Out and about with my Fanny.

So yesterday we set off on our first trip this year with Fanny.
We started by snapping off the jockey wheel handle.
So we tied the wheel up with string which had almost frayed through by the time we got to the ferry. Fortunately we bought a bungee there and used that to tie up the jockey wheel.
Then we waited for the ferry ...

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Are we there yet?

I don't care, I'm watching the fanny wiggle and jiggle over the road. :blush:

It's jockeying for position.

Yes BigV, we are now there. We stopped at a massive caravan suppliers and, even though they'd just closed for the day the nice man sold us a new wheel and fited it for us.
But before that, I found that being on the ferry car deck was the perfect place to adjust our towing mirrors. (Pam I'd welcome your comments).


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mirror adjustment looks good. they're w-i-d-e-r than your old mirrors, adjust your turning accordingly.

let's see the new jockey wheel! I can't see in the original pic where the handle broke. I don't see how it worked/works.

anyway, keep'em comin!

BigV;988146 wrote:

mirror adjustment looks good. they're w-i-d-e-r than your old mirrors, adjust your turning accordingly.

let's see the new jockey wheel! I can't see in the original pic where the handle broke. I don't see how it worked/works.

anyway, keep'em comin!

I've circled the winding handle in red. It raises and lowers the wheel, helping to level the caravan front to back. You can also raise the whole assembly or remove it altogether using the lever to the left. You would do this once your Fanny is hitched up prior to travelling.

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And here we are lurking among the proper caravans.
Please to note cosy interior lighted by lantern from Lola Bunny. Electric fire at lower centre as it's still bloody cold of an evening.

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I keep reading the thread title as "out and about w/my fanny out".

:D

No, no, no. She said she uses a crank to position her fanny.

Right here:

limey;988147 wrote:

I've circled the winding handle in red. It raises and lowers the wheel, helping to level the caravan front to back. ...

Proper caravans.
Jeremy Clarkson might argue there is no such thing. ;)

Fanny needs a bumper sticker that says "Resistance was futile, we have been assimilated."

I had a tongue jack on my car trailer with a plate on the bottom. Trying to hookup to the truck was a pain in the ass because I'd often get the ball about right but a couple inches left or right. So either get in the truck and try again or move the trailer tongue over. The trailer is heavy, especially with a car on it, so I replaced that jack with one that has a wheel on it like yours, only a heaver version. Works great, except cranked all the way up the wheel only has a foot of ground clearance. I'm sure you'll find that wheel very useful.

An alternative to adjusting the mirrors is mount a few rollers on the sides of the fanny, get an American Cowboy hat, and Damn the Torpedos... :haha:

The whole caravan holiday thing is a new experience for Mr Limey and me.
We are staying at what I guess to be an average sized recreational campsite.
There are around 200 or so static holiday caravans here. I think the caravans are mostly privately owned and the owners rent a permanent pitch. They stay in the caravans at weekends and for a week or two's holiday at a time. I'm pretty sure sites are licensed by the local council and there are restrictions which mean you cannot live here permanently.
The statics have permanent electric connection and plumbing though how these are charged for (flat rate or by usage) I don't know.
A sort of cottage by the sea for those who can't afford a second home.

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The site has 20 pitches for touring caravans and motorhomes. This is where Fanny is lodged. The cost is £20/ night including electric hook-up and use of all on-site facilities. These include loos and showers in a well-heated clean building, laundry (machines) and dish washing (sinks) facilities. Fresh water taps (to fill your own jerry can/ reservoir for your rig) and waste water and chemical loo disposal.
Many of the caravans and motorhomes have awnings which double their footprint. Often sites will charge extra if you use an awning. Fanny doesn't yet have an awning but I think it'd be useful in some situations (especially to keep wet wet weather gear in).

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And there is also accommodation for tents.
And a lovely view.

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Would you want just an awning; or, a complete vestibule?

sexobon;988214 wrote:

Would you want just an awning; or, a complete vestibule?

I think your question is a vocabulary one. The pic shows a full size caravan with an awning. You can also get porch awnings which are about half the size and would make a fine awning for Fanny. A canvas sheet which is just a "roof" would be called a flysheet here in the UK.

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I thought it might be so in view of the pics and after you said an awning would be useful to keep wet wet weather gear in (rather than under). I'll have to remember "flysheet" and file it next to basha.

sexobon;988218 wrote:

I thought it might be so in view of the pics and after you said an awning would be useful to keep wet wet weather gear in (rather than under). I'll have to remember "flysheet" and file it next to basha.

Indeed. Basha is a new one on me. But then most things camping and caravanning are new to me ....


