Camper Trailer Maintenance

The trailer has coped a bit of a beating with all of the dirt roads we have been travelling on, especially the Gibb River Road & up to Kulumburu. Whilst in Broome we got the wheel bearings replaced as the trailer has done over 20 000km since they were last done & we want to keep them in good condition. The trailer also received some significant stone/rock damage on those dirt roads & we were concerned about the chances of rust getting in. 

So Mat set about to try to rectify the problem. He washed the trailer, then used a wire brush over the affected areas, then followed with some wet/dry sandpaper, wiped the area clean & then spray painted with Rustguard Hammertone from White Knight, which matches our trailer nicely. 

We know this is not a permanent fix, but it should stop any chance of rust getting into the trailer. We think it came up nicely. 

What we needed

Stone damage on the draw bar

Stone damage on the tent pole box

Also a little bit of stone damage on the trailer itself 

After the first coat (still wet paint)

First coat

First coat

Mat then did another coat 2 days later. 

Second coat

Second coat

He had a small amount of paint left over, so did a final third coat an hour later. 

Completely dry

All done, much better

Also while he did the trailer, Mat also did the stone guard but in black paint. 

Before

After

Job done, we will see how long it lasts for this time, we still have plenty of dirt road adventures to bring you, so I am sure we will need to do some further maintenance at some stage. 

The camper trailers upgraded power system

After a couple of months on the road we have had few queries and a fair bit of interest in the 12v power system that the camper runs, so we though it would be a good idea to give an overview of what we have installed and our impression so far. So Mat is back on the keyboard today. 

When we purchased the trailer the 12v system was pretty much non existent, there was an old 100a/h deep cycle battery and 2 Merritt plugs on the side of the camper, there was no way to get charge into the battery except by using a stand alone charger and crocodile clamps. 

Knowing that we prefer to camp away from caravan parks as often as we can and that we would be running 2 Engel Fridges; one of which would be a dedicated freezer, we decided that the system would need a major upgrade and some thinking on how to make it work best for us. 

The first thing we did was work out our worst case total power draw (using the maximum a/h draw figures for all of the electrical stuff we have (the two fridges, some LED lights, and all of the gadgets and gizmos we have that need charging) and then worked backwards from there. However the more we looked into it, it became obvious that we were going to need someone with more 12v knowledge than we had, to design a system that would both meet our needs and be robust enough to handle life in the bush.

When looking for someone to help us design the system we got in contact with Jamie and Shane from JTS on the Sunshine Coast, these guys have been building 12v systems for years and specialise in the type of fit out that we wanted to do.  

Many phone calls and emails later (Sorry Shane!!) we landed on a system that we felt would cover all of our bases.

The system. It is located in the box on the drawbar at the front of the trailer. 

 The back bone of the system is 2x 120a/h AGM batteries from FullRiver these came very well recommended as reliable durable power storage options that would stand up to life as a full time power supply, they cost a little more than some other brands but, so far they have proved to be worth every cent. These were installed in Parallel configuration, basically meaning they operate as one big 240a/h storage.

Next we installed a Radarc BCDC 1225 battery manager, this system is capable of managing charge from both the vehicle (from the alternator) and from solar panels (more on this shortly). Having had Redarc products in our last two utes, and a Redarc dual battery isolator in Ruby currently we were happy to use this Australian made product.  Having taken care of 12v charging, we also wanted to add a 240v charging alternative to the system for times when we were in town.  

The Redarc is the black box beside the battery. 

Shane and Jamie recommended a ProCharge Ultra Charger, this is a 30A charger that can be used for bulk charging as well as maintenance charging of batteries in storage.  This system has proven to be perfect for topping up the batteries in town when we have been at a Caravan Park for a few days. 

240v power charger. 

Having taken care of charging we installed a BM1 compact battery monitor to keep an eye on both battery voltages and charge/discharge rates, this has proven to be the most handy piece of the entire set up, allowing us to get a firm understanding of both our power usage, but also to better understand how the charging a system works in various scenarios so we can adjust our use accordingly. 

