|
|
Post by doublechevron on Jan 6, 2017 14:09:42 GMT 10
That old girl is in lovely condition inside. Most you see are destroyed from years of leaking and neglect!
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Jan 6, 2017 10:27:42 GMT 10
BTW we have an Australian built sunliner motorhome 240,000km no leaks no breakages and it has done the Birdsville , Strzelecki and Oodnadatta tracks also the great Central Road plus a few other supposed 4wd tracks all with no damage or leaks not even a loose screw of broken catch I have seen a few pommy and european vans and motorhomes that have been wrecked just on tar  Oh I also have a 48 yr old Viscount made here that also does not leak even when cleaned with a gurnie  I go out of my way to buy Australia stuff..... But the majority of caravans made out here are just appalling .... Have a look at the Rogues gallery over on the caravaners forum. I had the wall cladding off a well know highly thought of aussie 'van recently. it was only 4 years old from memory. Nothing was sealed, it was already rotting around the wheel arches (the decorative trims are just screwed over the top of the timber and not sealed). All of the wiring was a hideous mess of cables strung through poorly hacked into framing with no support at all.... All of the 12 volt wiring ........... WAS ONLY TWISTED TOGETHER. So when it shakes apart it'll drop to the bottom of the wall where it can't be access without removing all of the caravans cladding. The "insulation" ... bloody hilarious and pathetic. Such a lovely looking caravan on the outside... such a poorly built piece of junk underneath. My parents have bought a new Bailey a couple of years back. My father spoke to the person/manager of them in Australia. They have done huge testing of them... which is unheard of for any caravan in Australia. he saw pictures of the caravans they hammered over the car proving grounds. Some of the furniture fell out and was displaced. So they fixed anythign that failed. Have a look at the Bailey factory tours. It's not a stapled together pile of matchsticks like aussie vans. They have the hugely thick composite floor, thick sandwich panel walls and roof. The furnture all locks in over the walls and the roof is bolted in together making one seriously tough box. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBrXICtUq0gWould you do this on any assie 'van. Climb up and look at the roofs of a lot of aussie 'vans. It's collapsing in under the weight of the A/C unit... and isn't crowned at all so water doesn't pool. You certainly would never walk or stand on one. Bailey in Austrlia is now making them on local heavy chassis so they "look" australian too. seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Jan 5, 2017 14:14:26 GMT 10
If you ever buy another modern 'van .... Take a look at the Bailey range of caravans. bolted together at the corners... massively strong. Proper wiring harnesses you can access ( they have a wiring channel down the inside of the caravan). If you look at the modern Baileys there beautifully built..... Now look at what has been fitted in Australia. Climb up and look on the roof. Everything fitted in the UK is bloody lovely... seated down into nice layer of sealer and cleaned. Now look at the aussie fitted A/C and aerials.... Bloody disgusting... about 17 tubes of silicon just pumped every bloody where ( they no doubt cross there fingers at the same time and hope it doesn't leak). The roll out awning. Rather than running it around the built in rail... they get a massive drill bit and just ram it into the built in sail rail to allow easier access. Basically the aussie fitted stuff is appalling... Just like an Aussie 'vans.
