1975 Franklin Hunter 12ft - W8372

[Deleted]

Hello All

I've just purchased a small 1975 Franklin Hunter 12' van in Melbourne. It's in excellent original condition, one owner, and has been kept under cover most of its life. I inspected it thoroughly before purchasing and it's very dry, with no signs at all of damp, rot or rust. A real beauty...and I'm very excited to fit it out with all my retro goodies and get on the road for some short trips! ;D

I'm making plans to drive down from Canberra to collect the van in a couple of weeks. As a nervous newbie to towing a caravan, and driving by myself, I would love any advice and tips on towing it back home. It's 600 Tare weight and will be driven home unladen. Caravan regulars have said that's a light weight and should be a breeze to tow with my Hyundai ix35 2-litre turbo diesel AWD.

The dealer has guaranteed to do all the required safety checks - gas, electric, bearings, brakes (hydraulic) - prior to the pickup, which has given me more confidence. Is there anything else I should ask him to check? Someone who knows a bit about older caravans said that sometimes the hydraulic brakes stick on, particularly if the caravan hasn't been used recently. Can anyone give advice on that? What would happen if the brakes did stick, and what would be the signs as I was driving?

I'm planning to take my time driving back, keeping to a safe speed, and driving only in daylight. The trip is about 7-8 hours normal driving time, so how much extra should I allow for towing?

Thanks for any advice on the above, or any other tips you may have to pass on...much appreciated!

Retro73

[millard1399]

G'day retro73, and congratulations on finding what seems like a pretty good van. ;D

In the six years of being on these old caravan forums, I can't say I've heard of people talking about hydraulic braking systems "sticking" on these old vans. I've heard of them being stuck solid due to corrosion from being out in the weather for years and years, and never been towed for years. If "sticking" is something they actually do, then do they stick in the "on" position, or the "off" position? (that's not a question directed at you...I'm just mulling it over in my head ). If somebody honks their horn at you and motions frantically towards your caravan, a check in the rear vision mirror might show smoke pouring out of the wheels, which might mean the brakes are stuck in the "on" position. However, I'd tend to think you won't experience any problems with the braking system if the van is in as good a condition as what you say.

Do you know if the van has a spare wheel? If you get a flat tyre, are you capable of changing a wheel? But then again, Murphy's Law says if you carry a spare you never need it, but if you don't have a spare, that'll be the day when you get a flat tyre.

Double-check all windows, the hatch, and the door, are all closed securely before taking off.

Obviously you'll need towing mirrors. The smaller ones with the rubber straps that fit onto your car mirrors are good enough.

The distance from Melbourne to Canberra is 676kms, according to the internet. At 80kph, that's 8 and three quarter hours. Allowing for stops and slower speeds at times, I think you'd be looking at a total time up around 11 or 12 hours. I wouldn't go above 80kph until you get confident of your towing abilities. The moment you get too cocky and think it's a breeze, is the moment when the back of the van starts swaying and you lose control.

According to the internet, the IX35 has a towing capacity of 1600kgs braked trailer (caravan), so your van at 600kgs will be a "lightweight" for the car. Having a power rating of 135kW and a torque of 392Nm, your car should do it easily. Just don't push your foot down on the accelerator from a standing start, or you'll arrive home with a van stretched out to 14ft.

Good luck with the trip to pick up the van. That Hume Highway is a pretty good road these days, so just settle back and hum along at 80kph.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hi Al

Thanks so much for all the advice...I'll take it all on board.

Yes, the van does have a spare in good condition...hope I won't need to use it though!! Have to flag someone down as a 'damsel in distress' if that happens...lol.

Hopefully the brakes won't cause any issue but I'll keep a look out for any smoke from the rear ;D and keep the speed down to 80kph.

Re driving mirrors, is there any brand you would recommend? The mirrors on the Hyundai are quite large but I think the van is slightly wider than the car, so I figured I'd need extra mirrors.

Just another question: Do the older caravans tend to sway much, and would I need stabiliser bars? People say they keep the van more stable around corners etc.

Thanks
Sandy aka Retro53

[bobt]

Hi Retro73

Welcome aboard. Congratulations on your purchase.

