Hello from Devon (1 Viewer)

pizzajohn

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Mar 2, 2014
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newton abbot
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30,361
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i'm a newbie
Hi,
My wife was an avid caravanner with her late husband and has, over the years, tried to persuade me to enjoy the mobile life. So off we went to the NEC to look at our short list of vans. Given that we are both retired we were looking for a little luxury we soon realised that the short list did not suit our needs and that vans in the region of 27ft were now in our sights. As I have never towed, the prospect of hanging one on these on the rear of my Chrysler 300C was daunting.

However, whilst on the Bailey stand we looked at motor homes and then, decided to explore larger, fixed bed, models. It was on the Auto-Trail stand that we saw our dream model, the Frontier Cheyenne.

Impulsive, maybe but we are relishing its delivery in June. The one thing I’m trying to get to grips with is “What do I need to kit it out”? So, any suggestions are welcome from teaspoons up to whatever.

One addition that I am considering is having levelling jacks installed, has anyone any experience of these and, are is levelling a critical process?

One other potential purchase would be a trailer for our Chrysler Ypsilon. Can anyone suggest a manufacturer.

John
 

Mastercamper

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Dec 7, 2013
578
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Hello Pizza John, And welcome to MHF.

Your questions stopped me in my tracks.
Please try your new MH before you spend on any accessories which you may think you need.
One thing that you do need to consider is the weight of any "cargo" which can so easily take your van overweight.
Many threads on here regarding weight problems etc.
What ever you do, do enjoy your freedom with your new van. It will probably be one of the best things that you ever do.

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Carol

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 2, 2007
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Hello John and welcome to fun, you really have dived in at the deep end :Smile:, while you are waiting for June to arrive along with your van, I would read as much as you can on fun, put in the search engine anything that is on your mind, see if the answer is there, but most of all keep asking questions.

In Jim's lists there is a what you need in the van list, could be useful for you, the best £10 you could spend is the £10 sub for a year with Fun, you will soon get that back with discounts,, for eg. If you need a Tracker fitted then Eddie van Blitz is your man and gives a very good Funster discount.

Then there is John Cross Also gives good discount , the list goes on.
Good luck and happy travels, from us at the moment touring Morocco.:thumb:
 
Sep 5, 2012
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Welcome to fun. Will be in Devon sometime this year, in laws live just outside Tiverton:Smile:
 
Sep 12, 2012
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Welcome, hope you enjoy your new toy :Smile: :welcome:

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Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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Hi and welcome from Ilfracombe, do check out the rally in august a good time to meet a few funsters and put faces to names.
As to what you need, well wait and see, levelling jacks are generally a waste of time and all too easy to drive off or at least try to with them down. Thus bending them and making it impossible to retract them. some people use levelling blocks, I never do I just make sure I'm parked right in the first place. Wait and see if you tend to use sites or wild before deciding what you need as the appropriate lists are different. Modern motorhomes tend to have a pitiful payload so do check, take it to a weighbridge then do the sums. Enjoy, any questions ask away.
 
Apr 27, 2008
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Levelling on a modern van is not at all critical. As long as the wine stays in the glass and the glass stays on the table it's level enough for me.
Levelling, unless you're staying for along time, is just a faff, and makes it more difficult to move off.
A TIP Most motorhomes seem to be slightly downhill towards the front (in the case of mine by about 6") so by choosing which way round to park you can be more level.

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Mar 26, 2009
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:party2::welcome::party2:

As said earlier, determine your payload before deciding on "heavy" extras.
Have a great time in your new van when it arrives:thumb:
 

geo glasgow

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Feb 2, 2014
292
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welcome to the forum

didn't know they existed .levelers thought they were and are a Band from the 90s, anyway get in the van enjoy it and forget all the extras for the moment, find a flat level place to park and if it aint then somewhere in that new van is a couple of big plastic wedges easy to work out where they go and how they work,
just make sure you have what you need Drink food and the love of a wonderful woman,,

i Don't drink so one of them is out the door for me,,:ROFLMAO:

any way if motorhoming is for you will you be as we say wild camping (not on a campsite plugged in ),,
or using campsites plugged in for power..
if you are on the road and camping oot in the wild then you need to ask a few questions on here about 12volt and 240volt power , your tv for coronation street for one,, if no the tele then a few days of romantic
12volt led mood lighting, then if thats no yer fancy ,
What extras did you get with your new motorhome have you actually bought it yet? good luck:thumb:
 

scousebird

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Apr 18, 2012
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Hello :thumb:

One of the best things we bought was the silver screen for the cab windows, helps keep the condensation at bay when it's cold.

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the stig

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Oct 10, 2009
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Hi and welcome to fun, no one has been able to answer you direct as the moment, because until you decide what you want to do ie stay on campsites, or go wild camping or just go on rallies or a mixture of all the above. then you will need different things for different types.

eg
Campsites on electric hook up (which can vary from 6amps to 16 amps: low voltage electric kettle, TV doesn't really matter whether 12v or not
Wilding or Rallies (no electric hook up: So you will need to rely on good leisure batteries and or solar panels and perhaps a genie, a gas boiling kettle, and a 12 volt TV

So you see this is just a very small example.
and when you get into each one ie batteries or solar panels, they each branch off into different areas of size power etc depending on what you want to use them for.