seeya,
Shane L.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Jan 5, 2017 10:33:10 GMT 10
I travel on the western end of the Warrego Hwy and Ipswich Rd on reasonably regular basis and I see anything from 6 -20 caravans depending on the day and time. On the caravaners forum in middle of last year there was a post about people not using towing mirrors so out curiosity I started to take notice of caravan tow vehicles that do not any suitable mirrors. The numbers of people not using tow mirrors(and breaking the law) on their vehicles consistently averages out to about 25 - 30 %. ADR 14/02 is the rule that tells you what the field of vision behind your vehicle should be. If an accident were to happen due to not having the correct field of vision it would a fine and possibility of not be paid out by your insurance company. Below is a pararagrah from the ADR relating to the drivers side(passenger side has similar wording). There a few different mirrors it lists with different field of vision, but this "which is parallel to the median longitudinal vertical plane and passing through the outermost point of the vehicle " is the same for every mirror. "The field of vision must be such that the driver can see at least a 5 m wide, flat, horizontal portion of the road, which is bounded by a plane which is parallel to the median longitudinal vertical plane and passing through the outermost point of the vehicle on the driver's side of the vehicle and extends from 30 m behind the driver's ocular points to the horizon." Retired John, Although this ADR does talk about review cameras it appears the use of them to be only legal for large trucks. Warren Well that IS interesting I have in fact asked the local plod about this when pulled in on the way to a vv event at Evans Head and their answer was, so long as you can see the rear corners of the van in the mirrors it is fine  which because of the well forward site of the mirrors I can JUST but when I also enquired re the reversing cam but wired in permanently he said it was a good idea for "tailgaters" which is why we put one in the motorhome in the first place  The difference is the old '68 Viscount is only 7' wide not 8' like many new units , however saying that a set of wider mirrors would be nice if it were possible to fit them without damage to the vehicle . I do believe the plod view H plate cars and vans differently because for a start we do not even have seat belts  some do not have indicators and other vintage models have brakes on 2 wheels only or a band on the tailshaft and all are legal to drive on the road . I agree however re modern units we see many d/cab utes towing blocks of flats with standard mirrors which is madness and not just because of the mirror situation they probably have those super expensive "clearview" towing mirror. They are installed where the standard mirrors are, but can be extended outward for towing. eg: www.ebay.com.au/itm/BettaView-Caravan-Towing-Mirrors-Toyota-Landcruiser-200-Series-With-Indicators-/141911166302?hash=item210a908d5e:g:3yAAAOSwGjpXTZ-Zseeya Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 30, 2016 12:54:12 GMT 10
John needs this for his Zepher .....  How sweet is that, it just popped up for sale on one of the facebook groups. A towing dolly. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 30, 2016 10:46:47 GMT 10
Mmmmmm my car and van is my profile pic definitely not a ute as for overhang the majority of cars and 4wd my Z included have the ball at 1m or less from the centre of the diff ( The Z is 905mm) the only units further back are as you say American and dualcab utes , the US units fair well because of their longer wheelbase the dualcab utes not so well and often bend their chassis if too heavy a load is placed on the ball  have you measured the distance on your Citroen's you may get a surprise . The other point worth mentioning is no amount of hydrolic's on the rear axle can transfer weight back to the front it is basic physic's weight on the ball will remove weight off the steer in ALL vehicles the article here is a good basis for understanding this even LR's and Jeeps which claim to be capable of reversing the laws of physics caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/caravan-nose-weight/That's for sure. Your not applying any of the rear axle load to the front. However your not **removing*** it like you do when you back suspension fall downs and the front wheels lift. The car is still level, which means a correctly loaded caravan will still be level ... so if it's a twin axle it's suspension will be correctly sharing the load. Eg: when I don't have a caravan on the old Citroen. the back brake do nothing ... they just cruise along for a ride. Now I drop my caravan on .... the rear end of the car slams down to it's bump stops. The nose doesn't lift. I start the car, the rear end lifts up. Now the pressure feed to the rear brakes is the rear suspension circuit. So there is now huge pressure in the rear suspension circuit to lift the back of the car back level.... Now becase there is huge rear suspension pressure, we have huge pressure being applied