new Member

helen wrote:

So pleased you found one

Looking forward to seeing the pictures, I am sure Mike will let us all look at them while we are away
You must be so excited

Take your laptop i have two dongles my phone and the site is supposed to have free wi-fi.

mike

mike wrote:Kevin i tend to avoid too much tyre and wheel conversation about dandys as i think dandy made it up as they went along,my 86 dandy 6 has 10 inch wheels to which i fitted 8 ply trailer tyres ,if i remember correctly they have about a 480kg rating each giving me a 960kg rating for a 750kg trailer,but you know me and over compensating a good tyre company should give correct advise mine where just under £50 each.

mike

Mr Wilkinson.

Ah I see the reason for your lack of comment.
Discretion being the better part of valour and all that, not quite mastered that myself.

Kevin.

ok so far a up date " smith wheel " was stated and that was that , I glazed over as if that waz suppose to be the answer to my question HA! so still on the hunt he fired of some numbers and as I didn't have a pen or paper I have decided to ask another expert tomorrow this could take a while may be if I grew a moustache and grew balls it might help sometimes have the deep voice

Caz

I think it all depends how far down the bay you reside. Ye welshtypes to the north are always pretty difficult, I'd just assumed it was just to us English.
On the subject of growing a moustache. Why do Italian lads grow moustaches?
So they can look like their mothers!
Do look on Google Images for "Hillman Imp wheels" some cracking wheels, though for later Destinys I might confer with Vicky and go for white steel wheels with blue pinstripes! We just need the original dimensions or dimensions of what's on. You might try calling the wheel chappy again this time with pen and paper in hand just to see what the data was?

Mike

Many apologies I've read this n number of times and not registered that you said your on 10" wheels ????
Yes no wonder your a bit jaundiced by notional wheel fitting facts.

Kevin.

ok you ready Smith uk HG612,36-89,450BX12X30 73mm 2 7/8 no still glazing over but got the numbers so when I go to Weymouth I will do a bit of scrap yard trawling to be honest would it be easier to change the wheels 12" mini's is it the studs that will be the probs and lucky im not Italian coz I could stop shaving I am west but the men don't like us to know they rather talk to my 13yr old son

Hi All,
Dandy picked up
Ive assembled in Garden- no room for awning as garden is terraced- need to practice my reversing- I was rubbish!

Condition looks good for 1996. Trailer towing electrics working fine- few dings in the body, nothing serious, no leisure battery so 12V electrics untested.
Awning looks to be excellent (hopefully the same when it goes up!!)
Internally the mattresses cushion again good carpet a bit grubby.
What size of gas bottles fit in the locker (butane or propane?).
Keys for door there as well as long with some other- any ideas?
I asked the guy who was selling it if it was winterised he said no (he is a caravan dealer)- it is blue and white outside and all white inside- so is it winterised?

Will post some picks when I find the lead for my camera!

All in all well chuffed

Mikey

clydestyle wrote:Hi All,
Dandy picked up
Ive assembled in Garden- no room for awning as garden is terraced- need to practice my reversing- I was rubbish!

Condition looks good for 1996. Trailer towing electrics working fine- few dings in the body, nothing serious, no leisure battery so 12V electrics untested.
Awning looks to be excellent (hopefully the same when it goes up!!)
Internally the mattresses cushion again good carpet a bit grubby.
What size of gas bottles fit in the locker (butane or propane?).
Keys for door there as well as long with some other- any ideas?
I asked the guy who was selling it if it was winterised he said no (he is a caravan dealer)- it is blue and white outside and all white inside- so is it winterised?

Will post some picks when I find the lead for my camera!

All in all well chuffed

Mikey

Looking forward to seeing your pics. When are you planning the deep clean?

By the sounds of it, it is fully insulated with the white inside walls, do the walls feel padded like the roof does? If so, that's the insuation. Is there also an underfloor heater hiding under the carpet?

Sorry I'm not sure what size bottles will fit, but I do know most people use propane because butane can freeze in cold temps, propane can go loads colder. I use butane in my campervan because I find it's cheaper, and it's inside the insulated van.

Has the front box got a lock on it? Or is there a hitch lock stashed somewhere for your extra keys?

cazz wrote:

clydestyle wrote:Hi All,
Dandy picked up
Ive assembled in Garden- no room for awning as garden is terraced- need to practice my reversing- I was rubbish!

Condition looks good for 1996. Trailer towing electrics working fine- few dings in the body, nothing serious, no leisure battery so 12V electrics untested.
Awning looks to be excellent (hopefully the same when it goes up!!)
Internally the mattresses cushion again good carpet a bit grubby.
What size of gas bottles fit in the locker (butane or propane?).
Keys for door there as well as long with some other- any ideas?
I asked the guy who was selling it if it was winterised he said no (he is a caravan dealer)- it is blue and white outside and all white inside- so is it winterised?

Will post some picks when I find the lead for my camera!

All in all well chuffed

Mikey

Looking forward to seeing your pics. When are you planning the deep clean?

