New members - just bought a Auto - Trail Arapaho at the Lincoln Show (1 Viewer)

[Langloan]

Hi all and nice to meet you. We are Dave and Joanne early 50"s live in Buckinghamshire.

I bought a Hymer 694 about 20 years ago and spent 7 months in it round Europe with the ex and our baby (now 21)

Decided to get back into Motorhoming and have just bought a 2010 twin tag 6 berth Auto-trail Arapaho which we pick up in Nov from Cleveland Motorhomes, This year plan to stay in UK and attend rallies etc to learn the ropes.

A couple of quick questions if i may

1. Where should i buy hook up cable (25m), water hose, water roller, etc?
2. With the van being 8.7m long would a motorhome sat nav such as Avtex Garmin 2 be a worthwhile purchase so we can tell it our dimensions and avoid small lanes?
3. Are Duvalay toppers to use for sleeping in rear lounge be worth the premium price
4. Having a 150 solar panel fitted and inverter so Mrs can use hair dryer, slow cooker, etc - any particular inverter style worth it - someone told me for a 240v hairdryer a flat line system not as good as a wavy one?
5. Has a sky box in the cab - do i need a new sky subscription - i already have Sky at home so could i just take my existing card

Many thanks

 

[funflair]

Hi Langloan

Congratulations on your purchase,

1. A used van may well come with a hook up cable so check before you buy one, as for buying stuff your local dealer or possibly something in Fun classified.
2. I use a CoPilot on my phone and happy with that, you can put in size and weight.
3. Never tried them.
4. 150 watt is not a massive amount of solar if you are going to be using an inverter, how much battery capacity will you have and going back to the inverter yes you want the "wavy one" pure sine wave

 

[Langloan]

Many thanks re the solar panel info - what size would you recommend?

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[Swifter]

I would insist on a EHU cable being included in the price so let the dealer know you expect one .
I would highly recommend the Duvalay products . We use them in our rear lounge and they are stored in the overcab bed during the day .
I think for full access to all the sky channels the box needs to be “ paired “ with the card but you may find a selection of channels do still work .

 

[Brains]

Don't go mad on buying bits that you find later your dont need.
Every person on this forum has a few (expensive) bits they bought and never used (or used once)

For example, a water roller, they are only useful if you stay in one place for ages, in which case you may as well buy a caravan!

For toppers and sheets I used Snuglux, who make to order. They have the mattress sizes for most vans on file.

My recommendations for a solar panel, a refillable gas system (essential if going to the EU for over 2 weeks), a decent quality alarm system, and engine blocker and a tracker would be once you get the van the first trip should be to VanBitz near Taunton.
They also have a campsite next door and are walking distance from town, so whilst all this stuff is being fitted you can shop for kitchen bits and bedding etc.

 

[Langloan]

Don't go mad on buying bits that you find later your dont need.
Every person on this forum has a few (expensive) bits they bought and never used (or used once)

For example, a water roller, they are only useful if you stay in one place for ages, in which case you may as well buy a caravan!

For toppers and sheets I used Snuglux, who make to order. They have the mattress sizes for most vans on file.

My recommendations for a solar panel, a refillable gas system (essential if going to the EU for over 2 weeks), a decent quality alarm system, and engine blocker and a tracker would be once you get the van the first trip should be to VanBitz near Taunton.
They also have a campsite next door and are walking distance from town, so whilst all this stuff is being fitted you can shop for kitchen bits and bedding etc.

Thats really useful feedback many thanks - we have a Cat 1 Thatcham alarm fitted. Should i also get a tracker? any recommendations of which one?

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[Langloan]

I would insist on a EHU cable being included in the price so let the dealer know you expect one .
I would highly recommend the Duvalay products . We use them in our rear lounge and they are stored in the overcab bed during the day .
I think for full access to all the sky channels the box needs to be “ paired “ with the box but you may find a selection of channels do still work .

Many thanks - great advice

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

Wyn

 

[gpat]

Has a sky box in the cab - do i need a new sky subscription - i already have Sky at home so could i just take my existing card

You'll have to take your whole box from the house or just have the basic channels....which are very basic

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[Langloan]

Has a sky box in the cab - do i need a new sky subscription - i already have Sky at home so could i just take my existing card

You'll have to take your whole box from the house or just have the basic channels....which are very basic

it has a box in there already

 

[Spriddler]

I buy most of my accessories from here:

<Broken link removed>

 

[DBK]

Welcome! The amount of solar you need will also be influenced by when and where you are going. If it's mostly going to be Spain in the summer then 150W will be fine. If you are going to explore the UK in say the Autumn then a bit more will help. I think you will easily find room on the roof for 300W. Make sure the system will also keep the vehicle battery topped up so it won't go flat when you are not using it.

I would also recommend a pure sine wave inverter. It will be more expensive but you won't have to worry about it damaging anything with electronics in it.

