The canvas is ment to be folded over the top not stuffed inside the frame, that way when you open it it won't snag on the frame :), that was how my trailer tent worked
Great vlog, glad the camper eventually behaved, real home from home. Noticed the slippery surface sign at 8:58, just as you entered the roundabout of doom.
First of all Betty is the Best tow vehicle without a doubt hands down. It is the tow vehicle of choice in Australia where I am from. Nobody in the right mind would bother with anything but a falcon or Holden. I still do not fathom how you guys in the UK do it in such under-powered little vans of smaller cars. As a mechanic in Australia I would not advise using anything under 200bhp for towing. I always tell my customers if you are towing anything other than a standard box trailer you need a strong tow vehicle. I also tell them you can forget about fuel economy when towing, Don't even ask you will be lucky to get 15-18 mpg I couldn't think of anything worse than towing a trailer in a small van with a manual transmission. When I go on holiday I want to go in comfort which is where Betty comes in Nothing & I mean Nothing can beat the comfort of a big old Falcon. also the price of fuel in Australia is very cheap compared to the UK we are paying approximately 0.97p per liter.
Great vlog. I really like the way you both are so open and honest. Carly did a great job on the headliner. And what a lovely HubNut job the trailer connector was. Keep these great vids coming. They are so good to watch. Normal people having non polished lives. same reason I like Whiteland Restoration and UpnDown so much. No slick social media production but the real stuff. All the best from the Netherlands. 👍🏻🤎
Headliner looks great, top job Miss Hub Nut!!...I did mention in your first posting of Bob that being that it had sat in a field for so long that you really needed to check the wheel bearings, especially if you had a few long trips in mind, but glad you got to it before anything bad happened with it...Loving your travels!!...❤
Rat runs concern me greatly. A while back near Swindon I was pulling our of a country lane and had a 40ft trailer. I had to take a very tight turn radius left which means the headboard of the trailer sticks out after the unit has completed its turn. A transit van doing about 100 mph appears from nowhere and I think WIPEOUT! Somehow he misses me, god knows how. This is how people get killed.
Yeah I know what you mean, I had just picked up my day fresh old Alfa 156 on one of those roads, a transit van came towards me on a 'rat run' so I pulled over to the left hand side of the road as much as I could and stopped, it still hit me and and because no witnesses ended up being a 'half and half' on the insurance.
I bought my caravan of Mick of said Skoda that was tested from near Market Raisen. Lovely part of the world. Great video as always, love the review of the campsite.
really enjoyed this video, that headliner repair is very impressive, never really looked at the Bob variety of accommodation but it's just so easy, looks great
Betty’s roof liner look’s good 👍🏼 a tip on the camper canvas they hold up water resistance well but if you get leakage use fabsil in pump up garden sprayer, works a treat, we’re in Lincs coastline at present with the Conway 😬
@@HubNut Congratulations on choosing Mick Withers (Undercoverc.i) to make your new cover, I've not seen any of his work in 6 years or so, but it was always first class. He will also modify designs to provide a deeper cover to allow additional storage. If you can wean yourself off the electric hook up, there are still sites that are £5 per person per night or £10 per unit. I've got a 2kW heater in my Dandy's floor and have a gas fridge freezer. A fondness for kerosene pressure lamps lights the unit or takes the chill off it on many nights. The Dandy is PVC coated polyester, but from past experience with canvas, I think you are dead wrong about using Fabsil to reproof a folding camper. They don't advertise the parts any more, but if you are stuck for parts for the Conway you could try contacting Tent Valeting Services at Farnworth who bought all of Conway's parts after problems with Conway.
@@Kenny_P_abz I think it can be both, I've been on £30 a night sites, but some places make that look cheap. Extras for dogs an additional car, extortionate hook up fees etc. Yet the cheap sites are often just as good. In Dent, North Yorkshire there are two campsites, one far more expensive than the other, but after the more expensive site has been overloaded with campers the cheaper site's facilities are more available. I've had problems this year, but I tend to do two or three events per year plus some other shows with cheap camping, that is when not needing a hookup is vital. Caravans can easily be a money pit and don't have the space of a folding camper. Motorhomes, expensive even for old kit. Mind you would want to buy old kit if you live in Greater Manchester, Comrade Burnham's great plan for a clean air charge. (it's on hold at the moment after he spent £100sM on the cameras) doesn't allow for privately owned motorhomes to escape the charge. £10 pd for those under 3.5 tonnes £63 pd for those over, unless of course your vehicle is over 40 years old.
What a gorgeous sunset over the lake. Not having a go - but that would have made a fantastic pttchooo moment. Even so, the pttchooo on the end was, very HubNut and, as such, most entertaining. As ever, thanks for the ride and for all the information along the way, it all makes for an interesting viewing experience.
