Off road caravan suspension

Hi. Further to adjusting van height. It is a huge advantage with air suspension to be able to lower/raise each side independantly so as to level the van if you are on a side sloping site. Something to ensure though if you go to the air system and want to have annexe walls fitted make sure the van is at your preferred height before they measure the wall lengths. If not you can end up with annexe walls too short or too long. Regards, Bob.

Indeed, re independent height adjustment of sides - would be a bonus - as I recall, Cruisemaster's version of air suspension has that facility as standard - re TM - I know one owner went to the actual suspension maker at some stage after van pickup and had them alter the air supply system to enable independent height adjustment of the sides.

That's a huge staement, if you are referring to the Al-Ko rubber torsion suspension.
Obviously you have never seen Track MC2 suspension, or looked under a Vista RV.

Typo: WATCHED [can't spell].

That's not true Richard.

My Bushtracker was weighed dry to get its TARE, but all appliances were definitely installed.

You can't build a true off roader without strength in the chassis and suspension.

And strength equals weight.

ALL of the big four are heavy. Without weight, you don't have the same strength. However Bushtracker has now put onto the market a "hybrid lite" which was trialled for a couple of years in the field before reaching the market. I have compared weights with people with Kedron, Phoenix and Trakmaster of a similar size to our Bushtracker, and they were the same or heavier.

Motherhen

Hi Carl

I have never seen or heard of Spinifx. Do you have a link? Are they a very small operation or are they a model made by one of the big manufacturers?

Motherhen

Hi Motherhen

Spinifx is 3 guys that used to work for Kedron that have gone on their own. I have only see 2 on the road but had a great look at one. The owner was very proud to point out all the faults of my Kedron. Don't you just love people that do that?

They are very well built and are different from Kedron in some ways. The biggest is perhaps they have disc brakes instead of drums.

They are similar in colour to the" battle ship grey" Kedron but have the word Spinifx accross the front. The one I go to look at, was 22 ft but another in a caravan park was about 17.

My only worry would be, that because they are new and small, they might go under before your van was completed or after you took delivery.

Give then a google.

Hi Motherhen,

Actually I have spelt it wrong Spinifex and I checked their web site agagin. Not been there foe a while.

You can see the vans they have made there. The one I looked at was spin 004. As you can see they have not made many vans but certainly appear to know what they are doing.

Hi Carl

"Not been there FOE a while" - LOL, I hope not TEHEHEE. Sorry, but it did make me laugh.

It is also interesting to know that the Davidsons who started off road caravans with the Phoenix are moving into manufacturing again.

Another one that would be interesting to have a good look at for those who want to consider something outside of the 'big four' is the Sunland range. I have seen a couple on the road but not had a close look, but have not heard of anything amiss with them. The Principal on the Caravaners Forum once responded to someone asking about taking theirs on the Tanami (it was not even the top of the range off roader model) said he would honour the warranty if something went wrong. They went, and nothing went wrong.

I still consider anyone wanting a caravan should buy second hand (pre-loved as i say). There are many reason for this, and you have just added another - the risk of a manufacturer going under as we have seen happen a few times.

Cheers

Mh

Good thinking Peter_n_Margaret. Exactly what I have done. Researched for five years and nothing to suit - not even close. 60 to 80 grand for a similar size to ours.

12 ft with shower and toilet, made up bed, air suspension, single axle, foam sandwich all round, pull out kitchen and most of the good bits bigger vans have and finished tare will be very close to 1300kg. Most of the weight is in the chassis.

So far so good. Launch date is about April - we will see how clever I am then!

I prefer to call it a rough road van rather than an off road van - i would not relish the thought of towing a 3t dual axle van anywhere off road or on many of the roads we travel.

Pardon my bias!

David

Good luck with your project David and it does sound like you have something unique in keeping down the size and weight but including a strong chassis and your needs. However the average person does not have the skills that people like you and Peter have, and would not know where to start. I like your term "rough road" and it is one i use to describe a caravan rather than the term off road which can be used by some manufacturers with no real relationship to what a caravan can do. Actually although no manufacturer expects their caravan to be use majority off road (meaning not on any gazetted road which includes tracks), however the relentless corrugations of our inland dirt roads would kill a caravan before true off road work.

