over the last twelve months that we have been on the road and during that time I have seen at least four vans where the front of the awning has come away while the van was travelling and the front upright has bent
So when I roll my awning up to travel I put a strap around the top of the front upright in case the locking device fails
I use velcro,i came across a vanner that lost his awning 2hrs from albany heading to busselton for 4 weeks,the wind had got into the canvas and ripped it of, yes you should strap them.
My van's awning was equipped with 2 red leather dog collars for just that purpose. One can never take too many precautions to secure the equipment to ensure it's long life.
Boroma577 said
03:33 PM Dec 4, 2011
Clare46 wrote:
John
I understand that if you use woolwash then you don't even have to rinse but have not tried it
Even with woolwash I still prefer to rinse Clare, I also have one of those buckets and yes they are great.
-- Edited by Boroma577 on Sunday 4th of December 2011 03:34:30 PM
Gerty Dancer said
03:36 PM Dec 4, 2011
Geez you have fancy buckets! I just use a nappy pail that has a good fitting lid, it does the job fine.
Boroma577 said
03:38 PM Dec 4, 2011
Gerty Dancer wrote:
Geez you have fancy buckets! I just use a nappy pail that has a good fitting lid, it does the job fine.
This one is probably a tad bigger/taller than a nappy pail Gerty but I am sure they all work as well. I had mine given to me and am very thankful of the kind donation. LOL.
JRH said
03:52 PM Dec 4, 2011
Friend of ours uses a plastic rubbish bin with the clips that go over the lid, they swear by it.
Boroma577 said
06:33 PM Dec 4, 2011
Knives, especially sharp ones are always an issue and I've not got the space in the van to have a bench top block for them.
So they live in a drawer and that being so, the blades need protection (for them and me) so I always have a sheath for them. Some come with sheaths and if you can't buy them after the fact then I make my own.
Just a simple piece of cardboard folded and stapled or taped will do the job quite nicely.
I also place them in the drawer all facing the same way, no nasty surprises that way.
A great way to get out of muddy wet sites is to use a bread crate base.
Boroma577 said
09:10 PM Dec 4, 2011
suenterry wrote:
A great way to get out of muddy wet sites is to use a bread crate base.
Can you elaborate on that a bit please suenterry??
suenterry said
09:21 PM Dec 4, 2011
Hi Guru, It is the crate that our bread vendors bring to our shops. You just cut off the sides, and place under the wheels to get a good grip.
Boroma577 said
09:29 PM Dec 4, 2011
suenterry wrote:
You just cut off the sides, and place under the wheels to get a good grip.
Ok, now I understand....was not sure if you meant, walk on them or drive on them. For anyone who does not have a set of MaxTrax this would be a brilliant solution. Thank you.
Cheers Boroma577
grumpy-j said
06:22 AM Dec 5, 2011
Reducing the tyre pressure can help in getting out of muddy situations.
I have a 4 wheel drive but still carry a set of Max Trax just in case.
Cheers,
John
grumpy-j said
12:57 PM Dec 5, 2011
When travelling into head winds the straps on my mirrors vibrate causing a humming noise to resonate in the doors.
To fix this I place a piece of foam rubber between the door and the strap to act as a dampener.
Also to prevent duco scratches I insert a fridge advertising magnetic between the buckle and the door.
Not sure if other people have experienced this problem but it worked for me.
Cheers,
John
-- Edited by grumpy-j on Monday 5th of December 2011 01:05:02 PM
Beth54 said
03:19 PM Dec 5, 2011
grumpy-j wrote:
When I go bush I always take my Handy-Wash bucket.
When we travelled with little kids, we used the old nappy bucket with the push seal lid. It sat in the trailer and the jolting washed them for us.
I don't have enough strength in my hands these days, so generally go to a laudromat.
Beth54 said
03:24 PM Dec 5, 2011
I like the sound of the base of the crate. I'll be chasing one of them. A lot cheaper than the Max Trax, I assume.
Boroma577 said
04:03 PM Dec 5, 2011
Beth54 wrote:
I like the sound of the base of the crate. I'll be chasing one of them. A lot cheaper than the Max Trax, I assume.
You'll possibly need a couple Beth.
rvtraveller2 said
07:37 PM Dec 5, 2011
grumpy-j wrote:
When travelling into head winds the straps on my mirrors vibrate causing a humming noise to resonate in the doors.