Even with Betty's grunt, you just can't beat a diesel on heavy loads IMO. Worst van I ever drove was a 2.6 litre Toyota Previa petrol. I think it had about 160hp, so on paper its great, but 16v of course with that characteristic anaemia at low revs and all the power in the top end, and a 4 speed slushbox. Totally mismatched engine and drivetrain. Result was you could could either travel at about 50mph or 90mph and there was almost no in between. Fuel economy was awful too. I became convinced then that even a beefier petrol is just no match for low down lug of a diesel. Our LDV 400 long wheel base (3.5 tonne capacity!) home made camper conversion had all of 75 naturally aspirated horses of XD3 goodness, and never struggled with anything, he even towed my Peugeot 206 when it broke down (hit a pot hole so hard it caused the accident sensor to cut off the fuel pump) and the Mrs said you didn't notice it was towing anything. Fast it wasn't but it would plug its way through thick and thin. Ran even better when you chucked some straight vegetable oil in the tank mixed with diesel. That PSA lump in Bella is a good un too. They'll be people more knowledgeable than me no doubt but my experience is that PSA make superb engines and crap gearboxes. I think the french get a bad rap - they mess up on a lot, but they've made some great engines. The Renault diesel in my Volvo V40 was also top notch and very reliable engine, bought at 170K miles and it ran like it was brand new, it was flawless. You both seem to have really taken to camping life! Loving that.
Driving a big Aussie piece of iron along those British narrow roads (Aust footpaths) is the "Festival of the stressed and anxious" Best wishes from Australia
Amazing. Nothing has changed. We had a holiday near Tregaron in 1991. We nearly had a number of accidents with locals coming around bends in the wrong side. Eventually it was an escaped sheep dog that we hit. It died and the front left of my MK2 Cavalier SRI was mashed. But we did see some excellent banger racing while we were there.
Went out to Lampeter to visit an old friend years ago and I had an exceptionally fun drive out in my Alfa 33, beautiful part of the world. Always tow in sport mode, saves the transmission hunting too much in an automatic.
Automatics seem really poor for towing. They're inefficient enough without adding a lot of load. Good old manual and diesel torque always seem to win out. I did once see a 911 towing a caravan but that is just wrong, it hurt my soul.
Love the video, especially as you ended up close to my own home, south of Leicester! Eaten at that restaurant a couple of times in its pre-tapas days. More camping stuff please!
That's one of the big differences between petrol and diesel engines. Put a load behind a petrol and fuel consumption crashes, do the same with a diesel and consumption is much less affected. But at least you're getting there! Dragging my Pennine Pullman down to the southern tip of Cornwall in about a week's time.
Just remember the forces acting on yout rear axle when towing. I was advised by a Citroën breaker that they can go at any time. Mine 60k my cousin's at 250k plus. Good luck!
If your camper is actually canvas and not vinyl ,it apparently will leak if you touch it on the inside when it’s raining.The oil from your skin will make it pourus where it’s touched.
As a former truckdriver motorway services with a bin of my life, when I travel on motorways now I look out for close supermarkets and I believe you can get a app that will tell you where they are you can save a fortune, as always great video thank you
@@evertdevries8814 there's 'The Extra Mile'. A book which lists all the places to eat etc just off the motorway and avoiding service areas. Not sure if they've produced an app, but that possibly wouldn't be a bad idea!
Options in waze includes preventing the use of "dirt roads" which is very much an Americanism, but works for very minor single-track roads in the UK. You can use them, avoid them or "avoid long ones". Which works well. I would say "operator error" but it's not very clear for UK use at all.
It can be challenging in Costa Rica, too. Waze sent me down a "paved" road just wide enough for a Fiat Uno and a great big accident, and the 2-meter wide bridge had no guard raíl.
Very interesting. Stanton Lakes is only a few miles from where I live and I never knew that it existed until now! If you are unhappy with the dip on the back of your car when towing, good old fashioned cheapo spring assistors do a reasonable job. I used to use them when I had a caravan and a succession of Vauxhall Cavaliers which had soft rear suspension.
Bob just “went a bit HunNut” for a while…. Chuffed that the dogs have taken to it. My three love the trailer tent, they would be over the moon with the poshness of a Bob!
If Bob has an Al-Ko trailer the centre hub nut (not HubNut) is a one-shot item and must be replaced every time... Really enjoying the adventures of Bob and the HubNut gang..
The guy selling petrol at £1.63p a litre in the Abergavenny filling station was emptying the forecourt tanks, prior to closing down his business for good.
Another cracking video Ian and Carly. Seeing your trip though the midlands brought back some memories although it's changed a lot over the years. Changing the bearings on Bob seemed to go well given they sounded terrible. All good to hear that you're getting used to Bob's erections. Betty performed very well although as expected she needed some drinks along the way. I'm looking forward to hearing of the outcome of Bella's surgery and hopefully an up date on Elle the 2CV at some point.
Hi Ian. I used to drive a Mercedes Econic with the mid steer axle. I found when I reversed into a cul-de-sac between parked cars it would track perfectly in reverse but when I drove forward the mid steer would follow the camber and pull the back end of the truck that way. Almost caught me out a couple of times until I learned to steer the opposite way to the camber. The rear steers we have tend to be the opposite and can wander down the camber going backwards but steer perfectly going forward. Just things the driver needs to get used to I suppose 🤷♂️. Keep up the good work 😀
Ah, "dog spikes", I was wondering why you wanted bikes for dogs! That is a good job to get that wheel bearing changed. I had a rear wheel bearing collapse on the Spark / Matiz a few months ago and it not recommended!
Next time you're over there it's definitely worth checking out the bubble car museum. A really quirky wee place and the owners used to build and renovate 2CVs. They still own some interesting things too which are sitting around outside. Lovely wee cafe too
Had a dog spike for a while. One of our dogs was fixed too it. Within minutes she appeared next to us looking very pleased, having chewed through the rope! If they don’t chew they can be useful , although now I just fix el doggo to things with a karabiner.