Motherhen

Hi Racey

The term Off Road also means different things to different manufactures too, and varies from a strong heavy duty caravan that can do long distances on our corrugated inland dirt roads, to ones which are considered OK to take off the bitumen onto a short dirt road to a camp or tourist feature and no more. Using off road or the name of an iconic outback track on a caravan does not necessarily mean it can be taken literally.

We too have the Simplicity Suspension which gives a good ride and handles washouts, dips and crests with ease. The only drawback is that is does have a single central axle and just two large springs. Those with four springs and true dual axles can in an emergency get to help easier in case of a breakage, and spare springs and axles are easier to carry.

Motherhen

Scrubby
"Not one mention in any above posts of one of the smaller sized vans that in my opinion is as tough as any of the above mentioned. ( Then again I `ve never owned any of the other makes) "

Well there ya go...

Why should they Scrubby? The question was about Suspension, not brand.

Mh

Yer I know that MH but most of the replies are about brands, not suspension.

Anyway I was giving Richard another brand to look at that has the same or similar suspension as some of the top Offroaders.

You know the way it goes, it`s been going on for yonks & yonks........
" My dads caravan is better than your dads caravan nah nah nah"

All said with tongue in left cheek. :>]) LOL

Scrubby.

LIGHT off roader at 2750kg ATM...mate that is very heavy for a 17' van and the same ATM as my 24' Jayco Brako which, of course I don't take too far off the black top.

And, for the record, even the Kedron Topender has leaf springs but it is still an independent suspension system...the heaviest I have seen and my favourite van as well.

To all

Thanks for your comments, suggestions, ideas. They are all welcome, By the end of March I will have visited the factories of Trakmaster, Phoenix , Kedron and Bushtracker. At this stage I am preferring to go to some type of air suspension.
Any further feedback is always welcome. I do appreciate that you need to have some idea of where you want to take the van and the terrain the you will be travelling Would appreciate if any more owners could give me their thoughts

Thanks

Richard.

Richard,

There will be a number of people interested in the reports from your visits to these factories. Would you mind re-visiting this thread in due time when you can compare these all for us?

I am beginning the search for a van for a trip around the block in the next few years and I have done plenty of internet research and have come up with that which I feel is the best, but having never owned a van nor towed one in difficult conditions, I am just a newby....not telling which I like the best..... yet.

My general feeling is that very few people really want to tow the van on really ROUGH 4WD tracks. Perhaps the inland dusty corrugated roads are achievable with the right van, but I fear the wrong van will not last very long under these conditions.

Cheers,

Mark

Don
Of course my Kedron !7ft off-road van is heavy for its size it is not a light weight black top only Jayco. Why try to compare the two?
As for springs the differnece between mine and the Top Ender is mine has beam axles instead of the trailing arms, both are rugged and simple compared to others.

Cheers

Zollie,

I am not trying to compare Kedron with Jayco and, as I implied. if I was going for a van with the ability to get off the beaten track more than I currently do, then I would buy a Kedron Topender, no argument.

I was making the point that you called a van with an ATM of 2750kg as LIGHT...There are many other vans which are quite capable off road, depends on the individual as to what constitiutes OFF ROAD, which are considerably lighter than 2750kg.

And, on the Jayco front, they are not as light weight as a lot of detractors would have it and are a lot stronger than most give them credit for. For a start, I would back the strength of the bonded fibreglass walls over an al framed and sheeted side in an impact. The question is, how well they are put together at the top and at the chassis. I was recently talking to a van repairer on the Gold Coast who bought a insurance write off Sterling that had been tipped over at 95kmh, scatches all down one side a part of the front but the thing was not out of shape structurally at all. He has had it 2 part epoxy painted and as good as new...for probably under $10 grand. And mine is factory underslung with a 6" main frame and drawbar and I have taken it off road, albeit not a seriously rough off road. Its ATM, as I said, is the same as yours and it has all the bells & whistles and is 7' longer than your van. A lot of your weight is the extra batteries and one extra tank and that massive suspension.