well blow me, got me a autotrail 634 and my first query ?

roadwarrior

roadwarrior

Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Posts
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Location
Burton on Trent
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22,439
MH
Autosleeper Winchcom
Exp
tenting,caravans,autotrail cheyenne,bolero, apache. and now Mercedes Autosleeper winchcombe
im picking up a 2017 autotrail apache 634 tomorrow and the salesman tells me it has a gas compartment for 2x7kg bottles, and i want to put my 13kg bottle in there like i did with my bolero 2007, he is insistent a 13kg wont fit - although as he dont have one to try its hardly proof, can anybody confirm or disprove that you cant put a 13kg bottle in an apache 634 ?
 
...or even an 11kg Gaslow refillable....
if yours doesnt fit, get the dealer to chuck in the Gaslow system as part of the deal..
give him back the 13kg one as a thank you!

PS....if its on 3.5t chassis.....Check Your Weight/Payload
 
just looked on the flogas site, would you believe a 11 kg propane is the same height as a 13kg ? @560 mm and a 6kg is 495mm high so i think i will chance it to take my 13kg , of course the cages will have to come out but thats easy enough. thanks for replying. i will report back yea or neigh.
 
we are already looking at a gaslow refill its the way to go i think, france would be a lot easier that way for sure
and yes.. we know autotrail is appalling for small payloads so yes it will become 3850 k soon enough :)

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Yes it will. On our previous van , (634) we had a 13 & a 6, both Calor. Choose a 13 with the slightly reduced height cage round the valve if you can; easier on the fingers!!
 
nino - your a star ! i knew it ....bloody salesmen.. im assuming you need to take the little cages out first to accommodate the larger bottle ?
 
My Apache 700, along with a lot of the AT models state 1x 13 and 1 X 6kg. I could always fit 2 x13kg in mine BUT you had to load them in the right order, can't remember which but the door frame is slightly off centre.
 
the 700 is a bit bigger in length i know but thats not to say it isnt the same size gas box eh.

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yes Mick, i will be moving to 3850 asap - the payload is appalling, i got the sales place to weigh it - 3300 with nothin on it except 1/2 a tank of fuel - no water
 
i will be trying to get 2x 13kg now... grins - suits you sir...
 
one of the most annoying things about many (mainly uk) vans is that the has locker doors are always so small....even of the locker might be a reasonable size, WHY make the door smaller than the opening?
our locker is larger enough for 2x13kg bottles AND the whole locker is exposed when the door is opened making it easy-peasy to get at either bottle.
image.jpeg
 
roadwarrior said:
nino - your a star ! i knew it ....bloody salesmen.. im assuming you need to take the little cages out first to accommodate the larger bottle ?
Click to expand...
The “cages” I mean are the ones actually on the top of the bottle, around the valve, and are the lifting handles. They are welded to it. You can find bottles where they do not stand as tall as others, if you know what I mean.

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oh poppajohn, a salesman that cant be arsed ?? ya think ? hahah
 
yes nino, i realised that, but im more concerned about the bottle wings and straps in the bottle box that i will have to remove to lever in the bigger bottle.
 
roadwarrior said:
yes Mick, i will be moving to 3850 asap - the payload is appalling, i got the sales place to weigh it - 3300 with nothin on it except 1/2 a tank of fuel - no water
Click to expand...
Did they give you the axle weights?
 
Upgraded my 634 to 3850 and made a big difference to my touring pleasure. I've had mine 3 years and been delighted with it. Great layout albeit the toilet is a bit tight but other than that we love ours. The auto trail knockers on here will say otherwise but it's certainly been the best van we've had. Wish it would have been available on a transit but that's another matter.
 
oh im sure there is a knocker for everymake, but yes i like autotrails, have just had 7 happy years of a bolero, but my 634 is like stepping from starbug to the enterprise.. heheh

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oh well, goes to show eh, salesmen are salesmen are salesmen, wouldnt know a gas bottle from a bottle of milk. so it transpires you can get 2x13kg bottles in a 634, i dam near got a 15kg bottle and a 13kg, in but couldnt get it past the rubber seal. But fair play to them, they didnt have a 20mm push fit regulator so GAVE me a 7kg bottle and a 21mm regulator.
Also in the " you cant make this up" section, some toerag had removed the towbar while it was on show and now he has to stump up for a new shiny towbar and electrics. SO .. im a happy bunny all told. The van is lovely with 1500 miles on the clock.. very quiet engine and obviously still tight.
Also.. might be a silly question, the engine is a 150 bhp but has all the power of a custard stirrer, its likely its just still tight, but i know once upon a time Citroen did a thing where new engines where restricted until deemed run in .. has anything like that even been done on a fiat ? i wondered as its the same family.. anybody ??
 
