The 15th International Portafold & Ansfold Gathering) (i.e. 2024)

Our annual gathering will be returning to the Newbury Retrofestival.

So put the dates 9th, 10th & 11th of August 2024 in your diary now and get those dates booked off work early.

Show Address: Newbury Showground, Priors Court, Hermitage, Thatcham, West Berkshire, RG18 9QZ

Don't book direct with the show organisers it will cost you more money, just contact me (07771544419) to get your pitch saved.

Ride height

Chat and Questions on Wheels, Tyres & Hubcaps.
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JamesM
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue, 03 Aug 2021, 7:41 pm
Location: Winchester, Hampshire

Ride height

Post by JamesM » Tue, 24 Aug 2021, 3:52 pm

Some of you will have seen I'm towing mine behind a Land Rover. It's a real challenge to get the towbar low enough to keep the portafold level.

Anyone had success with raising the ride height e.g. spacers between the frame and suspension, bigger wheels...

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Admin
Posts: 856
Joined: Sun, 05 Nov 2006, 8:53 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset

Re: Ride height

Post by Admin » Tue, 24 Aug 2021, 4:03 pm

You could try fitting 12" wheels as per the early vans.

There's some good info from the late Steve Lord about wheels on these threads:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=118

http://www.portafold.co.uk/forum/viewto ... ?f=9&t=178

http://www.portafold.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=144
Matthew
portafold.co.uk
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Wanted: Any original Portafold, Ansfold or Mini-Motel brochures, adverts or magazine articles.
Also, any chassis numbers for the above caravans!

knockdolian
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed, 01 Feb 2017, 8:43 pm
Location: Yeovil, Somerset

Re: Ride height

Post by knockdolian » Tue, 24 Aug 2021, 6:22 pm

Can you not fit a tow ball relocation plate or an adjustable tow ball ?

JamesM
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue, 03 Aug 2021, 7:41 pm
Location: Winchester, Hampshire

Re: Ride height

Post by JamesM » Wed, 25 Aug 2021, 12:44 pm

Thanks for the tips, I'll look into finding some 12" wheels (there's lots of space around my 10" ones).

My landy's rear cross-member is 20" off the ground, a long towbar drop plate brings two challenges: firstly I lost most of my ground clearance (meaning I need to make it removeable, or it'll remove itself the first time I go over a rock!) and secondly there's a lot of torsion from the leverage on the drop-plate.

knockdolian
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed, 01 Feb 2017, 8:43 pm
Location: Yeovil, Somerset

Re: Ride height

Post by knockdolian » Wed, 25 Aug 2021, 2:41 pm

I was thinking more of the adjustable / removable type.

JamesM
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue, 03 Aug 2021, 7:41 pm
Location: Winchester, Hampshire

Re: Ride height

Post by JamesM » Mon, 13 Jun 2022, 1:14 pm

I think I've cracked it. Got a pair of 12" wheels with a small offset, and fitted 145/80 tyres.

They sit nicely in the wheel arches but there's very limited clearance for bumps, so I bought some 30mm thick engineering nylon and cut out spacer blocks (nylon is very strong but quite easy to work with woodworking hand tools, power tools are too fast and melt the material). The torsion bar and lower suspension is just held on by 8 bolts through the chassis and into the void below the seats, so I took that off and refitted with longer bolts:
PF spacer.jpg
PF spacer drilled.jpg
Put it all back together and I've now got about 2" lift which makes it sit much more cleanly behind my land rover. Did a short run over the weekend and handles nicely.
PF wheels fitted.jpg
Now to paint the wheels to match, can't see any way to get hubcabs back on short of welding tabs to the wheels and having it all rebalanced.

Rooneytoons
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon, 24 Feb 2014, 9:58 pm
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Re: Ride height

Post by Rooneytoons » Fri, 09 Dec 2022, 7:29 pm

i think you'll find there the wrong type of wheels for hubcaps

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