Caravan not steady when on pitch?
I seem to be having a problem obtaining a "solid" pitch on site and no matter how hard I wind down the steadies which are heavy duty ones I do not achieve a stable caravan. the caravan is a 2016 Coachman VIP 575.
The chassis seems quite inadequate at the rear and I wonder if it is this lightweight part that is flexing and allowing the van to rock.
I am reluctantly winding the steadies down much tighter than I have ever done with previous caravans.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to improve the stability.
Regards
Dave
Comments
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are you on a hardstanding or grass? even with an HS blocks or feet/pads are useful the will spread out the weight more, with a cornersteady alone all that is is contact with the ground is a thin strips of curved metal and hence the pressure (weight divided
by area) is greater and will sink more into the HS or grass. Even with a block or pad the caravan is resting on its wheels and springs so some bounce is always there0 -
I was told level the van with the jockey wheel and ramps side to side, then just touch the corner steadies down for balance. You can cause damage to the chassis by screwing the legs down to tight. There will always be a certain amount of movement.
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I was told level the van with the jockey wheel and ramps side to side, then just touch the corner steadies down for balance. You can cause damage to the chassis by screwing the legs down to tight. There will always be a certain amount of movement.
yes true, once the you get a bit of resistence to winding that's when you stop.
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I was told level the van with the jockey wheel and ramps side to side, then just touch the corner steadies down for balance. You can cause damage to the chassis by screwing the legs down to tight. There will always be a certain amount of movement.
yes true, once the you get a bit of resistence to winding that's when you stop.
And it's better to wind the steadies only partway with blocks under them than to wind them down to their full extent which will cause the van to be unsteady and put greater strain on the steadies.
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are you on a hardstanding or grass? even with an HS blocks or feet/pads are useful the will spread out the weight more, with a cornersteady alone all that is is contact with the ground is a thin strips of curved metal and hence the pressure (weight divided
by area) is greater and will sink more into the HS or grass. Even with a block or pad the caravan is resting on its wheels and springs so some bounce is always thereHi thanks for your reply, I use the plastic feet retained on the steady foot. The effect is the same whether on grass or hard standing. I have tried to convince myself that it must be moving around the axle wheel suspension as you say but do not know what
if anything can be done about this.Thanks
Dave
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It could be that the springs on your new van have more spring in them than your old van?
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I was told level the van with the jockey wheel and ramps side to side, then just touch the corner steadies down for balance. You can cause damage to the chassis by screwing the legs down to tight. There will always be a certain amount of movement.
yes true, once the you get a bit of resistence to winding that's when you stop.
And it's better to wind the steadies only partway with blocks under them than to wind them down to their full extent which will cause the van to be unsteady and put greater strain on the steadies.
do the springs/suspension get less bouncey after use?
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It could be that the springs on your new van have more spring in them than your old van?
Which springs ...... ? You're going back a bit since caravans had springs ...... they're all indespension units nowadays
opps
a rose by any other name will bounce as well0 -
The legs have to be down tight but not so tight as to lift the corner. Even with feet on the caravan I do find that sometimes it settles and after a couple of days they may need tightening.
What I find odd is that the movement only seems to be at the back. I do wonder if there is some problem because of that. Might be as well to get someone experienced to look at it when on site if you can.
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It could be that the springs on your new van have more spring in them than your old van?
Which springs ...... ? You're going back a bit since caravans had springs ...... they're all indespension units nowadays
opps
a rose by any other name will bounce as well
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Once you have the van level as previously mentioned just wind down the steadies with wooded blocks/plastic feet under the steady foot, the larger the surface area the better and making sure the steadies are at an angle. By this I mean use blocks so the steadies
are not too strait, if they are they are not very stable. Good luck.0 -
Lose a bit of weight.
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It could be that the springs on your new van have more spring in them than your old van?
Hi thanks for your reply. Yes it does seem very lively on the suspension. someone following me while towing said the caravan bounced a lot and if I use the motor mover when it stops the van rocks considerably. My previous caravan did not have dampers on
the axle but stopped dead when using the mover. Is it possible that the axle/dampers could be faulty on a new van?Regards
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The legs have to be down tight but not so tight as to lift the corner. Even with feet on the caravan I do find that sometimes it settles and after a couple of days they may need tightening.
What I find odd is that the movement only seems to be at the back. I do wonder if there is some problem because of that. Might be as well to get someone experienced to look at it when on site if you can.
