Corner steadies.
What are your thoughts on how far down you wind the corner steadies. At the weekend, the van was 'a bit lively' when somebody moved around. We were on a grass pitch. I wound them down so that they were quite firm almost to the point in lifting the caravan but not excessive. The result was that things were much more stable with less chance of spilling the red wine!
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Do you put wooden blocks under them? It adds stability on soft ground and saves winding them so far.
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I did not mention it TW but I did put down wooden pads as an afterthought and noticed the improvement. By the way, the site that we stayed at was Penhale near Fowey and we had a spectacular view across Saint Austell Bay and Dodman Point.
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hi guys quick one regarding corner steadies I have Romahome Campervan it has 2 steadies at the rear ,do I need to put them down all the time ?? as sometimes I struggle to wind them up and down being on my own !!
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I know where it is, JD.
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It depends on a few things. Consider how much overhang you have behind the back axle and what weight is in that overhang when you're living in the van on site. It doesn't take much imagination to work out the effect on your floor if much additional weight is in the unsupported area. Finally, consider how the van feels. Does it bounce about a lot at the rear?
You could always use the caravanners trick of using a battery powered lekky drill to wind the steadies. A cheapy non-hammer drill from B&Q or similar should do it with a socket type adaptor that fits in the drill at one end and on the winding nut the other - available from vanning accessory shops.
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I know the drill thing you mean had them in a past life when I had Caravans ,all her weight is in the rear and it sits over the back wheels may look at that next time I'm away ,I have a friend that does jobs for me he's coming round on Friday to put me a new hinge on a cupboard he greased the steadies for me last year ,but as she's low down will get all the crap off the road !!
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Weight over the axle is fine. It's what is in the overhang that matters as far as supporting with the cornersteadies goes. Obviously, permanent fittings are within tolerance but, in our case, we have a rear lounge and tend to sit in the extreme rear corners. For that reason, we use the rear steadies quite often and they do help steady the van if it's very windy.
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Romahomes are built on light van chassis so tend to be,quite bouncy? so i would think useing the rear steadies as they are fitted as standard,would improve the "on site experience"and a cheap batt drill and socket as Tinny suggests,they do some good ones in Lidl/Aldi at times
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cheers guys may look into a drill x
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I found the drill to be rather feeble and have little other use while touring so instead I use the battery powered socket gun that I have for changing wheels.
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ye just looked at some drills could be tad too expensive for what I need it for ,taking my camper to my friends house on Friday night so I will ask him to look at my steadies for me !!
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A low cost alternative to the cranked handle that most caravan makers supply for the steady is a thing called a "ratchet drive". It has a lot more mechanical advantage, especially the long ones. You will also need a socket for the end - usually 19mm, but check - and perhaps an extension if the steady is hidden well underneath.
And another though tht has just occured to me - what sort of device is supplied for removing wheel nuts? Or are you using that already?
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I have a wheel brace for the wheel nuts ,have a winder bought a new one last year as the one my brother in law gave me when I got my camper was no use ,I just seem to struggle with the steadies one side is worse than the other it only has 2 !!
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They sound like they need a good rub down and regrease GC. We have to do ours on old caravan every year. Not used rear steadies on MH yet, but we are mid lounge.
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After trying many things over the years to keep corner steadies working on various bits of equipment I found the best thing for dealing with all the muck thrown at them from the roadway was the spray-on oil/grease mixture sold for motor bicycle chains. There may be something similar available for push bicycles as well.
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Being a mature caravanner I us every labour saving device available! I take my cordless drill with a steadies brace - saves me perspiring when it is hot! On grass it may be necessary to readjust the steadies after a night even if you have ' big feet' attached to them; this is quite normal. To untighten wheel nuts I have a wheel brace with an extension - don't forget you will need a torque wrench when reattaching the wheels.
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We have the plastic feet that are permanently attached to the corner steadies to help spread the load and stop them from sonking into the ground. We always wind them down so that they are firmly on the ground, or add a block or two underneath if the pitch is slightly uneven.
We've never had a problem with the caravan bouncing.
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I have always had an issue with the vagueness of the guidance on how much pressure should be applied when setting corner steadies.
I would like to see, in the specifications, a figure for the maximum load on the caravan, this could then be tested for with a set of bathroom scales so that you would have a feel for how tight to wind the screw.
Having suffered a slow puncture this last weekend it also intrigues me as to how flat the tyre needs to be before something breaks.
It seems that vagueness is useful to the manufacturers so they can blame you when things go wrong.
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