Lambie Level
I wonder if you can help me please. My parents were keen caravanners and members of the Caravan Club for many years. As a retirement project in the late 1970s my dad designed, produced and marketed a spirit level for caravans - it was called the Lambie Level (for obvious reasons!). His business ran for a number of years and he sold a lot of levels through advertising in the Club magazine. Someone took over the business for a few years when dad was no longer able to make the levels - I’m not sure how long that lasted but I saw Lambie Levels on the front of caravans occasionally over the years. Dad died more than 20 years ago and sadly I don’t have a Lambie Level and wonder if there's anyone reading this who might know where I could source one, or indeed might even have one - purely for nostalgia and to remember my dad - I used to help him package them up and post them off about 40 years ago! Any help much appreciated, Ali Lambie
Moderator Comment - Ali, fascinating post. I will move into discussions as more may see it there and you might get a better response.
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I am sorry that I am unable to help with my last one still screwed to the front of my Thomson Gleneagle when I traded it in for a new Buccaneer in 1980!It was a great device and I used to mount them so that they were visible in my rear view mirror!Good luck with the hunt!
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I used to have them, originally mounted on my last caravan. When I traded that in I transferred them to a motorhome but I think they went with that when I traded that in. I'll check and post here if I still have anything left of them. As I re-call it came in three parts, two levels and a sight, I never used the latter but I did find them very useful.
peedee.
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Ah good to know you had Lambie Levels and clearly liked them enough to transfer to your motorhome. Yes three parts - two levels and a Rev-Aid (helped you reverse the van into place smoothly rather than jack-knifing!). Thank you for your reply.
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Yes dad designed them large enough and with black liquid (secret formula!) so they were clearly visible in the rear view mirror. Thanks for your reply.
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Sadly I don't have any photos but the levels were maybe 7 or 8 inches long, the glass tube had black liquid inside so the bubble could be seen really clearly. The level was mounted in a white coated aluminium channel with green writing embossed on the front saying 'Lambie Level' and giving a PO Box number - assuming my memory serves me accurately!
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Sorry AL I have not found any trace of them. It looks like what I had went with my last motorhome. I had them installed so without leaving the drivers seat I could level up on my ramps, one on the sunvisor for side to side and one above the drivers door for fore and aft.
peedee.
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Out of interest I googled Lambie Level and found a discussion on this forum from 2012 from a poster saying he had one which had finally given up the ghost and he was hoping to source a replacement. Alas, there were no other comments to suggest where he could get one nor any photographs to help.
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I found a photo of one I had fixed to the sunvisor of my previous motorhome. They came as a pair with a sight which helped you level a caravan while still in the driver's seat.
peedee
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Thank you JillwithaJay for googling - great to know someone wanted to source another Lambie Level, but a shame no responses. The trail is perhaps running a little cold as that was 10 years ago!
And thank you so much peedee for the photograph - wonderful!! I feel moved to see one again after all these years - and to know my dad made that
I'm still holding a faint hope someone might still have one - let's see ...2 -
Yes!! My letter worked, someone has two stashed away and they're posting them to me. I'm so delighted
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I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival in the post. Will put a photo up when I have them!
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My Lambie Levels arrived safely this morning - thank you so much to everyone who joined in this conversation and especially to Bev who remarkably still had two levels hoarded away after all these years and kindly sent them to me - photo attached!
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Just discovered this post and am insanely jealous.
What I wouldn't give for a pair of Lambilevels! My last pair went when we changed our van in 2021 and I can't find a satisfactory replacement. I's just so irritating, having to dash back and forwards to check on the level. Most spirit levels are just too sensitive to be able to assess how many boards are needed. I've tried spirit levels ranging from £5 to £25 but none of them measure up to my original Lambilevels.
Currently I'm using a bullseye level, but that has to be placed just inside the door rather than being mounted on the front of the van or on the A-bracket. I know - the front table would be good but we use a towing cover so not visible on arrival on site.
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Ah lovely to hear how much you rated your Lambie Levels - I'm only sorry no others measure up. It's strange timing after I miraculously sourced one each for me and my brother six months ago then this discussion thread went quiet. Early this morning our mum Sheila Lambie died - she survived our dad, the inventor and manufacturer of Lambie Levels, by 21 years! End of an era.
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I had two in the past, but one either stayed on a drawbar or went to my daughter. I still have one and value it enormously. I screwed it to a strip of wood and in use it either rests below the centre window for lateral level and is then transferred to the the caravan floor for front-back levelling.
The fluid is a little more viscous than many levels and the tube is a gentle curve, both make it ideal for the purpose.
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Thank you for posting KerryS - wonderful to know you're still using and valuing your Lambilevel
Dad would be delighted!0 -
I'm sorry to be so late to the party, and even more sorry that I don't still have any Lambilevels - particularly as my two sons-in-law are both caravanners and I keep extolling the virtues of the wonderful Lambilevels that were both the simplest and best of the various gadgets I used in my own caravanning days. Now a motorhomer, I have a sort of poor man's version in the form of a target spirit level fitted into a blob of plastic designed to fit in the instrument cowl of a Fiat Ducato circa 1998 so that the bubble is in the centre when the motorhome is level in both directions. It's handy, but not a patch on those sorely missed Lambie lovlies.
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Thank you for your comment Mike and never too late to the party - it's always lovely to hear how appreciated dad's Lambilevels were.
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