LED lighting is def the way to go, (will save you a lot on power usage) if your van has not already got all LED then you really ought to start looking on internet for the best ones. Again ask on here, there will be folk on here who can direct you to the best deals.

You mentioned levellers, my two penneth is you would be far better buying levelling blocks (the wedge shaped mini plastic ramps) oh and buy a small level.

Stock up on bubble wrap and a roll of anti slip mat. You will know why after your very first time out in the van.
Carol has already mentioned on here that Jim has already got a long standing thread going on the essentials you will need on board your motorhome.

Hope this all doesn't sound to daunting. It really isn't you know, its just a whole load of fun!

As a last contribution from me, we spent a long time and wasted a lot of money on getting our outdoor chairs right (for us) I lose count of the different ones we bought along the way. But I can highly recommend La-Fuma, yes they are expensive, but if you get them right first time then it will save you money in the long run. But we also have a couple of the Director type chairs that have the lift up side table which also are very useful when you go along to meets, as we mostly tend to gather up somewhere on a night time and is very useful to carry your own little drinks table with you!:thumb:

Enjoy your new journey

Andrea & Jeff
 

maz

Jan 26, 2011
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Bizeljsko, Slovenia
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Since March 2011
However, whilst on the Bailey stand we looked at motor homes and then, decided to explore larger, fixed bed, models. It was on the Auto-Trail stand that we saw our dream model, the Frontier Cheyenne.

[HI]Impulsive, maybe[/HI] but we are relishing its delivery in June. The one thing I’m trying to get to grips with is “What do I need to kit it out”? So, any suggestions are welcome from teaspoons up to whatever.

One addition that I am considering is having levelling jacks installed, has anyone any experience of these and, are is levelling a critical process?

Blimey! Welcome to the Fun! :welcomefunster:

As others have said, wait till you've had a play with the van before deciding what extras you might need. Not sure what model you've gone for as I thought Frontier and Cheyenne were two different ranges (not that I'm an Autotrail expert :winky:). Is it maybe a Frontier Chieftain (begins with Ch anyway :Smile:)? If so, that's a big beastie and hopefully should have a decent payload.

Apart from things rolling off the tables, levelling is usually done to keep the fridge-freezer happy. If your van is fitted with a Dometic fridge-freezer then (theoretically, anyway) you can be 6 degrees off level. Thetford versions seem to have a much lower tilt tolerance.

For a hefty van, the Milenco levelling blocks are good and sturdy. I use Triples but they also do Quattros which are very bulky but will allow you to limbo dance under the van if you should have the inclination. ::bigsmile:

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pizzajohn

Free Member
Mar 2, 2014
9
1
newton abbot
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30,361
MH
on order
Exp
i'm a newbie
Thank you all

The beast on order is the Auto-Trail Comanche a tag Axle affair at 28ft 7in. long. Being a tag axle I have been advised that if I were to use wedges, they should only be used on the front axle, which is why levelling jacks came into focus.

Geo, the order includes Aircon, Auto Gearbox and a wind-down rear mounted bike carrier - we're buying a couple of electric bikes. It's equipped with a solar panel and a self seeking satellite dish.

Initially we will use recognised sites both here in the UK and on the continent and will attend whichever rallys we can get to.

What I am having trouble with is finding storage around the Newton Abbot area. I contacted four sites nearby, last night and the first two to reply were fully booked!

Maybe a house move is needed to store it at home?

John
 

MHVirgins

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Aug 22, 2011
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Hi pizzajohn and :welcomefunster:
We nearly always had to use our ramps when we had our previous van, we were nose down and although it never affected our fridge, it certainly did affect the drainage of our shower.

We now have an Autotrail Dakota and haven't had the need to use the small ramps that came with the van. But we also use the "glass of wine" method to check whether we're fairly level or not:roflmto:

I would spend a good few trips away in your new van first before splashing out on expensive extras that you might not need. Ours came with front and rear air-con, which is something that we'd never have added ourselves had it not been in already. Also, silver screens will cut down the condensation, but we've yet to use ours.
Enjoy your new van when you get it and good luck with finding storage for it.

Bill
p.s. Many happy holidays have been spent in and around the south Hams area, we love Devon and hope to get back to the area before too long.
 
Last edited:

Peter JohnsCross MH

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Deceased RIP
Jan 5, 2008
9,617
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East Sussex
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1,134
MH
Autotrail
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1995
Welcome to Fun, enjoy and as Carol says explore my website for your needs

Peter

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maz

Jan 26, 2011
4,445
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Bizeljsko, Slovenia
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Since March 2011
The beast on order is the Auto-Trail Comanche a tag Axle affair at 28ft 7in. long. Being a tag axle I have been advised that if I were to use wedges, they should only be used on the front axle, which is why levelling jacks came into focus.

On a slope, those of us with tag axles just tend to turn the van so that any levelling is done with the front wheels. :Smile:
 

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