One little suggestion that has been worth its weight in gold to me over the years. Upgrade your road side service to include
coverage for your caravan. It will give you that little peace of mind if you need help changing a tyre on the caravan.


bobt

[Deleted]

Thanks Bobt

As my AWD is brand new, it comes with free roadside assistance for a year, so I haven't had the need to get a separate policy. Can you get coverage for a caravan alone?

I also need to get some caravan insurance, any recommendations for the older, classic vans?

Sandy

[Deleted]

Hi retro73

When you have towed for about 10 ks, stop & check the hub tempartures. Should be cool to warm to touch, not hot. Hot or smoke means the brakes are dragging.

On the coupling there is a latch which should be lifted to let the mechanical brakes work when going forward. If backing up the caravan the latch should be down. Hopefully the dealer will show you this.

Good luck towing home.

Scotty.

P.S show us ya pics of your van!!!

[millard1399]

G'day Sandy,

If the spare wheel is on a bracket at the back of the van, I'd be asking the dealer to take it off there and put the wheel inside the van under the front table if there's room there, or at least on the floor at the front somewhere. That will shift a bit of weight to the front of the van and help with the stability.

Somewhere in the manual for your car will be a section on Towing. It will give the maximum weight allowed for towing a braked trailer (which the internet tells me is 1600kgs), but it will also give the maximum ball weight for the towbar. That's likely to be something like 75kgs or thereabouts (but check it just to make sure). For a van weighing 600kgs empty, the ball weight created by the van will be around 60kgs, so you should be well below the maximum allowed. All of which means that you shouldn't need a weight distribution hitch, as far as I'm concerned. Some people use them in every situation, but I've found that getting the weight in the van distributed correctly goes a long way towards having a co-operative van that tows nicely.

As a general rule, if a van is going to exhibit nasty behaviours during towing, it will occur at speeds above 80kph. The higher the speed, the more magnified the nasty behaviour becomes. That's why I encourage you to limit your speed to 80 until you get accustomed to the van being on the back of the car.

As far as mirrors go, the internet tells me your car is 1820mm width. I predict your van will have a 7ft wide cabin (2150mm), so you need an additional mirror width of 165mm per side. The types of mirrors that have the two rubber straps that wrap around your existing mirror housing, are all you need. Go to your nearest Supercheap Auto store, and have a look at the range of mirrors they've got (like this one ). You need to make sure the two arms of the mirror will expand wide enough to fit over your existing mirror housings.

Also check out your nearest BCF store (Fyshwick and Tuggeranong). They have this mirror which I use on the passenger side and which is $5 cheaper than at Supercheap. This one is fully adjustable for all mirror housings.

Also check out ebay if you are ok with that option. Often people list these types of mirrors second-hand, and you can pick them up a lot cheaper than the new price.

See how you go.
cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Thanks Al and Scotty for your updates

Its so great to all this advice from folks in the know! It would take me so much longer to learn from my own experience.

Scotty - Yes, I'll do as you suggest and check the hubs after towing for a short distance. But worst case scenario, what happens if the hubs ARE really hot?? Does that put me off the road?? And yes, I'll definitely post some pics as soon as I get the hang of how to do it!

Al - The spare is currently under the bed at the back of the van but could easily be moved under the dinette to distribute the weight. There is also an annexe rolled up under the table which would weigh about 10kg. Should I even things out by putting one at the back and the other at the front? I'll check my car manual for the tow ball weight allowance, hopefully will be OK. My sister and her hubby in country NSW have exactly the same car as mine, and tow a much heavier Viscount pop top (around 1000kg) without any problem.

Thanks also for the advice on mirrors, I've seen much more expensive ones but seems like the clip-on kind like you've shown me will do the trick for a much better price. Much appreciated.

Lastly, can you advise who may be best to get insurance through? CIL seems to come up on a lot of sites as specialising in van insurance. Any pointers for me? I have my car insured with AAMI.

regards
Sandy

[millard1399]

G'day again, Sandy

If the spare is under the bed, I'd leave it there, and leave the annexe under the table. The spare wheel will weigh about 20kgs, and if the annexe is about 10kgs, then they'll pretty much balance each other out.

