hadagentry Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 I am new to motor homes, and on a steep learning curve. :) does anyone know what the plastic blanking/access screw in the middle of the rear bumper is for? its about 1.25" with a coin slot to allow removal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Paul. I’ve attached a photo of a Ravenna’s rear end and I believe that (after the small round plastic plug in the rear bumper’s lower centre has been removed) you poke the long wheelbrace extension ‘handle’ through the resultant hole in the bumper to allow you to wind the vehicle’s spare-wheel down and up. If you have the Ford Transit manual, you should find more details there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadagentry Posted May 23, 2018 Author Share Posted May 23, 2018 Many Thanks: I will read up on changing wheels. As I said, I am on a steep learning curve as this is not only my first camper van, but also my first Van, and I have no caravan experience either. Its been Kit Cars and small trailers and tents so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 This (very amateur!) YouTube video-clip may give you some idea of the procedure involved I owned a Transit Mk 5-based Herald motorhome from 1998-2004 and a similar system was used (and I also owned a 1962 Turner kit-car in the 1960s/70s). I believe I recall that, for the Transit chassis your Ravenna has, the standard scissors-jack was said to have insufficient ‘lift’ when changing a rear wheel and that a big aluminium block was provided (stored within the spare-wheel?) that the jack needed to be positioned on. You might be wise to carry out a wheel change as an experiment - at least you’d then know what potential problems this task might entail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 When it comes to wheel-changing, this 2009 forum discussion may be of interest. http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Auto-Sleeper-Ravenna-Rienza-rear-wheel-removal/17345/ As I mentioned in my posting of 30 September 2009 9:49 AM there, in order to change a rear wheel Ford Transits with rear-wheel drive are normally jacked up beneath the rear axle, which compresses the suspension’s leaf-spring and moves the wheel upwards. This is OK if there is plenty of clearance around the wheel, but that was often not the case wth motorhomes built on Transit. The attached photo of a Ravenna shows how the top of the rear wheel is partially ‘shrouded’. The following forum entries have “Ravenna” in them somewhere (though this might not relate to a motorhome!) https://tinyurl.com/y9nwrnxh Regarding the learning curve, when considering buying our first motorhome I was in the same position as you when it came to ‘outdoor leisure’ - just the odd bit of tenting and no caravanning experience. But I did have my kit-car background to draw on and motorhomes are essentially just large kit-cars. Suggest you lay your hands on John Wickersham’s book “The Motorcaravan Manual”. This covers basic technical aspects of a motorhome and earlier editions can be obtained for just a few quid. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorcaravan-Manual-Choosing-Using-Maintaining/dp/1844250474/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8Q5J22B0VTWQNQY4SX7V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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