Surf Towing & Caravan Things

[hawkwind]

Setting off shortly on our travels.
Have a safe journey and a great holiday to everyone

[stormforce]

i know that this as been covered before and i know that it is ilegal to tow an another vehicle(if the vehicle is over 750 kg) but iam just after further official info refrence the tax and insurance of a vehicle being towed because i say that it is ilegal to tow a car without insurance and tax and mot but a mate is saying as long as the car thats towing is insured taxed and mot,d then its legal an offical source would put this to rest with him...

anybody help???

i was told by a copper a few years back now that the vehicle that is being towed has to be road legal.I may be wrong but if anyone knows differant it will be good to know for certain

[Tallyman]

I believe the only way you can tow a car that isn't taxed, MOT'd or insured in on a car trailer, otherwise it has to be road legal as others have said.

[midalex]

SPAIN here we come

Setting off for Spain tomorrow. Hope all the prep works. Milners 20% springs, new rear shocks, new atf cooler and finally a new air con fan (£134 ouch!)
Loaded caravan today with everything inc ks. Top box full of fishing gear, well you never know.Going through the tunnel early Sun am and coming back on 13 July. wish us luck!

[hawkwind]

Coming back on the 13th july jammy git

Have a great time, hope the sun continues to shine

[midalex]

Coming back on the 13th july jammy git

Have a great time, hope the sun continues to shine

But it's only 4 weeks

[firefly]

has anyone had any trouble with the towing mirrors pulling the car mirrors inwards i had this this weekend and tried to tighten the mirror up but couldnt do it with the 3 screws underneath, is the spring adjustable?????

[davekomaike]

Interestinfg Stuff

The last thing I towed with my Surf was a 3500kg car trailer loader to the hills with lumber and the like. I'm still amazed what these little beasts can pull if you do a little playing under the hood....and an intercooler and say a prayer or two. Add electric brakes to anything...even my house...and I'll give it a try!

[slim]

to those that know about caravans i could do with some advise???

i have a chance to buy a abbey spectrum 520 he thinks its a 1994 model...

what type of price would you think this is worth??

the guy selling it is a freind and said that he was going to advertise it for £3500-£4000..

but if i want it he will give it to me for 3k.....

anybody got any feedback on this van??

and is the price good???

i have no idea about caravans but this does look a nice example from the outside anyway....

[s2-wolf]

Do a search on ebay under "advanced search - completed listings"
This will give you any Abbey Spectrums that have sold on ebay and at what price.
Also try www.caravanfinder.co.uk to get an idea of prices.
My wife and I are on the lookout for a caravan at the moment and have found that the prices have dropped in the last month - end of the season I suppose.
A tip that I was given was to run a moisture meter over the 'van as repairs due to water ingress can be prohibitively expensive.
You can also buy warranties via the internet, but I am not sure if they restrict the age of the 'van.
Hope this helps.

[dirtydog]

to those that know about caravans i could do with some advise???

i have a chance to buy a abbey spectrum 520 he thinks its a 1994 model...

what type of price would you think this is worth??

the guy selling it is a freind and said that he was going to advertise it for £3500-£4000..

but if i want it he will give it to me for 3k.....

anybody got any feedback on this van??

and is the price good???

i have no idea about caravans but this does look a nice example from the outside anyway....

my parents had the exact same van until recently. they had to get rid of it due to damp, this is because the roof is not one piece like some newer vans. other than that it was a great van.
if its got an awning too then the price isnt bad as long as its all ok.

[Tallyman]

I would have thought £3K for a 1994 van is reasonable, having seen similar aged products in caravan dealers for nearly twice that recently. However, do as suggested and get it checked out with a damp meter, although any van that is damp has a smell to it that's fairly obvious. If in doubt take someone with you who knows about caravans as you can easily be persuaded by first impressions (or the spouse) and end up with a money pit.

One other thing is to check when it was last serviced. Gas hoses, wheel bearings, brake pads/adjustment etc can get overlooked if someone hasn't used the van for a while and could be potentially lethal (gas) when used after a lay up. If you decide to buy it might be sensible to put it in for a service at a reputable dealer anyway, just for the peace of mind.

[Phil her up]

Well we,ve been away in our 1981 CI Alpine Sprite for the first time (that's the misses, our 8 year old lad, 4 year old daughter and yours truly). I think when the Surf pulled on the site with our old van in tow they must have thought the pikeys had just arrived
We had a great time at Woodlands Park in Sheringham, its got a huge play park for the kids, discounted use of an on site indoor pool with sauna and jucuzzi and good shower / toilet blocks. The club house was good too with regular live music and a BBQ each Saturday.
We got the van from a family member for £150 to see if we like caravaning. I got the awning for £80 from a mate. The van hadn't been used for a few years and I,ve probably spent an additional £200-£300 replacing tyres, replacing the plumbing and buying various bits of equipment etc.
I had wanted to replace the wheel bearings which I found alarmingly dry but ended up regreasing them whilst still in the hub, using a syringe to get behind the oil seal - seem to have got away with it.
Did anyone see Sherringham on the News when it got flooded out? 49mm of rain in 24 hours or something stupid. Well we survived it unscathed with the exception of the awning leaking. There were constant drips from the two roof side poles - I guess the canvass is a little tired or something - anyone experienced this on an awning? Can they be re-water proofed?
We had rain for about three of the ten days. Luckily we know the area and found plenty to do. Good job we took our money with us lol.
With regard to towing, the temp gauge was rising nicely whenever the engine was laboured a bit. It happened when overtaking (yeah I know but those Shoguns and the like are sooo slow!!). It also happened on each incline. Luckily though the overtaking or inclines weren't long lasting and the gauge quickly dropped to normal again without getting too near the red. I got an atf cooler from TonyN just before going away but couldn't get it fitted in time. Its goin on soon though and I have some silicone oil to put in the viscous fan hub too.
Well we,ve got the caravaning bug and hope to have a weekend or two away before the summer's out. Then the plan is to use the van again next year and then upgrade to something a little larger and more modern!

[Phil her up]

some pictures.....

[marky]

OI MARTIN http://www.practicalcaravan.com/