G'day you disgraceful lot . . . . I need some help please.
Having purchased a delightful vehicle and looking at towing a caravan, I find my towing capacity is a measley 1500 kgs. (yeah, I can hear you all saying "serve yourself right" but I'm old and am prone to the odd mistake or two).
So, the dilema is . . . . what van to buy that is lightweight and yet offers some space to swing a cat in (metaphorical phrase as I have no cat).
Each time I see a decent van it turns out to be too heavy or too tall to fit into the 2.5 metre space through the garage roller door.
So far I'm down to the A-van "oscar" which seems to fit the bill. Has anyone any comments on this particular van? Can anyone offer suggestions for other choices?
What's the experience of others with the European imports that seem to be of a lighter weight than ours?
Thanks, in anticipation for your input.
Cheers
Keith
Dougwe said
01:44 AM Oct 16, 2012
Hi Keith,
I havn't heard of the "Oscar" but I will try and Google it later, is it the "Weekender" perhaps??. I have the Avan "Sportliner" and Solo so find it is great for me. I am away with it now for at least 3 months and so far love it. You can get a Cruiseliner or similar size which is 2 berth. You don't even know there on the back of the tug. My tug is a '98 Toyota Prado 4x4.
Recoup said
01:52 AM Oct 16, 2012
Keith, like Doug said ,Avan is a nice little camper ,
but have a look at the Coromal Mirage 396 ,they don't build it any more,
it would fit in to your garage no problem.
Hans
chrisnchris said
02:08 AM Oct 16, 2012
Hi Keith Know just how you feel as we did the same thing .we are now looking for a cheaper ( older than the vehicle we have ) but reliable and in decent condition tow vehicle with These things are sent to try us . Cheers
keithintassie said
03:32 AM Oct 16, 2012
Many thanks Chris, Hans and Doug for your input. I guess I should have said in the original post that I wasn't keen on either a "camper or pointy roof" style of beast.
I'll continue to watch with interest. With a tow capacity of 1500 kg, what van weight should I be looking for?
Cheers . . . Keith
wendyv said
03:53 AM Oct 16, 2012
Have read a lot of posts on the Caravanners Forum regarding caravan weight. I think you would have to allow about 300kg for a smallish van, to cover stuff you take, plus gas, water etc weight. Therefore, you are probably looking for a van that weighs no more than 1200. If you tend to pack a lot of stuff, you may need to revise that downwards.
Because used vans may have had modifications done after new, you would be advised to check its actual weight by getting it put on a weighbridge, before you buy.
Duh said
04:05 AM Oct 16, 2012
Recoup wrote:
Keith, like Doug said ,Avan is a nice little camper ,
but have a look at the Coromal Mirage 396 ,they don't build it any more,
it would fit in to your garage no problem.
Hans
I had heard that the Mirage campers had some leaking problems, so if you do look at one make sure you look for signs in corners, cupboards, roof and side areas for any water marks or dampness etc.
I am not sure if that is why they don't make them anymore...
We absolutely love it - it's easy to set up, easy to tow and the 360 views are wonderful
Of course there is a lot of canvas, but we have just upgraded from a soft floor camper so it's luxury for us!
Yeah i got a link to post correctly - finally!
-- Edited by ChrisandPeter on Tuesday 16th of October 2012 08:26:09 AM
Gerty Dancer said
03:59 PM Oct 16, 2012
Looks good C and P. How does it handle strong winds, as you cant sleep with the pop-top down?
ChrisandPeter said
04:51 PM Oct 16, 2012
Haven't had really strong winds but it has blown a bit and we have had to put the awning away, but the camper was fine.
We have only had her since May. (secondhand)
We are heading out in to the wild "blue, green, brown" of Oz in 50 days so will let you know once we have experienced more of what she has to offer!
Cheers
Chris
Cruising Cruze said
07:09 PM Oct 16, 2012
Hi Mr Keith Jones
mine is 14 ft poptop and 830kg and will fit under 2.3 meter Garage door opening ( 2.2 meter without the tv aerial )
she may be an oldie but she looks like new inside
Oh btw its an Viscount Sea Breeze 89 model
and we love it not as hot as a canvas Trailor
you will walk against the right one sir just give it time
John
Crinkle and Dobbie said
11:30 PM Oct 20, 2012
Keith
we have just bought a Swift Caravan. The weight is 1250atm. It is fantastic. We had our first trip in it last week. The van is designed by Germans and built in the UK so it has all the latest safety items included. The Alko stabiliser and ATC(automatic traction control). It is 16ft long with seating for 4 and a lovely double bed with ensuite. It has plenty of room for two overweight grey nomads and one large standard poodle. I know that many people dont like the imports but the Swift is the number one caravan manufacturer in the UK. The price is so much cheaper that all the other caravans that we researched. Hope that helps.
Crinkle
jimricho said
01:10 AM Oct 21, 2012
ChrisandPeter wrote:
Haven't had really strong winds but it has blown a bit and we have had to put the awning away, but the camper was fine.
