Could this be the end of Teardrops and home builds ???

[eamarquardt]

I would bet that there aren't too many accidents caused by defective home built trailers. Even if there were a few, I bet poor maintenance of "certified" trailers would be responsible for more accidents.

It sounds to me like it is simply another case of government(s) solving a problem that isn't really a problem and stripping us of our right to "pursue happiness".

Angry no. Dissatisfied, yes.

Cheers,

Gus

[Miriam C.]

I am not sure the English have the right to "the Pursuit of Happiness." Certainly we do not if it involves anything the Gov. Wants to control.........

[Classic Finn]

The latest scoop of poop here in Finland is this.

As of 2010 January. In order to get the teardrop or mini caravan fully inspected there is an additional lighting & electrical inspection and certification. This must be done by a trained & appointed EU lighting inspector..cost of 60 Euro. (One Time Requirement). They check and measure the location of the lighting, circuitry, and that its all Eu Approved and Marked lighting.

Also for 220 - 230 volt elctrical must be done by a certified electrician. As well as any gas lines, must be done again by a licensed or certified tech.

All lighting must be seperately inspected in addition to the normal Model Type Inspection which now costs a luscious 300 Euro. If any accessories are to be sold or used it must be mentioned at the same time. Such as possible different style, size of tires, wheels, air condtioning, stoves and the poop goes on. If its not mentioned then these accessories cannot be used or sold with this unit afterwards. So have to get all possibly to be used goodies and extras mentioned upon inspection.

This now is on the 1st tear Model or Unit. After this if you build the same style or model after this inspected one then the normal fee of 60 Euro + Electrical Inspection.

Now as far as the chassis goes. Since I dont weld much. My colleague who has been making utility trailers of all kinds as a business for over 30 years is really up to date with this crapola here.

He is welding all of our frames, installing the approved axles, towbar and whatever else I want on it. Inspects it and Registers it. Comes to us as a pre inspected and licensed.

We build the so called body or box.. take it back to my colleague and he runs it over to the beauracrats once more. Its final inspection is done and On the Road Ya Go. Less BS and Beauracratic headache.

Also since my colleague is licensed to do all of this its a whole lot easier.

The 1st Type or Model that you build is the most costly. And if no changes are made on the 2nd or 3rd up to the 100th unit the fees arent as bad.
So here you have to try to keep the lighting the same, and as well as the positions of to keep the inspectors happy.

The towbar cannot be bent or welded anywhere. If you have a special towbar that you want to have tested & approved. And certified. The cost is at 6000 Euro. Plus different fees.

The towbar thing is a Monopoly here. And a money making loop only.
The fully welded ones such as I had before it was cut of and a Brussels Towbar fitted was in my opinion better made, higher quality and safer versus 4 bolts that holds it in place.

Do I agree with this crapola - Its the Officials here that run these laws thru Parliament that dont know poop about trailers, caravans or teardrops. Bunch of airheads in a huge class room trying to act smart.

[Shadow Catcher]

Bureaucracy literally management by desk. So what efforts have been made to bring to the attention of those misinformed fools what it is ultimately costing in lost jobs etc.
And who is behind the effort to restrict trade?

[Vindi_andy]

Having been involved in Kitcars for some time and having put a car through what was SVA and is now IVA and having seen some of the horrors that were on the road before the introduction of them I think that some sort of test can only be a good thing.

Within the Kitcar world the kits are generally designed to a good level now and unless the builder has made some howling mistakes the cars pass 1st or 2nd time at worst. It is the builder that gets the vehicle tested and although it does cost it does give peace of mind that the vehicle has been inspected by a mechanically competent person regarding its roadworthiness, although some aspects of the test do seem a little over the top

Testing the mechanical underpinnings of the teardrop to me is a good thing as it gives the builder the same peace of mind. Having seen the photo on the design page with the broken tongue and having seen the state of commercial full size caravans when things go wrong I believe it to be a good thing. As long as the test isnt destructive or overly complicated or over priced it would work. I cant imagine how I would feel if I had built the chassis and the tongue broke when towing on the road and it caused an accident.

In heikki's case that is probably over the top however the testing is doen by mechnically compentent and trained examiner in the case of IVA and I dont see why something like this cannot be doen for teardrops.

This is all my personal opinion so now I stand back and prepare to receive the flaming

[Spardo]

They certainly didn't test my chassis to destruction, Two Showers, they sold it to me and let me do it for them.

Brand new from the factory, then 17 days later, this

[Shadow Catcher]

Well David
I have to agree. Good pictures which show poor design and bad welds.

[Spardo]

Could have been worse, I was only doing 50 km/hr, 5 minutes earlier it was 110

The electric cable held long enough for it, and me, to come to a stop.

[Fyddler]

BAD welds? Looks like they never finished the welds! Looks tacked top and bottom with nothing on the side.

[Spardo]

BAD welds? Looks like they never finished the welds! Looks tacked top and bottom with nothing on the side.

Precisely. So you can see why they are anxious to recover it back to England, and why I am equally keen that they shouldn't be allowed to spirit away and destroy my evidence.

I have offered them a deal which would involve repair here for £5,000 less than what they are proposing.

They have refused.........and so have I, for it to go back.

[eamarquardt]

Actually, if you look closely the frame members were continuous and there is no weld other than to attach them to three pieces that make up the cross member. At first I thought the coupler arms were butt welded to the cross member but after looking at the pictures a second time I see that they pass through the cross member that is actually three pieces.

I think that the frame members were simply not of adequate strenght for what they were called upon to do.

Cheers,

Gus

[Spardo]

Actually, if you look closely the frame members were continuous and there is no weld other than to attach them to three pieces that make up the cross member. At first I thought the coupler arms were butt welded to the cross member but after looking at the pictures a second time I see that they pass through the cross member that is actually three pieces.

I think that the frame members were simply not of adequate strenght for what they were called upon to do.

Cheers,

Gus

Of course you're right Gus, I thought just the same when I first saw it. I think though that both the chassis and the A-frame are slotted, in other words half cut through, and then spot welded.

Whichever, it is an appalling construction and they deserve to be in court for it, as I said, 5 minutes earlier and they could have been looking at manslaughter.

[eamarquardt]

Again, looking at the pictures a third time it does look like the frame members and cross member were both cut half way through. They must have had a few pints before they designed and built the frame that way.

The good news, if there is any, is that it should be easy to do it properly and have a nice strong frame.

Go for it. They need some "well deserved feedback".

More pictures of how they cut through things and put it together would be good to see. Why the hole in the frame member? None of it makes sense.

Cheers,

Gus

[Spardo]

Again, looking at the pictures a third time it does look like the frame members and cross member were both cut half way through. They must have had a few pints before they designed and built the frame that way.

The good news, if there is any, is that it should be easy to do it properly and have a nice strong frame.

Go for it. They need some "well deserved feedback".

More pictures of how they cut through things and put it together would be good to see. Why the hole in the frame member? None of it makes sense.

Cheers,

Gus

When I got it back to a trailer compoany near to me for a quote, they refused to touch it on the grounds that any repair they did would be compromised by the poor workmanship on the rest of the chassis. Of course you can't see all of it. I am pushing hard for a transfer of the body to a trusted new chassis, sourced locally. They are resisting that even though it will save them a whole lot of money and absolve them of future warranty responsibility.

[Shadow Catcher]

I just looked at the other pictures on http://s649.photobucket.com/user/Spardo ... 8b.jpg.htm and have to say I am very much not impressed. I would also push for a new frame and notify what ever your equivalent of highway safety, it was an accident waiting to happen.