Total Novice - Advice Needed Please!

I buy the explorer 135 AH battery from Alpha Batteries http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/.  Cost £89.99 though they do sell a 125AH battery for £79.99 and a 110 AH one for £75 free delivery too.  Hitch locks I reckon you get pretty much what you pay for.  It is probably worth having a decent one though as your insurance company will probably insist on it and probably a wheel clamp too.  Even if they don't they will still help to reduce your premium.  Something worth knowing too is that with your caravan club card you can get an extra 10% discount at GO outdoors on anything you buy there on top of their normal discount.  Buying things like water carriers and waste carriers look on line and at Pre-loved and Gumtree.  You can save a small fortune.

I bought rthe Enforcer 110ah Battery from County Batterys, it does the job for me and I have a quite steep hump to get my caravan off of the road and a long drive to get my caravan parked up.

County Batterys are at Kirkby in Ashfield Notts and the battery arrived within a couple of days.

Thanks Peter, I think that was a website I looked at the other day. My hubby is working away until July so I am trying to sort it all myself. I like a challenge! 

Check your insurance policy regarding your hitchlock, it really isn't worth skimping on one. What kind of hitch you might decide which hitch lock to buy.

Check what your insurance company policy says on security, my caravan is in storage and a wheel clamp and hitch lock are compulsory, I use a Milenco wheel clamp and Alko hitch lock. Numax batteries are very good, I still have a 110amp which is now 10 years old and it still holds a charge.

Twitchette One word of advice I had an alko hitchlock on my van plus two wheel locks and the van was stolen from under my bedroom window, they used some sort of device to force the sides of the hitchlock open and  left it on the grass and undid the one wheel lock with a key and forced the other off as well and the van went away never to be seen. Advice is as the guys on here say, get the best and  I have a post sunk into the ground now with 3 ft of concrete, a cctv camera, an alarm and two secure wheel lockes and  a very  heavy bulldog hitch lock.But please remember that if they really want your van nothing will stop them..I believe it make it as difficult as possible for them.I would love to surround mine with an electric fence like they have for cattle but with a slighly heavier current, somehow don't think I could get away with it.......SG2

Do not go mad, for security, just make sure you are covered for insurance purposes 

If your caravan  is chosen, a few quality power tools , and it is gone

Probably best thing is remove all upholstery, the cost to replacing  will make them chose some one else's van  

Do not go mad, for security, just make sure you are covered for insurance purposes 

If your caravan  is chosen, a few quality power tools , and it is gone

Probably best thing is remove all upholstery, the cost to replacing  will make them chose some one else's van  

I tend to agree.  Do what you need to to comply with the insurance requirements and store the caravan in a storeage site with a good reputation.  Personally, I think a good storeage facility is of more value that all the security devices.  Our (very large) storeage site has only ever had one 'breach' of security, some years ago now, and the owners are convinced that was 'an inside job'.  Security is even tighter these days, with cameras as well.   Amongst caravanners, our storeage goes by the nickname of Fort Knox or Alcatraz.  

David 

The idea that security measures do not work is incorrect. There are two kinds of thief, opportunists and professionals. The opportunists are looking for an easy target and less concerned about what it is. In simple terms they are looking for unsecured or badly secured caravans and decent security will put them off.

The professionals will know to a larger extent what they are looking for and target that. If in a storage site you may find there are more than one of what they want, they are aware of the time it takes to steal a caravan and speed is of the essence. therefore they will take the easiest target of what they want but if it is yours very little will stop them. The ALKO wheel lock is beyond many of them and is the best bet if you have the caravan that will take it.

Hitchlocks are frankly a waste of time as a good chain round the A frame is all that is needed to bypass it but if your insurance requires it fit it.

For wheel clamps the best should be Sold Secure Gold marked ones and I would still say it is worth paying for a decent one as it just might be the difference between losing your caravan and not.