Battery monitor & inverter

With a number of gadgets and gizmos to charge we knew we needed an inverter, in the end we settled for a Cotek 300w inverter, this is a pure sine wave inverter allowing us to safely charge delicate equipment such as tablet computers and mobile phones, the 300w inverter isn't big enough to run appliances such as kettles and toasters, but so far this isn't proving to be much of a problem for us. 

As the camper was a few years old the plugs and sockets used throughout the trailer were also in need of replacing. We chose to replace all of the existing Merritt Sockets with standard 12v cigar sockets, and also added an additional outlet inside the camper body for use inside the tent.  All of the charging and external connector plugs were changed over to Anderson Plugs, and the cabling    used was upgraded to accommodate for the size of the current to and from each plug. 

Lastly we needed a power source for the batteries when the car wasn't hooked up and we were away from mains power for more than a couple of days. We considered and quickly discarded the idea of using a generator, as that would mean carrying unleaded fuel.  Also we camp in National Parks a lot and some of these have strict rules about generator use. As a result we started looking at Solar panels.  The efficiently and affordability of portable solar panels has improved dramatically over the last few years, with a lot of cheap panels now available on the market.  Talking to the team from JTS it was clear that up to a point with solar you get what you pay for, with the budget end of the market often coming with inflated power figures and poor quality fittings.  However the same was clear from the top end of the market, with the most expensive panels, while they might be more efficient and durable over an extended (years and decades) period, that they didn't seem to offer value for money for us. 

In the end we ended up with  2x 120w panels from the Chinese manufacturer Blue Sun.  These were a mid range panel, to improve the durability of these panels the team from JTS has upgraded all of the clips, plugs and cabling on them to meet our needs, this included bypassing the solar regulators that came with the panels (our Redarc does this job in our system) and replacing the crocodile clamps with Anderson Plugs to match the permanently fitted inlet sockets on the trailer.  

Anderson plugs on the trailer that connect to the car. 

Anderson plugs that the solar panels connect directly to. This then charges the batteries. 

After several trial runs on shorter trips and after 6 weeks on the road it is fair to say that we are more than happy with how the system has worked.  On a sunny day our solar system makes around 15 amps of charge, meaning our system is usually fully charged by lunchtime.  On an overcast day the system is still making enough charge to keep up with our fridge draw (4-5 amps) meaning that even under poor conditions we can last several days without needing to look for an alternative power source. 

The longest period we have been away from mains power continuously now is 16 days, and the system was fully charged the evening before we packed up when we put the solar panels away. This self sufficiency is allowing us to plan longer periods away from mains power, and is also saving us money as we can bush camp more and don't need to pay for powered sites if we choose not to when we do have to use a caravan park. 

The long term durability of  the Anderson Plugs used in most of the systems connection will be interesting, so far they are going ok, but the most used of them are occasionally stiff and hard to use. We have plenty of spares in the event of one failing.

We can't thank the team at JTS enough for their help in designing and building the system, these guys were a pleasure to deal with and their workmanship was first class. See link to their website https://www.jtsonline.com.au.

The long term durability of the system will be interesting, but given the quality of the workmanship and components used, were confident that we will be fine.

Ruby and the Camper get new Tyres

Tyres were one of the bigger decisions when we were setting up both Ruby and the Camper. Early on we decided that we would run out the factory fitted Dunlop Grandtreks on Ruby (while I complained about them every time we drove Ruby in the Bush) and the camper had 2 pretty good Bridgestone A/T's on it and a very average spare that would have to do in pinch.

The original tyres on Ruby the photo above just before we replaced them at 40000km & the below photo the original unused spare. 

The original tyres on the camper trailer. 

This gave us some time to do some research on price and performance and also to make the biggest decision of all; whether or not to step up a size.  In the end that proved to be a relatively easy decision because we could not legally fit 285/75/16 tyres on Ruby's genuine Toyota 16" rims, and with no desire to buy another set of alloys we were forced to stay with 265/75/16 tyres.  This has the benefit of meaning the tyres were slightly cheaper, lighter and should make slight overall difference in fuel economy, however we have traded off some diff clearance and off-road ability with the smaller tyres.

