Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 21:25
Hi - Sorry if this post is somewhat long, but hope it helps.
We owned a Jayco Dove for 13 years - Same as Swan but larger. Towed it everywhere - also with 2
young children. They are great for on-road and forest tracks. If you are planning any off-road
treks, you need to buy a unit that is designed for rougher tracks. Having a 4WD, we towed ours into central QLD, incl corragated roads, dirt tracks etc, and had to repair many items. If you stay on good roads, they are great.
We replaced the Jayco with a 1999 Coromal Magnum 420 Offroad for $17,000. Same basic style but much stronger build in many aspects. Includes on board battery, charger, elect water pump, hot water system, O/S shower, awnings, twin tanks etc. (all in a wind-up camper). Probably much heavier than the Swan, but we do go outback treking and
camp at off-road sites.
Re electric brakes, if the trailer exceeds 750 Kgs, then you must have electric brakes. I would think most wind-up style campers would weigh above this.
Cost aprox $300 to supply and fit the unit to the car. Prefer to be done by a qualified auto electrician. While it can be a DIY, there are several aspects of the wiring that need to be done properly - take care with this aspect.
Check that the towing capacity of your vehicle is legal for the camper weight.
There are 3 aspects to this : 1. The total weight your car can tow.
2. The Down-weight on the ball of the towbar - as specified for your car;
3. The specs of the towbar fitted to your vehicle;
Fully agree with the previous post - visit/join the campertrailer group at Yahoo.
(Though many of these have the traditional style Camper Trailer (CT) - eg double bed in trailer, with canvas roof - great bunch of very knowledgable and friendly people). You can search the archives for Jayco or SWAN).
The great aspect of the camper is you can buy a set of cooking/eating/sleeping gear, and leave it ready packed. Throw some food and clothes in, and off you go. Takes most of the hassle out of getting away.
Being up off the ground, you also have a safe camp/sleep for children.
Like all canvas products, if left wet the canvas will rot. Costly excercise to replace.
Check that wheel nuts do not need a special tool (spanner or socket).
Like all trailers, wheel bearings need checking and repacking (grease) occasionally.
Leave the
water tank either full or completely empty after each trip - else it grows life forms, and the water is not good. Flushing and purifier tablets will clean them, if this happens.
The 3 way fridges are great, but need to be turned on (240V) the night before a trip to get the unit temp down, and the refrigerant chemicals cirulating. A 12V computer fan sucking the hot air away from the cooling fins improves performance 100%. We use a $5 thermostat on the fridge exhaust pipe to power the fan. On
camp, ours runs on Gas. For 12V operation, there can be wiring problems that result in very poor performance. Gas is great & economical.
If it has both 12V and 240V light bulbs, there is one danger. If you
camp on say the beach and use 12V, during the trip you may hit the 240V light switch. When you come
home and connect the 240V to charge the battery, the 240V light comes on (inside the folded down camper). After a few days, the camper goes up in smoke.
A visual
check of the unit normally shows how it has been treated. Are door/cupboard hinges loose or tight; Are windows/screens in good order; do the Zips all work; Is the canvas in good repair (You may also need to unfold the awnings - bed end awnings and front awning to
check them). Wind it up and down to ensure smooth operation;
Jack the unit up - spin the wheels to
check bearings; Hook it to his car, and
check the electric brakes work.
Having owned this style of camper for over 15 years, we think they are the perfect way to see the great out-doors in comfort and safety. They tow any-where; are easy to set up and have all the conveniences.
Do your homework (as you are doing) then buy one ...happy camping...Keith
AnswerID:
104838
Follow Up By: muma - Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 21:47
Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 21:47
Hi keith,
We really appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions! I am going to look at the yahoo jayco site later.Sounds like we should be okay for the usual touristy destinations to start with ,maybe change to offroad camper when kids are older and we have had some practice and gain some more skills.Pre kids we used to
camp in the back of our HZ wagon ,we travelled across the nullabor and up to
exmouth and back down again.It was the best time of our lives.we would love our kids to experience the joys of travelling this country.So we have to make sure we choose the right equipment so it will be enjoyable and not a chore!
once again thankyou cindy
FollowupID:
362107
Follow Up By: pjchris - Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 22:10
Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 22:10
Two minor corrections...
1) The Dove is smaller than the Swan...11 feet 4 inches for the Dove versus 13 feet 8 inches for the Swan.