to the rear brakes. The stability of the thing with the huge wheelbase and self levelling is incredible. Now if your worried about none of the weight being transfered to the front wheels, get some weight distribution bars, and pull them up. The back of the car will lift, the front will drop. Wait 15 seconds and the car will correct itself. The back will drop back down, the front will raise. The car still looks the same, but if you put wheel scales under each wheel, you will have more weight on the front wheels to aid steering and brakes. It's brilliant. It's just a shame I can't be a big heavy 4wd with Citroen suspension so I can get some decent tow capacity ( and being citroen they'd put the rear axle 2 foot further back than everyone else so it's more stable). seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 30, 2016 10:38:57 GMT 10
Mmmmmm my car and van is my profile pic definitely not a ute as for overhang the majority of cars and 4wd my Z included have the ball at 1m or less from the centre of the diff ( The Z is 905mm) the only units further back are as you say American and dualcab utes , the US units fair well because of their longer wheelbase the dualcab utes not so well and often bend their chassis if too heavy a load is placed on the ball have you measured the distance on your Citroen's you may get a surprise . The other point worth mentioning is no amount of hydrolic's on the rear axle can transfer weight back to the front it is basic physic's weight on the ball will remove weight off the steer in ALL vehicles the article here is a good basis for understanding this even LR's and Jeeps which claim to be capable of reversing the laws of physics caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/caravan-nose-weight/Oh, your avatar doesn't show up here. I reckon the modern twin cabs are unsuitable for towing from an engineering perspective. My Range Rover is poor as a tow vehicle as the rear axle is simply to far forward, which forces you to use heavy weight distribution bars to try and get the front wheels back down on the ground with some weight on them. Take the popular ones ...eg Dmax  Every single kg you add to the tray is swinging behind the axle. now put a 350kg tongue weight way, way, way back there with a huge haymen reece tow kit ... and you leverage point the caravan is swinging from has got to be 2+ meters behind the rear axle. The idea of towing with it (especially with a load in the tray) scares the hell out of me. Your weight distribution bars trying to get the front wheels back on the ground must be imposing incredible forces against the towed vehicle. Pretty sure these twin cabs then break there chassis when you head off road due to the forces involved if you google "broken chassis". seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 30, 2016 9:20:59 GMT 10
My understanding from a neighbour who is Citroen mad is that they can only handle very small ball weights and legally tow maybe 1300kg and then they struggle on hills best of luck moving that thing  I once towed a empty horse float home with a Morris 1000 ute by necessity but it was under 30km and a quiet country road with no hills was not fun in 2nd and 3rd gear not an experience I would care to repeat  The DS's ? They have an 1800kg tow capacity (very large for a vehicle of it's time). The early ones are simply to low powered to tow much with. The later ones with fuel injection maybe barely adequate, but I don't have enough faith in there cooling system to tow anything in warm weather with one. In cool weather I'd tow anything I needed to with one if I was stuck without the Range Rover for any reason. This is the Citroen I've always used for towing. Power has never been an issue. Its a 1985 CX2500 GTi Turbo I, my father imported it from the UK about 20years ago. It has similar pulling power to my V8 Range Rover.  Note: not quite as good as a DS, but see how close the towbar is to the rear axle. Most big v8 american cars had the back axle in the middle of the cars, so you throw a heavy load on the back, and the wheels are like a huge pivot point. The front lifts, the headlights search for koalas, the tail drops to ground. Towing with these concentrates the towbar weight almost directly onto the rear axle rather than pivoting against it.... Oh, and that axle also levels as it's hydraulically suspended They look so weird 'cos the back wheels are in the very corners, not 2/3rds of the way down ( well it's one of the reasons they look so weird). I have no hesitation towing any classic 'van with one Well don't tell anyone, but I've towed many a car trailer with it over the years ( "slightly" overweight I'm guessing ). Oh, your Zephyr, it's not a Ute is it ? The idea of towing with a ute has always concerned me as there is no weight on the rear axle unless you load the tray with something! seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 29, 2016 15:56:44 GMT 10