You have been in Lincolnshire 😀. I have been there several times, because my brother in law is living there. Nice to see Betty as a towing vehicle. Must be a very good and comfortable car for travelling.
That fuel consumption is shocking!! 20 mpg is terrible. The first time I towed a trailer it was a 4,800 pound caravan behind a 79 Ford Thunderbird with a 5 litre V8, 2bbl carburetor, and 3 speed automatic gearbox. Certainly not anyone's idea of an economy car. It was a 300 mile trip, and the old boat managed 18-19 mpg. I was impressed considering that Daphne was right up at her weight limit!
i see you're still not folding the canvas sides- my understanding is to get all the canvas hanging as flat as pos around each side then lift/flip over the top to lay flat on the roof instead of going round lifting the frame and stuffing like in this video
That head liner job well done Miss Hubnut and Hubnut for helping lifts the interior of Betty l was looking at it during and admiring Miss Hubnuts work l have never replaced a headliner in any of my cars vans or utes l have owned and if l am not mistaken this is your first headliner replacement and Bob what a great idea combanation of a caravan and a tent but but your freind who used to be a trailer tech was able to sort out a couple of issues with Bob and although Betty is a great towing rig been Australian built and bean a large 6 cylinder the only draw back is the thirst for petrol
They also run Gloucester Services. Cobham Services is also lovely, the downside being that because it's an exceedingly rare good services, it's always hellishly busy.
Newark's worth a look round also - great marketplace. Lincolnshire Fens are flat but the Lincolnshire Wolds around Louth are bit lumpier. Forget Binley Mega Chippy - try the ancient coal fired beef dripping chippy in Upton village near Gainsborough, Lincs.
Really enjoying the blogs, very jealous of Bob, he looks really comfy. It's odd seeing the interior shots of Betty, it reminds me so much of my old Mk2 Mondeo - I'd be curious to find how many common parts there are.
Looks like an excellent trip and I see you went under Leicester Forest East services on the M1. Could see that across the fields from my college back in the 80's, unfortunately not possible now due to 1,000's of new houses built since. Stanton lakes made me scratch my head a bit, so looked it up. So near Sapcote, where my Aunt lived. An area I love. Bonne route à tous !
I live in Nottingham and the only time many of us drive through Lincolnshire is to get to Skeg Vegas. Driving in the opposite direction and we can be in the stunning Peak District in 45 minutes, so unfortunately, there is no contest.
Very nice and long vlog, glad to see the trailer brake issue and wheel bearing fixed quite easily and some smart hubcabs to take a few jobs off the to-do list from a hectic week. Also thanks miss hubnut for the information, went through Lampeter recently and wondered about all the flags but definitely enjoying the 160.9 petrol while I'm around here, which was also busy with a small queue.
I think to be fair having proper tyres has ensured you didn’t slide off the road a second time and that no doubt the sole reason you left the road the first time was down to the cheap tyres on the AU…
While I accept my tyres were below par, what's telling is that LOTS of cars had gone off before me last time (and a truck or two) but clearly nothing has been off there within the past few months judging by vegetation.
@@HubNut and it’s just as likely that all of those who had gone veered off there also had equally poor ditchfinders on their car and as a result…they found the ditch! The other 99% of cars on that road every day clearly had better tyres on. I don’t know why you seem to struggle to accept responsibility for the fact that it was down to the tyres and nothing else, which ultimately was your own fault.
I think something that you would really benefit from is finding an awning. I know that they are as rare as rocking horse poo, but they really make a huge difference. So glad the hubmutts are enjoying the experience. Our dogs, a big standard poodle and a shi'tzu named Jake and Ellwood respectively, loved the folding camper life.
@@misshubnut you can get these new inflatable awnings and they are great. Parents have purchased one for their motorhome and they are really pleased on how quickly it can be put up and be put down. Also they are extremely pleased it wasn't a struggle to get back in the bag. Worth a look.
Totally agree with Bella saving money on fuel. My dads berlingo 2012 just did 262 miles using 22 litres cost £42. The astra auto he had averaged 26mpg and would’ve cost £80 for the same miles although the semi auto box had a fit in the berlingo and wouldn’t change up. Plugged in and says brake switch fault and one of the culprits could be a blown brake bulb……… sure enough passenger rear dead crazy a bulb can cause transmission problems
It is a great demonstrable tent on wheels its not going to be very warm in the autumn or the spring to really extend your summer into the autumn you do need a ---caravan--- its stops the morning frost from building up on Ian's beard in October when the caravan and camp sites that are still going are dirt cheap.
If I was to be so bold as to suggest the ideal Hubnut camping setup 'twould be thus: an old but dry Talbot /Peugeot Campervan with Daihatsu Charade in tow. If you can get a Charade you're half way there.
I almost certainly drove past you at your crash site coming home from a visit to Lincoln last year, but as a result I can thoroughly recommend Lincoln as a very interesting place to visit. Lots of history, good and varied eateries and a good overall vibe. Smell the roses too folks.
