MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: shrek4 on January 05, 2014, 07:09:52 PM
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Has anyone else come across a caravan park that mandates that all caravans and camper trailers have their tow bar/tow hitch facing the road?
Just checked in at Pt Vincent Foreshore CP to be told this upon check-in. This means our entire camp orientation is facing our neighbours behind us.
We'd rather face the road/street to keep an eye on the kids on their bikes.
Despite their being plenty of room to orient the CT any way the office flatly refuses.
Their reasoning is that vehicles must be ready to go at anytime in case of a fire etc.
What rubbish! I could tell you if there was a fire we wouldn't be hanging about to pack up the camper trailer. Can you imagine! By the time we packed everything away we'd be cactus. The way our CT faces does not change this fact.
All this has done is infuriate us and sour the start to our holiday.
Is this an idiotic policy or am I being precious?
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Has anyone else come across a caravan park that mandates that all caravans and camper trailers have their tow bar/tow hitch facing the road?
Is this an idiotic policy or am I being precious?
Yes this is SoP for all caravan parks.
Yes you're being precious, have a drink, relax you're on holiday and think of the poor schmuks like me who have to go to work tomorrow.
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It is the same here at Tallabuggera (currently here with beer in hand).
However, it isn't enforced.
Caravan parks are not designed for soft floor campers.
But mine is facing the wrong way so I too can face the street and watch the kids.
If they want it turned around, they can come and do it themselves.
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Yes this is SoP for all caravan parks.
This is the first park we've ever stayed in that has this rule. We were told by a friendly Neighbour that the rule is enforced as they've already seen one CT have to move / face the correct way as directed by the management.
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Most CP have this policy
Swannie
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I have only stayed in a few caravan parks (I try to avoid them like the plague), but I always spin mine around so the rear is facing the road.
In Broken Hill at the Top Tourist CP, I had to go in sideways as the sites were so small, we couldn't fit in any other way.... I wasn't happy about that a were were there for 4 nights.
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Been in 38 caravan parks in 6 months. This is not unusual actually it's the normal.
In some places they are nice if you talk with the managers and explain what u want to do.
I agree in some cases it's stupid, however I've also seen people setup their site half over someone else's and told to lump it.
I pulled into a park yesterday only to be told by the neighbour that my van was too big and I should go away. Was happy they had a park manager onsite, as he told the next door guy to get his damn car off my site immediately and remove it from the park.
I believe if it wasn't going to impact anyone and you asked management hey would probably say ok. But I do feel there are multiple reasons for it. Unfortunately there are myswaggers campers that are nice and courteous and there are non myswaggers that are just plain terrible.
I've seen then Bo.
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If this is the way CP are going we'll stick to bush camping me thinks.
I'm shocked this idiotic policy exists let alone is so prevalent.
Is it an attempt to keep CTs out of caravan parks?
I'll calm down once kids are in bed and scotch is out.
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I approached management and was polite and courteous however they would not budge. They understood my problem and the implications of their policy but alas, still a no go!
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Most CP's have this rule but it is usually never enforced except for caravans, not for Camper/Tent trailers. I'd certainly put this Park on the list of ones not to go back to. Like you said, if there was an emergency, I'd be leaving the camper behind due to length of time to pack up compared to a caravan
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if you put it in hitch first how do you get it out when someone is camped later in the adjacent spot?
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if you put it in hitch first how do you get it out when someone is camped later in the adjacent spot?
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Easy. Just push it around. Even with mine which weighs almost 1.3t dry, I can use my ratchet jockey wheel to turn it around almost 180 degrees then hitch it up.
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Easy. Just push it around. Even with mine which weighs almost 1.3t dry, I can use my ratchet jockey wheel to turn it around almost 180 degrees then hitch it up.
Exactly. Ours doesn't take too much effort to spin around.
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Easy. Just push it around. Even with mine which weighs almost 1.3t dry, I can use my ratchet jockey wheel to turn it around almost 180 degrees then hitch it up.
Good luck pushing 1.3t dry camper around on wet soft spongy grass without a ratchet jockey wheel as not everyone has them...
To the OP.. you may also hate some parks that make everyone park on a certain side of the site (all on the right or all on the left) AND facing one direction so you aren't listening to your neighbours that would be 2ft from your windows while they are rooting all night..
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As stated before it is SoP for caravan parks, a requirement of public liability insurance and OH&S. Don't hate the man, hate the game...
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I try to avoid caravan parks but my wife prefers them so I've stayed in a few :-X
I've only ever stayed at two that had this rule. One of them had a bunch of other crazy rules as well.