The zephyr findings are interesting. I've towed some very stupidly overloaded loads behind crappy old Citroens ( I towed a huge walk in coolroom from Geelong to Ballarat once behind the CX turbo. It used a full tank of fuel to do that short trip  ) Rock solid the whole way. The eariler tyres only run about 26psi. The period cheese cutter michelin X's ... I have been known to ( often ) roll over onto the sidewalls around corners. They are a very, very soft tyre. Yet I've never had any of the issues you describe. Infact, the old Citroens are the best towcar bar none I've ever strung a load behind. seeya, Shane L. Yes but we are talking highway speeds not walking speed and 90km might be ok at slow speed in a day but we often do 3-400km The issue was the tyre was far too big and should never have been on the rim so the rim moved around from side to side within the balloon of the tyre even at 50psi which was way too high . The LT radials are smaller cross section and 8 ply walls so with even 45psi the rear of the car does not wobble She'll be right mate  It's the dynamics as much as tires. Think 124" wheel base (longer wheelbase than a huge old chevy impala) ... The towbar is right at the rear wheels, it's as close as you can get to a 5th wheeler setup with a standard sedan (ie: the towbar is mounted pretty much right on the rear axle). Then you have center point steering, high pressure hydraulic load sensing brakes, hydraulic self levelling suspension .... and a weeny little 68hp motor desperately chugging along trying to move it all (on the early 1960 versions). Fun right The hydraulic citroens have pretty much won every "European towcar of the year" award right through to the current times where 4wd's have taken over the market even in European countries. seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 29, 2016 13:10:20 GMT 10
The zephyr findings are interesting. I've towed some very stupidly overloaded loads behind crappy old Citroens ( I towed a huge walk in coolroom from Geelong to Ballarat once behind the CX turbo. It used a full tank of fuel to do that short trip ) Rock solid the whole way. The eariler tyres only run about 26psi. The period cheese cutter michelin X's ... I have been known to ( often ) roll over onto the sidewalls around corners. They are a very, very soft tyre. Yet I've never had any of the issues you describe. Infact, the old Citroens are the best towcar bar none I've ever strung a load behind. seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 8, 2016 10:38:02 GMT 10
We pay SIX lots of full rego, hopefully after my birthday last week I will now get a discount??? You need to shift to Victoria $55 a year caravan/trailer registration (any trailer smaller than about 6foot x 4foot is free ... you stick the cars rego number on it). $70'ish a year for club permits that allow you to drive 45 days a year ( which is plenty when you have a few vehicles) and full rego is about $650'ish a year. You have reminded me, I still haven't got that car pictured back together. It's still in the shed in a million bits...... Oneday ..... seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Dec 8, 2016 10:19:19 GMT 10
he only has a picture of the mould. Has he actually made a new 'van body yet ?
seeya,
shane L.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Nov 25, 2016 13:12:37 GMT 10
I actually started sealing it today with Slika 👍 I have found silicon is far easier to trowel and finish than the polyurethane (sikaflex) type sealers. They should all do the same job though seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Oct 24, 2016 10:36:09 GMT 10
I'd go white roof and gutter silicon on the J moulds. It doesn't matter if you destroy them getting them off as the mouldings themselves aren't expensive to buy by the meter.... and silicon seems to be a lifetime 100% water tight repair if done correctly But, that is just my opinion seeya, Sahne L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 29, 2016 13:25:58 GMT 10
Actually, I reckon silicon is brilliant stuff for anything you don't want to remove. The 30year old roof seems in my caravan were troweled with silicon. It's as sound as the day it was applied. I resealed all lights, vents and tru-molds with white roof and gutter. I wouldn't use anything else. Mastic is for doors and windows, that may need to come up. Have a look at the sealant threads. You can see how I did the windows and tru-molds on mine here: ditzygypsy.proboards.com/thread/3241/time-another-project?page=6eg:  mastic for doors and windows ... with foam to protect the mastic from the elements...  this leaves you seeing only the foam from outside...  but generates so much pressure to "squeeze out" the sealer you end up with the mastic squeezed all the ways through inside, filling every void, so there is no way it can leak. I did the same thing with the roof and gutter silicon  Your after the hydraulic pressure of "squeezing" the sealer out to fill any air pocket and ensure a 100% water tight seal.  I didn't work this out myself. I've just copied "Cabcar" the caravan builder and repairers advice from the caravaners forum. seeya shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 16, 2016 13:48:18 GMT 10
If it's my old 'van ... She's a really good one. Keep hold of it!  I spent months resealing that. It should stay nice and leak free for many many moons seeya, shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 16, 2016 9:59:40 GMT 10