Hallo, der Wohnwagenanhänger ist sehr praktisch schnell aufgebaut und nicht so schwer für ein Auto zum Ziehen.Das Radlager macht Geräusche, entweder Fett rein dann geht das noch eine Weile oder we chseln, das ist nicht allzu schwer. Ein schönes Video, schöne Landschaften. Viel Spaß weiterhin und vielen Dank für das Video. Liebe Grüße aus HH(Hansestadt-Hamburg) an alle.
Aus standard is 50mm ball. The old owner of Betty in NZ must have had an ancient trailer and used a very old pre metric ball to match the ancient hitch on the trailer draw bar...
One issue that I had with my trailer, and looking at yours, the boot behind the tow hitch looks a bit compressed. Inside the tow bar there is a sort of gas strut damper, so when you brake the car, the trailer pushes on this and a linkage applies the brake under the hand brake lever. ( mine are cable and your hydraulic but it must work the same). If the gas strut is weak when you brake the car the trailer pushes on the tow ball applying the trailer brake to much, trailer gets jerked back, clonk, the trailer brake comes off. Worth checking but its kind of hard to do.
The fault was the brake adjustment, so the damper was taking all of the load during braking, which it isn't designed to do. Now the brakes are adjusted, there is no thump with either tow vehicle.
Effortless driving with Betty, you would forget that the camper was on the back of those cars So how much fuel do you buy for 80 pound, I used to get in the high 20mpgs like 28 almost 30mpg, again has the airflow meter been cleaned out. I guess that the od is working usually these cars will be doing 100kph at around under 1500rpm
We had a similar beautiful waze experience last week in and around Builth Wells (visited New Quay and Barmouth on your recommendation to great popular acclaim 👍). I suspect that the algorithm interprets the national speed limit quoted single track roads as faster than the trunk roads with the many Welsh speed limits. Whatever the cause, we had some truly wonderful drives.
Thank you for the update, it's good to see Betty and Ian exorcising the ghost of 2021. The money spent on Bella has to be factored in as an inevitable cost for a vehicle of that age and mileage. You still have excellent value motoring ahead from her. I'm a bit puzzled why you needed sat nav to get from New Quay to Lampeter (I know that you were going to FOTU but you could ignore that bit of the route), and even more puzzled that you then followed it, but there we go! Thanks again.
I drove around Wales back in the day when maps were paper, folded into complicated shapes. I went past one distinctive farmhouse three times, an hour apart! Oh, for a navigator!
Fair play - that headliner looks excellent. I think Miss HubNut’s efforts went well and arguably the most competent repair ever on this channel 😂😂😂
Absolutely. I was going to make the same comment.
I know it is a long way to come but my AU wagon needs its headlining replaced!
Betty's headliner looking great Miss HubNut 😁
I had to smile at this video...my late mum and dad were called "Bob and Betty" 🙂
Forget Waze You must get a app for either campers or Lories!! Wheel bearings have to be packed or grease added at regular intervals!
i find mrs hubnut has a lovely soothing voice, perfect for traveling..🙂
The canvas is ment to be folded over the top not stuffed inside the frame, that way when you open it it won't snag on the frame :), that was how my trailer tent worked
We are slowly learning this...
Great to see the Hubnut's enjoying their road trip and even better seeing them enjoying their camping.
Great vlog, glad the camper eventually behaved, real home from home. Noticed the slippery surface sign at 8:58, just as you entered the roundabout of doom.
Driving home in Lincolnshire I saw a Corsa B with a hubnut sticker in the rear window, first car I’ve seen with one 👍🏻
I was at the Severn Valley Railway Steam gala at the start of the year and noticed someone wearing a Hubnut shirt. First time I had seen one as well.
First of all Betty is the Best tow vehicle without a doubt hands down. It is the tow vehicle of choice in Australia where I am from. Nobody in the right mind would bother with anything but a falcon or Holden. I still do not fathom how you guys in the UK do it in such under-powered little vans of smaller cars. As a mechanic in Australia I would not advise using anything under 200bhp for towing. I always tell my customers if you are towing anything other than a standard box trailer you need a strong tow vehicle. I also tell them you can forget about fuel economy when towing, Don't even ask you will be lucky to get 15-18 mpg
I couldn't think of anything worse than towing a trailer in a small van with a manual transmission. When I go on holiday I want to go in comfort which is where Betty comes in Nothing & I mean Nothing can beat the comfort of a big old Falcon.
also the price of fuel in Australia is very cheap compared to the UK we are paying approximately 0.97p per liter.
I'm glad I live in Britain. A beautiful island with so many great things to see.
"so we're gonna sell this and get a caravan" 😂😂🤣🤣 quote of the day for me.
Great vlog. I really like the way you both are so open and honest.
Carly did a great job on the headliner.
And what a lovely HubNut job the trailer connector was.
Keep these great vids coming. They are so good to watch. Normal people having non polished lives. same reason I like Whiteland Restoration and UpnDown so much. No slick social media production but the real stuff.
All the best from the Netherlands. 👍🏻🤎
Bob's wheel trims reminds me of those on a Holden VN Commodore.
The ones they had on the 4 cylinder model in New Zealand.
