Re: Anyone fitted corner steadies to a Nuevo?

by PLOUGHLIN Wed Aug 17, 2016 5:45 pm

Askit wrote:
Gromit wrote:
Askit wrote:We had some very strong winds last week (ask Boaby about his ASOF flag pole ) and I used the steadies for the first time in anger. There's no doubt they made a big difference, both in stopping the turbulence caused by the gales and the, not so, gentle rocking of the van when I move around. So much so that I now have yet another job when we arrive on site Joking aside, I was very impressed with the difference they made.
Hi Askit

Have you thought of getting a cheap battery drill to wind down the steadies? It saves the interminable handle winding, and makes a chore into a simple job.

No steadies on our van as we have a towbar, but on the previous van I rarely used them because it took so long to wind them down. Plus they sometimes wouldn't reach the ground, so I had to carry lumps of wood.

Dave
Yes, I did whilst watching all those with caravans around me using theirs I did wonder where they get the socket part though, are they sold like that or custom made? Having a battery drill to use as a screwdriver would be a help also, I have really painful joints at the base of each thumb which makes using implements rather sore

Tony

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by Askit Wed Aug 17, 2016 6:33 pm

Thanks, I'll put that on the (very long) "get from Amazon" list up!

by Driftwood6 Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:25 pm

Yep we took ours off to save weight as someone else suggested. They were really difficult to wind down as the winder had to go through a very narrow hole and dirt on the mechanism made the whole process quite tiring.; if the winder is not kept exactly horizontal the bodywork can easily get damaged. Cannot say that we have ever wished we had kept them on! Weight issue eventually solved by uprating from 3300kg to 3500 kg (SVTech) so I suppose I could put the steadies back on but I doubt whether I will bother.

by Cymro Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:34 pm

Askit wrote:Thanks, I'll put that on the (very long) "get from Amazon" list

I decided to use a cordless drill right from the start. So I sourced one from Argos for about £20 which, importantly, can vary its speed according to the pressure applied to the trigger - giving greater control. I had a suitable socket to fit the head of the steadies; bought a long extension bar; and bought a set of 3 adapters from MachineMart or similar, whereby to attach the extension bar to the drill. Works a treat. Can be a fiddle to locate the head of the steady through the hole on the skirt - and have yet to fathom out Gromit's idea of using plastic tubing (explanation sought, please!).

We also have a wind-out Fiamma bike rack, and I also use the drill for that. Surprisingly, the drill can lift two bikes all the way up.

Haven't yet found a means whereby to use the drill to wind out the awning.

Incidentally, as our Nuevo has AirTops, it's often the case that the steadies won't reach the ground, so I carry 2 suitable blocks of wood to sort out that. If you've ever slept in the upper bed of a NuevoES (in the luton top) you'll really appreciate the steadies!
Cymro

by raymondo Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:42 pm

not wishing to hijack the thread.....but........

Cannot say that we have ever wished we had kept them on! Weight issue eventually solved by uprating from 3300kg to 3500 kg (SVTech)

Driftwood considering this my self (how can such a small van be so heavy?) was the change a paper exercise or were any up grades required

by Askit Fri Oct 07, 2016 8:40 am

Cymro wrote:
Askit wrote:Thanks, I'll put that on the (very long) "get from Amazon" list

I decided to use a cordless drill right from the start. So I sourced one from Argos for about £20 which, importantly, can vary its speed according to the pressure applied to the trigger - giving greater control. I had a suitable socket to fit the head of the steadies; bought a long extension bar; and bought a set of 3 adapters from MachineMart or similar, whereby to attach the extension bar to the drill. Works a treat. Can be a fiddle to locate the head of the steady through the hole on the skirt - and have yet to fathom out Gromit's idea of using plastic tubing (explanation sought, please!).

We also have a wind-out Fiamma bike rack, and I also use the drill for that. Surprisingly, the drill can lift two bikes all the way up.

Haven't yet found a means whereby to use the drill to wind out the awning.

Incidentally, as our Nuevo has AirTops, it's often the case that the steadies won't reach the ground, so I carry 2 suitable blocks of wood to sort out that. If you've ever slept in the upper bed of a NuevoES (in the luton top) you'll really appreciate the steadies!
Cymro

I'm still working on convincing SWMBO about the drill and associated bits, she has become even more obsessed with the van weight than me and thinks I need the exercise anyway snigger

The committee has passed various kitchen gadgets, a comprehensive collection of ladies footwear and another small table for outside use as essential items Whistle1

by Driftwood6 Fri Oct 07, 2016 8:48 am

raymondo wrote:not wishing to hijack the thread.....but........

Cannot say that we have ever wished we had kept them on! Weight issue eventually solved by uprating from 3300kg to 3500 kg (SVTech)

Driftwood considering this my self (how can such a small van be so heavy?) was the change a paper exercise or were any up grades required

Purely a paperwork exercise. SVTech offer discounts at the shows, I think I paid about them £200 but my memory is fuzzy on the payment bit, must have been the shock of handing over so many £20 notes at one time!! They came to the van and took a few details from the plates. (I left that side of it to them, if you are doing it by post you have to fill in a complicated form which I did not fully understand). The next day they send you a certificate to send to DVLA and a new plate for the van which you put on the door pillar (Plastic/paper - not metal). Eventually DVLA send you a new V5. Easy. The whole process more than doubled our effective user payload which was seriously down because we are both heavy and I have a second battery fitted etc which eats into the allowance. I would recommend the SVTech service.