To fix this I place a piece of foam rubber between the door and the strap to act as a dampener.
Also to prevent duco scratches I insert a fridge advertising magnetic between the buckle and the door.
Not sure if other people have experienced this problem but it worked for me.
Cheers,
John
-- Edited by grumpy-j on Monday 5th of December 2011 01:05:02 PM
Hello grumpy yes i have all i did was tape the strap with electric tape that stopped the humming.
Cruising Granny said
09:53 PM Dec 5, 2011
Those foam shower mats would work in mud or sand. Lots of people carry them when camping. Gadgets cause problems we then have to find solutions for. One finds the most simple solution, while others really complicate it. At the end of the day the problem is solved.
grumpy-j said
06:11 AM Dec 6, 2011
I would be interested in how other caravanners keep ants out. I have tried different methods with varying success.
I currently sprinkle a ring of talcum powder around the corner jacks & smear a circle of petrolum jelly around the power cord, water and drainage hose. This seems to be work so far.
I have also tried spraying corner jacks & hoses with aerogard which worked for a while but wears off after a few hours then the ants are back in business. This also can works out a bit expensive.
Cheers,
John
-- Edited by grumpy-j on Tuesday 6th of December 2011 06:14:02 AM
Happywanderer said
09:12 AM Dec 6, 2011
Grumpy, Have you tried Napthalene flakes, sprinkle around. If it works for mice it might work for ants too.
Gerty Dancer said
09:28 AM Dec 6, 2011
I think that works, HW, we used it a couple of times successfully. The ants got in eventually though, the blighters came up the water hose, and we havent figured how to stop that yet.
grumpy-j said
09:37 AM Dec 6, 2011
Thanks Marj - I'll give it a go.
No matter what we do I think they have a team brief and come up with a different plan of attack.
GD - A ring of petrolum jelly around the hoses and power cord works well.
Cheers,
John
03_troopy said
01:26 PM Dec 6, 2011
We used stainless pot scrubbers to keep mice out of the only 2 entries in the camper trailer. Just tease them out and stuff them in the gap. Seems they don't like chewing on them.
jules47 said
01:36 PM Dec 6, 2011
Yes, troopy - either the stainless steel (pretty polly) or soapy jex pads works in any hole to keep mice at bay.
Happywanderer said
01:36 PM Dec 6, 2011
I also used 2 pkts of stainless pot scrubbers troopy. And numerous other hints last year when I got rid of the whole family.
ChiChi1 said
01:57 PM Dec 6, 2011
Including a piece of wood lol
Happywanderer said
01:58 PM Dec 6, 2011
Too true Chichi.
Ma said
02:17 PM Dec 6, 2011
If they are hungry and determined enough they will eat through the soapy ones I found.
Firefly said
03:29 PM Dec 6, 2011
grumpy-j wrote:
I would be interested in how other caravanners keep ants out. I have tried different methods with varying success.
Cheers,
John
On the Better Homes and Gardens show last week:
Ants hate vinegar. Mix 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in a spray can and spray where ants hang out, inside and outside.
With mice, this year we stuck to the peppermint oil theory and that worked for sure.
At Julia Creek they were everywhere, well rats anyway. We rubbed the peppermint oil all round the tray of the ute and around the van where needed. Not one came near us but you could hear them.
We realised the next day there was even an open box of cat food in the back of the ute and not touched.
Dougwe said
05:48 PM Dec 6, 2011
ChiChi1 wrote:
Including a piece of wood lol
A 5 iron is good too. Fouuuuuur. Could cause a case of GUR but hey, it's worth it.
Cruising Granny said
06:15 PM Dec 6, 2011
The ant problem can be avoided if you stop feeding the blighters. Make sure everything is in screw cap plastic containers. I don't advocate glass in my van for obvious reasons. My worst ant problems were in Broome and Cairns. Applying grease or Vaseline are good, cheap deterrents. Bear in mind a caravan has many ground points, including the walls of the annexe, the poles and ropes, the cord and hoses in and out. I also watched where they got in and applied vaseline until I could apply sealant. If the ants could get in, the water and dust could get in. Even the roof hatches will let them in. Or should I say they'll find their way in. I got the point where I admired the ants. Their communication and hunting skills are unbeatable. I haven't had to deal with mice plagues yet. I'm sure they'll be a bit easier to deal with up in the van. The bottom line - don't feed them.