2) Jayco do not use rel canvas now nor have they for at least the last 10 years or so.
A 2000 year model Swan will have a plastisiced type of material for the sides and ends. Our 2000 model Jayco Freedom expanda van has this. We thought the ends had a couple of pin hole in them but this is because the basic material is clear nd needs to be 'painted' to the colour you see. We were advised to get a hair or piece of fishing line and put it through the 'holes'. Guess what, we couldn't...they actually weren't holes.
This material is virtually rot proof. Mildew from packing up wet will stain the material but shouldn't cause it to fail.
In addition to checking out the 'canvas' get the roof checked out...I have heard that the sealant used on the exterior joins of modern caravans can, in certain circumstances, last as little as 5-8 years before it needs replacing. This is a costly exercise.
From a quick search in The Trading Post prices for 2000 and newer models are from $17k to $19k. There is a 2003 model for $18k. Most of these appear to be dealers and a private sale should be lower. They appear to nearly all have annexes, some have solar panels, bike racks etc.
For $16,500 there is even one with the offroad pack in Mornington, Vic. If you plan on going offroad at all definately try to get one of these, The chassis is much stronger, wheels are bigger, more ground clearance etc.
Peter
FollowupID:
362110
Follow Up By: Keith_A (Qld) - Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 22:56
Saturday, Apr 02, 2005 at 22:56
Thanks for the corrections Peter - our Jayco was an older model before the new 'canvas' materials.
Our Coromal has the 'vinyl' canvas - apart from awnings and bed-end covers. I agree entirely with your suggestion re off-road pack. If you spend your hard earned dollars on one now - (and often you will find a secondhand off-road at the same price as the on-road), it allows for future adventures without an upgrade. The 'extras' also make the unit much stronger. The increased height means beach camping without getting bogged. They are definately worth it.
Decide what you want; then wait until one comes up at the right price - then buy it. A little patience can save a bundle. Our Jayco served us for 13 years, so it really is a long term investment.
We also have a 'change shelter' (type of self erecting pyramid tent from K-Mart) and a port-a-loo (Bi-Pot brand). Where-ever we go, we have your own private
toilet. Probably the next most useful add-on for family camping. Flushable with chemical decomposition, they are almost the same height as the normal
toilet, and only a slight chemical smell.
Worth keeping in mind if you save enough on the camper purchase.
kind regards..............Keith
FollowupID:
362111
Follow Up By: muma - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 15:48
Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 15:48
Can you put an offroad camper on a 2 wheel drive?I think your right about them being better and we have come across a few over the weekend but we overlooked them as we have a vs commodore.WE looked at a 1996 eagle this morning $11,500 but i was still unsure of what to do.Did learn how to put it up and down and that the electrical cords near sink could become hooked around tap when raising and lowering top........cindy
FollowupID:
362146
Follow Up By: muma - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 16:29
Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 16:29
Also i noticed a sticker on the camper which said not to run fridge whilst camper is down,I thought that the fridge ran on 12 volt whilst you are driving to your destination ?....
FollowupID:
362152
Follow Up By: pjchris - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:30
Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:30
Muma,
It is possible to put an offroad camper on a 2WD. You will need a Hayman Reese hitchhref="
http://www.haymanreese.com.au/consumer/products/wdh/productsindex.htm">Adjustable Height Weight distributing hitch. This can raise the ball height and fit weight distributing hitches so the back of the Commodore won't sag.
As far as running the fridge with the top down the problem is the heat generated by fridge cannot escape as readily and you wouldn't want to melt the 'canvas' or set fire to it.
Many people do run the fridge with the top down successfully, we did but often we would raise the top 6 inches when we did it in the garage, but not of course while moving.
Peter
FollowupID:
362181
Follow Up By: pjchris - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:35
Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:35
Muma,
It is possible to put an offroad camper on a 2WD. You will need a Hayman Reese Adjustable Height Weight distributing hitch. This can raise the ball height and fit weight distributing hitches so the back of the Commodore won't sag.
As far as running the fridge with the top down the problem is the heat generated by fridge cannot escape as readily and you wouldn't want to melt the 'canvas' or set fire to it.
Many people do run the fridge with the top down successfully, we did but often we would raise the top 6 inches when we did it in the garage, but not of course while moving.
Peter
repost to correct link...
ps. Why doesn't this
forum have a preview function when composing posts?
FollowupID:
362184