Headliner looks great, top job Miss Hub Nut!!...I did mention in your first posting of Bob that being that it had sat in a field for so long that you really needed to check the wheel bearings, especially if you had a few long trips in mind, but glad you got to it before anything bad happened with it...Loving your travels!!...❤
Rat runs concern me greatly. A while back near Swindon I was pulling our of a country lane and had a 40ft trailer. I had to take a very tight turn radius left which means the headboard of the trailer sticks out after the unit has completed its turn. A transit van doing about 100 mph appears from nowhere and I think WIPEOUT! Somehow he misses me, god knows how. This is how people get killed.
Yeah I know what you mean, I had just picked up my day fresh old Alfa 156 on one of those roads, a transit van came towards me on a 'rat run' so I pulled over to the left hand side of the road as much as I could and stopped, it still hit me and and because no witnesses ended up being a 'half and half' on the insurance.
@@neodonkey That is madness. Sometimes that is where cameras are worth their weight in gold.
So lovely that you are enjoying camping in Bob. Hope Betty wasn't to worried at visiting the crash site. Can't believe it was a year ago.
"Happy stress and carefree days " and isn't that what we all we want in life. Make the most of them I say
Ms Hubnut did a great job with the headliner.
I bought my caravan of Mick of said Skoda that was tested from near Market Raisen. Lovely part of the world. Great video as always, love the review of the campsite.
I must say that an adult's only caravan park sounds quite intriguing!
I stayed on one in Anglesey very quiet and peaceful. Plus toilets were really clean and the site was well kept.
It has an odd ring to it, but it does thankfully just mean no children.
Long as you don't have to swap........or maybe?
Or possibly an 'adult's only' channel on the park's wifi?
really enjoyed this video, that headliner repair is very impressive, never really looked at the Bob variety of accommodation but it's just so easy, looks great
Glad you both had a nice adventure together and sorted out Bob as well.
Betty’s roof liner look’s good 👍🏼 a tip on the camper canvas they hold up water resistance well but if you get leakage use fabsil in pump up garden sprayer, works a treat, we’re in Lincs coastline at present with the Conway 😬
Nice to see you both enjoying your trips, the fuel used is offset abit by not having to spend every night in a Premier inn/ travelodge.
Have you seen the price of some campsites? Premier Inn can be cheaper!
Not the ones we stay at! Usually £20-25 per night, plus a little extra for dogs.
@@HubNut Congratulations on choosing Mick Withers (Undercoverc.i) to make your new cover, I've not seen any of his work in 6 years or so, but it was always first class. He will also modify designs to provide a deeper cover to allow additional storage.
If you can wean yourself off the electric hook up, there are still sites that are £5 per person per night or £10 per unit. I've got a 2kW heater in my Dandy's floor and have a gas fridge freezer. A fondness for kerosene pressure lamps lights the unit or takes the chill off it on many nights.
The Dandy is PVC coated polyester, but from past experience with canvas, I think you are dead wrong about using Fabsil to reproof a folding camper.
They don't advertise the parts any more, but if you are stuck for parts for the Conway you could try contacting Tent Valeting Services at Farnworth who bought all of Conway's parts after problems with Conway.
@@COIcultist Absolutely right. Camping and motor homing is a lifestyle choice, certainly not a cost saving one.
@@Kenny_P_abz I think it can be both, I've been on £30 a night sites, but some places make that look cheap. Extras for dogs an additional car, extortionate hook up fees etc. Yet the cheap sites are often just as good. In Dent, North Yorkshire there are two campsites, one far more expensive than the other, but after the more expensive site has been overloaded with campers the cheaper site's facilities are more available.
I've had problems this year, but I tend to do two or three events per year plus some other shows with cheap camping, that is when not needing a hookup is vital.
Caravans can easily be a money pit and don't have the space of a folding camper.
Motorhomes, expensive even for old kit. Mind you would want to buy old kit if you live in Greater Manchester, Comrade Burnham's great plan for a clean air charge. (it's on hold at the moment after he spent £100sM on the cameras) doesn't allow for privately owned motorhomes to escape the charge. £10 pd for those under 3.5 tonnes £63 pd for those over, unless of course your vehicle is over 40 years old.
What a gorgeous sunset over the lake. Not having a go - but that would have made a fantastic pttchooo moment.
Even so, the pttchooo on the end was, very HubNut and, as such, most entertaining.
As ever, thanks for the ride and for all the information along the way, it all makes for an interesting viewing experience.
Lady Hubnut is a camping Gem...your a lucky man Mr Hub nut
Even with Betty's grunt, you just can't beat a diesel on heavy loads IMO. Worst van I ever drove was a 2.6 litre Toyota Previa petrol. I think it had about 160hp, so on paper its great, but 16v of course with that characteristic anaemia at low revs and all the power in the top end, and a 4 speed slushbox. Totally mismatched engine and drivetrain. Result was you could could either travel at about 50mph or 90mph and there was almost no in between. Fuel economy was awful too. I became convinced then that even a beefier petrol is just no match for low down lug of a diesel.
Our LDV 400 long wheel base (3.5 tonne capacity!) home made camper conversion had all of 75 naturally aspirated horses of XD3 goodness, and never struggled with anything, he even towed my Peugeot 206 when it broke down (hit a pot hole so hard it caused the accident sensor to cut off the fuel pump) and the Mrs said you didn't notice it was towing anything. Fast it wasn't but it would plug its way through thick and thin. Ran even better when you chucked some straight vegetable oil in the tank mixed with diesel.
