Fifth Wheel Caravans Feedback @ ExplorOz

AnswerID: 278359 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 08:34

replied:

The other problem with US / Canadian vans is the roof material is often made for use in colder climates and does not stand up to Australian summers that well.

If it has a "rubberised" rood then you are bound to have problems

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FollowupID: 542386 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 09:12

Member - Kiwi Kia posted:

Are you sure of this (about the roof)? They have just as hot conditions in north American deserts as in Australian deserts.

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FollowupID: 542387 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 09:21

disco1942 posted:

For those who wish to see what it can cost you to restore one of these imported 5th wheelers (or motorhome) with a leaky rubber roof look at the following links that lead to a saga of threads posted in Caravaners forum

Imported Motorhome Problems

For those following the Imported 5th wheeler saga

Part 3 of the Imported Fifth Wheeler saga.

Part 4 of the Imported Fifth WHEELER Saga

This was a restoration job on an imported secondhand 5th wheeler that was only a few years old. A lot of these cheap Yankie models are in fact second hand ones not new - the ones that are new are closer to the prices of the Australian models.

PeterD

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FollowupID: 542388 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 09:26

disco1942 posted:

Kiwi Kia

The rubber roof problems do not stem from the ambient temperature but from ultra violet radiation. UV radiation is a lot higher in the southern hemisphere than the northern one. The saga that I have posted the links for had most of the roof damage done before it was imported into Oz -read the links.

PeterD

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FollowupID: 542390 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 09:33

Member - Kiwi Kia posted:

Hi disco, Sorry I misinterpreted your post. Yes I agree UV degradation would be more intense away from their smoggy air.

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AnswerID: 278365 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 10:14

disco1942 replied:

Here is another bit I posted in another forum. The subject was importing your own but a lot of this applies to one you purchase through some of the importers.

Who are you purchasing it from? Is it a model specially built for Australia? If it is one you have seen in a yard – have you had someone with the technical knowledge check the electrical and gas conversions?

American models have the entrance door on the RHS and to be able to register them in Oz you have to cut a door in the rear or the LHS. This generally stuffs up the layout a little.

The chassis on the American built motorhomes is generally too light for the Australian conditions. Typical ones I have looked under only have what looks to be 4x2 inch 'I' beams in their longitudinal sections and not much in the way of cross members. There are generally no cross members between where the springs mount onto the chassis. Most of their strength comes from the construction of the body. I was parked next to one of these a couple of years ago – had done 18,000 km on Australian roads. As he was departing Geraldton the suspension collapsed. The van had to be carted back to Geraldton and have the suspension upgraded and chassis strengthened. After having this done the owner started hearing of others that had similar experiences (these always come out of the woodwork after you have suffered the experience.)

Make sure that the undercart has been strengthened for Australian conditions with cross members added between the spring mounting points. The American models built for Australia include chassis upgrading.

For other pit falls check out these links.

Imported RV Electrics

Importing 5th Wheelers

PeterD

Reply 2 of 3

AnswerID: 278404 Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007 at 21:07

bv replied:

I find these discussions interesting if for no other reason that this is just what the yanks say about European RVs. We are a parochial lot.

BruceV

Reply 3 of 3

FollowupID: 542467 Submitted: Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007 at 11:55

disco1942 posted:

Bruce

Our vans are built for a different market to the northern hemisphere. We travel further over rougher roads than the Yanks do, so our van chassis have to be stronger. Our roads are built with more camber than the Europeans (to run off our higher rain fall rates) - this effects stability so a higher ball weight is necessary.

We tend to spend more time on the road camping off power. This has led to more sophisticated electrics in our vans. Our levels of sophistication is higher than the Yanks or Europeans but lower than the well fitted boats. Boat installations employ smart regulators on the alternators which seem to be unknown in general circles in Oz. They also employ battery rechargers which the supporters of battery isolators tend to rubbish as they stich their heads in the sand. The mainstream Yank 5th wheeler manufacturers use similar battery systems to what Jayco use - the first thing that anyone who is in the know does th Jayco's Setec units is to throw them out and replace them with a good battery charger if they want to survive off power.

It is acknowledged that UV radiation levels are higher in the southern hemisphere so a lot of materials used in their vehicles will not stand up to Australian sun exposure, particularly the rubber roofs. A lot of the imports from the smaller dealers are second hand models in pristine looking condition, their roofs are just short of their breakdown time.

If you want something to survive plenty of use in Australia, purchase equipment built for Australian conditions.

PeterD

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