A van

Submitted: Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 15:57
ThreadID: 21294 Views:5833 Replies:5 FollowUps:4
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Has anyone done any extensive travel off road /corrugated road driving with an A' van fitted with the bush pack. eg. mungo nat. pk.,cameron's corner to innamincka, eulo - currawinya- hungerford, mareeba to normanton via dunbar etc. I have travelled all these roads with a goldstream crown off road van with independent suspension and with tyres on lower pressure and slower speeds had no problems except overall size issues at tight camping spots and small amounts of dust inside door area. Have sold this awhile ago and interested in buying an A van. thanks rex.
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Reply By: Brew69(SA) - Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 18:28

Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 18:28
Hi mate.....i not having a dig but i have always wondered what people see in the A Van?? It seems overpriced,cramped...ummmmmm ugly.
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Reply By: Member - Chrispy (NSW) - Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 18:55

Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 18:55
My folks-in-law have an AVan and love it. They have the offroad pack and tow it over a lot of dirt roads - many with corrugations - for thousands og kays per year. No problems after about 4 years. The AVan is a well built unit - and plenty dustproof so they say to us.

I personally don't think they're ugly - and what the heck...beauty is in the eye of the beholder.I reckon they're just...well...different. That's good in my books - it makes life interesting.
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Follow Up By: Brew69(SA) - Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 20:10

Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 20:10
How correct you are mate.....I was just interested what sort of person buys an A van thats all.....And yes it would be boring if we all had the same taste :))
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Reply By: Member - Allan - Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 23:21

Thursday, Mar 17, 2005 at 23:21
Rex, We travelled the Gibb River Road with a couple that had one. I was very impressed where it had been and the overall condition. They had no problems at all with the offraod version. Only downside is an inside kitchen (who wants to cook inside when it is hot?).
Bonus is no flapping canvas, no hassles when wet and no dust. I will definately be considering one when I'm ready to trade the soft top camper in.
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Follow Up By: chondro - Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 15:04

Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 15:04
Thanks for the reply Allan, Did you travel the western section of the Gibb, or the full length to Wyndham via Mnt. Barnett? We have only been on the western section then down to Fitzroy crossing via Tunnel Ck. That was 15yrs ago but the road was okay. The reason for enquiring about the A'vans capability is that I don't know of anyone that takes them on the type of roads that I mentioned on the forum. Most owners that I have spoken to while on the road only tour on the blacktop or good gravel roads. The reason we are getting one is that it will fit in the garage, and we are getting to old for canvas campers but still don't want a larger van. The worst road for corrugations while towing that we have ever been on was from St. George to Roma via Surat The S.W.B. Landrover that we had ,lost the whole towball and bracket. The weld just peeled of like wet cardboard, and we were only driving at about 35mph. This was 32yrs ago though, when most Qld. country roads were like this. cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Allan - Sunday, Mar 20, 2005 at 03:42

Sunday, Mar 20, 2005 at 03:42
We travelled the whole of the Gibb River Road and through to Kalumbaru We left our camper trailer and friends A'van at King Edward river and just took one vehicle into Mitchel falls (decided not worth the hassle for one night). The A'van will handle the corrugations as good as any other camper trailer provided it is not overloaded.
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Follow Up By: chondro - Sunday, Mar 20, 2005 at 19:19

Sunday, Mar 20, 2005 at 19:19
Thanks for your reply Allan, you have answered my questions and we will seriously consider an Avan now. Suonds like you had a good trip. cheers Rex.
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Reply By: Member -Dodger - Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 00:27

Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 00:27
Hi Chondro,
Yes Ive done the same roads in my off road Regal and have had no trouble, but to go back to an A van would be very confining however if that's what you like then go for it.
I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

Cheers Dodg.

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Reply By: greydemon - Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 17:10

Friday, Mar 18, 2005 at 17:10
Hi Chondro,
My cheap old Cavalier handled the entire Gibb River Rd and the Kalumbaru Rd to King Edward River, and the trip into the Bungle Bungles without the slightest problem. I would deduce that the up market A-van would have absoloootly no difficulty, I also personally dislike its looks and lack of space but it does look strong.

However, it is my, possibly mistaken, belief that on corrugations you should not drive too slowly but should get up to a speed sufficient to sort of skim the tops. To me it feels a bit like getting a boat up on to the plane, much more comfortable. Driving too slowly seems to me to cause more damage as you hit every single corrugation. I only mention this because of your comment about doing 35kph.

For my benefit, what do others think, is this true or just an old wife's tale?
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