Floor height from ground?

This is a long shot and I looked for the answer in several likely threads but can anybody tell me what the typical distance is from the underside to the ground measured at the rear below the doorway with the camper floor level.

I suspect that our Dandy is riding a little low. For reference, it is an orange and white four berth (4' wide body.)

Thanks

Hello Retro

What you are looking at is actually caused by a number of features and is more than one question.

If you search the web you might well find this Blog. Many years ago I read it so did the person who was selling a Dandy, who then fibbed about it's ride height.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I'd say ignore it. There are various expressions about how small a gap you can get away with under the wheel arches. Usually on Discoverys and Designers with the inboard wheel arches. The simple fact is if you look up at the inside of the wheel arch with a torch you would see witness marks if the tyre had made contact with the wheel arch. Indespension suspension units do not to have massive arcs of travel.

If you remember those heights I told you to ignore you will notice that the height increased substantially. You may wonder why. Well the EU took control of towball heights and raised them relatively compared to what we were used to in the UK. When this was I'm unsure. The higher tow hitch figures stating  Dart Delta etc I'm unsure if they are all the named Dandys or just the very last Dark Blue Dandys. (Is yours a 1998/99 All white Delta?)
For more information on heights see this FAQ section by Witter: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Dandys towing tail end down is a common theme but unless something is grounding there are no real issues on the rear entry models. Braking and stability is affected but as the rear entry models are so stable it's not an issue though it could be with a 6 or Destiny.

There are multiple threads where because of real reasons such as suspension sag people have renewed suspension. There are also threads on combining this with wheel size changes or spacers to achieve level towing. Have a bit of a read then ask more in depth questions if and when you need to.

A touch confused as I'm suspecting given your username that you may be towing with an older vehicle. These height changes came in prior to type approval of tow bars (1st Aug 1998) but if you are towing with a much older vehicle we might need a chat.

As soon as hubby arrives home (gone for new car tyres) I'll ask him to go measure from the floor to the underside of the door end on my dads orange and white Dandy 4 ..... bear in mind that it has had a suspension change though.

I'm not sure this will be any use to you, the measurement is taken from my dads Dandy ....... but at the moment there is only a chassis and floor as it's been taken apart completely for restoration so there is no real weight on the suspension ........ anyhow from ground to underside of chassis is 343mm.

On our 91 Designer that is all in one piece   and it is always fully loaded with pots/pans loads of wooden pole windbreaks and all the usual paraphernalia the height to the underside of the chassis is 298mm and our suspension was changed a couple of years ago ..... we didn't use spacers to raise it.

Thanks for the replies. I measured the distance from the floor to the underside if the chassis on ours and it is 250mm in storage trim so a tad low by the looks of it.

Tow Itch we tow with an older vehicle (1955) and a newer vehicle (2009). However the older vehicle is a 4x4 with the facility to choose the ball height just by rebolting the drop plate in different positions. Unfortunately, it won't go nearly low enough to tow the Dandy level.

As you can see we aren't really into organised sites..

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Edit: Mods, if these pics are in the wrong place, please feel free to delete or move.

Retro wrote:As you can see we aren't really into organised sites..

I was just about to take umbrage when I realised you meant your camping locations.

Oh! I do like Orange. Is it definitely a 4, only 4' across the tub? Looks bigger.

Yes the height seems low but as long as nothing is catching I'd not worry. I have the old Green Un and I was having apoplexy that the suspension wasn't working. Popped into Indespension and they had the (1) member of staff who actually knows stuff in that day. He tells me that as well as sagging (which mine had slightly) the suspension becomes less compliant with age so it doesn't move as far. Tells me that yes new suspension will ride a bit higher and be a bit softer but as I'm not travelling in it what am I worried about. Didn't try to sell me stuff instantly but more likely to buy off him than any of the rest of the staff.

Ha ha! There's nothing wrong with this site.

My main worry is the heater box. Hooked up to the Land Rover, there is less than 3" ground clearance. I did consider making the heater retractable at one point but raising the suspension might be easier. Fitting bigger wheels is another option.

Just measured the tub... 48" wide by 78½" long

No a four it is then.

Ah someone retro fitted a heater. It's always the heater that grounds.

We need a chat or you need to see how Helen's Dads project comes out.

New suspension equals new brakes and if you are on rod brakes they are not compatible. So that could be a new coupling. Though people have just bought the stub axles and re fitted old brake backplates.
Helen's Dad has some other scheme on the go at the moment.

Tow Itch wrote:No a four it is then.

Ah someone retro fitted a heater. It's always the heater that grounds.

We need a chat or you need to see how Helen's Dads project comes out.

New suspension equals new brakes and if you are on rod brakes they are not compatible. So that could be a new coupling. Though people have just bought the stub axles and re fitted old brake backplates.
Helen's Dad has some other scheme on the go at the moment.

