Leaving a site
Comments
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Only if you leave the site after 12 .....
I've towed with both the heater & on-board tank full ...... I'd wondered why it felt different. Realised when I couldn't get any more water in the tank.
I drain the hot water each trip ...... makes me feel better.
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i presume, like all responsible vanners (caravans and MHs) they go to a weighbridge and check their weights. i did mine on Thursday, on the way back from a site, we were fully loaded as weighing the van (full) was something i was planning to do......
i mentioned elsewhere that, while some might get around to weighing the caravan, how many weigh the tow car, fully loaded (OH, kids, fuel, awnings, barrels, bikes, chairs, tables, leads, fluids, etc, etc) with all the stuff thas deemed too heavy to go in the caravan....?
anyone care to confess to a 'weighing' of car and caravan?
just to balance the thread, i'll also wager there are many MHs at (supposedly) 3.5t that have never been near a weighbridge and the owners are trundling abount in blissful ignorance of their legality (and safety) or otherwise.
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I'll confess to never having taken either to be weighed
But I have always had big cars & large caravans with plenty of spare capacity for our useage. Like I said I have always been very aware/mindful of loading and weight distribution. Back in my younger days I did a bit of HGV driving and can recall twice being stopped in a VOSA check point and escorted to a weighbridge. It does make you think at the time.Take your point though and if I see a sign for one on route somewhere I think I will.
Also just looked up my caravan specs and my load margin is 240Kg's not the 210kgs I posted earlier, that applies to later models.
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may or may not be true of caravans, but many folk think that a bigger van, perhaps with larger storage areas, 'must' be OK to just fill that space.....
unfortunately, for vans restricted to 3.5t, the opposite is true....the larger the van, the smaller (probably) the payload.
well done for at least checking the numbers and considering a weighbridge visit...
.....its quite painless, and my visit was free. wiltshire grain Ltd, just north of the Stonehenge Visitor Centre.
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Just as an aside but on the same subject, how many people are aware that (the only one i know of) on a section of the M25 near Clacketts lane services there is a weighbridge built in to the carriage way overlooked by an ANPR system
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So back to the OP's questions. Firstly gas; as has been said, just turn it off at the bottle. So far as using it is concerned just operate it as if you are at home! We use electric where possible but our hob/oven are gas. When leaving the site try to keep it as simple as possibe. After packing away everything and making sure cupboard etc closed properly we do the following in this order:
Windows closed including roof ones
Aerial down
Fridge to 'battery'
Water heater off
Disconnect water both in and out
Check gas turned off at bottle
DIsconnect mains
Turn master switch 'off' or to 'car'
Bring car to caravan (fit mirrors)
Steadies up
Hitch up (ensure correct by lifting caravn slightly using jocket wheel)
Disconnect mover
Connect electrics and breakaway cable
Push down stabaliser
Check caravan lights/indicators
Walk around checking all doors locked and that you have connected to car properly!
Pull forward
Walk around pitch to see that you have left nothing behind.
(The purist will say that you should check the caravan wheel torque before leaving)
Off you go!
I tend not to empty my water tank (only 10kgs) as I have a large loading capacity. In practice OH does the inside jobs whilst I do the outside ones - especially if it is raining - she then gets in the car before I hitch up! This may seem a long list but it will become second nature to you after a few trips.
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Probably been mentioned, but a few of us still do make the mistake of forgetting the extension mirrors when setting off. Usually I remember when negotiating towards the site exit, but have been known to pull into the first available layby.
I never empty my Truma hot water tank (front right) until the end of the year, but do drain off any in the flush tank (rear right) into the cassette.
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