#16

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 5:39 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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... I suspect the main reason that things like this are not standard on models sold over here is that there is not much demand for them.

I have heard that many caravanners over there are happy to do without batteries. But it surprises me as this is not simply a matter of a battery being superfluous if you always use sites with hook-up. We've had many experiences of hook-up posts or whole ring circuits tripping regularly as they are overloaded especially with some maximum currents as low as 4 amps. If/when that happens you're in the dark and have neither 240v nor 12v working if you have a simple 240AC to 12v DC PSU. So have a torch handy. I suppose you could light candles and that could be considered romantic - until the van catches fire and burns down of course!


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#17

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 5:54 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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Quote: Steamdrivenandy wrote in post #12
That's a submariner for you, long lead socks

Whilst the initial payload on a Troll looks enormous on paper (compared to white wobblies) a lot can be eaten up by options with just the spare wheel and carrier plus Autonomy Pack taking 50kg, whilst it can be surprising how much other bits and pieces add up to. More recent Trolls have a 1300kg MTPLM which gives 100kg more than our 2005 540 and should be more than enough unless you wear lead underpants too.


Our Troll has the 1300Kg MTPLM. Also the Yeti has a 645Kg payload and plenty of room to carry things as there are only 2 of us (so rear seats folded or removed). Even with spare wheel, Autonomy Pack and Reich mover on the van we don't foresee a problem. Might even have room for some of this lead kit. One thought - if submariners have lead boots, are lead underpants mainly favoured by those working on nuclear hazard sites? Or those who play "no rules" rugby?


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#18

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 6:28 pm
by Steamdrivenandy (deleted)
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These are all the options that were fitted to our 540 with the KG weights:

Alloy wheels 0.0
Alko stabiliser 2.0
Exterior locker door 1.5
Spare wheel & carrier 20.0
Mudflaps (set of two) 1.0
Truma Therme boiler system 6.0
Sprung rear benches 10.0
Autonomy pack (battery & charger etc) 30.0
Warm air ducting 3.0
Ultraheat 2.0
Hitchlock 2.0
Door flyscreen 3.0
Stone impact protection (pair) 5.0
Shower fittings 5.0
Carpet 8.0
Sink cover/chopping board 0.5

Believe it or not that little lot adds up to 100kg and with a mover added it would be around 130/140kg. Sometimes people don't realise just how much of their large Eriba payload is eaten by options.

Also watch out for the detail on the payload quoted by Skoda. Recently (on the new Octavia) they've taken to quoting payload without the allowance for driver, fluids and bits and pieces that has been the norm in the past. So whilst the new Octavia looks like it weighs circa 100kg less than the outgoing model, it actually only weighs around 20 to 25kg less. I don't know if they've pulled the same trick with the Yeti?


Amber a Lunar Quasar 464 Sussex Amberley Sussex Caravans dealer special pushing a '59 reg. Kia Cee'd 3 SW 1.6 CRDi Automatic, a rough towing ratio of 86%.
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#19

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 7:17 pm
by hob (deleted)
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Quote: EribaEinstein wrote in post #17

Our Troll has the 1300Kg MTPLM. Also the Yeti has a 645Kg payload and plenty of room to carry things as there are only 2 of us (so rear seats folded or removed). Even with spare wheel, Autonomy Pack and Reich mover on the van we don't foresee a problem.


Worth checking is the gross train weight maximum which equates to

car + load + caravan + load

and should be listed on the towing vehicle

as referred to on this government website

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-weights-explained


Time flies like an arrow...................fruit flies like a banana
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#20

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:31 pm
by Deeps (deleted)
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Quote: EribaEinstein wrote in post #16
One thought - if submariners have lead boots, are lead underpants mainly favoured by those working on nuclear hazard sites? Or those who play "no rules" rugby?

Oi !! - less of the lip.

Quote: EribaEinstein wrote in post #17
I suppose you could light candles and that could be considered romantic - until the van catches fire and burns down of course!


Or, like us, and a remnant from our tent days with no EHU, you could buy a couple of those miniature Davy lamps (Miners lamps) fitted with a dozen or so LED's and take 4 x AA batteries, and hang them from the pop-up roof 'T' brackets. With a bottle of Chianti, a beautiful woman and a bag of Walkers salt & vinegar crisps you're well on your way to a romantic evening.