My van's awning was equipped with 2 red leather dog collars for just that purpose. One can never take too many precautions to secure the equipment to ensure it's long life.
Even with woolwash I still prefer to rinse Clare, I also have one of those buckets and yes they are great.
-- Edited by Boroma577 on Sunday 4th of December 2011 03:34:30 PM
This one is probably a tad bigger/taller than a nappy pail Gerty but I am sure they all work as well. I had mine given to me and am very thankful of the kind donation. LOL.
Friend of ours uses a plastic rubbish bin with the clips that go over the lid, they swear by it.
Knives, especially sharp ones are always an issue and I've not got the space in the van to have a bench top block for them.
So they live in a drawer and that being so, the blades need protection (for them and me) so I always have a sheath for them. Some come with sheaths and if you can't buy them after the fact then I make my own.
Just a simple piece of cardboard folded and stapled or taped will do the job quite nicely.
I also place them in the drawer all facing the same way, no nasty surprises that way.
A great way to get out of muddy wet sites is to use a bread crate base.
Can you elaborate on that a bit please suenterry??
Ok, now I understand....was not sure if you meant, walk on them or drive on them. For anyone who does not have a set of MaxTrax this would be a brilliant solution. Thank you.
Cheers Boroma577
Reducing the tyre pressure can help in getting out of muddy situations.
I have a 4 wheel drive but still carry a set of Max Trax just in case.
Cheers,
John
When travelling into head winds the straps on my mirrors vibrate causing a humming noise to resonate in the doors.
To fix this I place a piece of foam rubber between the door and the strap to act as a dampener.
Also to prevent duco scratches I insert a fridge advertising magnetic between the buckle and the door.
Not sure if other people have experienced this problem but it worked for me.
Cheers,
John
-- Edited by grumpy-j on Monday 5th of December 2011 01:05:02 PM
I like the sound of the base of the crate. I'll be chasing one of them. A lot cheaper than the Max Trax, I assume.
You'll possibly need a couple Beth.
Hello grumpy yes i have all i did was tape the strap with electric tape that stopped the humming.
Gadgets cause problems we then have to find solutions for.
One finds the most simple solution, while others really complicate it. At the end of the day the problem is solved.
I would be interested in how other caravanners keep ants out. I have tried different methods with varying success.
I currently sprinkle a ring of talcum powder around the corner jacks & smear a circle of petrolum jelly around the power cord, water and drainage hose. This seems to be work so far.
I have also tried spraying corner jacks & hoses with aerogard which worked for a while but wears off after a few hours then the ants are back in business. This also can works out a bit expensive.
Cheers,
John
-- Edited by grumpy-j on Tuesday 6th of December 2011 06:14:02 AM
Thanks Marj - I'll give it a go.
No matter what we do I think they have a team brief and come up with a different plan of attack.
GD - A ring of petrolum jelly around the hoses and power cord works well.
Cheers,
John
If they are hungry and determined enough they will eat through the soapy ones I found.
On the Better Homes and Gardens show last week:
Ants hate vinegar. Mix 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in a spray can and spray where ants hang out, inside and outside.
With mice, this year we stuck to the peppermint oil theory and that worked for sure.
At Julia Creek they were everywhere, well rats anyway. We rubbed the peppermint oil all round the tray of the ute and around the van where needed. Not one came near us but you could hear them.
We realised the next day there was even an open box of cat food in the back of the ute and not touched.
A 5 iron is good too. Fouuuuuur. Could cause a case of GUR but hey, it's worth it.
My worst ant problems were in Broome and Cairns. Applying grease or Vaseline are good, cheap deterrents.
Bear in mind a caravan has many ground points, including the walls of the annexe, the poles and ropes, the cord and hoses in and out.
I also watched where they got in and applied vaseline until I could apply sealant. If the ants could get in, the water and dust could get in.
Even the roof hatches will let them in. Or should I say they'll find their way in.
I got the point where I admired the ants. Their communication and hunting skills are unbeatable.
I haven't had to deal with mice plagues yet. I'm sure they'll be a bit easier to deal with up in the van.
The bottom line - don't feed them.