The brakes are cable.

The heater was bonus. I bought a Conway camper of eBay for £25. It had rotted out canvas but a galvanised ALKO chassis and that was all that I wanted for a trailer project. When I got it home and opened it up I discovered the heater and loads of other stuff... leisure battery, gas bottles, table, sink unit etc. Apart from the heater and the chassis it all went back on eBay and I ended up over a hundred pounds better off.  

I have another brand new in box Riviera heater (also off eBay) that I am hopefully going to fit to my mothers static later this year.

One other thing to look for if you think you have 'sag' is uneven tyre wear, ours were worn badly on the inner side  hence the change of suspension

Great photo's  

Yep my dad is doing his dandy and has a plan regarding the rod/cable break system he has ambitions of ...... we'll let you know how it goes, he doesn't actually want to use the Dandy ....... just take it to bits, rebuild and experiment as he goes  

Hello and  Retro

Sorry we have had a busy day and only just looked in. We have just been outside and measured Phoenix our 4 berth Orange Dandy. In the level position she measures 27.5cm or 10" 7/8ths in old money from the bottom of the chassis rail to the ground. She is still on her original suspension, so yours isn't that far out.

Thanks for that. To be fair we haven't clouted the heater yet and the lower floor does mean that we don't need a step to get in and out.

Hi - you've got me thinking - I'm about to fit a heater to an orange Dandy4. I wonder if its worth raising the heater in the dandy on spacers an inch or two. The flue should still work ok and although it would be a bit of an obstruction it could almost double the clearance below. I lot of campsites seem to have a raised strip of grass down the centre of the road in addition to pointy speed humps everywhere.

I'm planning to fit it directly behind the axle - the brake rods are in the way at the front. I already have a spare wheel at the back. Any thoughts from anyone?

I haven't got a grill for my heater - if anybody happened to have a spare I'd buy it off them other wise I'll have to bastardize an old shopping trolley

I'd be constantly tripping over the ridge raising the heater would cause ...... that or stubbing my toe's and I can just picture getting up in the night for the loo and ending up waking half the camp site with my yelping about my hurt toe  Not sure I'd want a Dandy with it raised ...... we have some serious road humps here (higher than anywhere else we've encountered them) and so long as we go slow we are okay  

hannah3dog wrote:Hi - you've got me thinking - I'm about to fit a heater to an orange Dandy4. I wonder if its worth raising the heater in the dandy on spacers an inch or two. The flue should still work ok and although it would be a bit of an obstruction it could almost double the clearance below. I lot of campsites seem to have a raised strip of grass down the centre of the road in addition to pointy speed humps everywhere.

I'm planning to fit it directly behind the axle  - the brake rods are in the way at the front. I already have a spare wheel at the back. Any thoughts from anyone?

I haven't got a grill for my heater - if anybody happened to have a spare I'd buy it off them other wise I'll have to bastardize an old shopping trolley

Is your spare wheel carrier underneath? If so we cannot see where you are going to squeeze the heater in.

Hi Phoenix - the spare wheel carrier is underneath but its at the front right hand. I'm planning the heater behind the axle on the left hand side. You had me worried for a minute!!

I was going to make the heater retractable but I wasn't going to leave it poking up into the Dandy while we were using it. The way I considered doing it was to make a square cornered 'U' shaped spacer about 3" or so high that would fit around three sides of the heater box between the top flange and the floor. The spacer would be removed and the heater dropped down while on site and pulled up and the spacer slipped in to travel.

We don't have a spare wheel carrier at all so that wasn't a problem.

It was just that ours is underneath at the back. Leaving little or no room for a heater.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

A retractable heater for travelling sounds like a plan ....... I'd have a Dandy with one of those  

Even with the arrangement above, I reckon that the heater would fit over to one side, just behind the axle

I'm unsure where I would stand with a retractable heater. The exhaust is not blown like a Propex but is just thermal flow I'd be dubious about fumes coming through the unsealed join between floor and heater. A raised heater I like that even less. A desperate trip hazard. Does the heater you have come with the little metal plate for just above the exhaust? Not sure about the heat singing the floor if the heater exhaust was closer and no more sure what raising the heater would do for the exhaust airflow?

No grill, I'm missing a grill for one too. The early Riviera Heaters has chromed round wire grills.

Yes, sealing around the heater box might be a problem, but one that shouldn't be too hard to solve given some thought.

To be honest, I don't think retracting the heater is really necessary. As I said in an earlier post, our heater is less than three inches off the ground when I'm towing with the Land Rover and it hasn't been a problem yet.

Whichever way you choose to do it, I would recommend installing a CO alarm inside the Dandy.

Even without a heater and just a cooker CO alarm is still a good idea