My List Of Mods.

[The Coachman]

As this is a new section I thought I'd let you know of some of the modifications I have done and in the process of doing to my Coachman 520/ 4. Some have already been listed under Tips.

 

Independent hazard flasher and light test unit. This allows me to show hazards and lights when uncoupled from car i. e. going in and out of driveway.

 

Reverse beeper. As my caravan does not have reversing lights a beeper sounds (not too loud)

 

Low level LED strip in toilet We use this as a night light.

 

Toilet drain pipe routed through floor to prevent flooding.

 

Heater ducting re directed through table cupboard instead of under the floor (works brilliant)

 

Heater ducting to awning blanked off to conserve heat for caravan.

 

Toilet fill pipe from shower head when bleeding water system. This idea was sourced from Tips.

 

Water inlet pipe fitted direct onto on board pump. Original Truma plug system discarded.

 

Custom made fridge vent winter covers.

 

Twin aqua roll system allowing 40 litres of water plus 10 litres on board in heater.

 

Waste pipes re sited from rear to side of caravan.

 

Side dinette table hanging rail drilled to allow red lock to actually work.

 

Front table rails also drilled out to allow it to lock in open position.

 

Wardrobe hanger rail covered with a length of new waste pipe to prevent hangers falling off.

 

Water heater controls re sited from floor to alongside interior heating controls.

 

Swivel TV mount to flue channel.

 

TV power socket and phono sockets (for DVD use) re sited to flue channel.

 

Custom made shelving to accommodate Melamine dinner ware and mugs.

 

External LED lighting strip to underside illuminating step.

 

Extra high visible security markings plus some concealed ones.

 

Custom made packaging to prevent almost everything during travel from rolling about.

 

External 12 Volt high level socket to facilitate awning light. (in the process)

 

Chassis link between jacking points to give extra support to floor. (in the process)

 

This is just what I can think of at the moment. The missus thinks I'm OTT !!

 

Well perhaps she's right.

 

Oh! I also keep a Word Document story line diary on the van's history, a very detailed service sheet ( I do my own servicing) which includes detailed damp readings and bodywork condition reports and of course an Excel sheet on expenditure.

 

What better service history could you ask for.

 

 

[DeadMeatUK]

I like it and I'm going to use the toilet fill method while bleeding out air, next time. ..

[KontikiKid]

I like it too!

 

Russ

[The Coachman]

Following on from the above list, today I fitted a brace bar to support the floor which is giving early signs of delamination.

 

 

 

It is simply clamped between the floor and existing floor support which in turn is bolted onto the chassis along with the jacking point bracket.

 

The floor squeak has now gone and the floor is certainly more rigid.

 

In the long run I may possibly have to do a floor delamination repair as listed on here but in the meantime I think this will do the job. I know it's adding some weight with the extra bar but really the floor should have been supported in a more secure way in the first place.

[springtime]

Hi TC

I am impressed with your floor support it looks a neat job and clearly gives the floor the extra support needed.

The brackets on the chassis rails look like they are Kojack jacking brackets or something similar that neatly bolt through the pre drilled holes in the side rails.

The new cross bar:-

It looks galvanized is it or is it aluminium - where did you get it & how much does it weigh?

How does the cross bar attach to the brackets - is it bolted?

I happen to have a couple of spare Kojack brackets so all I would need is the cross bar.

Sorry about all the questions.

 

Steve

Edited June 15, 2014 by springtime

[The Coachman]

Hi TC

I am impressed with your floor support it looks a neat job and clearly gives the floor the extra support needed.

The brackets on the chassis rails look like they are Kojack jacking brackets or something similar that neatly bolt through the pre drilled holes in the side rails.

The new cross bar:-

It looks galvanized is it or is it aluminium - where did you get it & how much does it weigh?

How does the cross bar attach to the brackets - is it bolted?

I happen to have a couple of spare Kojack brackets so all I would need is the cross bar.

Sorry about all the questions.

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve

 

Yes the brackets are the factory originals with the jacking point bracket to the outside of the chassis and the floor support to the inside. I take it these are the "Kojack brackets.

