Conrad Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Hints and tips in short supply, so here's one for what it's worth! Leave your handbrake off when van is not used, you'll know why if you've ever left one on with any vehicle even for a couple of weeks and had to free off the brake shoes. Engage reverse gear of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc4242 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Hi Conrad I always leave vehicles in first gear with the handbrake on and that includes the campers and often theye not moved for weeks at a time. Does your tip apply to just certain brake types? Why reverse gear? Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Parked up over the winter I leave my M/H in gear / handbrake off / wheels chocked up, to protect the cables from stretching . Brian B ps, Still have the original cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 There are mixed messages on-line regarding best practice handbrake-wise when a motorhome is to be out of action for a long period. It’s universally recommended that the handbrake be left off and the wheels be ‘chocked’, but whether or not a motorhome (with a manual transmission) be put in gear seems to be moot. Personally (like Conrad) I put my motorhome into reverse gear, but the ‘logic’ of doing this is that the vehicle is parked with its front bumper very close to a fence and - as there is nothing behind the motorhome - if I accidentally started the motor while the motorhome is in gear, I’d rather it moved backwards rather than forwards. (It's perhaps worth adding that my motorhome is parked on level tarmac and, even if I left the handbrake off, left the gearbox in neutral and did not chock the wheels, it would not roll forwards or backwards.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 marc4242 - 2020-01-11 8:38 AM Hi Conrad I always leave vehicles in first gear with the handbrake on and that includes the campers and often theye not moved for weeks at a time. Does your tip apply to just certain brake types? Why reverse gear? Marc Hi Marc, I'm guessing, but think most vans have brake shoes rather then brake pads on rear wheels where handbrake works, when handbrake is on they are held against the drum and can stick over time. Talking hammers to free them!!! Reverse is lower gear ratio than even first ( ask your grandparents if they are around, about having to reverse up hills in the "good old days!" )so will stop the van from moving better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 It’ will almost certainly be the case that most motorhomes with rear disk brakes have a handbrake that applies brake-shoes within a brake-drum. But that preponderance is not really surprising as most motorhomes with rear disks are built on a Boxer/Ducato/Relay base that has a drums/brake-shoes handbrake system. Although it indeed used to be the norm for reverse-gear to be lower (numerically higher) than 1st gear and this could be advantageous when an underpowered, overloaded truck needed to be cajoled up a very steep hill, reverse-gear is commonly higher than 1st on modern vehicles. However, even when reverse gear is higher (or lower) than 1st gear, the difference won’t be huge. Logically, if a vehicle is to be parked on a upwards slope, it would make sense to engage 1st gear or, if it is to be parked on a downwards slope, it would make sense to engage reverse gear. But on a flattish surface either reverse or 1st should do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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