spring 2013 caravantalk - hardings swift caravan...

Imagine around a campfire some 10 years ago after a few drinks a group of mates decide that they could come up with the best caravan coupling ever seen! I guess everyone got their idea off the ground as we now have the most amazing array of couplings you could ever dream of. We’ll give you a quick snapshot of a few. If you want to keep things simple and you don’t go off-roading or require any extra articulation, stay with the standard 50mm coupling.

What a Choice?

Treg & TriggCouplings The Treg and Trigg couplings forged the way ahead years ago as the off-road coupling. The well known poly-block couplings were one of the early versions providing universal movement in most directions.www.tregtrailers.com.auwww.triggbrs.com.au

Hyland CouplingThe Hyland coupling took the universal rotation system and applied it to the standard 50mm towball, so no special pin was required. It became a very popular coupling that is commonly seen on offroad caravans.www.hylandtrailercouplings.com.au

Vehicle Components D035This coupling is now very popular. It is a refined version of many earlier offroad couplings and is exceptionally easy to use. Whilst it uses a pin type system it’s like a towball where the pin is tapered naturally guiding the coupling onto the pin (ie. No awkward line up required) Vehicle Components run fairly rigorous testing on their products and keep evolving this coupling all the time.www.vehiclecomponents.com.au

Hitch-EzyA fairly sophisticated coupling for the serious off-roader. This coupling has several features and is extremely robust. Probably a bit more pricey than the others however it comes with a secondary locking system, bushes to prevent noise whilst towing and seals to prevent water and dust getting in.www.hitch-ezy.com.au

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Caravan TalkS

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SWIFT CARAVAN SER VICES

Disclaimer:Hardings Caravan Services does not expect or invite any person to act or rely on any item, opinion, advice or advertisement contained herein and will not be liable for any loss or damage. The views expressed in this newsletter are opinion only and may vary for each person. It is your responsibility to verify any claims made.

View our newsletter online at:http://www.hardingscaravans.com.au/newsletter.htmReceive our newsletter via email: click theSUBSCRIBE button under the same link

In this editionCouplingsCouplings – What a Choice?An Insurance Repair at HardingsTight Wheel NutsOur WebsitesInvertors and TransformersNew Range Hayman Reese Towing GearTom Harding receives an OAMHardings becomes an Alko ESC InstallerWhy couplings look like thisCommon Jobs at HardingsHandy HintsCaravanning is FunStaff Profile

Caravan TalkSWIFT CARAVAN SER VICES

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Couplings An Insurance Repair at Hardings-Swift

McHitchThis coupling uses a universal joint to handle the vertical and horizontal movements. It’s available in various load ratings and configurations. www.mchitch.com.au

OZhitchAgain this coupling uses a similar universal joint system. This has a fairly easy drop-in type hook up system which makes connection nice and quick.www.ozhitch.com.au

These days we do a lot of insurance repairs. The bulk of repairs are cladding damage, however things are getting more complicated. We have had to keep abreast of technology to allow us to repair all makes and models. For instance in the past year we have tackled the following repairs:

• Bent/Damaged A-frames• Flat panel caravans such as Jayco, Jurgens, Swift, Geist and Adria• Internal Floor & cupboard damage when items have come loose whilst travelling• Carpet damage from foodstuffs• Wheel-box damage from blowouts• Plus many more weird occurrences…

When you’re repairing a ‘house on wheels’ you get some real doozies, and currently in our workshop we have various tradespeople from Metal Fabricators, to Mechanics and Auto Electricians to enable us to carry out these repairs. This is an example of the type of repair we carry out at Swift Caravan Services these days:

The JobA wheel came off this 16’ pop-top and managed to take out the outrigger and the floor bending the main chassis rail.

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Quote the JobEd who manages all our insurance work, and the company have a very strong relationship with all the caravan insurance repairers. We run special software to allow repair information to be quickly reviewed by insurance companies. As the customer all you need is to call, notify of the damage and you’ll be given a claim number (no paperwork!)

Into the Body ShopFirstly we stripped all the bodywork from around the damaged area, until we were into a region where the damage hadn’t effected. The floor and lower wall was completely removed.

Tight Wheel NutsGone are the days where you use a wheel brace (cross brace) to remove wheel nuts from caravans. Caravan wheel nuts are torqued to settings anywhere from 80 to 125Nm, try loosening those with a standard cross brace!! We tighten every wheel nut in our

workshops with a torque wrench. It’s worth considering one of these as part of your caravanning kit if you want to check your wheel nuts are tight enough, better to do it with some accuracy. If loosening the nuts is hard work check this groovy tool out. It uses a ‘geared

system’ to make the tightest nut extremely easy to loosen. An example of one of these devices is below (You would never use these tools for tightening a wheel nut) http://finchindustries.com.au/NutCracker_Sales.htm

Into the Mechanical ShopThe rear chassis rail was cut off. The bent suspension arm removed. We then spliced in a new chassis rail and fitted new outriggers along with wall sill-plates, then welded in a new suspension arm mounts and fitted a complete new independent swing-arm and aligned it. New brakes and bearings were fitted.

Back into the Body ShopWe then rebuilt all internal seat boxes, built a new floor in the rear section with new floor vinyl and built a new lower wall section. A wheel box was fabricated and job was completely sealed.

Into the Electrical ShopOur Auto Electrician then re-installed all 12V wiring, fitted new battery and external lights in this area.

A repair such as this has become more normal in the sense they require a lot of trades, a lot of co-ordination and an intimate knowledge of caravans and how they’re put together. We now have over 20 staff within the organisation, and each staff member has a particular skill or trade that is used when dealing with complex repairs on caravans where it covers a broad range of trades.