Next choice was what tread pattern. We have owned both Mud terrain and All terrain tyres in the past and have had good and bad experiences with both.  This time it was decided that we would try and find a compromise solution, with one of the more aggressive A/T tyres that have recently come onto the market.

Having worked in open cut mining and having owned a few four wheel drives for a number of years, I already had firm opinions on what brands of tyres I would and wouldn't consider.  Overall I prefer American made brands, and have owned Goodyear, Cooper and BF Goodrich tyres in the past, and also driven on a number of others in a variety of circumstances.

When Cooper first released their ST Maxx tyres as a replacement for the Cooper ST there was a lot of interest to see if they could improve previous issues with chipping, and a few other common issues that many owners experienced.  When these tyres were first released a medium sized mining contractor at the mine I was working at put them onto all of their supervisors utes.  These utes were being driven 2-300km a day both on bitumen and on mine dirt roads and tracks, a perfect comparison for the type of driving we are planning on doing.  After 12 months and 50,000km the tyres were still going, which in a mining environment is a noteworthy outcome.  It is not uncommon for mine vehicles to get new tyres every 20,000km due to the harsh operating conditions and less than sympathetic operators.

So having made our decision we started to shop around for the best deal.  We were looking within  300km radius of Rockhampton, and given that we run 2 spares on Ruby and one for the camper as well we were looking for 9 tyres overall.  The tyre dealers we approached were either not interested in doing a deal at all (apparently Cooper set a pretty small price band for re-sale) or told us that they couldn't do us much of a deal.  We eventually approached a new dealer in Emerald at a small trade show and were happy to hear that they would do us a good deal for 9 tyres and 3 new steel wheels for the camper.  The overall cost per tyre was nearly $60 cheaper each tyre, than the most expensive quote and their steel wheels were also cheaper, Bargin!

The new Cooper tyres on Ruby. 

  

Having driven almost 5000km on the ST Maxx's now were happy to report that so far we are happy, they were a little unpredictable at first on bitumen at high speed, however with some pressure adjustments and after adding some more weight to Ruby this has improved considerably.  So far we are very impressed with these tyres on the dirt, they have heaps of grip, and overall would be the best tyres we have ever used on the dirt.  Only time will tell if they will deliver good mileage and continue to perform as they wear.  I will give an update on the Coopers sometime later in the journey.

Ruby & the Camper Trailer on Fraser Island

Last year we went to Fraser Island for a week, to fully test out all of our gear and set-up before our big trip.  We had heard various things about if you should take a camper trailer to Fraser or not, but we decided to give it a go.  The trailer performed perfectly the whole way and we were very happy with how it went.  The only problem we encountered was when we were driving up the beach looking for a campsite and there was a large group of fishermen on one of the corners of the beach, we had to slow right down to avoid them and veer up into the soft sand up towards the dunes.  As we had lost momentum, we ended up getting bogged.  Luckily we didn't dig down too far, so we grabbed the two pairs of Max Trax off the roof and placed them under each wheel on Ruby.  After a couple of false starts, the Max Trax did exactly what they were supposed to and we were free.

See the video below.

 

It was definitely worth taking the trailer.  Below was our campsite.

 

And you just have to have a Dingo photo from Fraser Island.  This cheeky bugger was only about 10 meters from us, when the photo was taken.

 

Posted by Jess

Making our "Dream Home" - Camper Trailer Style Part 1

Our camper trailer was just what we wanted, tough, reliable and in good condition for a second hand trailer.  But with everything, there is always some things that just don't seem quite right or don't exactly fit our needs.  As mentioned in our previous trailer post, we were looking at making a few improvements.  Our main areas of focus were the stone guard, the electrical system and the wheels and tyres.  This Part 1 post will focus on the the stone guard and also some work we did on the paint work.