If this is an insurance stipulation it is unfortunate as it could be their undoing as no one I talked to at either park was happy about it and they all said they would not be back.
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So it was explained to me like this.........the hitch needs to face the curb so in the event your camper / caravan etc etc catches fire or some other emergency your camper or caravan can be dragged away preventing damage to other people and equipment. Or some thing like that. Like has already been said it is very common to be told this and just a fact of life in caravan parks I suppose.
Dave
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We stayed at a caravan park in the town that "Speewa" lives in and the manager and I had a bit of a chat about these sort of things, and it's not always the caravan parks management that is to blame. The local councils like to have quite a bit to say about the tow balls facing the road, but the biggy in Victoria seems to be the "CFA" that has drawn up a series of regulations that cover minimum distances between camp sites ( actual wall to wall measurements) and how far into this minimum area the guy ropes, if used, can encroach so that there fire fighters will have unimpeaded space to run between blazing vans and tents .
The manager of this park was quite reasonable, he didn't like the rules, but he had to enforce them. So sometimes the people running these places are getting stuck between a rock and a hard place
:cheers: Keith
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Hi Shrek4
I understand it is some type of regulation that some parks do enforce.
Better to find a park where correct orientation for a camper is the way you would want to face.
I have booked into a site at the riverbend caravan park at Renmark where the back of the camper is facing the Murray river when draw bar is facing the road. Perfect setup for a camper.
Also have stayed at Cobdogla and they had no issue with us parking draw bar in to orientate the back of the camper towards the lagoon. Just try and research the park layouts and pick your site or ask before booking.
That's my 2 cents worth better luck next time
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I've stayed in that park a few years ago. My problem is we have a trailer to carry our gear and tent it. Where and how do I leave my trailer then? I think last time it was just to the side of my shade area where the cars meant to go and the car was across the front of the site parallel to the road, I can't really remember.
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The CP's that do enforce this rule are probably the ones who have been previously fined for not enforcing it.
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All well & good BUT I wonder WHO would be able to tow the CT away? Especially considering that a lot of them have Off Road Hitches. Pretty sure a DO35 hitch would not be available if we were not there!!
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In an emergency, would they bother if it wasn't hooked on properly?
Probably just attach it the best way they could, and drag it by the chains with a tractor........
....like this....
Camper trailer with hitch locking device towed away (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vv6PXJKEM#ws)
Copied the vid from Shane's thread....have a look....
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=29806.msg547640#new (http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=29806.msg547640#new)
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We had the same at 1770 and the management didn't think to tell us when we checked-in. Fortunately, one of their employees came over (after we had spent 20 minutes positioning the CT) to tell us we had to turn around. If we had already set-up then that's the way it would have stayed. We spent the week looking into our neighbours tent and vise versa. They told us it was a fire safety requirement, that we be able to get out of the campground quickly. Hubby was a fire fighter and couldn't understand the logic of that. ??? Surely if there was a fire you'd want to get out quickly and not stick around to pack up your CT? Ours takes about 2-3 hours to pack up and if there was a fire on the way we'd be out of there. Slightly different however if you or a neighbour set their CT on fire. Hasn't happened to us yet and hope it never does.
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In an emergency, would they bother if it wasn't hooked on properly?
Probably just attach it the best way they could, and drag it by the chains with a tractor........
if it was on fire, they would just throw a chain around anything and drag it the **** out of the way! not like they can damage it worse than the fire.
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if it was on fire, they would just throw a chain around anything and drag it the **** out of the way! not like they can damage it worse than the fire.
Spot on.....
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when i stay at caravan parks i first ask if there are any powered tent sites.........if not and its only say two nights than i just book a tent/up-powered site.....any longer i book a powere site, in saying that my CT fit quite well on a powered site reserved in the normal way
geez what are you guys goinf to say when the caravan parks asks to to un-hitch your camper so they can tow it to your site and reverse it in for you.....my parants have come across two parks that do this for all trailers
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my parants have come across two parks that do this for all trailers
Which parks?
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geez what are you guys goinf to say when the caravan parks asks to to un-hitch your camper so they can tow it to your site and reverse it in for you.....
....."good-bye"......
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Tis a strange rule probably in keeping, as a poster says, in line with WHS issues.
I suppose they own the caravan park and make the rules they like. Like em or lump em or vote with your feet I suppose.
The thing I cant stand is spots all lined up in a row like we a war camp. Love the ones that are scattered around like the more remote national parks.