2013 Triton 430, VW Touran TDI BM and a Yellow Submarine of course.

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#21

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:32 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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Quote: Steamdrivenandy wrote in post #18
...Sometimes people don't realise just how much of their large Eriba payload is eaten by options.

Also watch out for the detail on the payload quoted by Skoda. Recently (on the new Octavia) they've taken to quoting payload without the allowance for driver, fluids and bits and pieces that has been the norm in the past. So whilst the new Octavia looks like it weighs circa 100kg less than the outgoing model, it actually only weighs around 20 to 25kg less. I don't know if they've pulled the same trick with the Yeti?




I agree with all of this. And I don't know either what tricks they may have played with their quoted payload figures. I only mentioned the 645Kg quoted for my Yeti (2.0 TDI 170PS 4X4 DSG DPF) because I know my added load in the car will be significantly below that. I don't use manufacturer quoted payload figures for loading either the car or the caravan. I use datum weighings at my local weighbridge and then weigh items loaded. Of course I don't do this every time. When I tow I make adjustments as required to my "standard" loads and then visit the weighbridge to check I am within MTPLM for both car (2135Kg)and caravan (1300Kg) and within the 85Kg noseweight maximum. The process takes takes several weighings but they only ever charge me for one (£5). Fortunately the bridge isn't far from my home.

In the case of the car there is always far more than needed allowance for extra items loaded while away (e.g. wine! ). I'm confident this will still be the situation with the Yeti. Whatever Skoda's quoted figure for "kerb weight" and payload, I do accept their number for MTPLM - 2135Kg for my Yeti. Even with the temptations of French vineyards etc. and our hobby-related + holiday stuff that we carry in the car, we will have no problem keeping within that. The gross train weight is 4235 Kg and poses no problem as the sum of the MTPLMs is 3435Kg. In summary we are sure we will have no difficulty keeping the loadings of both car and caravan under the MTPLMs, by a suitable margin under too. And we know that we can load the Eriba to 80Kg noseweight (max 85Kg) while achieving a balanced loading of the van. Finally as for tow match, well - at Skoda's "kerb weight" of 1490Kg the ratio of Caravan MTPLM / Car kerb weight is 87.2%. But as we've discussed, "kerb weight" is probably less than MIRO (itself a "slippery definition) and in any case the physics of basing tow match on the ratio of a laden caravan to an unladen car is surely dubious even if the idea seems to be sanctioned by the Caravan Club (respectful pause here please ). In practice the car WILL be laden, surely. If you think about it neither the car nor the caravan knows whether it (the car) is "laden" or just heavier anyway. Would appreciate any comments on this theory. In practice I'm confident too that my Yeti and my Troll will make a fine tow match. Thanks for your responses though - it's all food for thought.

And thanks to everyone for the posts and the welcomes. I didn't for a minute think that my first post on EribaFolk would get so many replies. A great forum BTW!



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#22

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:44 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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Quote: EribaEinstein wrote in post #17
I suppose you could light candles and that could be considered romantic - until the van catches fire and burns down of course!


Or, like us, and a remnant from our tent days with no EHU, you could buy a couple of those miniature Davy lamps (Miners lamps) fitted with a dozen or so LED's and take 4 x AA batteries, and hang them from the pop-up roof 'T' brackets. With a bottle of Chianti, a beautiful woman and a bag of Walkers salt & vinegar crisps you're well on your way to a romantic evening.



Sounds good to me! I did think about portable battery lamps (you can even get ones with remote controls) and we loved tents (still tent camp occasionally) but hey, it's nice to have a bit of luxury too . And even a DVD on the telly No, I like to have me caravan battery.


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#23

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:23 pm
by Steamdrivenandy (deleted)
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A bottle (or two) of Chianti and a beautiful women I go along with, but S&V crisps are just yurrrk. Unsalted crisps, great, pure as nature intended and no salt to fur up yer innards.


Amber a Lunar Quasar 464 Sussex Amberley Sussex Caravans dealer special pushing a '59 reg. Kia Cee'd 3 SW 1.6 CRDi Automatic, a rough towing ratio of 86%.
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#24

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:04 pm
by Deeps (deleted)
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Only you could take me seriously, Andy.


