Hopefully getting back to a van

Robidoo replied on 16/04/2018 22:05

Posted on 16/04/2018 22:05

hi all ,I’m not new to caravanning or camping switched from caravans to a 1973 Bay VW about 11 yers ago and hoping to get another Caravan in the next year .i had two lunar 615’s before as they were very light for the length.

Anyhow I was wondering has anyone cut a hole in their garage door to poke the tow a frame through to both secure the van and then fit on the drive . ? If I do that I can fit a 8m van on otherwise i’ll Need to go 7m ? 

I’ve got a double garage connect ed to the house so can get in to the garage and then lock the tow ball to a post maybe . 

Anyone out there do it ? 

Oh and jasper the Vw bay and victor the beetle live in the garage to keep the caravan company too lol

cheers Rob

bandgirl replied on 17/04/2018 23:03

Posted on 17/04/2018 23:03

Hi, I know someone who has sunk a device in the drive to secure  their motorhome, in addition to wheel locks.  Not sure about cutting into a garage door to make room for a caravan, though.  Our drive is too short for our 2 berth caravan, so we store it in a compound at a local site.

cyberyacht replied on 18/04/2018 07:27

Posted on 18/04/2018 07:27

To get all of the drawbar into the garage you are going to need quite a big hole. It won't be a case of a large "letter box" if you want to get a significant length of the drawbar inside the garage door.

Whilst fixing the coupling to a post inside the garage would be a good security move, I don't think you will manage the length aspect.

replied on 18/04/2018 07:37

Posted on 18/04/2018 07:37

If you are planning to park caravan in front of garage do Vic and Jasper get out much?

Given the 'short'comings of the drive I would stick with a 7m length. I am also constrained, not by storage space, but by road width on property frontage

KeefySher replied on 18/04/2018 07:58

Posted on 18/04/2018 07:58

Can you set the garage doors back by the metre you require? Maybe change the door type to a roller door where you don't need the headroom to open an up and over type, or swing a hinged type in. Maybe use the created alcove to place your wheelie bins if you have such things.

Changed garage door to a roller to give more storage in our garage since taking up this camping lark to store all the gear in.

Randomcamper replied on 18/04/2018 13:59

Posted on 18/04/2018 13:59

Robi,   years ago we had a speedboat on a trailer that fitted in our garage but the drawbar of the trailer stuck out about 3 or 4 feet.....

I considered cutting a hole in the garage door but decided against it as I would need to then change the garage door when we moved (it was our first house and we weren't expecting to be there for ever....

The door would come down about three quartes of the way, and i just chained it then to the trailer draw bar to stop the door being opened.

 

i appreciate someone could then gain access to your garage by crawling in on their tummy, but if your car etc is locked and blocked in by your caravan, is that a risk you can take.......?

ABM replied on 18/04/2018 16:21

Posted on 18/04/2018 16:21

These  awful  Burglars  do  have  strange  talents,  Tintent  !!  One  was  reported  on  TV  this  very  week  as  having  laid  down,  unscrewed  a  cat-flap  &  crawled  in  thro'  the  hole.  Dozy  'apporth  got  caught  'cos  he'd  taken  a  bite  out  of  a  pie  &  left  his  DNA  on  it  !!

Robidoo replied on 19/04/2018 20:10

Posted on 18/04/2018 13:59 by Randomcamper

Robi,   years ago we had a speedboat on a trailer that fitted in our garage but the drawbar of the trailer stuck out about 3 or 4 feet.....

I considered cutting a hole in the garage door but decided against it as I would need to then change the garage door when we moved (it was our first house and we weren't expecting to be there for ever....

The door would come down about three quartes of the way, and i just chained it then to the trailer draw bar to stop the door being opened.

 

i appreciate someone could then gain access to your garage by crawling in on their tummy, but if your car etc is locked and blocked in by your caravan, is that a risk you can take.......?

Posted on 19/04/2018 20:10

Hi tintent115

i definitely need to secure the door as have lots of tools working area and all sorts of man toys that would probably vanish. But this is our forever home so could make a flap in the door that can be secured when in the van .would be a big hole I know .just an idea at the mo .

cheers for all the advice all 👍

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