You’ve finally fulfilled that promise to yourself to buy, but winter is coming! It’s advisable to get your static caravan transported and sited for static caravan buyers before the cold and dark season ‘sets in’ – and in this new blog we’ll explain why.
Siting conditions
It’s not just the weather which dictates the need to transport and site your caravan before winter. It’s also the effects of that weather on site conditions. Soft ground is a major issue. Moving your static caravan is almost certainly going to involve some sort of ‘off roading’ – that is to say, your caravan is probably going to be sited on some land away from a road and transporting it to this resting place will mean travel across troublesome fields or uneven terrain.
In these instances, the combined weight of the caravan and the transporter it is moving on will make getting your static to its final location much more difficult once the weather has turned for winter. The ground will have become sodden and soft, and this will come after travelling to the site along various roads and lanes which will themselves present transportation challenges for large vehicles.
The average static caravan is between five and seven tonnes, so with an articulated truck and trailer as the delivery vehicle, you’re talking about a possible total combined weight of around 17 to 19 tonnes. Putting this enormous sum onto soft ground, potentially even waterlogged, will cause problems as the terrain is not going to be hard and solid enough to cope with the combined weight. The lanes the vehicles have to travel may also have been churned up due to the weather conditions and become impassable to a transporter.
Some people may be moving their static to a relatively small space such as a private garden, in which case a lighter vehicle (perhaps a 4×4) could be used to manoeuvre the caravan and push it across soft ground into position (dependent on the size of the caravan, too, of course).
In either case – larger site or private garden – it’s probable that some form of preparation (perhaps a hard standing area) will need to be sorted out in advance. The weather conditions can have a bearing on any groundworks which may need to go ahead in advance of delivery / resiting of the static caravan.
Road closures and diversions
There are various factors around the use of roads which are going to determine the success of siting your static caravan. If a road is closed, then this could mean significant delays. In addition, the road you had intended as the best route to site may be closed with a diversion in place – and this diversion may not be suitable, again meaning delivery and siting is not possible at the planned time.
Cold weather can affect facilities and service
We’ve talked about the weather conditions making certain roads and lanes impassable and affecting the pitch itself – but there is another issue which can arise in the winter and cause problems when you want to site your caravan. The cold.
Just like in a domestic home, the cold can cause problems with on-site services such as gas and plumbing – particularly if they have been out of use for a while – so any effect on these things will mean a delay to your static caravan being liveable in its new location, if you have been able to deliver it in the first place. Bear in mind, also, that if there have been problems with pipework and delivery hardware below the surface of the ground, the ground itself could be a cause of delays as it is likely to be too hard to excavate and work through. Again, more delays.
How to avoid winter problems when resiting your caravan
It is, of course, possible to negotiate or navigate all of these things during the winter, but you are making things much more difficult for yourself!
There are definitely ways to reduce problems when getting your static into place, and the main one is to do it before the winter arrives, when the weather is warmer, and the general conditions are more temperate. It’s always advisable to do a site survey prior to delivery, so that you know in advance what you are going to be dealing with at each stage (and this is whether it is winter or not).
Remember, at Daly we are static caravan buyers as well as sellers – so we have a lot of experience and we’re experts in all issues relating to relocation, transportation, and siting. We buy static caravans regularly and so can answer any of your questions regarding your sale. If you’re thinking “Will Daly buy my static caravan?” then let’s talk!