That PSA lump in Bella is a good un too. They'll be people more knowledgeable than me no doubt but my experience is that PSA make superb engines and crap gearboxes. I think the french get a bad rap - they mess up on a lot, but they've made some great engines. The Renault diesel in my Volvo V40 was also top notch and very reliable engine, bought at 170K miles and it ran like it was brand new, it was flawless.
You both seem to have really taken to camping life! Loving that.
Great little Vlog and what a lovely sunset over the lake. Thank you for sharing this vlog and your break away.
Driving a big Aussie piece of iron along those British narrow roads (Aust footpaths) is the "Festival of the stressed and anxious" Best wishes from Australia
If a 4.0l straight six designed for towing over long distances could “feel” bobs weight imagine the little berlingo.
Amazing. Nothing has changed. We had a holiday near Tregaron in 1991. We nearly had a number of accidents with locals coming around bends in the wrong side. Eventually it was an escaped sheep dog that we hit. It died and the front left of my MK2 Cavalier SRI was mashed. But we did see some excellent banger racing while we were there.
Went out to Lampeter to visit an old friend years ago and I had an exceptionally fun drive out in my Alfa 33, beautiful part of the world. Always tow in sport mode, saves the transmission hunting too much in an automatic.
Automatics seem really poor for towing. They're inefficient enough without adding a lot of load. Good old manual and diesel torque always seem to win out. I did once see a 911 towing a caravan but that is just wrong, it hurt my soul.
The quietness of Betty on the road never ceases to impress me,I have been in an AU in Australia and it was the same .
Aye. She's beautiful peaceful.
Nice to see you over in Leicestershire. We live very close to Stanton Lakes. 👍
Love the video, especially as you ended up close to my own home, south of Leicester! Eaten at that restaurant a couple of times in its pre-tapas days. More camping stuff please!
The new headliner makes quite a difference to the appearance of the car. Looks even more posh now - congrats!
I'm glad there are lots of comments about the headliner, it's really a huge improvement/effort.
That's one of the big differences between petrol and diesel engines. Put a load behind a petrol and fuel consumption crashes, do the same with a diesel and consumption is much less affected. But at least you're getting there! Dragging my Pennine Pullman down to the southern tip of Cornwall in about a week's time.
I never knew I'd find camping so interesting to watch 😃
Just remember the forces acting on yout rear axle when towing. I was advised by a Citroën breaker that they can go at any time. Mine 60k my cousin's at 250k plus. Good luck!
Great to see you having some quiet time together. Looking forward to seeing the Belingo back on the road now.
If your camper is actually canvas and not vinyl ,it apparently will leak if you touch it on the inside when it’s raining.The oil from your skin will make it pourus where it’s touched.
another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍
As a former truckdriver motorway services with a bin of my life, when I travel on motorways now I look out for close supermarkets and I believe you can get a app that will tell you where they are you can save a fortune, as always great video thank you
Would be lovely to get the name of that app. I travel by road a lot too and also hate those Rip-off-Britain motorway services.
@@evertdevries8814 there's 'The Extra Mile'. A book which lists all the places to eat etc just off the motorway and avoiding service areas. Not sure if they've produced an app, but that possibly wouldn't be a bad idea!
@@andrewhaines3259 Thanks Andrew (& David). Probably enough data now to start looking for the book and to find an App if there is one.
Wheel trims on the Cruiser look smart and appropriately retro. Great work on the Ford's headliner Ms HubNut!
Absolutely brilliant video Ian Miss hubnut 👍there are a lot of nice sites in the UK you don't need to go abroad we have some lovely sites
Love these Bob videos,very entertaining.👍🏻
Yes I remember towing the Ford 10 and Austin 7 (separately) and watching the Petrol gauge plummet. Still I miss it.
Welcome to Lincolnshire, it is lovely here . Good job on the headliner, Carly you are a star. Petrol now £1.62.9 here in Grimsby.
I must say the trailer tent seems to be a good idea but having used a caravan for a few years I think they are the more convenient option.
Options in waze includes preventing the use of "dirt roads" which is very much an Americanism, but works for very minor single-track roads in the UK. You can use them, avoid them or "avoid long ones". Which works well. I would say "operator error" but it's not very clear for UK use at all.
Wow, that fails miserably in Georgia, in the US, where I live. Have ended up on routes the locals were not even aware of!
Your roads are former carraige or wagon ways locked by property ease ments
Google Maps is better
It can be challenging in Costa Rica, too. Waze sent me down a "paved" road just wide enough for a Fiat Uno and a great big accident, and the 2-meter wide bridge had no guard raíl.
Very interesting. Stanton Lakes is only a few miles from where I live and I never knew that it existed until now! If you are unhappy with the dip on the back of your car when towing, good old fashioned cheapo spring assistors do a reasonable job. I used to use them when I had a caravan and a succession of Vauxhall Cavaliers which had soft rear suspension.
Good effort on the headliner repair
Bob just “went a bit HunNut” for a while….
Chuffed that the dogs have taken to it. My three love the trailer tent, they would be over the moon with the poshness of a Bob!
If Bob has an Al-Ko trailer the centre hub nut (not HubNut) is a one-shot item and must be replaced every time...
Really enjoying the adventures of Bob and the HubNut gang..
The headlining is a transformation!
The guy selling petrol at £1.63p a litre in the Abergavenny filling station was emptying the forecourt tanks, prior to closing down his business for good.
