caravans do not need a mot Geoff.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Geoff,

I think your searching is what is causing the confusion. You are apparently turning up the law on HGV trailers, which is a different kettle of fish from caravans/light trailers.

Any caravan you are looking at would not exceed 3500kg and would not require an MoT.

This might explin it: https://www.gov.uk/mot-for-hgv-buses-and-trailers

HTH John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

Just a thought on your towing weight issue Tom - can you have the caravan plated weight increased? I had my Swift increased from @1700 to 2000kg which means we can take even more junk away with us  2019 Autobiography SDV8 Byron blue/black - current
2016 Vogue SE SDV8 Santorini Black/Ivory - sold
2009 RR Sport TDV8 HSE - sold

Mr Tee wrote:

Can you take your own van on their courses Ian ?

So irrelevant it was  Geoff

I think everything on here was relevant - your searching elsewhere may not have been

As Brian said - what you tow behind your car is a trailer - a caravan is a subset - a type of trailer

Currently in the UK, there is no MOT requirement for a <3500kg trailer - there is frequent speculation that there may be in future as some other EU countries have one - but I guess with Brexit, that is less likely.

Anyway, as you were, not to panic - no MOT to worry about, just all the other things

So irrelevant to anyone thinking of a caravan at the moment, like all (except some on here obviously) I can't predict the future and warn of problems that simply don't exist. Especially since I made it clear in my OP that I was thinking of buying a tiny caravan.

My research elsewhere said any and all caravans seemingly regardless of weight don't need an MOT so all the talk around trailers is just . Geoff

if you have sky then record 'practical caravan' on channel 192 [showcase] at 11.00 am on monday..and 7.30pm for 'caravan finder tv'... ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

supershuttle wrote:

all the talk around trailers is just .

I might have started that - as far as your licence is concerned, it's a trailer - you're licensed to tow a trailer, there's no specific caravan category - it doesn't matter whether its a horse box, boar, whatever - same licence.

Apologies for derailing the thread.

Stan,
I've set up to record the progs but one seems to be 26 weeks for the whole series so if I watch them all any caravan jolly will be next summer although the colder months is probably a good time to buy . Geoff

i'm sure the first few episodes will give you an idea of what to buy...  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Hi Geoff.

Give it a go. Possibly a good idea is to rent a motor home first. There are quite a few outfits which do this and it will give you a sense of the space and how all the bits work as they are fairly similar on both motor homes and caravans.

If it’s just going to be you in the van a small compact 2 birth van would be big enough but being tall you definitely need to check out the beds, as some of the singles are quite short and if you can find one with a long enough front dinette bench then you may be able to get away with not having to drag out the double every night.

Eribas are nice vans, but again being tall, you may find the head height restrictive? Trouble is at the moment the supply of both new and used vans is quite limited as staycationers have stripped the shelves.

In terms of depreciation, second hand vans hold their value well. So you aren’t going to lose out massively if you do buy one and decide after 12 months that it’s not for you. For example our 2010 6 berth lunar was 13k when I bought it 7 years ago. There are similar Lunar vans on the market now for over 10k. But bear in mind this year you are buying in a hot market!!

In terms of towing, going forwards is not an issue. Going backwards is where it gets more tricky when reversing into a pitch. But a mover can sort that, or practice......

Everything on a van is pretty easy to use and fairly idiot proof, if less robust than domestic stuff and once you have done it a couple of times it will become second nature. A basic pitch up of:

Move onto pitch brakes on and park up car
Steadies and level up
Locks on
Electric on
gas on
Water filled connected and bled through
Waste connected
TV tuned in
Beer opened

Should take about 15 mins, though I’ve now knocked it down to 10 as my lad can do some of it!!

There are plenty of seasoned caravanners on here and we are happy to help.

And no.... you definitely don’t need a caravan MoT. BUT quite a few caravan insurance companies require the van to be serviced annually and proof to be presented in the event of a claim. That is a bit like an MOT and generally includes both a habitation check of things like the gas system and a damp check, and a chassis service which strips the brakes down and rebuilds them and looks at tyres and the hitch etc.

Generally your car insurance will provide 3rd party cover in the event of an accident with the van on but will not cover the van itself. Which is where the a above mentioned caravan cover comes in. It’s worth reading the small print of your car policy as some crafty policies can be a bit restrictive as to what you can tow. It’s one of the reasons I insure with Axa. As I tow a long t/a van many mainstream policies have a length limit, which is shorter than my van!! Almost been caught out a few times.

Enjoy. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

Thanks NMJ very comprehensive and helpful as well as not the least bit ambiguous and no “ red herrings” . I’ve checked everything out with one of my friends who tows, as some of the replies on here were a bit confusing and irrelevant to caravan ownership, he uses a mover through choice rather than reversing. I’ve actually found a couple of places that rent vans (I don’t really want to even try a motor home) so I might give that a go after the course. I’m OK on the driving licence front (another advantage of being old) and of course all the trailer stuff was pretty much a useless diversion as I’ve said before, but all the on topic replies, tips and things to think about before buying even a small caravan were very useful.
Thanks again Geoff