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Topic: Hi from newbie

ladyfidi

06/3/2012 at 10:38am
Location: Livingston Scotland
Outfit: ABI Hallstar 450ctl 1990

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Well we have done it!

Bought a wee secondhand caravan after we have spent the last 10 yrs with a Dandy folding camper. My son is distraught at the thought of us selling the camper but our daughter is so excited about bunk beds! It's an ABI 450ctl Hallstar 4 berth. Before we have even had a trip in it we have booked a ferry crossing and are now thinking of the practical stuff like insuring an older van, stabilisers and I am sure a whole host of othere stuff we don't yet know about.

We have towed the trailer before obviously but the caravan seems to be a completely different thing altogether. Towing mirrors, nose weight. I feel like we have landed on a new planet and you all speak in a different language. If you have any advice we would be so grateful. :-)

stocky13

06/3/2012 at 10:57am
Location: cheshire
Outfit: Mecedes ML350 lunar delta

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Welcome ladyidi,Just ask away with the questions you will get lots of help here.

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Tonkarav

06/3/2012 at 11:08am
Location: Fife
Outfit: Adria Adiva 552PH

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Dont be afraid of the language you will be speaking it soon. I know it's daunting when you first get a 'van...we had tents and a trailer tent before the caravan but you soon get the hang of it (we have only had our van for 18 months) we took down to Rome and back last spring, a lovely holiday of 7 weeks. Welcome to the forum and ask away, dont be afraid if your question sounds silly, we have all asked them, and remember that the only silly question is the one that isnt asked.

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Mine's a Pint!

TonyC52

06/3/2012 at 11:19am
Location: West Midlands
Outfit: Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Welcome, and enjoy your Caravan.

When I first joined I found the search facility very useful to check to see if there were already answers posted to my questions.

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Tony C

tango55

06/3/2012 at 11:23am
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450

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Firstly, congratulations on your new purchase. What you have to remember is that this is a whole new learning curve and there will be many questions that you may think silly but we have all been there and gained experience along the way. When you gain experience you can then pass it on to others who ask on here and then you realise just how much knowledge you have gained. So if you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask but it may be best to ask on indivdual threads on the related topic because if you ask too many all on one thread you only tend to receive parts of a lot of questions which then can be confusing. Good luck and happy caravanning.

black ice

06/3/2012 at 11:25am
Location: South Wales
Outfit: Swift Corniche & Mondeo ST

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Welcome to the tin tenters I'm sure you will enjoy your Caravan.

Sue.

Rob12

06/3/2012 at 12:03pm
Location: Kent
Outfit: Lunar Clubman ES

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welcome, do lots of reading on here, ask any questions you want, remember the silly question is the one you dont ask. Good luck.

michael

06/3/2012 at 12:14pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Caravan now Sold

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welcome to tin tent land,enjoy. see my signature below.

Post last edited on 06/03/2012 12:20:35

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the only silly question is the one you do not ask.

idmainian

06/3/2012 at 6:52pm
Location: Halifax West Yorkshire
Outfit: VW Amarok Crewcab Pickup Truck

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Welcome to the forum you will be helped by everyone on here just ask their are some vert knowledgable people on the forum I have had a caravan for the last 30 years and thought I new it all till I joined the forum so any questions just ask.Ian

Jusy

06/3/2012 at 7:11pm
Location: Shopshire
Outfit: None Entered

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Welcome to the tin tents Ladyfidi and happy caravanning.

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2013.
Time to say goodbye

ladyfidi

06/3/2012 at 9:20pm
Location: Livingston Scotland
Outfit: ABI Hallstar 450ctl 1990

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Thanks everyone for the welcome.

The caravan arrived with a scott stabiliser bar included but we have a detatchable towbar so it doesn't look like it will be compatable. I am now looking at AL-KO 1300 hitch stabilisers. My question is does it have to be fitted at a garage or is it a DIY job. I didn't realise this caravaning was so complicated. Thought getting the van was the hard bit!! lol

Breakdown cover sorted. Quote for europe sorted.

tango55

06/3/2012 at 9:49pm
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450

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You can fit an Alko stabilser yourself but you have to take care and understand how it operates. Behind the towing hitch is a draw bar that slides in and out and what this does is operates the caravans brake shoes on both wheels simultaneously. When the towcar brakes, it pushes the hitch which then pushes the draw bar to apply the caravan brakes. When you pull away the hitch pulls away pulling the draw bar and thus releasing the caravan brakes again. Now it's the draw bar which is the important part because if you just take off the hitch the draw bar will spring out and you will find it difficult to relocate again. The operation to remove the existing hitch is to firstly undo the 2 horizontal bolts that hold the hitch in place but do not remove them. You then need a steel dowel the same size as the bolts. The bolt furthest away has to be removed first but as you tap the bolt out you have to follow in with the dowel to hold the draw bar back in position. Once that is done you can remove the front bolt and withdraw the hitch. There maybe brass sleeves inside the hitch depending on the year of manufacture but the 3 size diameters of draw bar are 47mm., 48mm., and 50mm. and the corresponding sleeves need to be fitted to that specific size draw bar which should come as a kit if you buy one brand new. When you fit the Alko hitch you need to locate the front bolt first but don't tighten it fully and then fit the rear bolt second by tapping out the dowel and following straight through with the bolt so that the draw bar is held in place. Finally, tighten both bolts to the specified torque and the job is complete. You just do a test by making sure that the hitch pushes in and out as before and if it does it means that it's working effectively. It sounds rather complex but if you have an engineering background like myself then the task is not that difficult to undertake.

Opensauce

07/3/2012 at 8:00am
Location:
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If you intend to tow long distances at motorway speeds I suggest you get the chassis, that is wheel bearings/brakes/coupling serviced & if you have no idea of age of tyres & suspect they could be years old, change those as well even if they have plenty of tread.

philip 22

08/3/2012 at 8:07pm
Location: lincolnshire
Outfit: N A

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Welcome ladyfidi to the forum enjoy your caravan

Jax365

09/3/2012 at 8:44am
Location: south cheshire
Outfit: VW Caddy Maxi

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Welcome from me too! I'm still asking th odd q. after nearly three years, I previously owned a campervan. I also thought I'd landed on a different planet! Stick around and you'll soon get the gist. I also bought the caravanning handbook and that was well worth the money.

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ladyfidi

15/3/2012 at 5:07pm
Location: Livingston Scotland
Outfit: ABI Hallstar 450ctl 1990

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Thank you Tango55 that is a great help. OH is from a motor mechanic background so should be ok I think as is competent at the vehicle servicing jobs that Tentz advised of and were on the to do list already. Spare is new.

I think it is all the wee things just adding up when you think the big purchase is the Van itself. Caravaning Handbook is on order from the library ar the moment so between all your help the book and the rest of the web we might get there. :-)

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