Single or twin axle
looking for general opinions we're thinking of changing our 575 VIP at the nec for possibly a twin axle laser or swift elegance van
as we only really use caravan club sites do the plus's of a twin axle out weigh the negatives when it comes to using club sites and there pitches. The tow car we have will not be a issue with any van we decide to change to if we do
Comments
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Most Club sites have good access and pose no problem for a twin axle.
We have had our Sterling (Swift brand) twin axle for 10 years now and would not change it for a single axle as we like the space, and the stability when towing.
We are now using more CLs and have not had many problems with access to those either, some just need more care
As you have a good towcar, I suggest you upgrade the MTPLM to the maximum when ordering, most twin axles can get a good upgrade, otherwise you will struggle to stay within the plated weight.
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we have a twin wheel bailey pamplonoa 4 and a single wheel michael jorden abbey the twin wheel is much nicer to tow and i find it easy to reverse then the abbey but apart from that when they are set up there is no diffrence if i did have to choose it whould be a twin wheel but so little in it
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It's more of a philosophical thing I think. One can argue about it until the cows come home without reaching a definitive answer one way or another. I prefer a big single axle (mine's 1800kg, since then there are 2000kg single axles around) because I don't want the extra expense and to have to lug around the deadweight of a second axle which eats into the payload, but that's only my personal opinion.
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The other downside of twin axles is their attractiveness to some of the travelling fraternity and also the aversion of some sites on the continent to them.
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I think the reversing part of this is the distance between the tow ball and the axles. the further away from the tow ball the easier it is. I can reverse my twin axle reasonably well but if I connect my little trailer ( for rubbish trips ) it's a nightmare as it has a mind of its own. haha.
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When we returned to caravanning four years ago - and only ever having towed smaller single axle vans before, I was quite apprehensive about 'moving up' to a TA. We wanted the extra space and the things that come with TAs and therefore went down that path. I would suggest that other than having to be a bit more careful when turning, it doesn't really make much difference to the 'sensation' once it's on the back of the car.. I like the greater stability and the reassurance that if a blow-out were to occur, it's unlikely to be as disastrous as with a single axle van. How to fit twin wheel locks was potentially an issue, but Lock 'n Level soon sorted that. We are currently considering swapping the van, and I now won't look at anything other than a TA.
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A blowout need not lead to catastrophic results with a single axle. I've experienced a blowout on a single axle outfit running at 100% weight ratio and the only thing that told me it had a blowout was hearing a big bang as the tyre exploded and seeing bits of rubber flying through the air in the rear view mirror. Besides, I even had to negotiate a bend in a slip road before being able to come to a stop.
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It is a matter of personal opinion once you have weighed up the pros and cons.
Twin axles will generally give you more room and most people find them easier to tow and reverse. Single axles caravans are lighter as you do not have the weight of the second axle, and this uses more fuel as does the scrub effect on bends.
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It can probably be confirmed one way or other by any hgv drivers as we do notice that when they service our local co op it seems a lot more manovering is needed if the trailer is a single axle compared to if it is a two or three axle trailer
We found it much easier to reverse our TA in a strait line or on to a pitch than our single axle vans
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I had a t/a Bailey Barcelona and towed it with a Discovery. It was very stable to tow and we much enjoyed the space. We traded it for a single axle Swift Elegance which we kept a year due to a never ending list of faults.The only negatives of a T/A are manoeuvring off the car even when using a motor mover as you can only make a limited amount of a turn before the tyres squirm against each other and then you have to do a straight shunt backwards or forwards to release the strain. The even bigger pain if you use the AlKo wheel locks (to get the CC insurance discount) is that they insist both wheels on the same side have to be locked. This means that one wheel has to be jacked up to spin it to a position that will accommodate the locking plate.
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The Powrtouch AWD system on our Barcelona does the straightening bit automatically - turns, straightens a bit and then turns again etc.. Ours has to go through a right-angled turn to get it on the drive and it does this in a little over its overall length.
As for fitting the wheel locks - it's a doddle with Lock 'n Level and it takes me about five minutes to both fit the locks and level the van.
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If you are buying new, going for a TA won’t buy you any more space in reality as many single axles are nearly 8 metres. However, if you have a tow car that can take the weight, then you can upgrade the MTPLM on a TA by far more than you an a TA which will help with actually carrying a decent amount of kit. I have a new Swift single axle. I could only upgrade the MTPLM by 30 Kg whereas if I could have towed the equivalent TA it was something like 250Kg... I have loads of space in cupboards etc but can’t fill them!
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