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Subject Topic: Geist Ak495 or Bailey Ranger series 6 540
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PersonJenniferB
12/5/2010 at 2:49pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Geist AK495 & VDub Twig View JenniferB's Profile View Profile   Reply to JenniferB Reply   Quote JenniferB Quote  
Joined: 26/3/2009

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Congratulations bates! you will not look back - trust me!
As a fellow AK495 owner, I am so pleased you went for the Geist.

They are a brilliant tow and an absolute joy to live in. Get yourself and good quality noseweight gauge and you will be fine.

Happy Caravanning!


Personbates
14/5/2010 at 7:56pm
 Location: Essex
 Outfit: Geist AK495 View bates's Profile View Profile   Reply to bates Reply   Quote bates Quote  
Joined: 22/10/2007

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Thank you, cant wait to get it.
What do you tow yours with as we are having to get another car and are looking at the Land rover freelander.


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PersonJenniferB
14/5/2010 at 8:11pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Geist AK495 & VDub Twig View JenniferB's Profile View Profile   Reply to JenniferB Reply   Quote JenniferB Quote  
Joined: 26/3/2009

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We tow with a VW Touareg. It is a heavy van - but very stable with it. We had the Touareg before we even thought about buying a van but we are very glad we have it now - it's a great tug! Can hardly feel it on the back to be honest.



PersonJenniferB
14/5/2010 at 8:14pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Geist AK495 & VDub Twig View JenniferB's Profile View Profile   Reply to JenniferB Reply   Quote JenniferB Quote  
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Whatever you get - make sure you have the right electrics! That caught us out a bit - we had 13 pin electrics (the newer version) but not the type that kept the fridge running whilst towing - only the exterior lights (brakes etc). Make sure your electrics have the additional wiring loom required to run/charge the interior stuff whilst you tow.


Personbates
14/5/2010 at 10:05pm
 Location: Essex
 Outfit: Geist AK495 View bates's Profile View Profile   Reply to bates Reply   Quote bates Quote  
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We have also been looking at the Peugeot 407 2.0 HDI 136 as this seems to be ok for the weight but the max ball weight is only 60kg. Is this what you check with the gauge which you mentioned in a earlier post?
Do you know much about max ball weight - would this car be ok to pull the caravan.
If you have any general advice you can give as we are complete novices.
Thanks


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Personnelmo
14/5/2010 at 10:41pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Bailey Valencia + Lexus RX400h View nelmo's Profile View Profile   Reply to nelmo Reply   Quote nelmo Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by bates on 14/5/2010We have also been looking at the Peugeot 407 2.0 HDI 136 as this seems to be ok for the weight but the max ball weight is only 60kg. Is this what you check with the gauge which you mentioned in a earlier post?
Do you know much about max ball weight - would this car be ok to pull the caravan.
If you have any general advice you can give as we are complete novices.
Thanks
Noseweight is the weight the caravan pushes down on the towbar - a 60kg max is pretty low, I'm afraid and you may find it difficult to keep to that.

Geists have a long A-frame (the bit from the main body of the caravan to the hitch that connects onto the towbar) - this means that they tend to have higher noseweights than British vans.

You alter noseweight by how you load the caravan - any weight in front of the wheels increases the noseweight, anything behind the wheels lowers it. But be warned, some people get VERY upset on here if you suggest putting any weight behind the wheels (back-loading) to lower the noseweight as it can make the caravan unstable.

My Santa Fe can take a max of 85kg but I can only achieve that on my Geist by putting the porch awning and wheel clamp on the floor at the back of the van (that's done it - I'm going to get roasted ). I've never had any stability problems but I'm not suggesting you should do the same - it's your call.

To be honest, if you've got to change the car anyway, I would look at a Ford Galaxy - 100kg noseweight, can tow up to 2000kg, gets a reasonable mpg solo and you can get one to match any budget (but there is a whole other sub-forum for towcars you should look at - lots of good advice there...)

-------------
'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain


PersonJenniferB
15/5/2010 at 8:33am
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Geist AK495 & VDub Twig View JenniferB's Profile View Profile   Reply to JenniferB Reply   Quote JenniferB Quote  
Joined: 26/3/2009

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Agree with Nelmo - you really need to get a higher tow ball weight. My Twig takes 120kg but the max stated on the caravan is 100. I always aim for 92-95kgs on the ball and get a great stable tow at that weight with no need to back load at all. I nearly always leave a gas bottle at home to achieve that though. Once you have done a few tows you will get to know the best way to load your van and it will become second nature.
Make sure you keep all the heavy weight down low and as close to the axle as possible. I bought three collapsible crates from B&Q and I put all the stuff that goes in the overhead lockers in the crates over the axle.
I bought the Milenco noseweight gauge (the grey one) and it is very good - much better than the cheaper yellow one.



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