Post by Brian M on Jan 31, 2009 22:40:29 GMT
From: OliverShaw1 (Original Message) Sent: 08/04/2005 20:28
A cautionary note that may be helpful to some owners of later Safaris, with on-board batteries carried in a combined carrier for the battery and gas bottles inside the gas locker.
These holders are plastic and it seems that we are now well into a critical age for them, when they are prone to failure. In the worst case, that could result in dropping either the battery or the gas bottles onto the road while you are towing !!
I have just had to cancel a proposed trip for this weekend, because when I loaded the battery into the 'van it went down an unusually long way, and investigation showed that the front of the battery carrier was breaking up under the load. I had already had to have the rear of the carrier reinforced two years ago during the annual service, because the gas bottle part of it was starting to break up. Now I find that the front of the battery carrier is so bad that I do not feel it is safe to leave until it goes in for this year's service (booked for next month); I do not feel it is currently in a safe condition for towing with a battery loaded.
It is a reasonably straightforward job to either repair it or reinforce it, or alternatively to fabricate a new and stronger system, but to do a proper job requires substantially more than hurried first aid immediately before going away.
In the broader context, out of four late (1978-1982) Safaris that we have had in the family in recent years this carrier has now had to be either repaired or reinforced on three of them. The only one on which we ourselves have not had to reinforce it is my 1978 'van, on which the original owner had found it necessary to replace the original Safari carrier with a fabricated steel one ...
I think that indicates that any remaining original plastic battery carriers that have not been reinforced may now be on borrowed time.
Oliver
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From: Brian Sent: 09/04/2005 07:31
Oliver
Just to put my mind at rest - my 1978 has a battery/bottle carrier made of 6mm round steel that was previously covered in plastic. I stripped the last vestiges of the plastic and sprayed the whole thing.
I felt is was a bit flimsy for the weight of the items it is holding, but are you telling us there was a later version that was all plastic without the metal re-inforcement.
Brian
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From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 09/04/2005 11:38
Brian,
The short answer is yes; the ones that I was referring to are not the same as yours.
However your one opens up the discussion somewhat. My 1978 one is also steel, but strip rather than round, with a steel plate base, and with no indication that it has ever been covered in plastic - although I can't rule out the possibility; just as you have removed all vestiges of plastic so might the previous owner of my one.
The three later Safaris that we have had in the family (1980 17/2 and 1981 and 1982 14/2s) have all had the same design of carrier, made entirely of moulded plastic; essentially a moulded tray, with three shaped and deep depressions in it to hold the two gas bottles and the battery. With the arguable exception of the thickness of the plastic this seems a generally well designed unit, with appropiate stiffening ridges moulded in, although I thick the plastic is somewhere around the minimum thickness that will do the job - and it leaves little margin of strength to cope with any damage, or for any degredation of the plastic with age. Since we had identical examples of these on three of our four late Safaris I assume that these are original.
The only evidence I have about 1978 is your one and my one; both fabricated from steel, but apparently to very different patterns. Prior to your answer I had assumed that my 1978 one was non-original. The plastic coating originally on your one suggests that it was probably of proprietory manufacture, although I would not like to guess whether it was original equipment for your 'van or fitted later, in which case it could perhaps have been either an aftermarket spare intended for general application or a fitting designed for a specific but different 'van.
It would be interesting to know what other members have on 1978 'vans.
Oliver
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From: Fleur Sent: 10/04/2005 22:38
We'll have a look on our 788 12/2 and let you know. Steves' watching Valentino Rossi at Jerez at the moment and there's no chance he'll stop to look at battery housing on the caravan until the race is over.
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From: Downton1071s Sent: 11/04/2005 09:20
Now bear with me here,not sure of the date of ours cannot remember if Gloria said it was 1976 or 1978 but ours is a metal holder.Ours again has the coating peeling so needs cleaning and spraying ,but definately a metal item on our 13/4.
