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Caravan Chronicles

~ not just another caravan blog

Caravan Chronicles

Tag Archives: Swift Group

Annual Service – “Dealer or No Dealer?”…

10 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Simon Barlow in Caravan Servicing, General, Maintenance

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Annual Service, Caravan, Caravanning, Caravans, Glossop Caravans, Sterling Caravans, Swift Group, Travel Trailer, Travel Trailers

I had booked our caravan in for its annual service for Tuesday 8th at Glossop Caravans, the local main dealer that we bought our caravan from 3 years ago. Now, by chance after a couple of comments on Twitter and a brief conversation via email with Jonathan Robe, Glossop Caravan’s IT Manager, it was arranged for me to spend some time and follow our caravan through its annual service to see what goes on behind the scenes at a major dealer’s service centre. Continue reading →

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2014 Manchester Caravan & Motorhome Show…

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Simon Barlow in Camping & Caravan Show, Events, General, Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Caravan, Caravanning, Caravans, Glossop Caravans, Manchester Caravan, Moto-Trek, Swift Group, WiFi On Board

Heavy rain first thing this morning didn’t seem to dampen the opening of the 2014 Manchester Caravan & Motorhome Show at Event City. We arrived around 9:15 and managed to park at the back of the arena and make our way to the entrance just as the rain stopped. This year, the tiny coffee stand in the entrance hall that was over-run last year had been replaced by a bigger stand far more suited to the number of people expected and there were plenty of tables to sit at while we waited for the doors to open. Continue reading →

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Code Breaking and Cambridge…Pt 1

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Simon Barlow in General, Maintenance, Travelling in the UK, Trips, Weekend Break

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bletchley Park, Cambridge, Caravan, Caravan Club, Caravanning, Caravans, Maintenance, Swift Group, Touring, Towing, travel, Travel Trailer, Travel Trailers

One of the places we had on out list of “must visit” was Bletchley Park, home of the wartime code breakers. The other was more of a re-visit as the last time we were both in Cambridge was the day before I set off on my round the world flight.

Friday 19th April

We had loaded up the caravan and by the time we pulled out of the storage compound it was dead on 8:20. The traffic was not too bad considering it was a Friday morning and the M60 was flowing quite well, as was the M56, and even the A556 Chester Road short cut to the M6 was quiet. It was so quiet that the on ramp to the M6 didn’t even have the traffic control lights operating. We were heading down to the Caravan Club’s  Ashridge Farm  site near Letchworth just off the A1(M). Continue reading →

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Let there be light… or at least a bit more light

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by Simon Barlow in General, Maintenance, Modifications, Projects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Caravan, Caravan Electrics, Caravanning, Caravans, Lighting, Modifications, One Hairy Caravanner, Sterling Caravans, Swift Group, Travel Trailer, Travel Trailers

The original light fitted above the sink

The original light fitted above the sink

Generally the lighting in our Sterling Celebration 550 is, pardon the pun ‘spot on’. However, there isn’t anything that has been designed by one person that another thinks they can improve on it. This is the case with the lighting above the sink and hob. Swift had installed a single tube 8 watt fluorescent fitting above the sink unit which was fantastic at lighting the sink up, but trying to see into the depths of any pans on the hob was like peering into a bottomless pit and “One Hairy Caravanner  needed all the help he could get when cooking! It was time for an upgrade.

I had looked on line for suitable alternatives and had considered LED units. While at the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome show last week we looked at a few options for LED fittings, but nothing stood out as a suitable alternative that would cover the existing fixing holes and cable entry point.

A brief search came up with a suitable alternative offered by Maypole that was a twin tube unit that could be selectively switched between running one or both tubes using the inbuilt switch. It had an opaque diffuser and closely matched the existing fitting. As luck would have it was an item stocked by Go Outdoors and with our discount card it worked out to the same price I could buy it on-line.

Before starting, I identified the fuse supplying the light fitting and removed it. Although the caravan master switch was off, it’s always wise to remove the fuse as well… it just becomes habit to do this after a time anyway.

The first task was to drop the bottom panels from the cupboard units – two small screws for each panel and check out a suitable route for the wiring of the second unit. Swift had thoughtfully already machined a hole between the cupboard divider to allow the power cable for the microwave to pass through and even more helpful was the existing 12 volt power cable for the light was long enough to reach the location of the new fitting.

The new fitting screwed to the base panel. The old fitting in front.

The new fitting screwed to the base panel. The old fitting in front.

With the old fitting removed and the new fitting in place, I could start on installing the new fitting. I had checked before removing the panel above the hob that there would be enough clearance to open the glass lid of the hob without trapping fingers. I also wanted the light to be slightly forward so that it illuminated the depths of any pans on the front burners of the hob. With the position marked I could drill a small hole in the panel for the cable to pass through and mounted the light using four small self tapping pan head screws that matched the ones Swift had used on the original light.

Both light fittings attached to the panels with tubes and diffusers installed

Both light fittings attached to the panels with tubes and diffusers installed

All that remained now was to make the connections. The existing power lead was fed through the hole to the space above the hob. The original fitting had spade terminals crimped on to the leads that pushed into the connector fitted to the end of the existing wiring loom so for the fitting above the hob I crimped on two spade connectors.