Insurance? Good grief!...as if you don't have enough to work on, and now you want to talk about insurance??!!

I jest ;D , because it's a topic that goes round and round on these forums. Every year it gets resurrected, and I still don't think there's a "one size fits all" answer that's come out of the discussions.

Have a read of these threads, and see if they help (or confuse you even more )...

who insures our caravans

Insurance for classic caravans

Classic caravan insurance


We've got both our cars plus our house and contents with AAMI, but they couldn't match the quotes we got from GIO for the vans (GIO were about $30 cheaper), so both our vans are with GIO.

cheers,
Al.

[Caprinut]

Al,
You really are a mine of helpfull information. Where do you get the time to do all the other things retirees do like baking bread and mowing lawns.
On behalf of all of us I want to thank you for all the advice you come up with.
Peter

[greedy53]

many years ago i drove intestate and helped a few blokes get there licence,the main question was how do i drive it it's so long and i always told them to drive the bit your sitting in the rest will follow,and it always worked
happy vaning it's a special time the first time towing
steve

[millard1399]

Thankyou Peter for your kind words.

One of the things I like about this forum is the sharing of information between all the people. I've learnt heaps myself from reading about what others have done, and from getting opinions from others about various things.

I haven't done the "baking bread" thing yet, but funnily enough, we've just had our front yard excavated a week or so ago, and all the grass was taken out and blue metal was put in. So now there's less mowing time required, which might mean I can now have a go at baking bread.

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hi Sandy,
If your van is a 12ft hunter,(not that I'm doubting you)you will find that if its the model with a front double dinette and rear day/night lounge,the wheels are situated a long way back and it will tow like a dream,as all Franklins do!
Cheers
hughdeani

[Deleted]

Thanks to all who have posted more comments tonight, I'm so appreciative of all your advice and good wishes Its making me feel so much more comfortable with planning my trip safely and enjoyably.

Al - Thanks again, I'll read through the threads on insurance and then make my decision. I also have home and contents with AAMI but I'll also check with GIO and a few others incl CIL, pays to shop around I think.

Hughdeani - Yes, my Franklin has the double dinette at the front and a double bed at the back...it's definitely a Hunter, as I have photograph showing that decal...so hopefully it will tow like a dream as you said ;D The easier the better at this early stage, until I become more comfortable with the towing.

Cheers
Sandy

PS Al - I hope I'm not wearing you out with too many questions you seem to have so much knowledge and I just want to soak up as much as I can to prepare myself and be a safe caravan traveller... ;D

[millard1399]

G'day Sandy,

Ask as many questions as you like, until you are settled about what to do, and how to go about doing it. I don't have the answer to every question, but I'm sure there's enough knowledge and experience within this forum to get you there and back safely.

The bottom line is that the van you'll be towing is at the lighter end of the scale, and the car you'll be towing with is more than capable enough. You just have to take it easy, and with each kilometre you go, you get more and more confident with towing.

Along the way, you'll get to experience the big B-double trucks overtaking you, and you'll feel the van being buffeted by the air pressure difference as the truck goes past. You'll feel a bit unnerved as it happens, but you'll keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and manage your speed until the truck has gone past you.

You'll maintain a healthy distance between you and the vehicle in front, and you'll start to understand how much longer it takes for the car to slow down when there's an extra 600kgs on the back.

You'll keep to the left lane wherever possible, and chug along at 80kph max. If you're in a single lane road for quite a time, and the traffic behind has "banked up for kilometres", you'll do the decent thing and pull over somewhere safely for a stop, and let them all go past. That should earn you the respect of other road users, rather than have them cursing and swearing at you.

Above all, you'll soak up the experience, and it will set you up for many, many other happy trips with your van.

Ask away as often as you like. Our aim is to make sure there isn't a disaster story in the Canberra Times, like the ones in this thread . (Which will NEVER happen to you, ok?! )

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Here he is...my lovely, original 1975 Franklin Hunter 12', photographed when I inspected him last week in Melbourne. Only one owner, and I was delighted to find all the original books inside! The van is in excellent condition inside and out...about the only fault I could find was a little rust in the outside light shade. I love the internal layout - perfect for my needs, and very practical and roomy for a small van.



