Surf Towing & Caravan Things

[Tallyman]

I've fitted one to mine. Cost about £120 all in, including next day delivery, from Speedflow in London. Fitting took a couple of hours but entails taking off the front bumper, grill and bash plate. Did a write-up with pics, see http://www.yotasurf.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5998&highlight=Speedflow (at least that's how I found it again).

Apart from some weird flutters on the temp guage towing the caravan (1345kgs) up a long 2nd gear hill on the way back from Bridport on Saturday, I've had no problems with overheating since but did have before. Well worth the money as, even though the Surf has plenty of power, towing long distance can put a lot of strain on the ATF oil and if it does overheat badly can mean renewing the ATF earlier than necessary.



Also fitted a set of Milners 20% stronger springs on Sunday as the back of the car was pushed way down with the van on the hook. Much better now. If I climb in the back to load boxes etc it hardly dips at all now.

[marky]

I was going mad as its 2 weeks on friday till i go away . couldnt wait any longer brought the caravan home today,
well i was getting home sick

[surffreak]

I stuck a set of the 20%springs and what a difference they have made , i should have done it ages ago and if any one has not done it yet and have a droopy end then i say get it done it was the best £40 +v.a.t. i have spent.
the thing handles so much better now i cant belive it.

[firefly]

20% in what way 20% stronger or 20% higher , sounds a good idea and where did you get them from...........AND were they hard to fit............ and did you do it yourself and erm enough questions for now...

[marky]

They would be 20% stronger as you dont wont to be scraping the floor with your caravan

[Tallyman]

I did this with mine last Sunday. The Milners 20% stronger springs are a definite improvement, even though when I took the old ones out they were longer uncompressed than the new ones. The back is now about 1.4inch higher than before and much stiffer. I can climb in the back now and it hardly moves at all.

To make the job easier you really need a pair of spring compressors. If you use these only clamp three coils together. I tried being clever and doing four..couldn't get the compressors far enough open to get them off over four coils with them out of the car.

You will need to disconnect the lateral control arm at the chassis end, also the rear anti roll bar on the axle each side, the n/s axle connection for the LSPR, the lower shock absorber mount and obviously the wheel.

I jacked up the o/s first, putting an axle stand at full stretch on some coping stones under the frame rail just as it flattens out, then moved the bottle jack (raised on a brick) under the axle and after removing the wheel, slowly lowered the axle until I could get the spring compressors on 180 degrees apart and fully clamped up (watch the bottom of the compressor doesn't hit the steel brake line), then lowered the axle slowly until I could get the spring out. At this stage watch you don't put any strain on the flexible brake hose between the LSPV and the brake line T joint on the top of the axle case.

Once the spring is out, compress the new one, clean around the gaskets that the spring sits on, insert new spring and slowly raise the axle until the spring is compressed. Re-fit the bottom shock absorber bolt, release the spring compressors, refit wheel temperarily, raise car and remove axle stand and then lower the wheel onto the ground.

Repeat for n/s. Once the nearside is done and everything is fully tightened back up on that side, raise the o/s again, remove the wheel and release the bottom shock mount again. You need to do this to make room to reinsert the lateral control arm bolt into the arm once you've lined it up as the shocker gets in the way of re-inserting it without moving it out the way. You may find inserting a bar into the bolt hole (opposite side to bolt) and pushing on the bar to pull the lateral control arm into the bracket will aid reinserting the bolt. Once thats done and the shocker reconnected you can refit the anti roll bar brackets and the n/s LSPV. Job done and a stiffer rear end!!!!

[kitesurf_phil]

I replaced my rear springs without spring compressors and it's not recommended.

What a difference it makes to the ride. I haven't use the hard (oooer) setting since.

We will be heading west, en-route to Ilfracombe, on Sunday 2nd August. If you see a burgundy Surf pulling an Abbey County Dorset give us a wave.

