Adria Caravans

[larson]

the van looks good

[AD Ent]

Quick! A disco is making off with your new van

[larson]

Originally Posted by AD Ent

Quick! A disco is making off with your new van

take your time it will break down before it gets too far

[micktheshed]

That looks to be in excellant condition. Glad to see it DOSEN'T have alloy wheels....a pet hate of mine on 'vans thse days (they're much too fragile IMHO).
Wishing you many happy hours.

[Lazy-Ferret]

Thanks guys... We spent a while having a really good look round her yesterday, and going through the paperwork. The guy who owned her spared no expense. He even paid someone to winterise the van each year, which is basically just putting on a couple of vent covers, and draining the water system and loo. There are a few small jobs, where it has spent so much time standing, and had so little use, like some things are a bit stiff or random in their working. e.g, on the window stays, the grease has gone sticky, so the ratchets are not working properly, same on some of the push catches, but all things that a few mins with some wd40, and a screwdriver can be sorted nice and easily.

Interesting what you say about the Alloys, I must admit I love the look of them, and would have had them, if they were available, but then I have not head anything about them having problems.

Originally Posted by AD Ent

Quick! A disco is making off with your new van

No accounting for some people, great taste in caravans, but bad taste in cars...

Actually, that Disco has departed this world, and is part the reason the caravan was up for sale, as the Disco was parked in their driveway, the other side of an 8 foot high brick wall, on the outside of a bend, when an uninsured driver went through the wall, and pushed the Disco 3 foot sideways into the front of their house.

The uninsured driver then extracted his car, and managed to drive off, but the disco owner gave chase in his works van, and caught him. He only lived a few roads away...

He decided that now the car was gone, and they did not get to use the caravan as much as they had hoped, it was time to let her go. She has not left the storage compound for 2 years, other than to be taken for it's annual service and clean!!!

[Lazy-Ferret]

One thing that seems strange on this Adria, is the location of the steadies..

The ones on the back are about 10 inches under the van, so trying to get the winding handle onto the nut is a pain, the ones on the front are about 20 inches under the van, and you have to get down onto your hands and knees to do it... Not good when the ground is wet.

Today, I made up some guides to make it so you just slide the winder in a tube and it slides straight onto the nut..

the back one..


from the back


The front


And from the Front.


Tested them out, and they work a dream...

[zippy656]

Looks good.

We use an 18v battery drill save one the winding

[Lazy-Ferret]

Originally Posted by zippy656

Looks good.

We use an 18v battery drill save one the winding

Cheers, I have a drill winder, never been that mad on them, I normally forget to take the drill as well...

The thing is, it's not the type of winder, it was actually getting the winder onto the steady without having to crawl around a muddy field.

Not sure you could get a drill winder long enough for the front ones either.

[kitchenman]

Neat flare on the guide tube, how did you do that or was it off the shelf?
dave

[zippy656]

Iv cut down a normal leg winder.

Just an idea

[Lazy-Ferret]

Originally Posted by kitchenman

Neat flare on the guide tube, how did you do that or was it off the shelf?
dave

Thank you, it was a bit of a long winded job... I had 2 bottles, one I filled with salt water, and set on the stove to gently boil, the second was left cold to set the flair.

I use my heat gun, and the boiling bottle to make the end of the tube flexible, aiming the gun at the bottom of the tube, slowly turning the tube while lifting and pushing it down over the neck of the bottle, and then when it was about soft enough, and the right flair, I pushed it over the cold bottle, to cool it into the right shape.

Originally Posted by zippy656

Iv cut down a normal leg winder.

Just an idea

First I need to find one, you can see how long the winder is on the draw bar in the last picture, there is about 2 inches between the end of the tube, and the first bend in the winder on the front steadies. You can see, it has actually been extended by 6 inches.

[Cant W8 2 Retire]

Used to have an old Vanroyce then changed to a Swift
It served its purpose but not very good build quality, then to cap it all got damp around the bathroom window. So time to change.
Been looking around for months and couldn't find anything we liked until we came across an Adria.
She who must be obeyed dragged me to the N.E.C this weekend to visit the caravan show and guess what we came away with?.... a new one. Our first.
Great van with everything we wan't (fixed bed ) and can't wait to get out and about.
Will update when we pick it up in a few weeks time

[Lazy-Ferret]

Congratulations....

I have been out "Ferret Proofing" ours, which involves getting down and dirty with her, and I have to say the build quality is fantastic.

Only thing that lets it down, well on the 2006 anyway, is a lot of the UK specific bits were fitted after they were imported, and who ever fitted those parts is not up to the same standard as the Slovakians, with some very shoddy wiring, but I am sorting all that...

[Sweety]

Nice looking van & your flares are great on the tubes, I tried to make some up a few years ago & failed

[Lazy-Ferret]

Originally Posted by Sweety

Nice looking van & your flares are great on the tubes, I tried to make some up a few years ago & failed

Thanks...

It's a sad thing, but I said to my wife the other day, I must be getting old... I seem to have more patience to take my time over doing things, thinking them right the way through, and not rushing them. The results are they come out better for being done slower... There have been a few things, where I have taken it easy, and ended up with a good result, and it scares me..