In my opinion the Nuevo is heavy because of the sheer amount of kit which is included as standard (such as corner steadies) and the quality of the woodwork etc, for example, noticeably thicker wood than other vans we have had.

Afterthought. It is necessary to inform your insurance company but it did
not require any increase in my premium.

by Gromit Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:21 am

Cymro wrote: . . . have yet to fathom out Gromit's idea of using plastic tubing (explanation sought, please!).
Cymro

Hi Cymro

Can't explain in detail because I didn't have corner steadies fitted. Knowing that they would have to come off when we had a towbar fitted I asked A/S to leave them off, so I don't know exactly how it looks under your van.

In principle it's quite easy however.

Get a length of kitchen waste pipe and place one end over the winder nut.

Mark and trim it to length so it sticks out a short distance from the rear skirt. Judge what length of projection looks best and shape to follow the profile of the skirt, or it might look like a bodged job.

Fix the pipe in place. If there's a hole for the winder in the rear skirt it might be best to use a bit of Sikaflex or bathroom sealer to fix the pipe, as this could look very neat. If the winder goes under the skirt it may be necessary to make a bracket. (This is the part I can't advise since I have no steadies to look at.)

It doesn't matter how it is achieved so long as the front end of the pipe is over the winder nut, and the pipe is horizontal. Then when you shove the winder into the rear end of the pipe, it can't possibly miss the nut - and you don't have to grovel on your knees and squint under the van!! up!

Hope this helps

by burlingtonboaby Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:32 am

I didn't have corner steadies on my Nuevo and it used to rock in the wind when pitched up on coastal sites.
Our Sigma has them fitted and its as steady as a rock when there down.
We us caravan style steps too, easier for us to get in and out of the van.
Boaby

by Cymro Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:34 pm

[This is my third typing of this post! I'd almost finished, using the tablet, when a slip of the finger obliterated my literary masterpiece! The 2nd retype was shorter. And this is brief!]

Dave / Gromit: many thanks for the instructions. I shall attempt in due course. I assume that the winder end of the tube is not fixed, but cannot drop because the rear end is fixed into the skirt and the winder nut stops it from falling out. At least, I hope that's the case because my van's winders are covered with grease and underseal, making it very difficult to stick anything there.

A word of caution to those with a luton-top: if you suffer a cracked windcreen, be sure to stress that you have a luton top. Autoglass sent a very courteous gentleman to me from their Specials Dept at Bristol to replace a cracked screen; when he discovered the van has a luton, he said it would be a 2-person job. So another appointment. No problem - except Autoglass no longer have drive-in depots: they come to you and do the job in the open air. Their vans have a side awning - ok for a car but not for a high top motorhome. Pray for continued dry weather next Tuesday! Moral: although Autoglass ask about the vehicle, and whether it's a motorhome, they don't ask if the motorhome has a luton; do tell them if that's the case!

by Gromit Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:43 pm

Cymro wrote:I assume that the winder end of the tube is not fixed, but cannot drop because the rear end is fixed into the skirt and the winder nut stops it from falling out.

Yes that's it, and it worked well for about 7 years on my friends caravan. His new one has the tubes built in - wish I had patented the idea before someone else did!! up!

by inspiredron Fri Oct 07, 2016 11:48 pm

No need for tubes on my 2011 style body. The nuts are where they can be seen just below the skirt.

by Gromit Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:47 am

inspiredron wrote:No need for tubes on my 2011 style body. The nuts are where they can be seen just below the skirt.

You're the lucky one Ron. smile!

On some vans and caravans it's all but impossible to get the winder onto the nut without getting down on your knees . . . and for many of us getting back up again becomes more and more difficult!! so_sad

by bikeralw Sat Oct 08, 2016 10:39 am

Even with a low-line like my van, it's still a two man job.
The fitter from Autoglass arrived outside my house with my new screen and was a bit taken aback that it was a MH and not a standard Pug van, this is despite me having told them on the phone.
He offered to come back next day with an assistant, but as it had given rain for the next few days I volunteered for a crash course in windscreen fitting...
As you only get one go at this, we did several dry runs with the new screen before he applied the glue, luckily I made the grade as an apprentice and all went well..
Al.

by Cymro Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:21 pm

Al: it was a gloriously sunny day; he'd come all the way from Bristol; I said "If it's just someone to help lift it, I can help you" but (to my secret relief) he very politely declined. And from the liability point of view, that was the right decision for both of us! It had been a bad week and I fered that my bad luck would persist: got stung on my ear when cutting the grass - and when I resumed 10 mins later I got stung on my eyelid!

I'll be glad when it's sorted.... ! Shall report.
Cymro