Australian way is to waste resources as much as possible (because a “big country”, 😮💨) and Betty fits in that very nicely.
Another cracking video Ian and Carly. Seeing your trip though the midlands brought back some memories although it's changed a lot over the years. Changing the bearings on Bob seemed to go well given they sounded terrible. All good to hear that you're getting used to Bob's erections. Betty performed very well although as expected she needed some drinks along the way. I'm looking forward to hearing of the outcome of Bella's surgery and hopefully an up date on Elle the 2CV at some point.
Wonderful video, thanks for sharing, take care to all.
Love the Ellie deck chairs.
Hi Ian. I used to drive a Mercedes Econic with the mid steer axle. I found when I reversed into a cul-de-sac between parked cars it would track perfectly in reverse but when I drove forward the mid steer would follow the camber and pull the back end of the truck that way. Almost caught me out a couple of times until I learned to steer the opposite way to the camber. The rear steers we have tend to be the opposite and can wander down the camber going backwards but steer perfectly going forward. Just things the driver needs to get used to I suppose 🤷♂️. Keep up the good work 😀
Ah, "dog spikes", I was wondering why you wanted bikes for dogs! That is a good job to get that wheel bearing changed. I had a rear wheel bearing collapse on the Spark / Matiz a few months ago and it not recommended!
Next time you're over there it's definitely worth checking out the bubble car museum. A really quirky wee place and the owners used to build and renovate 2CVs. They still own some interesting things too which are sitting around outside. Lovely wee cafe too
Been there, just never filmed there.
@@HubNut aha I thought it would probably be on the Hubnut radar. I loved my visit there
Had a dog spike for a while. One of our dogs was fixed too it. Within minutes she appeared next to us looking very pleased, having chewed through the rope! If they don’t chew they can be useful , although now I just fix el doggo to things with a karabiner.
Your headliner looks great. The Skoda reveiw was fun. wonder what cost difference between the UK and US is in the K series engine.
You have been in Lincolnshire 😀. I have been there several times, because my brother in law is living there. Nice to see Betty as a towing vehicle. Must be a very good and comfortable car for travelling.
That fuel consumption is shocking!! 20 mpg is terrible. The first time I towed a trailer it was a 4,800 pound caravan behind a 79 Ford Thunderbird with a 5 litre V8, 2bbl carburetor, and 3 speed automatic gearbox. Certainly not anyone's idea of an economy car. It was a 300 mile trip, and the old boat managed 18-19 mpg. I was impressed considering that Daphne was right up at her weight limit!
i see you're still not folding the canvas sides- my understanding is to get all the canvas hanging as flat as pos around each side then lift/flip over the top to lay flat on the roof instead of going round lifting the frame and stuffing like in this video
That bearing sounded awful! I'm glad you're enjoying your camping adventures!
That head liner job well done Miss Hubnut and Hubnut for helping lifts the interior of Betty l was looking at it during and admiring Miss Hubnuts work l have never replaced a headliner in any of my cars vans or utes l have owned and if l am not mistaken this is your first headliner replacement and Bob what a great idea combanation of a caravan and a tent but but your freind who used to be a trailer tech was able to sort out a couple of issues with Bob and although Betty is a great towing rig been Australian built and bean a large 6 cylinder the only draw back is the thirst for petrol
Your spot on with the quality of motorway services, with one exception.
Tebay Services on the M6, near Penrith is excellent and well worth a visit
They also run Gloucester Services. Cobham Services is also lovely, the downside being that because it's an exceedingly rare good services, it's always hellishly busy.
Newark's worth a look round also - great marketplace. Lincolnshire Fens are flat but the Lincolnshire Wolds around Louth are bit lumpier. Forget Binley Mega Chippy - try the ancient coal fired beef dripping chippy in Upton village near Gainsborough, Lincs.
At least you've got a handy trailer if you remove the tent top and interior.
Really enjoying the blogs, very jealous of Bob, he looks really comfy.
It's odd seeing the interior shots of Betty, it reminds me so much of my old Mk2 Mondeo - I'd be curious to find how many common parts there are.
Remember James May's secret filming review of the City Rover, I can imagine him saying so this is the Conway Cruiser....
Looks like an excellent trip and I see you went under Leicester Forest East services on the M1. Could see that across the fields from my college back in the 80's, unfortunately not possible now due to 1,000's of new houses built since. Stanton lakes made me scratch my head a bit, so looked it up. So near Sapcote, where my Aunt lived. An area I love. Bonne route à tous !
I live in Nottingham and the only time many of us drive through Lincolnshire is to get to Skeg Vegas. Driving in the opposite direction and we can be in the stunning Peak District in 45 minutes, so unfortunately, there is no contest.
Very nice and long vlog, glad to see the trailer brake issue and wheel bearing fixed quite easily and some smart hubcabs to take a few jobs off the to-do list from a hectic week. Also thanks miss hubnut for the information, went through Lampeter recently and wondered about all the flags but definitely enjoying the 160.9 petrol while I'm around here, which was also busy with a small queue.
I'm genuinely enjoying the camping content, despite holding the personal opinion that camping should include the bare minimum of modern conveniences.
