first timer caravan owner... Please help!!

[greengem87]

Hello all!

What a world of info this group has on older caravans!! Iv spent many hours reading many of the threads its so interesting.

So, my story for finding this website comes from a few weeks ago, we currently have a few cars for sale as my partner has a serious love for what he describes as "rusty gold" or "gold mines" and I must admit quite a keen eye for a bargain, so he buys and sells cars after doing them up,

being that he isn't at all tech savvy, I do the advertising part, and as many may know a large portion of interested buyers attempt to make a swap deal rather then make cash offers. So, a few weeks ago I was approached by a lady who was keen on one of the vehicles we have making an offer to swap something of interest.. a caravan. We figured it couldn't hurt to have a look and after inspecting it, we loved it! Its old, it has a little need for some DIY and its a change from another car to fix.
Its a Franklin Hunter approx 14ft, 4 berth caravan.

so, I got all the numbers ect off it to check it over and find out more info as the current owner is unsure of the year ect.Were in Victoria and it has a Vic reg number plate which after iv researched doesn't come up in their system?So I searched the Chassis number welded to the draw bar, which is X-8173 and this comes up unknown also?

so, my first question is.. Can anyone tell me the year it was built by this number or is it possible the number is "dodgy"? How would I go with getting it registered? This is our first Van and we don't know all that much about caravans and the registration side of things in Victoria.

Its a lovely caravan with so much potential and the ideas with a slight rebuild are flowing but is this above our heads for first time owners??

Please help any info would be fantastic at this point!! cheers!!

[Mustang]

Hi Greengem,
Welcome to our forum of Classics.
We have some Franklin tragics who will be along soon with the info you need, there were a lot of Arrows made & a very popular van.
Cheers

[greengem87]

Thanks so much! I’m excited to learn a little more about it!!

[pisces51]

G'day greengem87, and welcome to the forum!

We work on the basis that the 'X' series of chassis numbers for the Franklins is from 1976. The numbers 8173 after the X means the van is the 8,173rd chassis built during 1976, which would have been reasonably close to the end of the year. There should be an oval RVMAA badge on the van, probably just beside the door handle somewhere. There is a serial number stamped on the bottom of the badge, and that number will be around about the 10,000 mark.

A quick checklist will tell you whether you have a "good" example of a Franklin Hunter, or not...

1. Both Franklin nameplates should be on the van - one each above the front and rear windows
2. The RVMAA badge should be on the van
3. There should be Hunter stickers on the van - one on the side wall up next to the top left corner of the door, and one in the centre at the back above the stop/tail light.
4. There should be minimal damage (the less the better) to the side walls of the van. The composite construction method used for building the side walls in the Franklin factory means they are not as easy to repair as the walls on Viscounts of Millards from the same era.
5. There should be minimal evidence of water damage to the interior wall panelling around each and every window on the side walls, due to the repair difficulties in Point 4 above.
6. The exterior cladding should look like it just needs a good wash to bring it back to something like factory condition.

If you tick all those boxes, you have a van that's certainly worth putting time and effort into "bringing it back to life" as a Classic van.

I've just spent last weekend at a little caravan park in Batlow NSW (down in Snowy Mountains territory). There was an on-site 16ft Franklin Arrow in fairly good condition with the chassis number X5404 and an RVMAA badge serial number 007707. What was unusual about this van is that the Franklin badges had a blue background, rather than the usually common red background. The van had two blue stripes along the sides of the van, and the same colour stripes across the front weathershield, and the blue in the badges matched the blue on the van. I'm pretty sure the badges were coloured that way in the factory and not painted by someone later (the fixing rivets were plain coloured and not painted over), so perhaps this van was celebrating some sort of special event??

If you click on this link it will show you all the threads on the forum where the word Hunter is in the heading.

Edit: Oops, mustang threw me for a loop by using the word 'Arrow' in his reply. Yours is the 'Hunter' model, so I've changed the words I used.

cheers,
Al.

[snoops]

Yep, you have a 1976 Model.

Rego is easy as in Victoria. You'll need to book an appointment at your nearest Vicroads branch and take the van there. It will need to be in roadworthy condition, but doesn't need a RWC. Tyres, Brakes and lights are all checked.

You used to need a weighbridge ticket, but not anymore, however they will ask you what the tare and gross weight of the van is.  For this, you will need to know how much it weighs - my guess is around 1,000 to 1,100Kg but go run it across a weighbridge - with water tank full and a gas bottle and spare tyre.  Whatever this comes to add around 200Kg's for your other stuff - clothes, food, TV, etc, etc.  One of the bonuses of registering an old van is you can make up the new gross weight for it, but don't go beyond what the axle and tyres are rated at.

You'll need a receipt from the previous owner with their details on it, your details on it and the amount paid. If the chassis number isn't in use by anything else (remembering that this is pre VIN, so sometimes 2 trailer by 2 different manufacturers ended up with the same number) then they will measure the length and do the paperwork. Once you've paid your dollars - around $67 for the reg, $20 odd for the plate and a few dollars in transfer fees, you'll get a new plate for it. No RWC, No Electrical inspection, no gas inspection - easy as.

Before going to Vicroads, make sure it's 100% safe to tow - the brakes, etc but also the chassis and drawbar - the drawbars can rust from the inside but look fine from outside. Easy enough job to replace though if your partner can weld. It may need some moulds re sealling if it's sat for ages as the old mastic cracks over time - you'll know the first time it rains. Don't worry most old vans leak, and it can be fixed.

Remember you've bought something old and will need some TLC from time to time like an old car so it sounds like you'll be all over that anyway.

If you can post up some pics, that would help us see what sort of condition it is in too.

What part of Vic are you in?

[planner]

Oct 17, 2017 23:51:44 GMT 10 greengem87 said:

so, my first question is.. Can anyone tell me the year it was built by this number or is it possible the number is "dodgy"? How would I go with getting it registered? This is our first Van and we don't know all that much about caravans and the registration side of things in Victoria.

Its a lovely caravan with so much potential and the ideas with a slight rebuild are flowing but is this above our heads for first time owners??

Please help any info would be fantastic at this point!! cheers!!

Hi Greengem

The chassis numbers do look "dodgy" on the Franklins (and possibly other manufacturers of the same era). They were freehand welded onto the top of the drawbar. Without seeing a photo the number sounds as if it's likely legit, and if it's not, that's no real drama anyway. As Snoops said Vicroads don't need a VIN #, just a serial #.

I've got a Franklin Arrow with an X739 serial number, so likely ours were built the same year. Common thoughts are that X means 1976.

Ours was registered when we bought it, so we didn't have to have it inspected. We just paid the transfer and all was done.

Put up a couple of photos and that will let people know the scope of the works. I'd had no experience with caravan works before starting ours about 5 years ago. Most of its not that hard, they're only held together with glue and staples


Cheers
Planner