Buying a Camper Trailer (Plenty of Pitfalls)

I have an acquaintance who is heavily involved in a company flogging 4by stuff at up market prices. They've had factories built in Thailand (I think) and then they import the product into Oz but the prices are certainly no less than anything made here.
Thing is, he has the cheek to say anyone buying off the internet is doing young Australians out of work.
Now if that ain't the tops in hypocrisy I don't know what is. Forgot to say he's also a bible puncher so I hope he gets forgiven every week.:-)
AlanH.

Alan - Yes, it doesn't take long to find people with a severe religious bent who actually worship the Almighty Dollar, rather than the Almighty Lord.
One particular group come to mind - their religions name starts with M, and their adherents regularly call themselves "Elder" - even when they're just out of high school. [;-)

In my extensive business experience, these people are the greediest, most money-grubbing people, I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. Worship of a Diety takes a very low priority in their religion, as compared to gathering up large amounts of money.

Getting back to the camper problem, I wish AMCTG good luck with their promoted aim, but I fear they will be a toothless tiger with little enforcing ability and even less ability to guarantee a top-class product to any purchaser from an "AMCTG group member".

There are vast amounts of variables in construction and engineering, and none more so than when fasteners are involved. Now, I'm referring to screws and nuts and bolts here - and Chinese-origin fasteners comprise by far, the biggest amount of fasteners used in much everyday Australian construction and engineeering now - unless the manufacturer/builder particularly specifies top quality name-brand or specific-grade fasteners.

I regularly encounter, on an almost daily basis, Chinese fasteners that are utter, pure crap, for want of more descriptive words.
I could use more descriptive words, but they'd probably be moderated as being unsuitable for the forum.

Chinese self-tappers (and about 98% of the self-tappers you try to buy are Chinese origin) are pure garbage, with apparently no QC whatsoever. You can regularly twist off Chinese self-tappers or strip the threads on them. You will almost always have a Chinese self tapper strip or screw off if you try to install it in Stainless Steel.

The average Chinese bolt quality makes the old mild-steel whitworth bolts look positively high grade in comparison. I have yet to find more than about 5% of Chinese bolts with a grade marking - and out of that amount, the highest grade I've seen marked is 4.8.
This a metric grade and is only a little over half the strength of a standard "high tensile" metric bolt at grade 8.8.

To ensure decent high-grade strength in fasteners, you need to go to Grade 8 (Imperial) or Grade 10,9 (metric equivalent to Grade 8).

Grade 8 and Grade 10,9 are low-alloy steel, heat-treated fasteners with a tensile strength of 150,000 psi or 1035mPa, and they must be used in positions where durability is critical.

I'm a little underwhelmed by AMCTG's claims about "100% Australian built", because I don't believe such a thing is possible in todays global supply world.
Even a dedicated, honest camper trailer builder here would be getting supplied with large amounts of consumables, such as screws, washers, nuts, bolts, welding consumables, and 100 other items - that would all be of Chinese origin (as he wouldn't be querying every single one of his suppliers, would he?) - and all this is going into a "100% Australian" camper??

Cheers, Ron.

Hi Ron

I’ll let the Guild speak for themselves, but the point of highlighting the stated aims of the Guild is that at least they recognise there is an issue with quality control in many of the compay’s offering camper trailers for sale and are eneavouring to set themselves aprts from them.

Guilds were always establsihed to protect members, but there is nothing wrong with trying to establish “Standards”.

Of interest, I understand the “Australian Made” people are also going to be lobbying the new federal government to get action on cleaning up the issue of fully imported trailers being badged as “Australian Made” on the basis they were screwed together in a warehouse and sold on Ebay.

And I get it that can’t it all be Australian made, but I’m figuring there is a big difference between say Track Trailers (for example) using foreign sourced product in their campers versus Dodgy Joe’s bring in a complete camper trailer as a flat pack and “making” it here.

Not everyone can afford the upmarket version of camper trailers, and this has provided an opportunity for budget manufacturers to fill this sector of the market, and there are some decent Australian outfits doing this, the problem is that a lot of the budget offering is outright dangerous and the imports uncontrolled, which ultimately has implications for not only the person buying the product, but potentially for all road users....

Landy, I concur fully with what you say, and I have to agree, the AMCTG aim is admirable.

What I would like to see is compulsory labelling of consumables, parts, and components as to "source of origin", as the AMCTG webmaster touches on.

There are now many "name brand" manufacturers who source their products from China. In many cases, the "name brand" company has little input into the manufacture or QC of the product, and they're entirely happy to deflect that ball into the Chinese manufacturers court.

