so disheartened :(

[MrRob]

thanks guys....we've just had it MOT'd and the company that converted it is recognised by the insurance company....so hopefully that means all the mechanical side of it is sound

its just the inside that needs work!

That's cool so long as you are satisfied that it is all safe and legal ... I have heard of far too many stolen camper van and caravan bodies being grafted onto legitimate van chassis by unscrupulous people with safety not very high on the agenda ... my heart stopped when I saw your van ... it looked exactly like what I had pictured as the worst case scenario in my mind.

So how dose that rear axle configuration work ? Can you post a pic ? ... Ive never seen a twin rear axle Transit before ... even as a recovery truck ... and they normally hold there value far too long to make cheap donor vans but then this one had a very (big) special purpose

Good luck getting it all sorted!

What company did the conversion? ... there cant be many that would take on this sort of task!

 

[Randonneur]

Just a thought, the fact that it's a caravan body is also likely to be the reason there are no on-board water or waste tanks.

So your cold water feed to the taps and your Carver Cascade water heater will need to come from an Aquaroll type barrel or similar and your waste water to a barrel outside. Is there a Whale type water socket or Carver Crystal water socket on it somewhere.

You could of course fit your own on-board water and waste tanks as part of your renovation work. Let us know how you get on, any questions ask away, that's what we're here for.

 

[happy campers]

thanks guys we're gonna replace the oven/hob/grill and the fridge as part of the renovations, as well as re-upholster the seating, and put new curtains up.....gonna leave all the technical stuff to hubby....when he figures out where to start and how to do it lol!!

 

[happy campers]

forgot to say....its been fitted with an on-board water tank........

i think the water heater is a carver cascade 2....thats what it says on the front of it

the renovation was done somewhere in shotts lanarkshire......i think it was a single axle transit van, and they've put a tag axle on the back.....don't ask me how it works, but it does lol

 

[MrRob]

the renovation was done somewhere in shotts lanarkshire......i think it was a single axle transit van, and they've put a tag axle on the back.....don't ask me how it works, but it does lol

Is there no makers plate, sticker or other markings on the van? Most conversion companies relish the free advertising.

It better be more complicated than that

If it is a tag there will be many times one of the drive axle wheels is lifted off the ground by the undreven tag axle (on a rough bit of track, ramp or a speed hump) or looses traction on wet grass and you will be stuck.

All the vehicles I have ever driven with this configuration have had some way of raising the tag or lowering the drive axle to increase clearance and therefore traction.

So is there no button to push or leaver to pull or dial to turn on the dash when you get stuck?

Sorry for bugging you on this Im fascinated be how this problem is dealt with on your motorhome. You and your hubby will enjoy it much more if you understand all the systems both on the vehicle and caravan side. At least you seem to be getting to grips with them

 

[maingate]

I have to disagree with MrRob (sorry).

On a m/home, the 2 tag axles are just idlers, with no form of drive to them. Strictly speaking, it is not a true 'tag' axle at all. MrRob is correct in saying that a proper tag axle has a propshaft connected to the front one of the 2 rear axles.

There is no facility to raise or lower one of them.

Because these vehicles are front wheel drive, it is said that they can be poor on wet grass for traction. They are also supposed to give lower mpg in normal running.

I have one and would not change it as I think it is the bees knees.

 

[MrRob]

Mk 3/4 transits are RWD

I have to disagree with MrRob (sorry).

On a m/home, the 2 tag axles are just idlers, with no form of drive to them. Strictly speaking, it is not a true 'tag' axle at all. MrRob is correct in saying that a proper tag axle has a propshaft connected to the front one of the 2 rear axles.

There is no facility to raise or lower one of them.

Because these vehicles are front wheel drive, it is said that they can be poor on wet grass for traction. They are also supposed to give lower mpg in normal running.

I have one and would not change it as I think it is the bees knees.

maingate ... perhaps you misunderstood that the Mk3/4 Transit that is the base for this massive motorhome were only rear wheel drive (there was no front wheel drive version until the Mk6)? Specifying a tag axle configuration in a new van is very unusual (recovery truck?) and retro fitting it is almost unique I would have thought. There IS a reason a true tag axle is uncommon in motorhomes and it IS the fact that a mechanism to increase traction/clearance IS necessary ... and tricky and costly to do.

Your set up is a twin rear dead axle set up and is commonly used (as alko supply a rear chassis) in the motorhome industry. It dose not have the inherent problem of lifting the drive axle (front) off the ground on uneven surfaces and your traction will be exactly the same as a single rear axle front drive set up. ie not very good as you say ...

(I've got a twin wheel single rear axle RWD van which set up has better traction and normally far higher towing capacity than "Tag Axle" vans )

 

[maingate]

Thanks for that MrRob, I am no expert on Trannies. I would certainly like to know how the drive train works on this van.

What also bothers me is how powerful the engine is on this Transit? I have the 2.8 jtd engine with a Tunit box fitted and mine is working hard with a MAM of 5 tonne. With my set up, I probably have about 150 bhp. Does the Transit have that sort of power?