Hi Thanks for your comment. I seem to be forever readjusting for settlement as usual but with previous caravans not as many times as this seems to require. The movement is not just at the rear but throughout the van. One difference from previous vans is that the rear legs are hinged at the rear so the legs point inwards to the front instead of as previous vans facing rearwards
Regards
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I would check my corner steadies for wear if the 2 side arms are bent or worn at the conections to the steadies the caravan aways rocks and when the van rocks dont knock
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If the steadies are wound down too tight then the van starts acting more as a beam supported at each end, very springy. Best let the wheels take the loads and the steadies do what they are designed to do.
Then after first day when wheels etc might have settled somewhat, just slacken and reset rear steadies so they are not left carrying that settlement load.
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If the steadies are wound down too tight then the van starts acting more as a beam supported at each end, very springy. Best let the wheels take the loads and the steadies do what they are designed to do.
Then after first day when wheels etc might have settled somewhat, just slacken and reset rear steadies so they are not left carrying that settlement load.
Hi Ocsid, thanks for your reply i am very interested in what you say and i will definetly try your method, thanks very much
dave
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The more the steadies can be wound down before touching the ground the more stable the caravan will be. Ideally, the steadies should be vertical, although that will, of course, not be achievable.
Another measure which helps is to crossbrace the top of the steady on one side with the bottom of the steady on the other and vice versa with two bits of cable of suitable length. Alternatively, if setting up pitch for longer one can always support the chassis
frame on axle stands rather than using the steadies.0 -
The more the steadies can be wound down before touching the ground the more stable the caravan will be. Ideally, the steadies should be vertical, although that will, of course, not be achievable.
Another measure which helps is to crossbrace the top of the steady on one side with the bottom of the steady on the other and vice versa with two bits of cable of suitable length. Alternatively, if setting up pitch for longer one can always support the chassis
frame on axle stands rather than using the steadies.Lutz, thanks for your reply,
I have seen the cross brace equipment for sale but have never seen one in use to ask the effectivness and the ones i have seen advertised have used metal strip between the steadies i assume these would be more stable than the wire rope? Do you wind your
steadies down tight or as some people suggest until the legs just touch the ground? I like the axle stand idea and have often thought of this but dismissed it as a pain to cross level the van. My interest in this is because my wife can feel seasick as soon
as we drive onto a ferry while it is tied up in the dock! Thus any movement of the caravan has the same effect thus I dare not move for sake of rocking the van! (or boat)0 -
Lutz, thanks for your reply,
I have seen the cross brace equipment for sale but have never seen one in use to ask the effectivness and the ones i have seen advertised have used metal strip between the steadies i assume these would be more stable than the wire rope? Do you wind your
steadies down tight or as some people suggest until the legs just touch the ground? I like the axle stand idea and have often thought of this but dismissed it as a pain to cross level the van. My interest in this is because my wife can feel seasick as soon
as we drive onto a ferry while it is tied up in the dock! Thus any movement of the caravan has the same effect thus I dare not move for sake of rocking the van! (or boat)Yes, I have only seen those cross braces advertised, but not actually in use. However, if one were to use steel cables it should be quite easy to make a pair one's self.
I have used axle stands quite effectively in the past when the caravan was on a seasonal pitch. It did not have to be perfectly cross levelled because the height of the stands can be infinitiely adjustable by means of a screw adjustment.
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Lutz, thanks for your reply,
I have seen the cross brace equipment for sale but have never seen one in use to ask the effectivness and the ones i have seen advertised have used metal strip between the steadies i assume these would be more stable than the wire rope? Do you wind your
steadies down tight or as some people suggest until the legs just touch the ground? I like the axle stand idea and have often thought of this but dismissed it as a pain to cross level the van. My interest in this is because my wife can feel seasick as soon
as we drive onto a ferry while it is tied up in the dock! Thus any movement of the caravan has the same effect thus I dare not move for sake of rocking the van! (or boat)Yes, I have only seen those cross braces advertised, but not actually in use. However, if one were to use steel cables it should be quite easy to make a pair one's self.
I have used axle stands quite effectively in the past when the caravan was on a seasonal pitch. It did not have to be perfectly cross levelled because the height of the stands can be infinitiely adjustable by means of a screw adjustment.
Ah you have the deluxe axle stands mine only have three holes at intervals in the support stem for height adjustment!
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I am sorry to say I have the exact same problem no matter what I try.
I wish I had kept my Bailey, in my opinion the Coachman's are not all they are cracked up to be!
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