I've had a 150 and currently a 160. Both were very disappointing when I first drove them, but both improved markedly after 1500 miles or so, so your supposition may well be correct.
 
takes 2 or 3 thousand miles (or more) for these motors to loosen up....make sure that isnt a year or more!
ours (150) has about 20k miles and it flies....cruising motorways (when large distances to cover) at 70mph is ridulously easy, quiet and comfortable...
even after 14 years the Ducato is still a darned good base vehicle for a MH.
 
Minxy Girl said:
Did they give you the axle weights?
Click to expand...
Mel raises a good point.....you need to know both the axle weights and, importantly, the ratio of the loadings....
even now the website quotes a MIRO of 3300kg for this nr 7.5m van....thats a lot of van for the light chassis with a longish rear overhang.
200kg 'payload' is unusable and, even with a 3650/3850 'upgrade' this will not change the capacities of the axles....(unless you add air assist or similar) so be very wary of that rear 2000kg limit.
if you loaded the van to the proposed 3850 limit (530kg payload) and the load proportions were just 48%/52% front/rear you would be at 1850/2000kg and at both axle limits.
with that rear overhang and the storage locker there, its likely you wont be able to keep the ratio as well balanced as that....more likely nearer 45/55?
so, if 55% of your total capacity is limited by the 2000 limit at the rear, then the remaining 45% (on the front) amounts to 1636kg...
so, unless you can get the weight distributed to make use of the maximum capacities of BOTH axles, you wont have a total capacity of anywhere near 3850kg.
in my example you would only have 3636kg before you hit the rear axle limit of 2000kg, which makes that upgrade irrelevent.
get the dealer to weigh the van with you, OH, all your kit, crockery, cutlery, bedding, tables, chairs, bikes, food, fresh water, electrical stuff, books, maps, etc, etc and note the axle weights.
if you are over 2000kg on the rear you will still be over 2000 on the rear even with a 3850 paper 'upgrade'.
you will then be in the area of physical axle upgrades like air assist and some help from SVtech or similar.
IMHO, this particular model should not be available on the light chassis, its just too darn big and heavy.
good luck, but this model van has been the subject of many a 'autotrail weight' thread.
tread very carefully.....good luck.
 
I've used a 13kg gas bottle in my Autotrail Tracker. I've reverted to 2 x 7kg as I can let one completely empty knowing that I have a second bottle to hook up before buying a replacement. Nothing worse than exchanging a bottle with some gas still in it because you're not sure how long it will last.

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thank you bolero boy, you are of course spot on and wise words, I will indeed tread carefully, how does the air suspension aspect work as of course that would add more weight and I'm assuming the axle weight is fixed and you can't go past the max capacity of the 2k back axle, or, is what happens, the back axle is deemed capable of a greater capacity?
 
I have put a lot of thought into what bottles to carry in our Rienza. As per U.K. motorhomes the locker door is a half the size it should be. Getting one bottle in and shuffled towards the back and the put the second one in is guaranteed to scrape knuckles.
If we were abroad more I would think of one re fillable at the back and a normal 6kg for the U.K.
 
Discokid, there are many ways of finding out a bottle weight of course including putting it on set of scales at home. the magnetic indicator thing is rubbish of course, I have just bought a sonar gizmo that tells me how much is in the bottle, then there are the inline gauges that go between the bottle and the gas line, I do suggest you use bigger bottles as its way more expensive to buy small bottles and adds lots of weight as one 13kg bottle is lighter than 2 smaller bottles.
 
We used to have a 634 and I had a 13kg and a 7kg propane. I do not think that two 13kgs would fit.
 
BryanS said:
We used to have a 634 and I had a 13kg and a 7kg propane. I do not think that two 13kgs would fit.
Click to expand...

i will find out and report back when i get back home.

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