the hitch on the caravan compresses and applies the brakes on the caravan.
The 2 leads one should be black the other grey, the black one is for the caravan road lights, the grey one is for charging the caravan battery and working the fridge while towing.

PS where is the gas bottle kept as I can't see a gas locker.



Tina


PersonColin21
20/6/2021 at 12:57pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Rob and Tina on 20/6/2021
We have no idea how much it will cost as we don't know exactly what is wrong with it, it could be well over £1000, the best thing would be to get someone out to look at it and give you an estimate. You say it was last used 1 year ago but when was it last serviced, how old are the tyres, the hitch,fridge and hob alone even second hand if you can find the right ones won't be cheap.
When you apply the brakes on your car the hitch on the caravan compresses and applies the brakes on the caravan.
The 2 leads one should be black the other grey, the black one is for the caravan road lights, the grey one is for charging the caravan battery and working the fridge while towing.

PS where is the gas bottle kept as I can't see a gas locker.
Tina



We had a Sprite Musketeer many years ago, and on that the gas bottles went on a bracket bolted across the "A" frame. This appears to be missing if it ever had one.


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


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PersonPanda4love
via mobile 20/6/2021 at 1:16pm
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I see gas Bootle inside ...think maybe best scrapping it and look for one to buy as prob cost to much and not be worth it


PersonColin21
20/6/2021 at 1:57pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Panda4love on 20/6/2021
I see gas Bootle inside ...think maybe best scrapping it and look for one to buy as prob cost to much and not be worth it


If you are handy with a bit of DIY it may still be worth doing. Why not have a mobile engineer give you a report on it and see. The thing that usually writes off any caravan is damp, so give the inside a good look over for that. If it's dry everywhere and you can't find any soft patches in the walls and floor, go ahead and get an engineer's report. If you find significant damp, don't bother as you might as well get another one.

If you do decide to get another one, go to a dealer and ask if they have any trade sales in. They don't usually advertise them. That's what we did, and we got a lovely older caravan like that for £1,100 four years ago, and we are still using it.



-------------
Best Regards,
Colin



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