welding

robo24 · Senior Member

welding

deverall11 · Guru

Not so much welding, but just be aware of the extra weight you are about to put on and how this will affect the weight of the van and its distribution.
Larry

TAJ · Senior Member

welded a stainless steel mesh on front to

carry rubber mats did not disconnect anything

TAJ

robo24 · Senior Member

I am carrying around 250kg plus 2 bods in Landcruiser and find i am a bit heavy on the rear so box may even things up.I hope.

D and D · Guru

A 4.4kVA genny isn't light and may well consume a fair chunk of the van's payload and, as Larry said, it could have unexpected results on the van's dynamics. Regarding the welding, it depends on what technique you intend using - just make sure the earth cable is as close to the welding site as possible and that the area is clear of flammable materials and the van is unhitched from the towing vehicle.

Regards

Dave

wanderer51957 · Member

Also be aware of the Transport Regulations to altering the caravan by adding that extra bar and box on the back of it, before you actually do it, as remember it is not a standard feature of the caravan and the transport department may not accept it.
Would be worth a phone call first before spending the money, otherwise you could put it on the drawbar, if they wont let you change the back end of the caravan.

Barry

Cloak · Guru

All these concerns are spot on which is why we're in the market for a light truck tug so we have plenty of payload off the Van.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Read this long thread.
caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php
Weight in caravans needs to be as close to the axles as possible otherwise uncontrollable instability may result (even if the van is "balanced").

Then watch this video clip. www.youtube.com/watch

I strongly advise NOT to put that weight at the back of your van.

Cheers,
Peter

Baz421 · Guru

As mentioned earlier welding earth as close as possible to weld.

Watch out you don't exceed rear overhang length,,, quote -

Rear overhang must not exceed the lesser of 60% of the wheelbase or 3.7m.

Rear overhang is measured from the centre of the rear axle or axle group and the extreme rear of the vehicle including any load on the vehicle.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Place earth on chassis you'll be fine..
Too much weight hanging off the rear is my concern..
Consider what the rear guard is mounted to also..

Yuglamron · Guru

I would suggest you read Collyn River's informative books about Loading caravans.

Any weight at all at the rear of a caravan adds to the pendulum effect that is a natural state when towing a caravan.

I would seriously suggest looking at YouTube and check out movies showing what happens when the van starts fishtailing.

It may save you or your loved ones lives.

Santa · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Read this long thread.
caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php
Weight in caravans needs to be as close to the axles as possible otherwise uncontrollable instability may result (even if the van is "balanced").

Then watch this video clip. www.youtube.com/watch

I strongly advise NOT to put that weight at the back of your van.

Cheers,
Peter

Excellent video Peter.

I agree, mounting a box on the back to house a 4.4 KVA generator would add approx 50kg exactly where you don't want it.

wasn_me · Guru

Santa wrote:
Excellent video Peter.
I agree, mounting a box on the back to house a 4.4 KVA generator would add approx 50kg exactly where you don't want it.

I believe if van sway started, that 50kg would double for every meter behind the axle. If that 50kg was 3 meters behind the axle it would become 400 kg whipping from side to side.

I know a guy who used to move vans for a living. He said if any sway started, taking the spare wheel of the back of the van, or moving a mattress over the axle would usually solve the problem.

Cheers Pete

03_Troopy · Guru

In the job i recently finished up from, we did a lot of vehicle builds for mines service companies. All the OEM body builders guides we had said 1. Disconnect the battery 2. Disconnect the computers BCM, EMC etc. 3. Have the welder return lead as close as possible to the area being welded and make sure it has a good clean contact area.

Having said that, I know a couple of times where the guys didn't bother disconnecting EMC and BCM and luckily didn't have any problems. It may have just been luck though, so I'd be looking at what the OEM says in their Body Builders Guide.

PeterD · Guru

Further to what has been said about the ridiculous idea of hanging all that extra we3ight on the rear of the van, read this paper and reconsider your potentially suicide actions. It may be OK to add weight like that if your ball weight is around 15% or your total weight but if it is any less you are looking for trouble.

The other thing to watch is the rear overhang. The distance from the group axle centres should not exceed the distance from the centre of the group axle centre to the front of the body. The gas bottles on the front do not feature in the measurement of the front load space.

oldtrack123 · Guru

Hi Robo
I'll answer the question you asked
When welding on any equipment

,Ensure the earth clamp is on CLEAN bright metal, which is one of the components to be welded & as close as practical to the weld area.

Makes certain there are no bolted /mechanical joints between the weld area & the earth clamp
DO NOT JUST PUT IT ON THE FRAME in any old location!!
[Supervised repair welding on some very expensive machinery over the years]
PeterQ

-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Thursday 4th of December 2014 05:00:39 PM

03_Troopy · Guru

Yeah, good point I forgot the bolted joints Peter, but you forgot to disconnect the battery and the computers

oldtrack123 · Guru

03_Troopy wrote:
Yeah, good point I forgot the bolted joints Peter, but you forgot to disconnect the battery and the computers

biggrin wink disbelief

Baz421 · Guru

PeterD wrote:

The other thing to watch is the rear overhang. The distance from the group axle centres should not exceed the distance from the centre of the group axle centre to the front of the body. The gas bottles on the front do not feature in the measurement of the front load space.

Not quite correct Peter

read my quote from legislation on rear overhang in this post.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.