2013 Triton 430, VW Touran TDI BM and a Yellow Submarine of course.

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#25

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:14 pm
by Steamdrivenandy (deleted)
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It's an ongoing dispute I have with Mrs SDA who is a salt n vinegar fan. I will go so far as a smidge of salt on chips for fish and chips, but my view is that the batter on fish is seasoned enough so there's no need for even more.


Amber a Lunar Quasar 464 Sussex Amberley Sussex Caravans dealer special pushing a '59 reg. Kia Cee'd 3 SW 1.6 CRDi Automatic, a rough towing ratio of 86%.
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#26

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:46 pm
by Poptop320 | 2.632 Posts

Hi Roger, your electric problem is interesting, I have a 2012 Familia 320. My electrics were wired up wrong which meant the battery did not charge up from the the car and on some vans it also did not supply power to the fridge. This was sorted out under warranty from a Hymer dealership. Also it was noted that the 12v disconnection three way switch on the wardrobe was the wrong type, Hymer had used a four pin and it should have been a five pin. On another forum it become quickly evident that a lot of 2012 van owners had the same issue. I fitted my own LED battery indicator to insure all is well.


I like to pop my top when I go on holiday
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#27

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:51 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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Yes, I wonder how much of this is to do with Hymer's relative focus between what we call Eribas (what they call the Touring Range) on the one hand and the larger caravans and, especially, motorhomes on the other hand. I believe the Eriba Touring Range is still made in a separate, older factory (someone please correct me if I'm wrong); I have heard this described as a embarrassing to Hymer. Of course to Hymer, "Eriba" simply means "Hymer caravans" (as opposed to Hymer motorhomes). Hymer has in fact branded its entire caravan range - traditional steel frame Eribas and the PUAL technology 'vans (up to and including the large twin axles) as "Eribas" (this is obvious from the 2014 Eriba brochure).

The electrics in themselves should be technically OK now - the Schaut units seem well designed and well-made - but the issue I ran into is that the choice between battery or no-battery depends on alternatives that are essentially determined at the factory. In other words, something that should be a choice made at the dealer's premises must in fact be specified in the ex-factory configuration! As I said before I suspect Airstream may even have decided now to order all stock vans with the CSV406 and battery, but I could be wrong on that. It would mean including the price of the "Independence Packet" (the re-named Autonomy Pack) in all ex-sales-stock 'vans. Airstream's current pricelist, at least on their website, now lists a "12v upgrade pack- incs 80 Ahr gel/ AGM battery and battery charger" at £450. At that price one certainly hopes that it features the integrated CSV406 and at least 12v circuit isolation switches (if not a control panel!). One hope that it is NOT what they initially fitted for me when I had paid (the same sum as it happens) - just the CSV300 simple power supply, a separate 3-stage charger and the battery, with no control wiring facility and no 12v isolation switches. £450 would be very steep for that!!!

It all illustrates a broader problem that the current 'vans are expensive when all these options are added in.


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#28

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:10 pm
by EribaEinstein (deleted)
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Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

Just to complete the story of our experience buying a new Troll 530 from Airstream & Co at Tebay. We got our Eriba back as agreed at the end of January. Airstream had fitted the correct "Autonomy Pack" electrics together with a very neat small control panel providing battery voltage indication and isolation switches for the water pump and for the whole 12v DC side, also an indicator light for the 240v AC supply. The work was completed very neatly indeed and everything functions as it should. They also fitted an additional 12v socket outlet at my request. The high standard of the work supports my view that the workshop side at Tebay is very good indeed.

As I (and they) suspected, the job of obtaining correct parts from Germany for a retrofit was perhaps best described as "interesting". This was entirely the fault of Hymer who really need to up their game. Airstream persisted until they got the job done. As they had promised they did the right thing by me!

On the basis of my experience I'd have no hesitation in recommending Airstream as an Eriba supplier.


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#29

RE: Hello from Cumbria

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:56 pm
by Pop540 (deleted)
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good to read your experience with Tebay thank you for sharing


Eriba troll 540 likes constant hugs, and buffs and the odd cuppa.

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