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stan
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caravans do not need a mot Geoff.. ... - .- -.




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Post #565626 27th Aug 2020 8:31am
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Weegie



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Scotland 2008 Range Rover Vogue TDV8 Stornoway Grey

Geoff,

I think your searching is what is causing the confusion. You are apparently turning up the law on HGV trailers, which is a different kettle of fish from caravans/light trailers.

Any caravan you are looking at would not exceed 3500kg and would not require an MoT.

This might explin it: https://www.gov.uk/mot-for-hgv-buses-and-trailers

HTH John
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Post #565631 27th Aug 2020 9:27am
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madasmad



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Just a thought on your towing weight issue Tom - can you have the caravan plated weight increased? I had my Swift increased from @1700 to 2000kg which means we can take even more junk away with us Rolling with laughter 2019 Autobiography SDV8 Byron blue/black - current
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Post #565635 27th Aug 2020 10:11am
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IanV8



Member Since: 14 Jan 2010
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Scotland 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE TDV8 Santorini Black

Mr Tee wrote:
Can you take your own van on their courses Ian ?


No they have vans with ballast in them.

Some courses are near to a site though.

Ian

Post #565637 27th Aug 2020 10:28am
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supershuttle



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So irrelevant it was Laughing Geoff

Post #565641 27th Aug 2020 10:56am
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Alistair



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United Kingdom 2013 Range Rover Vogue SE SDV8 Santorini Black

I think everything on here was relevant - your searching elsewhere may not have been Whistle

As Brian said - what you tow behind your car is a trailer - a caravan is a subset - a type of trailer

Currently in the UK, there is no MOT requirement for a <3500kg trailer - there is frequent speculation that there may be in future as some other EU countries have one - but I guess with Brexit, that is less likely.

Anyway, as you were, not to panic - no MOT to worry about, just all the other things Rolling with laughter

Post #565654 27th Aug 2020 12:24pm
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supershuttle



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So irrelevant to anyone thinking of a caravan at the moment, like all (except some on here obviously) I can't predict the future and warn of problems that simply don't exist. Especially since I made it clear in my OP that I was thinking of buying a tiny caravan.

My research elsewhere said any and all caravans seemingly regardless of weight don't need an MOT so all the talk around trailers is just Censored . Geoff

Post #565680 27th Aug 2020 3:09pm
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stan
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if you have sky then record 'practical caravan' on channel 192 [showcase] at 11.00 am on monday..and 7.30pm for 'caravan finder tv'... ... - .- -.




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Post #565685 27th Aug 2020 3:35pm
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Alistair



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supershuttle wrote:
all the talk around trailers is just Censored .


Embarassed I might have started that - as far as your licence is concerned, it's a trailer - you're licensed to tow a trailer, there's no specific caravan category - it doesn't matter whether its a horse box, boar, whatever - same licence.

Apologies for derailing the thread.

Post #565703 27th Aug 2020 6:27pm
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supershuttle



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Stan,
I've set up to record the progs but one seems to be 26 weeks for the whole series so if I watch them all any caravan jolly will be next summer Banging Head although the colder months is probably a good time to buy Very Happy. Geoff

Post #565716 27th Aug 2020 8:11pm
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stan
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Laughing

i'm sure the first few episodes will give you an idea of what to buy... Thumbs Up ... - .- -.




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Post #565730 27th Aug 2020 9:07pm
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northernmonkeyjones



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Hi Geoff.

Give it a go. Possibly a good idea is to rent a motor home first. There are quite a few outfits which do this and it will give you a sense of the space and how all the bits work as they are fairly similar on both motor homes and caravans.

If it’s just going to be you in the van a small compact 2 birth van would be big enough but being tall you definitely need to check out the beds, as some of the singles are quite short and if you can find one with a long enough front dinette bench then you may be able to get away with not having to drag out the double every night.

Eribas are nice vans, but again being tall, you may find the head height restrictive? Trouble is at the moment the supply of both new and used vans is quite limited as staycationers have stripped the shelves.

In terms of depreciation, second hand vans hold their value well. So you aren’t going to lose out massively if you do buy one and decide after 12 months that it’s not for you. For example our 2010 6 berth lunar was 13k when I bought it 7 years ago. There are similar Lunar vans on the market now for over 10k. But bear in mind this year you are buying in a hot market!!

In terms of towing, going forwards is not an issue. Going backwards is where it gets more tricky when reversing into a pitch. But a mover can sort that, or practice......

Everything on a van is pretty easy to use and fairly idiot proof, if less robust than domestic stuff and once you have done it a couple of times it will become second nature. A basic pitch up of:

Move onto pitch brakes on and park up car
Steadies and level up
Locks on
Electric on
gas on
Water filled connected and bled through
Waste connected
TV tuned in
Beer opened

Should take about 15 mins, though I’ve now knocked it down to 10 as my lad can do some of it!!

There are plenty of seasoned caravanners on here and we are happy to help.

And no.... you definitely don’t need a caravan MoT. BUT quite a few caravan insurance companies require the van to be serviced annually and proof to be presented in the event of a claim. That is a bit like an MOT and generally includes both a habitation check of things like the gas system and a damp check, and a chassis service which strips the brakes down and rebuilds them and looks at tyres and the hitch etc.

Generally your car insurance will provide 3rd party cover in the event of an accident with the van on but will not cover the van itself. Which is where the a above mentioned caravan cover comes in. It’s worth reading the small print of your car policy as some crafty policies can be a bit restrictive as to what you can tow. It’s one of the reasons I insure with Axa. As I tow a long t/a van many mainstream policies have a length limit, which is shorter than my van!! Almost been caught out a few times.

Enjoy. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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Post #565867 29th Aug 2020 6:02pm
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supershuttle



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Thanks NMJ very comprehensive and helpful as well as not the least bit ambiguous and no “ red herrings” . I’ve checked everything out with one of my friends who tows, as some of the replies on here were a bit confusing and irrelevant to caravan ownership, he uses a mover through choice rather than reversing. I’ve actually found a couple of places that rent vans (I don’t really want to even try a motor home) so I might give that a go after the course. I’m OK on the driving licence front (another advantage of being old) and of course all the trailer stuff was pretty much a useless diversion as I’ve said before, but all the on topic replies, tips and things to think about before buying even a small caravan were very useful.
Thanks again Geoff

Post #565871 29th Aug 2020 8:06pm
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