Camper Trailer

Roachie,

Your rig looks neat. What is the model and all the fruit?

G'day Mike,
Thanks for the compliment.
If you click your mouse over my rig photo, it'll take you to a full description of the rig + accessories.
Please feel free to hit me with any other questions about it and I'll do my best to answer them.
Cheers mate.

He said it was neat not good, and I have a question why do you have to push start it every morning !! LOLOL

Hooo said anything about push starting it????
It's so glad to see me walk out to the driveway every day....it starts itself.
LOL
Cheers,

Roachie,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I realised as soon as I posted that the Gramps were in Vic. It was the Gawlers out near Pildappa Rock that I was thinking of. (Hope I got it right this time) We paddled around there last year on some failrly ordinary roads.

You comments ,along with the others in the thread, have been most helpful. We are now sure we will go for an off road model.

As Shaker said below, why go normal on road.

Thankd

Magnus.

I was after a 2000 4.2 TD but had heard there was a 5th gear problem? Is this true or another urban myth?

G'day Mike,
Yes there was an issue and Nissan replaced mine under warranty before it went fubar on me and at no charge.
They've learnt their lesson and current models now have the stronger cog.
Cheers,

Hi Shaker,

Good question. specially as the price difference for the lightest off road is only $800 more in the Camel Group range.

Still a much better proposition with shackle springs, not slipper, and full chassis.

So, as I said to Roachie, thanks for the input and the quite valid commet posed as a question.

Thanks

Magnus

Time to update your price list Truckster ;D

My FULL offroad CT cost $7500 October last year. The Base model started at $6000.

There are a few on road ones starting around $4000.

Mind you , I wouldn't bother with an on roader.

Gee thats a bargain.

You can get a offraoad boxtrailer for $1500, tent for $1000, stove and gas bottle for $100...

Hi Truckster,

Yep, it does seem that doing the job properly is going to need an off road CT not an on road one.

There are certainly plenty of models around and some are a lot less than $10k to start but quickly get up to $9k without too much trouble by the time they are made useful for use with annex, kitchen, water tanks, tool box, etc etc.

Thanks for the input

Regards

Magnus

Hi Rosco,

Brisbane I see. Same as us. Went back to Camel today for another look and brief discussion with one of the directors and he has confirmed all that has been said in this thread. Their normal on roader was probably not up to the task of the places I mentioned in the post.

Give them their due, a really careful read of their brochure could lead to the same conclusion.

Am now looking at their off road models. The tip re hop dip we will look at. Not sure that I plan to outlast the CT. 3 - 7 years usage should pull us up, given we have just had 3 years usage out of a Motorcycle Camper Trailer towed behind our Gold Wing or Mazda Tribute.

We have averaged nearly a camp a month in the non winter months for the last year. Now want something bigger.

Again, thanks for the input

Magnus

Happy to offer some advice.

Re the galv bit ... even more important if you intend onselling in a few years as it will hold it's resale value much better.

With the painted ones, no matter how good a job they do, throw in a swag of stone chips and a trip or two up the beach and before you know it they'll look like crap with rust everywhere.

Wassail aluminium

Cheers

Rosco,

Have to say you are right about the stone chips etc. Our current CT (the motorcycle one) has already been repainted once and is due to be repainted again! And it is only 3 years old.

At least it hasn't been for a swim at the beach!

Boy, the budget for this keeps blowing out every time I turn round. What did you pay for the top of the line model from Camel? Would like to know if you don't mind telling. If you do, just say so and i will understand.

Cheers

Magnus

Magnus

I don't recall the exact figure but it was about $8000.
Galvanised, ss kitchen, annex, Orac hitch, leccie brakes and hd hubs/bearings (not Holden/Ford type), stone guard, pneumatic jockey wheel.

Cheers

Rosco,

You did real well. Demand for units is obviously having an imoact on prices. Their second top unit, which matches your description now costs $10,650 for what you got.

Top of range unit currently is $12,900 starting with $1350 for annex and so on bringing it up to $14250 as a starting price but inc galv and brakes.

Configuration I am looking at pretty well matches yours and comes in at $11,100.

Law of supply and demand I suppose.

Thanks for the info.

Magnus

Stone the crows ... they've certainly upped the prices.
I've misplaced the paperwork so can't say for sure which model without finding it. Initially thought we had gone for 2nd top model, but on re-looking at their brochure it may have been the top shelf job as it has the heavier drawbar configuration (100x50 RHS straight), not the lighter section that they curved under.

Which model does that sound like??

Rosco,

Their top of the line off roader has independent suspension, two spare wheels, new wheels, is galv etc.

Brochure says nothing about drawbar but from the pics they all look the same.

The second top one, the one we will probably go for, has a 7 leaf shackle spring set up.

The next one down has 5 leaf shackle and the on roader has a 4 leaf slipper set up.

Hence our desire to go for the 7 leaf shackle.

We would like the top drawer with independent suspension as we have had excellent results from the independent suspension on the motor bike camper we currently use. It has handled some real rough roads and forest tracks behind the Mazda Tribute.

Big step up to $13k to $14k for a camper that will certainly go places the Mazda won't. That situation does not make a lot of sense. So we need to stick to a camper unit that will handle where the Mazda can go. So, the second from the top sounds the go.

Remember, the Mazda is not a true 4x4. Works surprisingly well in sand and gravel but a big full blown 4x4 it isn't. On the plus side the unit was purchased new and was a hell of a lot cheaper than said full blown etc,

Sorry for the long winded reply. I suspect Camel may have updated their range in the last year or so probably in response to competition. So from your sexcription it is a bit hard to place.

But as I said to Ann, my wife. "What was paid a year or so ago is pretty irrelevant. It is what we have to pay now that counts" Still, it is interesting.

On a side note. His delivery is 4 to 6 weeks. I dropped in and looked at the Camp-o-matic units at Yatala yesterday. Way out of our price range. But wait for it, 5 to 6 months delivery. That's right MONTHS!

So, the damand is there. Prices will be set at what the market will bear. It was ever thus .

Cheers

Magnus

Ooops,

Description not sexcription!!

Magnus

Yep

I reckon they've changed their specs a tad.

The independent suspension you speak of was an extra extra option at the time, certainly not part of their normal range.

By the way ... we bought ours last July. Hell of a jump in prices in under a year.