We have only had her since May. (secondhand)
We are heading out in to the wild "blue, green, brown" of Oz in 50 days so will let you know once we have experienced more of what she has to offer!
Cheers
Chris
I have a similar rig, 2002 Goldstream Goldcrown (as it was known back then). No problems in a strong wind, canvas flaps a bit but nothing to cause concern. Fiamma awning not a problem (unless the wind is very strong), provided it is guyed at the corners. Is a dream to tow and ok in windy conditions due to its low profile. Mine has independent suspension and shock absorbers that help too.
Jim
Happywanderer said
03:05 AM Oct 21, 2012
Have you seen Beth54's avatar, her little car tows quite easily the caravan she has. I don't know brands but if you put her name into search you will get the idea.
G'day you disgraceful lot . . . . I need some help please.
Having purchased a delightful vehicle and looking at towing a caravan, I find my towing capacity is a measley 1500 kgs. (yeah, I can hear you all saying "serve yourself right" but I'm old and am prone to the odd mistake or two).
So, the dilema is . . . . what van to buy that is lightweight and yet offers some space to swing a cat in (metaphorical phrase as I have no cat).
Each time I see a decent van it turns out to be too heavy or too tall to fit into the 2.5 metre space through the garage roller door.
So far I'm down to the A-van "oscar" which seems to fit the bill. Has anyone any comments on this particular van? Can anyone offer suggestions for other choices?
What's the experience of others with the European imports that seem to be of a lighter weight than ours?
Thanks, in anticipation for your input.
Cheers
Keith
Hi Keith,
I havn't heard of the "Oscar" but I will try and Google it later, is it the "Weekender" perhaps??. I have the Avan "Sportliner" and Solo so find it is great for me. I am away with it now for at least 3 months and so far love it. You can get a Cruiseliner or similar size which is 2 berth. You don't even know there on the back of the tug. My tug is a '98 Toyota Prado 4x4.
Keith, like Doug said ,Avan is a nice little camper ,
but have a look at the Coromal Mirage 396 ,they don't build it any more,
it would fit in to your garage no problem.
Hans
Know just how you feel as we did the same thing .we are now looking for a cheaper ( older than the vehicle we have ) but reliable and in decent condition tow vehicle with
These things are sent to try us .
Cheers
I'll continue to watch with interest. With a tow capacity of 1500 kg, what van weight should I be looking for?
Cheers . . . Keith
Have read a lot of posts on the Caravanners Forum regarding caravan weight. I think you would have to allow about 300kg for a smallish van, to cover stuff you take, plus gas, water etc weight. Therefore, you are probably looking for a van that weighs no more than 1200. If you tend to pack a lot of stuff, you may need to revise that downwards.
Because used vans may have had modifications done after new, you would be advised to check its actual weight by getting it put on a weighbridge, before you buy.
I had heard that the Mirage campers had some leaking problems, so if you do look at one make sure you look for signs in corners, cupboards, roof and side areas for any water marks or dampness etc.
I am not sure if that is why they don't make them anymore...
We have a Goldstream Crown
http://www.goldstreamrv.com.au/campers/details/5-crown.html
It's Tare is ~1070kg
We absolutely love it - it's easy to set up, easy to tow and the 360 views are wonderful
Of course there is a lot of canvas, but we have just upgraded from a soft floor camper so it's luxury for us!
Yeah i got a link to post correctly - finally!
-- Edited by ChrisandPeter on Tuesday 16th of October 2012 08:26:09 AM
We have only had her since May. (secondhand)
We are heading out in to the wild "blue, green, brown" of Oz in 50 days so will let you know once we have experienced more of what she has to offer!
Cheers
Chris
mine is 14 ft poptop and 830kg and will fit under 2.3 meter Garage door opening ( 2.2 meter without the tv aerial )
she may be an oldie but she looks like new inside
Oh btw its an Viscount Sea Breeze 89 model
and we love it not as hot as a canvas Trailor
you will walk against the right one sir just give it time
John
Keith
we have just bought a Swift Caravan. The weight is 1250atm. It is fantastic. We had our first trip in it last week. The van is designed by Germans and built in the UK so it has all the latest safety items included. The Alko stabiliser and ATC(automatic traction control). It is 16ft long with seating for 4 and a lovely double bed with ensuite. It has plenty of room for two overweight grey nomads and one large standard poodle. I know that many people dont like the imports but the Swift is the number one caravan manufacturer in the UK. The price is so much cheaper that all the other caravans that we researched.
Hope that helps.
Crinkle
I have a similar rig, 2002 Goldstream Goldcrown (as it was known back then). No problems in a strong wind, canvas flaps a bit but nothing to cause concern. Fiamma awning not a problem (unless the wind is very strong), provided it is guyed at the corners. Is a dream to tow and ok in windy conditions due to its low profile. Mine has independent suspension and shock absorbers that help too.
Jim