found in Malawi, Africa

[cobber]

G'day oldschoolsa,

Thanks for reviving this interesting old thread, the older I get the easier it is to not remember some of what has happened on this forum not all that long ago 

I hope malawicamper spots your post and comes back to update us on his project, and keep the information flowing between the two of you.

Can I ask what is probably a pretty dumb question ? ......... What is that sticking out from under the rear of your van. Is it a tow coupling or .......... something else   ?

Cobber.

[bobandjacqui]

Interesting way to carry the annexe poles haven't seen that before

Cheers Bob and Jacqui

[oldschoolsa]

Hi Cobber, it is a tow hitch indeed, the previous owner towed a small luggage trailer behind the caravan....!!!!!
I will use it to attach a bicycle rack for the kid's bikes.
I don't know wether malawicamper will get these posts, I see his name is in black, and you can't click on it. Maybe someone in admin can help with a contact email...?
bobandjacqui, these were an option for carrying the poles, and it "clamps" the poles in these two clamp carriers, I have seen aother 2 examples like these.....

I'm busy painting the interior, and putting in a laminated wooden floor, together with some alterations inside.
In the long term I would like to strip off the exterior paint and go back to the original polished bare aluminium look...

Cheers,
Johann

[cobber]

G'day Johann,

Is that a common practice over there, to hook things onto the rear of a caravan ?

In oz there are regulations specifically banning that.... I'm not sure I would want to do it anyway, depending on a whole host of issues to do with the size of the trailer it could make for interesting handling problems I reckon.
That's probably why it's ill eagle 

Malawicamper is no longer a member of the forum but 'guests' visit this forum all the time, so there is hope he may spot your post eventually.
Keep us updated on your project, interesting to see how things are done in other parts of the world 

Cobber.

[DC3Td]

Interestingly the annex poles on DC3Td were originally(?) clamped to the side.Holes have been siliconed but still visible.Hans who owned/showed it before Willyn might have done that.

[oldschoolsa]

Cobber,
Some guys in SA still do tow something behind a caravan - jetski's, small luggage trailers etc..... see example attached
I won't do it, for reasons obvious to anyone with common sense
BUT.... the law here doesn't forbid it: found this:

"Question:

Is it legal to tow a trailer behind a caravan? If yes, are there any stipulations that should be adhered to?

Answer:

In order to tow legally and safely there are several factors you need to consider.

In terms of Regulation 222 (restriction on combination of motor vehicles) of the National Road Traffic Act, states the following:

No person shall operate on a public road any combination of motor vehicles –

•other than a drawing vehicle and one or two trailers;
•other than a motor vehicle drawing one other motor vehicle which is not a trailer; and
•other than a motor vehicle drawing another motor vehicle which is not a trailer, and a trailer, in the case of an emergency or a breakdown.
No person shall operate on a public road a combination of motor vehicles consisting of –
•a trailer attached to a drawing vehicle in such a manner that the combination of trailer and drawing vehicle cannot bend in a horizontal plane, if the combined length of such trailer, including any drawbar or coupling and the rear overhang of the drawing vehicle, exceeds three comma one metres;
•a trailer or trailers attached to a drawing vehicle if the length of the drawbar of any trailer in such combination, where such trailer has more than one axle, exceeds two metres: Provided that in the case of an underslung coupling, the drawbar may exceed two metres if the distance between the two vehicles does not exceed two comma five metres.


Note that a caravan in terms of the National Road Traffic Act is defined as an enclosed vehicle which is designed or adapted solely to live in and which is drawn by another vehicle.

A trailer means a vehicle which is not self propelled and which is designed and adapted to be drawn by a motor vehicle. A caravan is also designed and adapted to be drawn by a motor vehicle thus it fits the description of a trailer and the law cited above does allow a drawing vehicle to pull two trailers. It is therefore legal to tow a caravan and a trailer."

Thus, it is legal, although VERY UNSAFE IMO....

[DC3Td]

Interesting but would love to see him reverse park or 3 point turn.Ha.Btw Johann thats a fine looking caravan of yours.