We've never used Duvalay things. Just a made to measure elasticated sheet and a duvet. But our mattresses are in one piece so there are no uncomfortable joints.

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[David and Sally]

 

[gpat]

it has a box in there already

Yes but the boxes are linked to the card, you can't change the card. I didn't even know they had cards now, so both boxes must be old. However it was always ever thus, if you moved a card from one box to another it wouldn't work. You could ring sky and have the card linked to the new box in the van but they don't like you to keep switching. We used to fly the sky box out to spain with us in my suitcase when we had a holiday house there

 

[ambulancekidd]

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[pampam]

Hello langloan congrats on your arapaho, we had one and it was a great van to have
we used duvalays in the rear lounge but two singles , i still have them and they are very comfortable and easy to stow away….. enjoy your travels in your palace

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from Bexley

 

[Stonemags76]

I would get rid of the sky box, get a fire stick & get the sky go app to stream. You will need plenty of data, which is not a problem in the uk, as there are loads of unlimited data deals here. Superdrug is the only unlimited sim that doesn’t restrict use in Europe I think?

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[Norfolk Nige]

You won’t need to get water rollers and waste containers it has onboard tanks for these. Just ask the dealer to clean these as part of the pdi. I would also expect them to supply it with a mains cable and ask them to throw in a food grade water filler hose.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[Snoopy]

Hi and welcome
Caravan shops- EBay- Classified adds on this forum
Say nav a great help for us, put in all the dimensions, so avoids low bridges, ect.
Sorry can't help with other questions, but I'm sure you will get your answers on here, good luck and ENJOY

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[AndyPK]

Welcome from Wiltshire!
(Get a Trucker’s Atlas as a paper back-up to your satnav - you can check the route then for low bridges….but it will not help too much with narrow roads - use the Mk1 Eyeball before heading down them…!)

 

[Jonno1103]

Hi all and nice to meet you. We are Dave and Joanne early 50"s live in Buckinghamshire.

I bought a Hymer 694 about 20 years ago and spent 7 months in it round Europe with the ex and our baby (now 21)

Decided to get back into Motorhoming and have just bought a 2010 twin tag 6 berth Auto-trail Arapaho which we pick up in Nov from Cleveland Motorhomes, This year plan to stay in UK and attend rallies etc to learn the ropes.

A couple of quick questions if i may

1. Where should i buy hook up cable (25m), water hose, water roller, etc?
2. With the van being 8.7m long would a motorhome sat nav such as Avtex Garmin 2 be a worthwhile purchase so we can tell it our dimensions and avoid small lanes?
3. Are Duvalay toppers to use for sleeping in rear lounge be worth the premium price
4. Having a 150 solar panel fitted and inverter so Mrs can use hair dryer, slow cooker, etc - any particular inverter style worth it - someone told me for a 240v hairdryer a flat line system not as good as a wavy one?
5. Has a sky box in the cab - do i need a new sky subscription - i already have Sky at home so could i just take my existing card

Many thanks

As others mention, I'd ask for a hook up lead. Up to date sat nav is a good idea.

With the solar make sure you have a more modern controller fitted, the one build into the Sargent power won't be up to it... it's why the Arapaho only came with an 85w panel as standard... 110Ah battery which may need attention plus with your payload I'd consider a second one with the appropriate extra Auto Trail loom.

I take it there's a sat dish on the roof? If so check whether it has a single, double or quad LNB. If you want to use a modern Sky box you need a twin LNB, if you want to take your Sky Q box and card you'll need a quad LNB.

I'd not worry about an aquaroll just yet, you have a 136L fresh tank, see how you go although a waste water carrier maybe an advantage as you only have a 68L waste tank.

Invest in a set of Milenco Quatro 3 levelling blocks, they're wider than Fiamma and rated for 8000kg and maybe a good pair of chairs... Decathlon do a couple of fold ups for around £35 which are as good if not better than some twice the price, excellent weight capacity too.

Secondary outside table? If so I'd recommend the one made by Outdoor Revolution, oh and a mat for under the sun canopy... Fiamma do a good one which is a bit pricey but ours has been going strong for over a decade now.

950kg payload for you to enjoy... lovely!

Daft I know but the Arapaho came with a cordless hoover as standard, you never know it may still be there?

Two areas to keep an eye on in terms of damp. The strap/fillet where the homologation attaches to the cab roof. you can't miss it as it sits on the overcab under the logo and has a silver disc at each end. 2nd area is the rear wheel arches. These over time can be damaged by road debris, gravel etc. It's an area they don't tend to check on a damp inspection, before pick up give them a prod to run a meter over this area and give each side an external visual inspection

Beautiful, classy, comfortable motorhome, hope you enjoy using her.

 

[Langloan]

Extremely helpful - many thanks

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