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We have stayed at a few parks around Tassie and several on the mainland including a couple of big ones at Alice and Darwin and even the camp grounds at Yalara and we always turn our camper around by hand so the back faces the direction we want and we have never been told we shouldn't. Im not sure if its luck or they were just not game to say anything once they saw the size of our tent LOL
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Which parks?
rainbow beach is one (the sites closest to the surf).........dont know the other
it doesn't bother my parants as they well into retirement
i have a DO 35 therefore i doubt they would be able to hook up..but if they did it wouldn't bother me...so they tow my trailer for 100m
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Which parks?
Hastings point Big4 in northern NSW.. But they ask you if you'd like to unhitch and they can put it into position..
And they've got every hitch available..
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EDIT...bloody Clouty just beat me to it...lol
Which parks?
the Big 4 at Hastings Point does this though i don't believe it's mandatory, Xmas 2012 i parked my camper onsite myself but most caravanners and plenty with camper trailers just unhitch at the front gate. it was a tight squeeze to back in where i was that time (due to a cabin across the street coming right out to the road), so anyone with a van around 17ft or bigger would have trouble backing it on site due to their size. there's some skinny streets at the back of the park you'd have little chance of swinging back into, though where we stayed for the meet up last year has heaps of room to easily do it yourself. the tractor has all the different hitch set up's also, so it's 100 times easier for people to unhitch at the gate and let the tractor do it easily for them. below is a pic of the tractor doing it's thing at the park
(http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk237/qld-bundy-drinker/tn_IMG_7127_zps83dcebcb.jpg) (http://s281.photobucket.com/user/qld-bundy-drinker/media/tn_IMG_7127_zps83dcebcb.jpg.html)
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....."good-bye"......
x eleventy
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its fine to not accept the rules and choose not to stay at the CP that you have booked if it not what you require...
but just think, lets say you arrive later than planned because you did some site seeing along the way and you pull up just before dark and you stick to your guns and not stay at the caravan park because your trailer doesnt suit the site configuration of the park..........there may not be another option and this may cause extra stress on the family at the wrong end of the day
instead of the words avoid, maybe a suggestion to member is to ask the quesiton prior to booking
and yes i do understand the issues softfloor CT canhave if they have a lot of canvass hanging off the side....seen plenty spin the trialer 90 degrees
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the day we need someone to reverse our trailers is the day we hand over our testicles....life over, get me a drool bib!
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the day we need someone to reverse our trailers is the day we hand over our testicles....life over, get me a drool bib!
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have seen plenty of what look like seasoned travellers taking 4, 5, 6 attempts and still not close to the slab.....you would think the would get better
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Tis entertaining though!
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Tis entertaining though!
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i felt sorry for one couple the other year, i reckon they spent the best part of an hour just getting their van positoned
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Pt Vincent caravan park applied this rule probably 10 or more years ago. Prior to that all the foreshore vans had their hitches toward the beach, and when the rule was first applied the long time visitors (and I mean people who had been going for decades) were up in arms about the new policy. Eventually most people just accepted it - from a safety perspective it is common sense. If you need to move a lot of vans quickly, it makes sense to have the hitch readily accessible.
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....."good-bye"......
Really? I'm not having a go, but is this really a big issue? Let them reverse it in while you open a beer!!
Personally I am fine reversing mine into just about anywhere, but if a park insists, let them at it!
They have insurance, if they break it they fix it...
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Also, we generally avoid caravan parks but on longer trips we end up going to one once a week or so for showers etc.
in WA the only one we have come across that enforce the hitch to the road rule is the Peoples Caravan Park in Coral Bay. I know this regulation exists for all but this is the only one we have come across that enforces it (and I am sure there are more)
Other caravan parks seem to put it in their fine print but never bother enforcing.
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the day we need someone to reverse our trailers is the day we hand over our testicles....life over, get me a drool bib!
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So when you do it stuff it up and then cop all the insurance claims you will be next complaining that the raod was too narrow. If there is someone there that does it every day and by letting them do it they take liability sorry i am the oppsite they can go for it
As for the draw bar it was explained to me that is was actually gas bottle location meaning that if you have you camper draw bar in and i am opposite you with my camper draw bar out my exit point is then blocked if you gas bottle ignites as i would be extigint the rear of my camper
Same principal applies to caravans as most have the door to the rear so if your gas bottle goes up i am basically going to run out straight into your fire. If both draw bars are facing out ocupants can exit to the rear and then go between other sites to leave the vicinity
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We try at Caravan parks to go for corner sites if there is a slab - that way we can bet sit the camper on the site - not the way they intended but still allows for hitch to be point to the road.