The original stone guard on the trailer was pretty flimsy and we were concerned as to how long it would last.  Our concerns were realised pretty quickly as the first time we took the trailer into the bush, the stone guard supports cracked.  We decided to do a bit of a patch up job with a length of metal wired to the frame to keep it in place while we researched our options for a new guard.

In the end we decided on a Stone Stomper.  Whilst expensive this seemed like a good option to protect the trailer, the drawbar and also the rear of the landcruiser.  We measured it all up, ordered it online and it arrived a week or so later.  Fitting was relatively easy and it looked pretty good and the company was great to deal with. 

So of course we had to try it out.  We decided on a long weekend away to Bulburin National Park about 120km South of Gladstone.  We hooked the trailer up and set off early.  We arrived at the main campground at about 9.00am and it looked okay, but we had heard there were nice spots along the track as well, so decided we had time to explore and try to find a more secluded camp spot.  This was our big mistake!  We starting towing the trailer along the track and soon realised that this wasn't going to be an easy drive.  There had been a bit of rain overnight and the track was slippery with no where to turn around we were committed on a 30km track.  The trailer and car were performing beautifully and while slippery it was all going okay. Until we got to a steep incline, with a gully running through the middle.  We made it to the gully, but didn't have enough traction to make it the rest of the way up so it was time for the winch.  We winched the landcruiser and trailer through the gully and it came out okay, but it did drag slightly, but we were through and as we unhooked the winch we checked the trailer and realised a couple of big holes had ripped in the Stone Stomper.  Not good for a brand new stone guard.  At only about 2 km in to the trip, the day continued to get harder and harder and 9 hours, 4 winches and 3 trees that we had to cut and drag off the track, later we finally rolled back into the same camp we were at 9am that morning.  It was an epic day and really tested our team work in a remote area, but unfortunately the Stone Stomper was in disrepair!  Now it wasn't really the Stone Stomper fault, as we should of removed it from the trailer before taking on that epic track, but it did tell us that it probably wasn't suited to the type of touring that we do.

So it was back to the drawing board, what to do about a stone guard.  In the end we decided to get Lacey's Trailers in Rockhampton to custom make us one, that was suitable for the type of 4WDing that we do. Lacey's were servicing our trailer, so we asked them to fabricate as heavy duty stone guard at the same time.  Our next post will focus on exactly what they came up with for us.

During the times that we had some issues with stone guards, the trailer did sustain some stone chips, as we did have to tow the trailer along gravel on the way home from Bulburin and we also got a few with the flimsy original guard.  So we decided we should give the trailer a touch up coat, to make it look better but also prevent rust forming.  So a wash and clean up, some fine sandpaper and coat of kill rust later, the trailer came up looking just like new.

Tent pole box with stone chips

Electronics box with stone chips

Draw bar before and after.  Outside rails with stone chips, middle rail re-sprayed.

We used White Knight Rust Guard Hammered Finish and it matched the trailer paint perfectly.

We think the results speak for themselves and it was definitely a worthwhile afternoon job.

Tent pole box re-sprayed

Electronics box and draw bar re-sprayed

Don't miss our next post, were we outline the new and improved stone guard and some other improvements we have made to the trailer.

Not long to go now, time is flying. I have finished up at work and Mat only has until Friday, wow it is all happening, it is really going to happen!!


Posted by Jess

The search for our "Home Away from Home"

With our choice of vehicle settled, we embarked upon what would prove to be a more complicated journey; choosing a Camper that would meet our needs, but not destroy the budget. The basics of what we wanted were simple enough, we wanted a Camper Trailer rather than a caravan or pop-top, it needed to be simple, durable, and provide enough living space and storage that we could comfortably live out of it for a year or more. While finding a trailer that fit all of these conditions was very easy, the real challenge was finding one that we felt was right for us.