A cautionary note that may be helpful to some owners of later Safaris, with on-board batteries carried in a combined carrier for the battery and gas bottles inside the gas locker.
These holders are plastic and it seems that we are now well into a critical age for them, when they are prone to failure. In the worst case, that could result in dropping either the battery or the gas bottles onto the road while you are towing !!
I have just had to cancel a proposed trip for this weekend, because when I loaded the battery into the 'van it went down an unusually long way, and investigation showed that the front of the battery carrier was breaking up under the load. I had already had to have the rear of the carrier reinforced two years ago during the annual service, because the gas bottle part of it was starting to break up. Now I find that the front of the battery carrier is so bad that I do not feel it is safe to leave until it goes in for this year's service (booked for next month); I do not feel it is currently in a safe condition for towing with a battery loaded.
It is a reasonably straightforward job to either repair it or reinforce it, or alternatively to fabricate a new and stronger system, but to do a proper job requires substantially more than hurried first aid immediately before going away.
In the broader context, out of four late (1978-1982) Safaris that we have had in the family in recent years this carrier has now had to be either repaired or reinforced on three of them. The only one on which we ourselves have not had to reinforce it is my 1978 'van, on which the original owner had found it necessary to replace the original Safari carrier with a fabricated steel one ...
I think that indicates that any remaining original plastic battery carriers that have not been reinforced may now be on borrowed time.
Oliver
First Previous 2-5 of 5 Next Last Delete Replies
Reply
Recommend Delete Message 2 of 5 in Discussion
From: Brian Sent: 09/04/2005 07:31
Oliver
Just to put my mind at rest - my 1978 has a battery/bottle carrier made of 6mm round steel that was previously covered in plastic. I stripped the last vestiges of the plastic and sprayed the whole thing.
I felt is was a bit flimsy for the weight of the items it is holding, but are you telling us there was a later version that was all plastic without the metal re-inforcement.
Brian
Reply
Recommend Delete Message 3 of 5 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 09/04/2005 11:38
Brian,
The short answer is yes; the ones that I was referring to are not the same as yours.
However your one opens up the discussion somewhat. My 1978 one is also steel, but strip rather than round, with a steel plate base, and with no indication that it has ever been covered in plastic - although I can't rule out the possibility; just as you have removed all vestiges of plastic so might the previous owner of my one.
The three later Safaris that we have had in the family (1980 17/2 and 1981 and 1982 14/2s) have all had the same design of carrier, made entirely of moulded plastic; essentially a moulded tray, with three shaped and deep depressions in it to hold the two gas bottles and the battery. With the arguable exception of the thickness of the plastic this seems a generally well designed unit, with appropiate stiffening ridges moulded in, although I thick the plastic is somewhere around the minimum thickness that will do the job - and it leaves little margin of strength to cope with any damage, or for any degredation of the plastic with age. Since we had identical examples of these on three of our four late Safaris I assume that these are original.
The only evidence I have about 1978 is your one and my one; both fabricated from steel, but apparently to very different patterns. Prior to your answer I had assumed that my 1978 one was non-original. The plastic coating originally on your one suggests that it was probably of proprietory manufacture, although I would not like to guess whether it was original equipment for your 'van or fitted later, in which case it could perhaps have been either an aftermarket spare intended for general application or a fitting designed for a specific but different 'van.
It would be interesting to know what other members have on 1978 'vans.
Oliver
Reply
Recommend Delete Message 4 of 5 in Discussion
From: Fleur Sent: 10/04/2005 22:38
We'll have a look on our 788 12/2 and let you know. Steves' watching Valentino Rossi at Jerez at the moment and there's no chance he'll stop to look at battery housing on the caravan until the race is over.
Reply
Recommend Delete Message 5 of 5 in Discussion
From: Downton1071s Sent: 11/04/2005 09:20
Now bear with me here,not sure of the date of ours cannot remember if Gloria said it was 1976 or 1978 but ours is a metal holder.Ours again has the coating peeling so needs cleaning and spraying ,but definately a metal item on our 13/4.