It really is effective. I was far from convinced... But it was very cheap. Here's the writeup i did on it www.shanescitshed.com/cx2500/air-con/citroen_cx_insulation.htmlI'm still really concerned about anyone rolling it out over 240volt wiring. Unplug the caravan and make sure any wiring is extremelly well insulated before you roll this stuff out. Remember the insulation scheme ...where quite a few people died rolling out foil insulation in roof cavities ( really .... how stupid are people ?? ). I'd run away screaming "never" if someone wanted me to roll out a conductor over high voltage A/C wiring seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Sept 15, 2016 10:38:55 GMT 10
www.lobucrod.com/I know of some nutter in Australia that smothered his car in it! Be REALLY CAREFUL rolling this out around electrical wiring... Make sure all your electricals are kept well away from it. seeya, Shane L.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 31, 2016 10:55:55 GMT 10
Its not a new problem. My parents' '85 Windsor poptop is a piece of crap, and I'm sure its no different from most other vans of the period. Stapled together out of low quality imported timber (light but no durability), slathered with silicone to seal it,furnished with nasty fabrics and wired throughout with domestic extension leads. They were built to be cheap and light, two things that aren't compatible with quality and durability. Tim Strange bit is there here ... still going strong ... 30years later Same with the windsor I have. Try finding a 22 foot long bunk room 'van 8 birth in tidy condition that weighs 1.6ton'ish in a modern 'van. They simply don't exist. (the ones that do are $35,000+ and weigh 2.6'ish tons +++). |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 30, 2016 14:34:06 GMT 10
thud, thud, thud ... done ... stapled. You'd throw a caravan frame together in seconds... it's all about cheapness of build.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 30, 2016 11:50:06 GMT 10
The thing i do not understand is that aluminium is so cheap now that the timber framing is still used. faster easier and cheaper to build. They are just stapled together crap. It takes not time at all to staple stuff together. You need to rivet together aluminium. slower and more expensive. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 29, 2016 21:47:34 GMT 10
entirely normal... sadly ........... have a look at cabcars thread over on the caravaners forum.
|
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 25, 2016 16:48:26 GMT 10
was there something wrong with your deiesel heater? There should be no fumes inside ... and all you have is a small pump. Anyway, so if you can get a ducted central heated gas furnace from a rolled pommy 'van if you want the best seeya, Shane L. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 25, 2016 15:03:38 GMT 10
So I have decided to go with the old school butyl mastic cartridge as a sealant. Question is, what brand is good? Currently, Selleys have one that is $12 each online. Is this a good brand and price? I prefer to get 10 cartridges in one purchase if that helps reduce price, not sure. What do others use and where did you buy from? Yep.. great stuff for the windows ... for anything you dont' see yourself pulling back off.. I'd still just use white roof and gutter. The silicon on the roof seams of my 30 year old caravan is still in very good condition. Correctly applied silicon seems to be a "forever" fix... IF done right. seeya, Shane l. |
|
|
|
Post by doublechevron on Aug 25, 2016 12:01:15 GMT 10
The only way I'd go is a diesel heater. Gas to to expensive and fiddly. Pinnacle wholesalers ( ebay shop ) in ballarat sell small diesel heaters... I've heard they work quite well.
seeya,
Shane L.
|
|
Oh I also have a 48 yr old Viscount made here that also does not leak even when cleaned with a gurnie 
which because of the well forward site of the mirrors I can JUST but when I also enquired re the reversing cam but wired in permanently he said it was a good idea for "tailgaters" which is why we put one in the motorhome in the first place 
The difference is the old '68 Viscount is only 7' wide not 8' like many new units , however saying that a set of wider mirrors would be nice if it were possible to fit them without damage to the vehicle . I do believe the plod view H plate cars and vans differently because for a start we do not even have seat belts 
some do not have indicators and other vintage models have brakes on 2 wheels only or a band on the tailshaft and all are legal to drive on the road . I agree however re modern units we see many d/cab utes towing blocks of flats with standard mirrors which is madness and not just because of the mirror situation 
have you measured the distance on your Citroen's you may get a surprise .
I once towed a empty horse float home with a Morris 1000 ute by necessity but it was under 30km and a quiet country road with no hills was not fun in 2nd and 3rd gear not an experience I would care to repeat 
