There is a discussion on the Practical Caravan forum regarding the Evo 4.
Enthusiasm appears a little luke warm it has to be said.
http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/buyers-guide-caravans/all-electric-orion#comment-831519
Also CT forum:-
http://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/59446-new-all-electric-orion/page__pid__619384#entry619384
Ian
If I've read it right and they are doing away with the battery box they are presumably also doing away with the battery - so how do you get a Motor Mover to work? Without one we certainly wouldn't be caravanning any more -it has been a lifeline to us as we get on in years. Also not having dual source room and especially water heating is also a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog.
Yes the motor mover problem with the Evo is certainly one to consider.I imagine Baileys response would be that it is now 100Kg lighter so it should be easier to move manually.
Perhaps their target customer is someone of younger years who is perhaps able to manhandle the Orion without too much problem and has a more limited income so would go for a cheaper "no frills" van.
We shall have to see how it sells,I presume Bailey have done market research and think there is a market for such a van.
Ian
I've been pondering the mover issue and the Evo 4. It's noticeable that it's not mentioned anywhere in Baileys literature or on their website and in video interviews it's the question that nobody seems to dare ask the Bailey execs.
ReplyDeleteOK the Evo filled up to it's max. should weigh about 7 stone less than our Troll when loaded to MPTLM. But having manhandled Poppy, our previous, non-mover, Troll, a few times it's not a piece of cake.
I'm wondering whether, rather than the trolley route, you could fit a normal mover and have a battery installed that just serves the mover and can be charged via a 240V mains socket inside the van using a standard CTEK type charger.
Of course you'd be adding weight back but not as much as all the charging and control equipment vans normally carry.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteWell I suppose you could but with about 25Kg for a battery and about another 25Kg for a mover you may as well forget the Evo and get a standard Orion,that's only my opinion though.
I think Bailey have overlooked this point to be honest,as you say it is never mentioned.
It is the sort of thing you may overlook until you have bought one.
Having recently had to move our Orion,OK not an Evo,off a waterlogged pitch to a road before hitching up I dread to think what it would have been like without a mover.
I wonder what the trolleys are like if they have to go through water as there were standing puddles on this site ?
Ian
The trolley looked like it was built like a tank in more ways than one, but submerging it might be a step too far.
DeleteI know movers are heavy beasts but I wonder what would be the minimum battery size you'd need and what it would weigh?
The reason I'm thinking Evo is that 1200kg is just about the most that my car can happily handle and the 430 comes in at 1250kg or thereabouts.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI am no expert but the recommended battery size for a mover is usually quoted as 110ah.
Ian
That's quite a big 'un isn't it, but I s'pose it needs to be to turn the mover. I was hoping that you could get away with something smaller as it wouldn't be needed for anything else, but the rest is irrelevant really as it's the mover that needs the 'oomph'!
DeleteThe car weighs 1420kg which makes 85% 1207kg and with a 430 fully loaded it would be running at 88%. And even though the weight isn't that bad the CC website doesn't like the fact that the BHP figure is quite low even towing a 1200kg van.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteSorry I keep calling you Dave,I was having another conversation about lights with someone called Dave ( it's a bit like Fools and Horses,Dave ).
I don't know if you have your heart set on an Orion but Venus Caravans ( Lunar really )have just produced some very light vans.
http://www.venuscaravans.com/
Might solve your weight problem.
We are going to the show at Catterick on Friday so will give them the once over out of interest.
Will let you know what they are like.
Ian
That's OK Trig!
ReplyDeleteOur local Lunar dealer doesn't appear to be doing Venus, mind you they already stock new Baileys and Coachman as well as Lunar and have just taken on the Swift franchise as well, so they probably haven't got room.
I had a look at the Venii (!) and wasn't impressed that apart from pushing the lounge ones together there isn't a 6ft plus bed in the whole range. The 6ft 3ins or 4ins (depending where you look) of the Orion fixed bed is just right.
Andy
Oh and if you see my thread on CT I've been advised to use the weight listed on the V5 when calculating for 85%. If I do that it equals exactly 1247kg which I believe is the exact MPTLM of your 430. I'd like it to be a lower % but as lots of people seem to go way over 85% I don't think I'll worry. So it looks like a standard 430 without changing the car. Great - except I did like the exterior 'look' of the Evo.
ReplyDeleteWe have experienced two power cuts when on sites, one at CC site West Ayton 1995ish after a major storm and the second at CC site Meathrop Fell last year, when a farmer knocked down a power line. Good job we had gas to keep the fridge cool or we would only have had warm beer :):).
ReplyDelete