I think to be fair having proper tyres has ensured you didn’t slide off the road a second time and that no doubt the sole reason you left the road the first time was down to the cheap tyres on the AU…
While I accept my tyres were below par, what's telling is that LOTS of cars had gone off before me last time (and a truck or two) but clearly nothing has been off there within the past few months judging by vegetation.
@@HubNut and it’s just as likely that all of those who had gone veered off there also had equally poor ditchfinders on their car and as a result…they found the ditch! The other 99% of cars on that road every day clearly had better tyres on. I don’t know why you seem to struggle to accept responsibility for the fact that it was down to the tyres and nothing else, which ultimately was your own fault.
Towing with Betty, great use 👍 even if a bit expensive!
I think something that you would really benefit from is finding an awning. I know that they are as rare as rocking horse poo, but they really make a huge difference. So glad the hubmutts are enjoying the experience. Our dogs, a big standard poodle and a shi'tzu named Jake and Ellwood respectively, loved the folding camper life.
After the gazebo fiasco we have come to the same conclusion!
@@misshubnut you can get these new inflatable awnings and they are great. Parents have purchased one for their motorhome and they are really pleased on how quickly it can be put up and be put down. Also they are extremely pleased it wasn't a struggle to get back in the bag. Worth a look.
Totally agree with Bella saving money on fuel. My dads berlingo 2012 just did 262 miles using 22 litres cost £42. The astra auto he had averaged 26mpg and would’ve cost £80 for the same miles although the semi auto box had a fit in the berlingo and wouldn’t change up. Plugged in and says brake switch fault and one of the culprits could be a blown brake bulb……… sure enough passenger rear dead crazy a bulb can cause transmission problems
Fun Fact: Stanton Lakes is next to the village of Sapcote which is where Bill Maynard used to live 😀
It is a great demonstrable tent on wheels its not going to be very warm in the autumn or the spring to really extend your summer into the autumn you do need a ---caravan--- its stops the morning frost from building up on Ian's beard in October when the caravan and camp sites that are still going are dirt cheap.
If I was to be so bold as to suggest the ideal Hubnut camping setup 'twould be thus: an old but dry Talbot /Peugeot Campervan with Daihatsu Charade in tow. If you can get a Charade you're half way there.
I almost certainly drove past you at your crash site coming home from a visit to Lincoln last year, but as a result I can thoroughly recommend Lincoln as a very interesting place to visit. Lots of history, good and varied eateries and a good overall vibe. Smell the roses too folks.
Hallo, der Wohnwagenanhänger ist sehr praktisch schnell aufgebaut und nicht so schwer für ein Auto zum Ziehen.Das Radlager macht Geräusche, entweder Fett rein dann geht das noch eine Weile oder we chseln, das ist nicht allzu schwer.
Ein schönes Video, schöne Landschaften.
Viel Spaß weiterhin und vielen Dank für das Video.
Liebe Grüße aus HH(Hansestadt-Hamburg) an alle.
Aus standard is 50mm ball. The old owner of Betty in NZ must have had an ancient trailer and used a very old pre metric ball to match the ancient hitch on the trailer draw bar...
NZ seems to be an odd mix of both sizes...
One issue that I had with my trailer, and looking at yours, the boot behind the tow hitch looks a bit compressed. Inside the tow bar there is a sort of gas strut damper, so when you brake the car, the trailer pushes on this and a linkage applies the brake under the hand brake lever. ( mine are cable and your hydraulic but it must work the same).
If the gas strut is weak when you brake the car the trailer pushes on the tow ball applying the trailer brake to much, trailer gets jerked back, clonk, the trailer brake comes off. Worth checking but its kind of hard to do.
The fault was the brake adjustment, so the damper was taking all of the load during braking, which it isn't designed to do. Now the brakes are adjusted, there is no thump with either tow vehicle.
That headliner's a cracking job
Living down here now I can highly recommend Sussex beautiful part of the country!
The insides look so much nicer than when you first showed it off .
Try a car rear awcng or car tent awning from arond 30 to 80 double for post from ali express also get inflatable car bed arond 20.00
Effortless driving with Betty, you would forget that the camper was on the back of those cars So how much fuel do you buy for 80 pound, I used to get in the high 20mpgs like 28 almost 30mpg, again has the airflow meter been cleaned out. I guess that the od is working usually these cars will be doing 100kph at around under 1500rpm
In my working life, I spent quite a few years in RV parts. Those wheel bearings were a frequent sell.
We had a similar beautiful waze experience last week in and around Builth Wells (visited New Quay and Barmouth on your recommendation to great popular acclaim 👍). I suspect that the algorithm interprets the national speed limit quoted single track roads as faster than the trunk roads with the many Welsh speed limits. Whatever the cause, we had some truly wonderful drives.
Thank you for the update, it's good to see Betty and Ian exorcising the ghost of 2021. The money spent on Bella has to be factored in as an inevitable cost for a vehicle of that age and mileage. You still have excellent value motoring ahead from her. I'm a bit puzzled why you needed sat nav to get from New Quay to Lampeter (I know that you were going to FOTU but you could ignore that bit of the route), and even more puzzled that you then followed it, but there we go! Thanks again.
I drove around Wales back in the day when maps were paper, folded into complicated shapes. I went past one distinctive farmhouse three times, an hour apart! Oh, for a navigator!
your a braver man than I am Ian with that bearing. I would have done it right away But that is why we follow HN channel.