By the sounds of it, it is fully insulated with the white inside walls, do the walls feel padded like the roof does? If so, that's the insuation. Is there also an underfloor heater hiding under the carpet?

Sorry I'm not sure what size bottles will fit, but I do know most people use propane because butane can freeze in cold temps, propane can go loads colder. I use butane in my campervan because I find it's cheaper, and it's inside the insulated van.

Has the front box got a lock on it? Or is there a hitch lock stashed somewhere for your extra keys?

Mini clean done!
Deep clean after september weekend!
Walls seem padded but still fairly thin. Underfloor heater there but this and the cooker have not been tested.
Handbrake does not seem to work- don't know if it is the cable or the brakes themselves- will need some work.
Does not seem to be a hitchlock and the front box has no lock- a mystery!!

Sounds like its insulated to me,as for the gas locker the one on my delta would take the dumpy bottles about 4.5kg,you may as well use propane then you wont get caught out,all sounds good and exiting they always say cooker and heater untested just to be safe bet they both work though.

I know some still do it but the box on the front of mine would take the gas and the battery but this never felt like a good idea to me,i know you would need gas leak and spark at the same time but it could happen.

mike

Mikey

Mike's technically right batteries and gas cylinders in the same box were a no no from 16th edition see
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Personally I don't think I'd worry too much. It was to spec when designed and there is not much likelihood of a gas build up as LPG is heavier than air and the bottom of the box is a wire cage.
Gas: unless strictly mid summer propane. Nip to your nearest supplier with the Dandy? You want the biggest cylinder that will fit upright. Gas is cheaper the larger the container, price 3.9Kg/6Kg/11Kg or 12Kg (11Kg or12Kg dependant on supplier Flo or Calor) but the larger cylinders weigh more. If you prefer sites with hook ups with an electric heater only lighting the cooker (electric kettle) for 20 min twice a day will a £5 per year difference on gas spend matter? If your the opposite as big as possible is good.
Flo is cheaper than Calor but not as freely available. Buy from Gas depots not caravaning dealers. My last 6Kg bottle £17 as against £25 from garden centre. No cylinder/ cylinder deposit required, try your local tip though ours wont even sell them anymore. Even better many come still part full.
If you were planning extensive foriegn tours then there are other answers but no point going there for most people. Post if it applies.
Reversing: it will come the shorter the trailer the harder to reverse. With practise it just happens, just don't get to the point where it's being avoided. In other words don't back away from it.(Ouch)

Kevin.

Hope you enjoy kitting out your new Dandy!

I have my leisure battery and a 4.5kg gas bottle in my front box

and cant wait to see it

helen wrote: I have my leisure battery and a 4.5kg gas bottle in my front box

Helen

I have a purely smut mind. Even I don't want to go anywhere with this comment.
See also Vicky's following comment!


Mikey

Now for something completely different. Power your 12V up with a battery charger from your mains. If you only do hook ups it's all you need.

Kevin.

Left myself wide open for that one Kevin

Thanks all for the advice.
Spent yesterday cleaning out the garage.
Going to put the Dandy away till September weekend hopefully off to St Andrews.
I will need to swap my 7.5 KG for a 4.5KG cylinder and I like the battery charger idea never thought of that.
If i get a leisure battery will I still need a charger?( I am a newbie!)
Cheers
Mikey

Tow Itch wrote:

helen wrote: I have my leisure battery and a 4.5kg gas bottle in my front box

Helen

I have a purely smut mind. Even I don't want to go anywhere with this comment.
See also Vicky's following comment!


Mikey

Now for something completely different. Power your 12V up with a battery charger from your mains. If you only do hook ups it's all you need.

Kevin.

We put our battery on charge the night before we leave, we have two and one just plugs in and charges, the other requires a battery charger with crocodile clips.

clydestyle wrote:Thanks all for the advice.
Spent yesterday cleaning out the garage.
Going to put the Dandy away till September weekend hopefully off to St Andrews.
I will need to swap my 7.5 KG for a 4.5KG cylinder and I like the battery charger idea never thought of that.
If i get a leisure battery will I still need a charger?( I am a newbie!)
Cheers
Mikey

