Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007 at 12:55
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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