 

The strengthening bar I used was one of those rails you see in many industrial buildings usually up on the ceiling to attach the various brackets etc. to suspend services from. It is made of galvanised steel and to allow it to fit, I cut two grooves out on each side using the angle grinder.

This was to allow the bar to slot over the top of the inner "Kojac" bracket so no additional bolts were required. To finish the ends off after some fine sanding to my work I primed the bare parts then sprayed the entire bar with some silver paint.

 

The down side is, yes it will add a few pounds to the weight but on my train of thought it could be removed again very easily if it did not work out but this is not the case and although the floor still moves slightly in front of the cooker I don't think it justifies the more radical work using the resin repair.

 

Obviously manufacturers are very conscious of overall weight but looking at the number of de- lamination cases with many more either un noticed or un reported IMO they (manufacturers) should really be thinking about a stronger floor or at least more support under it.

[rusty63]

for info the galvanised steel beam is called unistrut.

[springtime]

for info the galvanised steel beam is called unistrut.

Thanks for the info TC and Rusty63.

I've been looking on the internet everywhere on the internet for the strengthening bar put in unistrut on search on ebay - loads of places.

By the way, approximately how much will this bar weigh?

[rusty63]

Hi electrical contractors use loads of it to support cable trays and control panels. You can get it in stainless too. Its not that heavy for its strength. Will weigh a piece and see. Can you not get that data fron the unistrut website?

[milkymarsh]

Thanks for the info TC and Rusty63.

I've been looking on the internet everywhere on the internet for the strengthening bar put in unistrut on search on ebay - loads of places.

By the way, approximately how much will this bar weigh?

Try this springtime

http://www. unistrut. co. uk/index. php?M1=Support%20Systems&M2=Single%20and%20Double%20Channel

This will give you the various combinations of unistrut channel you've used. Great stuff this and if used correctly very strong. We use it at work everyday for holding feeder cables that support antenna systems for mobile phone sites.

[rusty63]

Have found an offcut of stainless u shape unistrut 335mm long and it weighs 850g.

[springtime]

Thanks rusty63

Less than a kilo that's not too bad

[rusty63]

I was surprised as it "felt" lighter. The standard galvanised type I would expect to be lighter than the stainless one.

[Pecksniff]

That's a very impressive list of achievements! And there's me wondering if we are ever likely to get round to fitting the shelf I'm needing in one of our cupboards ?

[daveat92]

"....Toilet fill pipe from shower head when bleeding water system. This idea was sourced from Tips. ...."

 

Sorry, don't understand. ... What do you mean?

[millerhouse12]

As this is a new section I thought I'd let you know of some of the modifications I have done and in the process of doing to my Coachman 520/ 4. Some have already been listed under Tips.

 

Reverse beeper. As my caravan does not have reversing lights a beeper sounds (not too loud)

 

I'm no lawyer but I believe that fitting a reversing bleeper to a caravan (or a car) is illegal. Construction & Use Regs says:-

 

(3) No person shall sound, or cause or permit to be sounded, on a road any reversing alarm fitted to a vehicle—

 

(a)unless the vehicle is a goods vehicle which has a maximum gross weight not less than 2000 kg, a bus, engineering plant, or a works truck;

 

John M

[millerhouse12]

Whoops - just noticed this thread is over a year old so the last comment is possibly irrelevant now.

 

John M

[The Coachman]

Whoops - just noticed this thread is over a year old so the last comment is possibly irrelevant now.

 

John M

 

No it's not really irrelevant John but as far as construction and use regulations are concerned, they are blighted many times over in more serious ways every day of the year

You just need to look at some of the vehicles on the roads with illegal lighting.

 

As I have said before approx. 90% of the time I am reversing it is on a site whilst pacing the caravan on a pitch ;

 

With children running around I think I'm being sensible here and it's not the same type of bleeper as you get on commercials but one like you would get in a sounder inside the car for a warning. It is just loud enough for anyone very close to the caravan.

[Durbanite]

Wow, what a long list of modifications. Ours is somewhat sparse in comparison.