Swap 7.5Kg??? not 7Kg for 4.5Kg. So your staying on butane? (Propane 6Kg & 3.9Kg)
So the 7.5Kg doesn't fit? Well don,t go swapping it yet, might as well burn off the gas first. Just take it with you and couple up outside of front box.
Bad news even if your staying on butane you will need another regulator 7Kg bottles are clip on 4.5Kg are screw on (Left Hand Thread) Propane only uses 1 regulator. Why are you sticking with butane?
Leisure Batteries: Are supposed to cycle differently as they will be subject to a slower discharge. Unless the battery is one of the built up ones there is some degree of scepticism if they're much better than standard car batteries. Except they come in large amp hour values. Are you going to be a long time not on hook up, or just odd days? Price up and decide according to need. Look at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
So up to £170 for a 120amp hr leisure battery or less than £20 a newish battery from a scrap car.
Will I still need a charger? Again what you need depends on type of use. If on a hook up all the time then a charger is required from the mains. Re the article above the battery will "smooth" the supply, but if your on a hook up all the time why did you buy the battery? Just an old fashioned battery charger will power up your 12V requirements. Lights and water pump? Some go to 240V lights and use a small motorcycle battery for the water pump.
Mainly not hooked up then you need to charge the battery while on the move. (This isn't a one line answer) Read this it's as good as any description given that it's for a motorhome.http://www.freewebs.com/vwgoatboy/leisurebatteryinstall.htm
A lot to take in. So you need a split charger they come in self sensing forms these days so no need to wire to the no charge lamp. (a lot harder in most cars than on a VW Van)Try this [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Unfortunately all the site has the same link so go to Towing and Hitch Accessories-Towing Electrics-Self Switching Combi Master.
Mixture of hook up and non hook up. A mixture of the above, you may consider a zig unit or similar but for it's battery monitoring functions many say a voltmeter is as useful (Many articles mainly VW van forums)Smart chargers can be obtained cheaply either Aldi or Lidl does one.
Always a good overview [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but remember: A Dandy isn't a caravan(ahem). We are now on to the 17th edition but I have not seen a guide produced from those regulations. I have never seen a caravan that complied with all these requirements.

Kevin.

Tow Itch wrote:

helen wrote: I have my leisure battery and a 4.5kg gas bottle in my front box

Helen

I have a purely smut mind. Even I don't want to go anywhere with this comment.
See also Vicky's following comment!


Mikey

Now for something completely different. Power your 12V up with a battery charger from your mains. If you only do hook ups it's all you need.

Kevin.

Good tip but i dont bother with 12 volt just use mains.

mike

Tow Itch wrote:

clydestyle wrote:Thanks all for the advice.
Spent yesterday cleaning out the garage.
Going to put the Dandy away till September weekend hopefully off to St Andrews.
I will need to swap my 7.5 KG for a 4.5KG cylinder and I like the battery charger idea never thought of that.
If i get a leisure battery will I still need a charger?( I am a newbie!)
Cheers
Mikey

Swap 7.5Kg??? not 7Kg for 4.5Kg. So your staying on butane? (Propane 6Kg & 3.9Kg)
So the 7.5Kg doesn't fit? Well don,t go swapping it yet, might as well burn off the gas first. Just take it with you and couple up outside of front box.
Bad news even if your staying on butane you will need another regulator 7Kg bottles are clip on 4.5Kg are screw on (Left Hand Thread) Propane only uses 1 regulator. Why are you sticking with butane?
Leisure Batteries: Are supposed to cycle differently as they will be subject to a slower discharge. Unless the battery is one of the built up ones there is some degree of scepticism if they're much better than standard car batteries. Except they come in large amp hour values. Are you going to be a long time not on hook up, or just odd days? Price up and decide according to need. Look at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
So up to £170 for a 120amp hr leisure battery or less than £20 a newish battery from a scrap car.
Will I still need a charger? Again what you need depends on type of use. If on a hook up all the time then a charger is required from the mains. Re the article above the battery will "smooth" the supply, but if your on a hook up all the time why did you buy the battery? Just an old fashioned battery charger will power up your 12V requirements. Lights and water pump? Some go to 240V lights and use a small motorcycle battery for the water pump.
Mainly not hooked up then you need to charge the battery while on the move. (This isn't a one line answer) Read this it's as good as any description given that it's for a motorhome.http://www.freewebs.com/vwgoatboy/leisurebatteryinstall.htm
A lot to take in. So you need a split charger they come in self sensing forms these days so no need to wire to the no charge lamp. (a lot harder in most cars than on a VW Van)Try this [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Unfortunately all the site has the same link so go to Towing and Hitch Accessories-Towing Electrics-Self Switching Combi Master.
Mixture of hook up and non hook up. A mixture of the above, you may consider a zig unit or similar but for it's battery monitoring functions many say a voltmeter is as useful (Many articles mainly VW van forums)Smart chargers can be obtained cheaply either Aldi or Lidl does one.
Always a good overview [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but remember: A Dandy isn't a caravan(ahem). We are now on to the 17th edition but I have not seen a guide produced from those regulations. I have never seen a caravan that complied with all these requirements.

Kevin.

Kevin
sounds like a move to propane (once the butane is finished).
I also think a trip to the "scrappy" for a used battery and I will source a charger for flexibility- as I will mostly be on a hookup.
You may just have saved me some serious cash! I was going to order a leisure battery.
I must admit coming from a "tenting " background my technical knowledge needs some development.
Thanks
Mikey

Leisure batteries, our experience -
We've got a 85AH leisure battery, this gives us enough power for 7 to 14 days depending on how much we use the TV, we charge it before each trip on a mains charger. Ours cost us around £80 about 4 years ago, it has paid for itself now by not paying out for electric hook up.

Gas -
I know I said somewhere that we use butane, but that is in our campervan, if we had a gas bottle on the Dandy for all year round camping, then we would use propane.

Water pump -
To help save some power, our water pump is a manual whale foot pump, it pumps more than enough.

Mikey, good luck with sorting everything out, it does all become easier with experience.