Which one do I buy? Advice please
Hi all,
So after a year or so without a caravan we've decided to come back.
We have narrowed the choices down to either a Bailey Unicorn S5 Lisbon or the Pamploma.
I'm really not sure which is best for us, one has a single axle and one has twin which I am led to believe will be easier to tow? If any of you have experience with either model, I would really appreciate your comments.
Do sites charge more for twin axle vans and are they as easy to manouvre with twin motor movers as a single?
Thanks
James
Comments
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There are lots of pros and cons with each - but having had both - I definitely prefer a twin axle van. A TA is more stable under tow and less prone to snaking and, of course, the worry of the effect of a blow-out on a tyre is less - notwithstanding that any blow-out could cause damage to the van. As far as manoeuvring with motor movers - the single axle is definitely easier but I haven't had a problem with ours with AWD motors fitted and I have to make a 90 degree turn in a little over the van's length to get it onto the drive at home - it does it easily but you do get a bit of tyre 'scrubbing'.
Never come across a site charging more for a TA van and if they did, I wouldn't go there! If going to a new CL or CS, I always mention we have a TA van (and in our case 8' wide) just in case there are access or pitch size issues.
One other thing to think about is the fitting of wheel locks (if your insurance company requires them and assuming we're talking Alko) - with a TA van it can be problematic whereas it's straightforward with a SA van and a MM. I used to use Lock 'n Level on our last TA and that made fitting the locks easy. The ultimate solution is E&P hydraulic levelling - which I now have - but it's expensive!
Just a few thoughts and I'm sure there will be plenty of others coming along with other comments.
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You do now and then come across a site in France which does not admit admit twin axle caravans - not a big issue, but it’s worth mentioning.
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The first thing to establish is what weight of van your car can handle, the TA presumably being the heavier.
Then payload......how good.....can you get an upgrade.......movers, especially 4 wheel ones are heavy.
Fridge size would be important to us, as would shower size.
I prefer a TA, we have had ours 14 years now.
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We have had 4 twin axle caravans and two single axles. We always prefer twin axles - more space, etc.. In our experience a twin axle van is significantly more stable towing than a single - doesn’t normally get agitated by HGVs, etc. Manoeuvring while attached is no different to a single, but really need a mover when not attached. Since twins are usually heavier, do observe car towing weight limits and have adequate engine power.
We have a motor mover on our front axle of our twin (Powrtouch Evolution Twin) which is made for twin axle caravans. We did this to save weight compared to a 4 wheel mover. This performs adequately in most situations, apart from steep gradients and tight radii.
In France, some campsites do not take twin axle vans, but never had a problem in the UK, apart from sites with length restrictions due to limited access.
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Likewise, we only have the mover on the front axle, a Truma TE, which is designed for TAs. Saves about 30kg of the payload.
We need it to get the van hitch first off the road and onto our 10% upward sloping drive. Takes me 3-4 back and forth shuffles to get it in place, so not bad.
A site in France tried to charge us about double the ACSI price, we left and found a MUCH nicer site a bit further on. Only time we had a bad experience.
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James, You don’t say what car you have, but with fuel the price that it is, and new diesel powered tow cars soon to be phased out, I wonder whether it is wise to be buying either of those large heavy caravans at this time. With each of them you are going to be hauling 1750 kilos along the road.
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Thank you for all of your comments, I'm currently using a newish Touareg (3.0 V6 Diesel) plenty of power for towing....is 1750kg's heavy for a caavan then?
I'm still a bit new to it all, last caravan was a Eccles Sport 584 which was quite big.
We like the end island bed pointing down the caravan which is what is attracting us to the Unicorn ones....Are there others that you experienced caravanners would recommend looking at as well?
Thanks
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The Touareg will be more than capable, we have a slightly older model and it has no problem with our 1900kg twin axle.
Is 1750 the max weight for the van, or can it be up plated to give you a better payload? Often payloads these days are totally inadequate.
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Likewise - my Touareg Escape easily tows our 2000kg Knaus - probably the best tow car I have had. I won't talk about fuel consumption, though! I would certainly look at continental vans in terms of payload and build quality. One of the reasons we bought our Knaus was the sensible 365 kg payload.
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I have a Touareg and also tow 1900Kg TA with no problems. I agree with remarks regarding TA stability advantage and the other creature comforts of a TA like a big fridge etc. My only issue is the pitiful payload or user allowance on some TAs. I opted for the Powertouch AWD mover and it certainly moves the van with no problem. Unfortunately it eats 60Kg of user allowance. In retrospect, as I don't visit ploughed fields or use the mover for 20% inclines, I would have been better off with a single axle mover.
Regarding fuel consumption, I tow at or near the legal speed limit and usually get 23-24mpg depending on the weather. I seem to recall that with a 1500Kg SA van I used to get 25 or 26 mpg in a lighter diesel estate. So not much difference in my case.
Before I start a debate about caravan manufacturer choice, you might want to look at the annual Practical Caravan reliability survey (might be a slightly different title). My personal experience with two new Baileys has not been great, however, maybe I was unlucky or they have improved now. Unfortunately, very little objective data to go on outside the Practical Caravan survey. Personally, I prefer a TA, but also factor in slightly higher service costs and probably insurance as it is based on caravan price.
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