 

Fitted a Evo self engage mover

Bought a 10kg refillable s

Safefill bottle

Modified the front bulkhead of the caravan to improve heating

Have fitted a Rugbuddy and underlay for under carpet heating

Fitted LED light just above toilet

Fitted LED light in front locker

Fitted LED light above chest of drawers in front

Modified the sat system to twin cabling

Modified internal coxial cables so that the Sky digibox can feed signal to TV in bedroom area

Fitted 120w Solar panel

Fitted 350w Inverter

Removed ALKO spare wheel carrier (This has to be an improvement and a double modification)

Removed shelf within overhead cupboard so that large bottles can stand upright

Foam mattress topper

Isolation switch for internal PIR so that we can switch on the alarm and leave pets in caravan without triggering alarm

Fitted decent holders for upper wheel arch draught skirt

 

Although some of the above may seem silly things, they all help with ease, comfort and relaxation!

[The Coachman]

Thanks Delta T

The last two items (in progress) were completed last year and this weekend I will be converting the electrics to 13 pin. I purchased a new plug with 3 metres of cable yesterday.

We recently replaced our tug from the Rover 75 to a Jaguar XF so I fitted the XF with the 13 pin set up.

[The Coachman]

"....Toilet fill pipe from shower head when bleeding water system. This idea was sourced from Tips. ...."

 

Sorry, don't understand. ... What do you mean?

Apologies for missing this,

This was not my own idea as I found this under "Tips" elsewhere on this forum.

 

It is simply a short length of 15mm copper pipe with a straight connector fitted at one end and a suitable length of water grade hose on the other.

When I am bleeding the water system on site I remove the shower head and attach it onto the straight connector. I then lift the top off the toilet flush ( part with blue button push) and place the hose into the flush tank. With the pump running you can then see when all the air is expelled from the system and you can control both the hot & cold taps inside the toilet.

Previously I just let this water away into the waste master and had to fill the toilet up separately.

[Roger Chatfield]

Fitted LED light in front locker

Are your gas bottles in your front locker?

I'm might be wrong (I often am) but I thought electric powered lights were not allowed inside gas lockers, hence why Swift vans have front locker lights on the A frame.

 

I mean the risk of explosion or fire from a gas leak and spark from the light is very small but I'd hate to think what an insurance company would make of that modification if you did ever have an incident.

 

Rog.

[The Coachman]

I've just added another MOD this time saving some power.

 

I've converted the majority of the internal lights to LED's.

I had noticed when using the awning light string with 5 small halogen lights there was quite a drop in power to the rest of the lights when switching them on /off.

That's all sorted now with only the three 12volt fluorescent tubes remaining original, all the rest are LED's

 

The missus spotted a good deal on the cap less bulbs on line, 10 for around £3 odds plus postage from the Netherlands.

 

Another advantage of LED's is they are a lot cooler, so I reckon this must make them more safe.

[JCloughie]

No it's not really irrelevant John but as far as construction and use regulations are concerned, they are blighted many times over in more serious ways every day of the year

You just need to look at some of the vehicles on the roads with illegal lighting.

 

As I have said before approx. 90% of the time I am reversing it is on a site whilst pacing the caravan on a pitch ;

 

With children running around I think I'm being sensible here and it's not the same type of bleeper as you get on commercials but one like you would get in a sounder inside the car for a warning. It is just loud enough for anyone very close to the caravan.

Just watched the programme 'making cars live'. The Toyota factory had robotic trucks running round. They fitted each with its own little tune so workers would know it was coming.

 

Wonder what tune would be good coming from a caravan.

 

Kylie Minogue - Get outta my way, perhaps.

 

John

[nosnibora]

When doing Mods to your caravan be aware that in most cases it will de-value it, your idea of a modification may be someones idea of hell. A lot of small things to make your life easier are fine, but when you start moving things about, taking shelves out putting shelves in, adding lights, a classic one is a four foot fluorescent down the center of the roof, wood floor on top of the carpet, I think I have seen most mods in my time, many were abysmal, so a subsequent lower offer was made. Think long and hard before making too many mods, its been designed by (so called) experts, and yes before you start I have made small alterations to the vans I have owned. Nos