Loading our Terrano

[theduck]

We're off on to the continent again( Holland). Heres our Terrano fully loaded :

[wildbri]

Hi duck cant find your picture? Visited Holland last spring on our way to the Adriatic. Camped in Amsterdam woods and a wood near Arnhem where the last battle Of (bridge to far ) took place. very good museum in the battle headquarters and a very moving cemetery. You might be turned away from some sites in France with you double axle caravan I think its to stop travelers moving on site............. and your very nice caravan is the make the travelers use!.... but anrnt all us caravaner's travelers? regards bri......

[mav]

Sorry for the delay, Its there now.

Show me a vehicle that could cope as well as the Terrano with a set up like that!.

Mav.

[dinky]

Dave Dont forget wheelclamp. ops:

i would say everything but kitchen sink but caravans already got that! thats an impressive load mate

[wildbri]

got the picture : very nice outfit, makes our 12ft look dinky! you will be glad to know, very few hills in holland.......bri

[theduck]

Thanks guys, glad you all like the outfit the Terrano made easy work of it. Haven't worked out the mpg yet (I want to enjoy myself :smile: ) hey bri it's not a travellers caravan over here it's just a german Dethelffs caravan :smile: anur d this site has free wifi and internet access (so make sur you behave yourselves whilst I am away :smile: .

Hi Duck.
Nice rig, a chip makes you smile, Gadget Syd.

[theduck]

Hi Gadgetsyd. The chip, yes wow :!: spittals roundabout A14/A141 to Dover 5th gear all the way 8) what a difference. :smile: :smile:

[andrewk]

Originally Posted by theduck

Thanks guys, glad you all like the outfit the Terrano made easy work of it. Haven't worked out the mpg yet (I want to enjoy myself :smile: ) hey bri it's not a travellers caravan over here it's just a german Dethelffs caravan

Nice - but aren't the Dethleffs twin-axles over 230cm wide?


Cheers
Andrew

so are the hobbys and tabberts etc but ol bill dont seem to worry about them you get more caravan for your money buying german van in uk!

[andrewk]

Originally Posted by jace

so are the hobbys and tabberts etc but ol bill dont seem to worry about them you get more caravan for your money buying german van in uk!

I have a 2006 UK spec Burstner S-Class S500TS (230cm wide & UK layout, they only made them for a couple of years), so I know what german vans are about. I did consider buying a wide bodied one, but didn't buy one as I'm never likely to own a vehicle that I can legally tow it with in the UK (OTOH - if I ever do decide to buy a Unimog for laning .... ) - and didn't want to take the risk that 'ol bill' would have a crack-down and put me off the road. I didn't fancy having to buy one and then upgrade it to UK spec either - too much hassle. Insurance was a problem too when I enquired.

At Easter in 2006, I was pitched next to a chap with a Nissan Patrol and a big wide-bodied Hobby. A nice van - the extra few inches width really make a difference. The van itself was cheap when he bought it, but very basic and he spent quite a bit adding stuff that would be standard on a UK spec van. I'm not sure it's possible to bring the gas, water and electrical systems up to UK spec.

I took my Burstner into MG Caravans in Todmorden to be serviced on Saturday morning (first time I've towed it with the Patrol, its brilliant!!!) - and noticed that he'd no new UK spec Burtners for sale. Apparently, Burstner have stopped making UK spec vans and now only import continental layout vans into the UK - which are a few thousand cheaper. Most folks don't seem to like the layouts and they don't sell, so MG Caravans aren't going to stock their new vans any more. Oddly he did have a humungous Burstner twin-axle for *only* £13000 new - 2.5m wide and 9.6m long which he's offering as a "pseudo-static". So if you want one .......... he's probably open to offers as he's had it in for nearly a year now.

Personally, I think it's a stoopid law and well past the time that towing law was harmonised with EEC law. It's just daft that a saloon car registered in Europe can legally tow a wide bodied van in the UK, but that I can't with a Patrol that is way heavier and massively more capable.


Cheers
Andrew

there was one of those online petitions running started by chappie selling "h066y" number plate on ebay asking for rule change it may have finnished by now.
isnt it required that you use a 3.5t vehicle to tow them (hence most travelers have transit!) legally in uk,im hoping to site mine permently save towing it all time!
i paid £2.5k for this 03 hobby not pristine but with three kids and three dogs id be mad to buy new lol
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/WARSTA...by650UkSpecial
just a thought but uk law is second to eu law maybe a loophole?

[andrewk]

Originally Posted by jace

isnt it required that you use a 3.5t vehicle to tow them (hence most travelers have transit!) legally in uk

It doesn't matter whether it's a commercial vehicle or not. To tow a caravan that is wider than 230cm legally in the UK, the towcar has to have a gross vehicle weight of more than 3500kg. As an aside, only the largest twin wheeled Transits (which travellers generally don't use) have a GVW over 3500kg. Most of the travellers will be illegal towing with Transits. The 'bill don't generally bother pulling them because they have no fixed address, so short of incarcerating them and confiscating the tow vehicle, there's not a lot they can do

im hoping to site mine permently save towing it all time!

I've seen a few wide-bodied Hobby's on seasonal pitches on sites. That might be another option - so you only need to tow it twice a year and it gives you the option of siting it somewhere different each year.

just a thought but uk law is second to eu law maybe a loophole?

Nope, sorry. UK law isn't subservient to EU law. UK adopts the bits of EU law that it chooses to. Towing is one place where they differ.

If you look at the MG Caravans advert for the wide bodied Burstner I mentioned, you'll see he says you must tow it with a vehicle over 3500kg GVW. Nice van (looks absolutely monstrous when you stand next to it!!!) - the advert says ............

2007 BURSTNER BELCANTO 690 TS (new) Twin Axle 5-berth semi-static Price: £13,000

Flyscreens and Blinds, Heki rooflight, Hitch Head Stabilizer, Inboard water tank, Oven, Blown air heating, Cooker, Double glazing, Freezer, Fridge, Grill, Mains electricity hook-up, Shower, Toilet. Length 9.6m, Width 2.5m, 5 Berth, In Britain this caravan should be towed by a vehicle with a gross weight of more than 3.5 tonnes. £13,000

Amazing value ..........

Cheers
Andrew

i was told on navara forum that hids conversion to headlights illegal under uk law but as new navs pathfinders etc come fitted and aproved by eu, uk law has to give way,just made me wonder if we could try the angle if worst ever came to worst!