Typical examples I've encountered in recent times.

1. Snap-On produced a floor jack that was built in China. It was sold as a high quality product with the backing of the companys highly-regarded name. These jacks were fitted with cheap hard plastic seals and cheap rubber o-rings instead of proper high quality nylon, butyl rubber, silicone and viton seals. The jacks all failed under warranty and it cost Snap-On a fortune to rectify the poor quality construction. Another classic example of Chinese "quality fade".

2. I bought some "American Vermont" cobalt drills. These came in a blister packet with the highly-respected "American Vermont" name, "U.S.A", and the Stars and Stripes emblazoned across the pack.
When I started to use them, I came to the prompt conclusion that they were pretty poor quality. Close inspection of the packet retrieved from the waste bin saw the exceptionally fine print across the bottom - "packet made in the U.S.A - contents made in China"!!

3. Joe, my workshop mechanic neighbour, has sworn off Koyo bearings since he had to rebuild (under warranty), two Landcruiser gearboxes he rebuilt. Both failed within 10,000kms and in both cases it was a specific Koyo bearing that failed. Further enquiries have found that Koyo is sourcing bearings from China. Nothing is stated on the Koyo boxes where the bearings originate from.

There was a celebrated case in the U.S. where a supplier of lifting equipment supplied lifting products (shackles, hooks) that were sourced from China. Several of these lifting items failed in use, when under loadings that were well within their recommended SWL range.

Subsequent investigation found failures in the steel quality of the Chinese lifting products to meet specifications, as well as failures in the heat treatment of the products. The U.S. supplier was forced to recall every Chinese lifting product he'd sold, as a national safety measure.

I have one too & no real complaints here either.

I didn't really have to do any re-building, but I did have to make some modifications to the trailer - all small stuff really & the sort of things I expected to have to deal with when I bought it.

We bought it new in January 2012 & did a couple of shakedown trips with it to see what needed improving; I ripped the swing out kitchen on the tailgate off, as we never used it! I modified the Jerry Can holders so that they could be used more effectively, I modified the tie-downs, so they hitched to breeching staples on the trailer rather than across the top, replaced the bolts on the hitch with high tensile ones, sealed the floor of the trailer with silicone to keep the dust out - as it was only spot welded, replaced the jockey wheel with a pneumatic one, stuck spirit levels on, replaced the foam mattress with an inner-sprung one, reinforced the stone guard frame.

It has now been to Mt. Dare, Innamincka, Gawler Ranges, on the Oodnadatta Track, Old Ghan track, Warri Gate Road, Flinders Ranges (x3), Cameron Corner, Mereenie Loop Road, Tibooburra, on the track through Omicron & Epsilon Stations, Strzelecki Track, Dig Tree, Dalhousie, Chambers Pillar............... and lots & lots of black top too, including the Stuart Hwy Adelaide to Alice Springs & back, plus around the Natural Sciences Loop in Qld.

Interestingly, the 2 items that I was concerned about when I bought it; tyres & wheel bearings, are still fine! The tyres are yet to have a puncture!

In fact, nothing has failed on it to date & it has seen more rough roads in the last year than most of the camper trailers sold will see in their lifetime.

I'm not saying its the best out there, its not! There is no doubt that a lot of Aust made trailers are better than the Chinese ones. But this one is doing OK by me :)

Kevin, you no doubt have a trailer that is doing the job for you.....but for others buying cheaper type trailers ( doesn't have to be chinese ), and who can't do things on it to make it fit for purpose, it would be a shame to see them get into the outback and have a major failure that wrecks their holiday....or even worse a breakdown that affects their safety..

No argument from me about people who can't do basic stuff not buying one - or any other CT or a caravan either come to think of it.

But, I'm yet to see one broken down on the side of the road in all of my travels ;)

Rambler, never were truer words spoken than your last sentence.

The problem is that so few people have little idea of what is a durable design and what isn't.
One learns by many years of practical use, and much dearly-bought experience.
The younger people are essentially learning as they go, and the younger population coming on are always green as grass, and prime pickings for sellers with a "fabulously-priced deal"!

Guys

Absolutely agree - the other phase applicable here is "buyer beware"...

Chris

In relation to my comments above, I have since noticed from the Landy's Australian Manufactured Camper Trailer Guild (AMCTG) link that Pioneer are listed as Australian Manufacturers so that probably answers the point I made about them.

Interestingly though, I also noticed Kimberley Campers are not listed.
Is this because their products are not made in Australia (unlikely) or simply the fact that they have chosen not to be a member of the AMCTG.

Hmm!