[surffreak]

whacked em on in about 2-3 hours with no spring compresors all i did was jacke the body right up with the wheel off and useda small jack to jack the axel down from the body, i reckon i could do it in about 1 hour if i had to do it again.20% stronger fro milners same lenght as the ones i took out but they dont compress like the old ones and i reckon i must have just short of two extra inches.
if you measure from the wheel arch to the rubber on the front and back you will see just how much the sag is. on mine the front is at 7 inches and the back was at 5 inches but now they are the same.

[firefly]

read the posts on the fitting of the new springs and well impressed anyone got some before and after pic..... thinking of doing it but im not the most mechanically minded person in the world to say the least, but i know a man that is

[marky]

post this question in technical mechanical to save towing space CHEERS

[ship]

hi all you towing gurus,

as the wife has decided we need a folding camper thing now, altho we have 5 tents, i have a couple of questions:

any tips on towing, especially reversing would be apprciated.
what exactly is a front reciever plate, i believe it,s helpful manouvering into tight spots, how?
has anyone any experience of folding campers, conway and pennine seem to be the ones to go for.

cheers all,
ship

ps: marky, who,s ANTHONY? or have i missed summat.

[Maverick]

I moved up from normal tents to a folding camper about 7 years ago, and am now on my second, a Conway (can't remember the model but it has the fitted kitchen). I can tell you that both models have been absolute sods when it comes to reversing, to start with you can't see them until they turn, and their wheelbase is too short (acording to a farmer who had just told me to watch him show me how to do it). So the best technique is to allow plaenty of room and do it slowly, then stop unhitch the thing and push it.

Folding campers have many advatages due to the size that they pack unto. This means that they do not affect the vehicle when towing, in fact it's very common to forget you are towing completely. You do not need to put them in storage as they can fit in your garden. They are very easy push about when you've tried to do that three point turn and completely messed it up. The modern models are now very well designed, with very easy erection and facilities.

Hope this helps. If you enjoy camping you'll enjoy a folding camper just that bit more when you're not having that blazing row about where that pole goes.

[surfin]

The alternative ..

The alternative of course to a folding camper,is a second hand caravan.I paid £2500 for a 10 year old as new Compass Rallye.The point is you dont have to unfold everything every time,you always know it,s there behind you,cause you can see it,when you reverse everybody always gets out of your way,(I wonder why),it,s cheaper than a "folder" when purchased,you dont need mirror extensions - just unwind the rear window,and you can see through the rear caravan window instead,find a chicken farm to keep it on for £100 a year
.....I could go on.Seriously though - we luv ours,and spend 4 months in it in Spain every winter - great ! And we tow it there in El Surfo !

[kitesurf_phil]

hi all you towing gurus,

as the wife has decided we need a folding camper thing now, altho we have 5 tents, i have a couple of questions:

any tips on towing, especially reversing would be apprciated.
what exactly is a front reciever plate, i believe it,s helpful manouvering into tight spots, how?
has anyone any experience of folding campers, conway and pennine seem to be the ones to go for.
cheers all,
ship

ps: marky, who,s ANTHONY? or have i missed summat.

We have not long moved up to a caravan from a Conway Cruiser. I loved the Cruiser, which was a doddle to reverse when it was hitched to a Peugeot 306, Vauxhall Astra Estate etc, but a swine when behind the Surf because I couldn't see it until it had already started turning.
A handy device is a couple of cheap whip aerials mounted on the rear corners with a little pennant on each. You can guage the length of your outfit and see it turn before it appears in the mirrors.
I'll echo the fact that they tow so well that it is easy to forget they are hitched up. Even with the Peugeot 306 I found myself going with the flow on the motorway and having to slow down (from nearly 80MPH once).

[skipkoo]

We will be heading west, en-route to Ilfracombe, on Sunday 2nd August. If you see a burgundy Surf pulling an Abbey County Dorset give us a wave.

Little Tip, AVOID the Barnstaple roundabouts, unless you plan a roadside picnic in town, and if you might see a 3th gen SSR-G green over silver, negotiating the traffic, wave...... I might need to see a friendly face in The Home of the Traffic Jam

D