Dinette with original table and vinyl/retro fabric cushions. Original annexe is included. Luckily, the original flooring (brown vinyl) is still underneath the newer white floor tiles, so those will be removed asap. Same with the non-original curtains...I'll replace them with 70's fabric.



Double bed with original mattress, which sits on a wire sprung base.



Kitchen in excellent condition, stove and fridge very clean and well looked after. Love the little kitchen window!






Right hand side showing Hunter decal.



Front window. All windows, seals and screens in the van are in excellent condition and working order.

[millard1399]

Nup, no good. I can see the tiniest speck of dirt in the top right corner.

Nup, wouldn't drive 5k for this van, let alone 700k's


Nice van though, I guess...

...if you like vans in perfect showroom condition.


Ok, ok, I'll concede...

it's a bit of alright... ;D ;D ;D

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Aw shucks Al....I was hanging out for your approval...now I can sleep soundly tonight....

Sandy ;D

[millard1399]

Now listen up, Sandy (owner of Franklin Hunter in amazing condition ;D ) ...

You might be the one who solves a long-standing problem for me, particularly if the "books" that come with your caravan also show the original purchase date.

On the front drawbar, on top of the drawbar arm that goes towards the doorside of the van, there will be a chassis number welded there. It will be a letter, followed by some numbers. I've always thought the 1975 Franklins had a chassis number starting with "W", but you may be able to confirm or deny that theory if you have the original purchase date information.

Can you check that out for me after you've picked up the van please, and let me know both the chassis number on your van, and the purchase date if it's shown there somewhere. Ta.


Also got a question for you about the towing side. Are you familiar with how the safety chain(s), on the front of the caravan drawbar, is/are connected to the eyelet(s) beside the towball on your towbar? Do you need to take a D-shackle with you, or will the dealer provide one?

cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Morning Al

Ka-ching... I'm a step ahead of you, as I took a photo of the drawbar during the inspection. Here it is. Whilst searching for my dream van, I looked up advice on this forum on dating old vans (perhaps you provided it?? ;D) and worked out according to that info that the van was a 1975 model. I only had a quick look at the books but I remember that there was one old book, some kind of guide to owning Franklin vans. I did look for a date but the only one I saw was on the inside cover, saying 'Reprinted 1974'. I'll have a much better look at the books etc once I pick up the van of course. Re your second question, no, I'm not familiar with the chains etc but hopefully the dealer will help me on that

[Deleted]

Hi Sandy,
beautiful van,you will be very comfortable towing that one!
Safe travels
hughdeani

[millard1399]

You've obviously done your homework well, Sandy, although I wouldn't believe anything I write on this forum if I were you.

I'm 90% confident that the "W" series is from 1975, but I've come across some conflicting information about the "X" series being from 1976. Some things don't add up correctly, so I'm waiting for the day when somebody comes on the forum with a Franklin from the mid-70s that has all the original paperwork with it. That person might just be you.

Your numbers mean you have the 8,372nd chassis built in the year, which means it was built very close to the end of the year (I'll never know exactly how many Franklins were built each year, but 8,000 units would be up around the yearly output). However, the van might not have been purchased until the start of the following year (eg. in January for their holidays).

Anyway, I've got my fingers crossed that you can solve a little puzzle for me.

cheers,
Al.l

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2012 8:45:43 GMT 10 @hughdeani said:

Hi Sandy,
beautiful van,you will be very comfortable towing that one!
Safe travels
hughdeani

[Deleted]

Thanks hughdeani ;D Glad you like him...!

I think he's a little ripper and I'm so looking froward to getting out on the road, after my first-time-towing jitters recede a bit!

I'm sure I'll get the hang of it in time and as Al said, as long as I take it easy until I get comfortable with towing I should, be right.

[Deleted]

Sandy, if you are looking for 1970's retro style fabrics to replace your curtains, I can recommend (and have sent some of my clients to):

Flashback Fabric & Wallpaper
79 High Street
Northcote 3070 Victoria
Phone: [phone]
www.flashbackfabric.com.au/new-shop-cms/index.php

They have a great collection of '70's floral and geometric fabrics, and I don't imagine you will need too many metres for the size of your windows.

Alistair