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Basha
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=basha

Oh here we go, not even one season in, and we want to double the footprint.
Then it will be a bigger fanny so we don't have to mess with that damn awning, especially when we break camp in wet weather or early in the morning.
Then the bigger fanny will lead to inviting people along [strike] for orgies[/strike] for company. Now we need an awning to accommodate the rain gear for all these people. Rinse and repeat. Does the term roughing it ring a chime?

xoxoxoBruce;988227 wrote:

Oh here we go, not even one season in, and we want to double the footprint.
Then it will be a bigger fanny so we don't have to mess with that damn awning, especially when we break camp in wet weather or early in the morning.
Then the bigger fanny will lead to inviting people along [strike] for orgies[/strike] for company. Now we need an awning to accommodate the rain gear for all these people. Rinse and repeat. Does the term roughing it ring a chime?

I'll have you know my Fanny is just capacious enough for my and Mr Limey's needs. But we all know that a Fanny is improved with flaps.

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Monster will recognise these Dundonians.

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Now that's poetry. :thumb::thumb::thumb:

An awning is nice to cook under when the weather sucks. Not to mention you don't have to get wet while fumbling with the keys. Too hot to sit in the camper, nice under the awning. The roll out kind is good for a little fanny.

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Sometimes, when camping, I use an EZ-Up canopy with the screen walls instead of a tent. Keeps the dropspiders off ya.

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With two people, it's quicker than a tent.

So today I learned Americans don't call flysheets flysheets. After 16 years of tent camping here. What on earth do you call it and why has no-one corrected me on it when usually people can't wait to correct my Britishisms (as soon as they stop laughing)?

When tent camping, you have the actual tent like a big bag puffed out by a skeleton of poles, then there's a weather=proof sheet that goes over the top and is held out so it doesn't touch the walls of the inner tent. What is that sheet called in merkin?

Rain fly


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thank you :) So people probably figured out what I was talking about then :lol:

Sorry to momentarily hijack your thread Limey. Hope you were busy having fun with your fanny while I did. As you were.....

In that instance, the terminology is a close match. If your rainfly/flysheet has an attached projection that can be extended out to form a roof beyond the tent entrance, we'd call it an awning. If it additionally has walls, then a vestibule.

In military slang, a British basha is like an American poncho hooch. Both work as tarpaulins having grommets along the edges for suspension lines. US military ponchos are dual purpose having the edge grommets and a head hole with hood which can be tied closed in tarp mode. It also has snaps to create sleeves in poncho mode. The basha is a basic tarp.

Limey, sorry but I just noticed this.

Your mirrors look to be properly adjusted. You should see a slight sliver of your trailer in the mirror when your rig is straight, to maximize your side view area. I used to use those mirrors before I put on my "elephant ears" mirrors. I find them to be more familiar than the wider clip ons, which vibrated and were hard to use.

If you add a flysheet (awning), I strongly suggest a set of secure tie downs to prevent an errant gust of wind causing a goodly amount of damage and embarrassment. Don't ask how I know. :)

Those jockey wheels do tend to come in with their fair share of damage. I have replaced mine several times, usually after encountering a bloody big speed hump. Next time, I buy the kind that folds up along the frame!

All in all, you are doing just fine. Enjoy!

We just say fly... <shrug>

Pamela;988677 wrote:

Limey, sorry but I just noticed this.

Your mirrors look to be properly adjusted. You should see a slight sliver of your trailer in the mirror when your rig is straight, to maximize your side view area. I used to use those mirrors before I put on my "elephant ears" mirrors. I find them to be more familiar than the wider clip ons, which vibrated and were hard to use.

If you add a flysheet (awning), I strongly suggest a set of secure tie downs to prevent an errant gust of wind causing a goodly amount of damage and embarrassment. Don't ask how I know. :)

Those jockey wheels do tend to come in with their fair share of damage. I have replaced mine several times, usually after encountering a bloody big speed hump. Next time, I buy the kind that folds up along the frame!

All in all, you are doing just fine. Enjoy!

Thank you! I am gamely tackling the reversing challenge. Yesterday I successfully reversed my Fanny round a 240° angle into the caravan parking bays with an audience of truck drivers watching (well, at least one was) for our overnight stop on the way home from our most recent trip.

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Griff;988687 wrote:

We just say fly... <shrug>

Yeah. That works too. In my Boy Scout troop, we have the flys for the tents and a large dining fly for putting up over the picnic tables. So we say rainfly to differentiate between them.


But then there are tarps, and the dining fly could also be called a tarp. Except we don't.

It's only important that you and the people you're talking to, know what you're talking about, if they're involved with the assembly.

Take care of the fly.
OK, I'll get the fly swatter.

Ooh, I'll bet your fanny would look good with an inflatable awning! Looks like there's a lot of different models. I liked this one. Maybe a good deal will pop up on eBay.

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All you need is the right car...
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