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As for the draw bar it was explained to me that is was actually gas bottle location meaning that if you have you camper draw bar in and i am opposite you with my camper draw bar out my exit point is then blocked if you gas bottle ignites as i would be extigint the rear of my camper
Same principal applies to caravans as most have the door to the rear so if your gas bottle goes up i am basically going to run out straight into your fire. If both draw bars are facing out ocupants can exit to the rear and then go between other sites to leave the vicinity
My gas bottles are towards the rear of my camper, so this logic is flawed....
I think it is a stupid rule, and I avoid caravan parks like chicken pox!
I bought my Offroad Camper trailer for going bush, so thankfully caravan parks are not going to be visited frequently..
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So when you do it stuff it up and then cop all the insurance claims you will be next complaining that the raod was too narrow. If there is someone there that does it every day and by letting them do it they take liability sorry i am the oppsite they can go for it
As for the draw bar it was explained to me that is was actually gas bottle location meaning that if you have you camper draw bar in and i am opposite you with my camper draw bar out my exit point is then blocked if you gas bottle ignites as i would be extigint the rear of my camper
Same principal applies to caravans as most have the door to the rear so if your gas bottle goes up i am basically going to run out straight into your fire. If both draw bars are facing out ocupants can exit to the rear and then go between other sites to leave the vicinity
Really? Is life this dangerous and drivers this incompetent?
Their explanation to you is crap. If gas bottled ignite they go BOOM! and destroy everything around them.
The only serious WHS issue is the lack of control that an unhitched van/trailer has when unhitched.
Would love to see their SWiMS.
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Really? I'm not having a go, but is this really a big issue? Let them reverse it in while you open a beer!!
Personally I am fine reversing mine into just about anywhere, but if a park insists, let them at it!
They have insurance, if they break it they fix it...
I have insurance too... I quite easily reversed semi's for a living for over decade, my camper is a piece of piss...
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Really? Is life this dangerous and drivers this incompetent?
Their explanation to you is crap. If gas bottled ignite they go BOOM! and destroy everything around them.
The only serious WHS issue is the lack of control that an unhitched van/trailer has when unhitched.
Would love to see their SWiMS.
Yeah like i said just going what was passed on to me in the end it probably stems from some council ranger trippled over a peg and claimed compo
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the big 4 at haisting point are great, not only up camper up on site but also pulled it down onto road when leaving, reversing mine is not a problem just the 600mm rise to the level site, bit much for my longreach ute, plenty of grass torn up from 4x4 s backing in in 2x4,
realy nice park with good staff to boot
cheers :cup:
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In many cases it is a requirement of some State Fire Service/Local Council Fire Safety Regulations, that Caravan & Campers etc must be positioned in a manner to allow the quick removal/relocation of Caravans to prevent the spread of Fire if the Fire Service so Directs.
Went to one Caravan Park fire about 10 years ago, and the firefighters on site moved 5 Caravan's and 3 Campers to stop the spread from one caravan to the another, 1 Caravan was lost as it's Tow Bar was facing away from the roadway and could not be hitched to the Caravan Park's tractor, a Total of 5 Caravan's were lost to fire that night.
Even with Tent Sites, there is a minim distance recommended between Pitched Tents so to prevent rapid spread from one tent to another, from memory Aus/NZ Standards I think it was a 2m clearance between pitched tents from Pass Caravan & Camping Safety Campaigns.
FYI, The Guidelines as set in Victoria: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/fm_files/attachments/plan_and_prepare/caravan-park-fire-safety-guideline-print.pdf (http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/fm_files/attachments/plan_and_prepare/caravan-park-fire-safety-guideline-print.pdf)
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the day we need someone to reverse our trailers is the day we hand over our testicles....life over, get me a drool bib!
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I have most of the time no issues reversing a trailer - but on the odd occasion after driving for 14 + hrs and i am brain dead just thinking about knocking a few beers back and attempt to reverse with 4900 people watching me whilst they are sitting back sinking a few I have made things entertaining for the spectators.
And I doubt you can honestly say this has never happened to you, or just about every one on this forum that tows a CT
As far as having the tow hitch facing out my ct is to heavy to swing around so I always have the hitch facing the road, but in all the caravan parks I have been too - wife and kids prefer caravan parks so been to plenty, not once have i been asked to park the ct with draw bar facing the road.
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Hey Fish
I really couldn't care if they park upside down and back to front. Just found the whole thing funny and hard to believe we are being turned into pussies.
Tongue firmly in cheek.
cheers
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