Crimping on spade terminals

Crimping on spade terminals

Once these were done, I connected the light fitting and re-installed the panel above the hob unit. This gave me enough slack in the existing loom to install two crimp splices.

Two crimped splices.

Two crimped splices.

If you are splicing into cables, please don’t use IDC (Insulation Displacement Connection) connectors, commonly known as  “scotch-loc’s”…. they are not a reliable way of joining cables and can damage the original cable and in some cases reduce the current capacity of the original cable.

All that remained now was to re-install the panel above the sink, replace the fuse for the circuit and test out the fittings.

Let there be light.... or two in this case

Let there be light…. or two in this case

We now have the ability to switch one or two tubes on above the sink and above the hob unit, so now excuses for the “One Hairy Caravanner” to burn anything on the hob now!

S

PS… sorry about the photo quality, I forgot to take a camera and had to use my iPhone

Caravan Chronicles Shopping...

I have been asked where you can purchase some of the products featured above. Here are the links to the products in the Amazon store. If you click on the links and purchase the items, a few pennies will go to helping the cost of running CaravanChronicles.com

Selection of crimp terminals : Electrical / Wire Terminal / Crimp Set 360pc AST24

Ratchet Crimp Tool : Silverline PL55 Ratchet Crimping Tool, 215 mm

Heat Shrink Sleeve : Am-Tech Heat Shrink Wire Wrap Assortment (127 Pieces )

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Checks and Balances… or not as the case may be!

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by Simon Barlow in Caravan Servicing, General, Maintenance

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Glossop Caravans, Maintenance, Servicing, Swift Group, Swift Talk, Wheel Balancing

Sue and I have just returned from dropping off our caravan at Glossop Caravans for its first service. I’m in shock…. for two reasons.

I originally booked the van in for its service just over a week ago and having never booked a van in for service before, I didn’t know what to expect, but guessed it would be like booking the Freelander in with the Land Rover main dealer…. which it was. Up to the point we dropped the van off this morning when I was asked when would I like to collect the van… I said I was local so any time……  and was expecting to be told “around three o’clock”….. I was not expecting “……next Wednesday” If I’d have known that we could have gone away for the weekend instead. 6 days does seem a bit excessive for servicing a caravan. The next shock was something I hadn’t expected at all.  Continue reading →

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Swift factory visit….

31 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by Simon Barlow in Events, General, Travelling in the UK, Trips

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

13 Pin Plug, Ash Dhir, Caravanning, Caravans, Sterling Caravans, Swift Factory, Swift Group, Swift Talk, Touring, transportation, Travel Trailers

We had been invited on a visit to the Swift factory by Ash Dhir via the Swift Talk forum. We were staying at Bridlington, so it was about a 50 minute drive south from Bridlington to Cottingham where the factory is located. Thursday was going to be another warm sunny day but the forecast was for the weather to break for the weekend. We had a lazy morning, deciding not to do much except potter about the camp site. I replied to some emails and a couple of odd jobs on the van… the emptying or refilling of the various containers that were  connected by umbilicals to the caravan and the general wander round with a micro-fibre cloth in one had and a sprayer containing One Dry in the other attacking anything that looked like a dirt mark, deceased bug or a spot where a fly decided to commit suicide on the trip over. Sandwiches prepared…. with beef from the farm shop up the road we set off for Cottingham about 12:30. Continue reading →

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Hey… someone listened!

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Simon Barlow in Blog updates, General, Help Guides, LPG Refilling Info, Web sites

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

13 Pin Plug, Factory Visit, Green Cap, Safefill, Swift Group

Well, I think they did! OK what am I on about? Well, if you have read through my ramblings about the Safefill refillable gas cylinder, one of the comments I had at towards the end was the fact that I had to create my own POI file for my GPS from the map of Safefill accredited filling stations and dealers on their website. I thought that Safefill should have this on their website to make it a lot easier for people that are not quite as savvy on creating POI files.

Well, it seems that good customer service still exists from some companies and they have now made it easy to get a POI file for your GPS.

I tried it out and it’s quite easy, click on the “GPS Download” button on the home page or the Refilling page and it directs you to the contact us area where you fill in your contact details click on request GPS download and click on submit…. a few seconds later a link to the download page arrives in your email in box. Continue reading →

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Swift Group factory tour…

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by Simon Barlow in Events, General, Trips, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Factory Visit, Sterling Caravans, Swift Group, Towing

Just received an email from Swift letting us know that we are invited onto the next factory tour on Thursday 29th March. Really looking forward to seeing where and how our caravan was built. I now have to try to remember some of those “I wonder why they did that?” type questions to ask them.

I know one I do want to ask…. “Why do UK built vans have such short ‘A’ frame draw bars when compared to our continental cousins?” As van’s get heavier, the nose weight increases and the list of suitable tow cars decreases… a longer ‘A’ Frame would help mitigate this and provide a more stable tow. I might have an answer at the end of March!

Apparently cameras are not permitted on the tour, so unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to give you any sneak previews of the 2013 models. I might however have seen someone who is working on the 2013 models!.. That will be about as exclusive as it gets for me I think.

S

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