We started off looking at trade shows and at showrooms where there is usually a number of makes and models on display and comparing with an open mind is easier. Overall it was clear that we had dozens of choices to make in terms of fit, finish and quality of the campers on offer. The first big choice was soft floor or hard floor. In an ideal world we would have both preferred a hard floor camper, they are easier to set up, keep the floor dryer when it rains, and tend to be in a rear-fold configuration, which we prefer for the times when we will need to squeeze into limited space in caravan parks and national parks where camping is defined by bollards and logs. A rear fold tent means that you can set up in the same footprint at the width of the access road in, and in our experience provides more flexibility with choice of location. However, when we started to look at the mid-range campers in our price range we found that many had comprised build quality elsewhere on the trailer to incorporate the hard floor option, and that in some cases the floor was of extremely questionable durability as a long term option.

 

Set up for the very first time at Blackdown Tableland, completely standard in the condition we purchased it.

 

 As a result we started more and more to focus on soft floor campers. The compromise in choosing a soft floor meant that we would have to accept longer setups, and more fiddling to get the tent just right at a camp, but it almost meant that the overall quality of the trailer and included accessories was in general higher. After looking at several models at a couple of local camping shows, we found ourselves frustrated, that in most cases the models we looked at that either had inclusions that we weren’t interested in (like fridges, showers or other accessories that we already had) or that they were foreign made budget versions and were of dubious construction or quality.

 

Set up in the bush at Goodedulla National Park

 

 At the same time I had been keeping an eye on the local trading post and classified sections hoping that something would come up, there had been one particular trailer that had been advertised for a few weeks, that was well inside our budget, but was 6 years old, as a result we had kept discounting it as we assumed that it would have seen plenty of work and would be worse for wear as a result. However with a few hours to kill on a Sunday morning we decided to take a drive and have a look. When we arrived, it became obvious that our prior assumptions about an old trailer and wear and tear were mistaken.

 

The trailer tracks extremely well behind Ruby, even when you have to bypass an obstacle!!

 

 The trailer was a 2007 Trackabout Overlander. We rang Trackabout to enquire about some details, and were informed that model had been part of a short production run of campers that had been discontinued due to lack of numbers being sold. The trailer was in perfect condition, with new wheels and tyres (which matched the 76’s stud pattern and size!), pristine canvas and not a mark on the trailer body or frame.

 



 

I was initially dubious that such an old trailer could be in such good condition, and crawled underneath looking for evidence of a re-spray or other cover up work. It was pretty obvious that unless the trailer had been completely stripped and professionally re-painted that this was the original paint! When I asked to owner what he had used it for, he explained that it had been used for summer caravan park camping, and the occasional hunting trip, and that its off road use had been limited to gravel driveways and lawns, Bonus! 

 

 

The kitchen was a stainless steel slide out version, and had an electric water pump and 3 burner gas stove and there was a large water proof storage box on the drawbar. The spare was in poor condition, and would need to be changed ASAP, and there were a few superficial marks on the floor that would need some attention. As an added extra, while the trailer was a soft floor the tent was also a rear fold, ticking one more box on our with list!

 

 

 

There were very few accessories with the trailer apart from a single poorly wired deep cycle battery, and an awning that looked to have been hardly ever used. This was a good thing for us, as it meant we had a lot of scope to add and modify the trailer to our needs.

Finally came the most important part; price! The asking price was well within our budget (only half of what we had been willing to pay for new fully kitted out version), and it was obvious that the seller had been stuffed around a few times before and was keen to get rid of the trailer, so after a short negotiation we came to a very good price and paid a deposit. We would have to wait a week to collect it, and we needed to sort out payment, and the seller needed to have a safety inspection and gas compliance check done. There were a couple of little hiccups in the inspection process, that were eventually sorted out (the seller didn’t get the right inspections done the first time), but its safe to say that we were very keen to get the trailer into the bush for the first time and try it out.

 

Fully set up with the awning up as well

 

 As with the process with Ruby, we decided that we would build the trailer up over time, and use it enough so that we were sure about our needs and wants before committing to big additions or modifications…a pretty good excuse to take it camping!!

 

I will detail the modifications we have completed on the trailer in our next post.

 

Posted by Mat