[oldschoolsa]

Dec 3, 2014 22:20:28 GMT 10 DC3Td said:

Interesting but would love to see him reverse park or 3 point turn.Ha.Btw Johann that a fine looking caravan of yours.

 Thanks DC3Td,

In the long run I want to take it back to original on the exterior, which was sky blue at the bottom, white on top, and the bare aluminium in the middle, as per attached photos of an original Gypsey Viking.
I do not have the technical knowledge of stripping the paint off the aluminium, and would like to do this "right"
I know some paint strippers can harm the alu, and a heat gun can possible give it metal fatigue as far as I understand.....

But that will be a project for next year (early 2015) so hopefully will have more knowledge by then.
Going camping for the first time this weekend.

Cheers,
Johann

[edgar1967]

Hi all,

some few years after I started this tread.
My account was deleted due to poor attendance...
Meanwhile I have left the African continent and moved to Hamburg, Germany - of course with the Gypsey Caravan in the container.For some months now I have started getting it modified to German road standards, which is quite a job. There is always something to be queried. The whole thing almost came to a standstill when the overrun break was found that it did not meet the norms. Mounting a new coupling would not solve the problem because it hat to fit the breaks measures (or whatsoever). Things changed when I found out that in Germany only trailern from 750 kg on require an overrun break. My Caravan has a max gross weight of 1400 pounds which is equivalent to 635kgs. This means: I am almost there. Lights and reflectors will take another two weeks or so.
I will keep you updated.

Greetings
malawicamper

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Edgar1967/Malawicamper,

It's good to hear from you again, and to hear that you still have your Viking Fibreline, even though you've changed continents!

It was interesting to read through this thread again, and to recall how you came across the van. Unfortunately the photos you posted as attachments earlier have disappeared. Perhaps you would like to post some or all of them again so that we can see what your van looks like? However, you won't be able to use the 'Add Attachment' button as you did before because it currently isn't working and will give you an error message. Instead you will need to post your photos via an online photo storage website such as Photobucket or Flickr. There are instructions on how to do that in the 'Forum Guidelines & Helpful Hints' section of the forum.

And of course we will be pleased to hear about the work you are currently doing on the van to get it ready for registration, and then share your pleasure when it is registered so you can use it.

Good luck (and let us know if you have trouble posting photos),

Don Ricardo

[edgar1967]

Done! Mission accomplished! The caravan is registered, insured, taxed, licensed, checked and doublechecked. The last thing was to change all four windowglas panes into shutterproof ones.
Today was the day when I managed the final steps. If you have not lived in Germany you would not believe to what extend bureaucracy is able to grow an how it kills everything that diverts slightly from the norm. A caravan that is not a caravan anymore but an empty shell, coming from Malawi without papers and without a decent sales contract is somhow suspicious to a German clerk at the Road Traffic department. But still, some charming words, a nice story and the African solution for any problem contributed to the success: Simply asking the question "So, what can we do now?"
Once the old link to easy photo postings is reopened I will show you some pics of the van in Hamburg.

The next challenge is now to find a trailer hitch for my 1966 Jag. But that's another story for another forum.
Edgar

[DC3Td]

Hi Edgar.Congratulations.I think you need a holiday now.Hows about hitching it up & bring it here to show us.! haha.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Edgar1967,

That's great news! Congratulations on getting your well travelled van registered.

There's not many of us that can say our caravans have explored two continents, so we'll look forward to hearing how you go with the tow bar for your Jag, and then about some of your trips with them both.

Regarding photos, I don't think there's any chance of the 'Add Attachment' button method of posting photos being restored. You can read the reasons for that here. So, as explained in that link, you will need to post photos using Photobucket or one of the other photo storage websites. There are instructions on how to do that in the 'Forum Guidelines & Helpful Hints' section of the forum.

But please don't let the extra steps in posting photos deter you. Once you've posted photos using Photobucket or one of the other websites, it's really easy to do. And we're really keen to see your progress with the Gypsy van and the Jag!

By the way, your original thread about your caravan can be found here. Unfortunately your photos are no longer there. That's probably because they were posted using the 'Add Attachment' button, and photos posted that way disappear after a while. However, it's still interesting to read about how you acquired your caravan and identified it.

Don Ricardo