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Our Websites

Invertors & Transformers

Hayman Reese Towing Gear

Remember as we change our name to Swift Caravan Services we now have 2 websites


www.hardingscaravans.com.au

It’s important to understand the terminology.

• An‘Invertor’converts12Vto240V• A‘Transformer’converts240Vto12VWe see people getting this terminology confused at times. Transformers are becoming rarer as most caravans run all their 12V equipment off the battery which is generally powered by a ‘smart charger’.

What may be changing with ‘invertors’ in caravans is the use of RCD’s (Safety Switches). Of course when you use your invertor there is no power cord plugged into the caravan. The power cord usually carries the ‘earth’ in from the power pole at the caravan park. Without this ‘earth’ safety switches can struggle to function. So invertor manufacturers are now creating invertors with MEN

(Multiple Earth Nuetral) which effectively joins the neutral and earth within the invertor to allow the RCD (Safety Switch) to work properly. Whilst these are very recent changes we recommend if you are purchasing an Invertor try to get one with MEN and a safety switch fitted.

Weight DistributionHardings Swift Caravan Services started fitting Hayman Reese towbars and Weight Distribution back 40 years ago on Maroondah Highway. We still fit towbars and setup car-caravan combinations with Weight Distribution

The Classic KitCalled the ‘classic kit’ as it looks like Hayman Reese WD equipment has looked for years. It comes in different bar lengths, different bar capacities, new style trunnions and the curled ends provides a smoother ride in the tow car. This suits more conventional 4” A-frames.

(WD). Back in the 70’s and 80’s the premium tow car was something like a Statesman or Fairlane, and if you had the V8 that was a bonus!! Now tow cars are often heavier 4WD’s or SUV’s, however caravans have also increased in size and construction, so the use of weight distribution is just as vital. The

only exception is the tow vehicles that don’t allow or recommend the use of Weight Distribution.Hayman Reese have in the past couple of years increased the range of weight distribution and sway control equipment.

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The Standard KitReasonably new to the Australian market but has featured in the USA for years. This kit is ideal where clearance around the A-frame and coupling is required. With various broad nose A-frames around now (coupling mounted within the A-frame down lower) this kit allows for good clearance whilst turning.

Frictional Sway ControlStill a very effective sway control, however with all these new A-Frame configurations this sway control is best used on conventional type A-frames with top mounted couplings.

Dual Cam Sway ControlThis system uses ‘cams’ under load to prevent swaying. We use this system in a lot of A-frame applications where the standard ‘frictional’ sway device won’t fit. This is not the sort of equipment easily fitted by DIY persons.

Tom gets an Order of Australia (OAM)Tom Harding has become a bit of a celebrity. Earlier this year Tom was awarded an Order of Australia Medal. Tom is not prone to relaxing! As an employee of Toms for many years I can vouch for that. Tom’s passion in the past few years has been rebuilding the outback town of Farina in SA. Whilst his OAM was partly for starting the Farina Restoration Group, it was also recognising Toms work on the committee of CIA and CTIA (Caravan Industry Association), an active member of the Torquay Lions Club, and many years ago captain of Geelong Athletics club, plus many other contributions not listed.

What’s Greg up to?Greg Harding has become a leader in the Aged Care industry. In 2007 he brought Alphington Aged Care and now 5 years later he also owns Epping Aged Care.

Alko ESC FittingWe try and keep abreast of all things new. We have had 3 staff trained in the installation of the new Alko ESC system. A great innovation for caravanners. We have now fitted several systems to caravans of various ages. It’s important to remember if you’re purchasing a new van with the ESC system that the tow vehicle needs special wiring installed to make the ESC operate on the caravan.

Open DayWe plan to probably run the Open Day every 2 years so plans are to run it around November next year (2014).

Why Couplings Look Like ThisThere is an Australian Design Rule (ADR) that prevents some caravan couplings being set too high. Thus, as caravans have become more off-road orientated and become bigger and higher off the ground the coupling often needs to be inset within the A-frame so it doesn’t exceed this ADR. This is why we see so many coupling and A-frame configurations such as this one.

Common Jobs in our Mechanical Shop• Undercarriage Service on Tandems $295 • Undercarriage Service on Single Axle Vans $250-

• Tandem suspension conversion from Rocker to Rocker-Roller (Prevent that spring breaking)• Conversion to Simplicity Suspension $5-6000-

Common Jobs in our Electrical Shop• Hayman Reese Towbar Installations• Fitting a Prodigy Brake Controller $395-• Andersen Plug and Auxiliary Wires to your Tow Vehicle• Installing Battery, Smart Charger and Solar to your caravan

Common Jobs in our BodyShop• Insurance Repairs• Insurance repairs on European and Australian Flat Panel Caravans• Cupboard Catches, Plumbing modifications, new power points …• Diesel & Gas Heater Installations from $3100-

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Handy Hints

Swaying Caravan?Quite often it can be due to a low ball-weight. Try increasing the ballweight (within the car’s towing capacity) and see whether that improves the situation.

Swing-back Jockey WheelsThese swing-back jockey wheels are OK for very small light vans, however not well suited to heavier caravans. They don’t support weight very well and can collapse if holding too much weight.

TyresRemember the 6-year rule. Once tyres are older than 6 years they DO become very prone to blowouts. Check the date stamp on the side of the tyre.

Windows Opening when DrivingA common problem is large side wall windows open whilst you’re travelling. Not a lot we can do unfortunately. Best advice is keep an eye on them, and the newer Dometic type windows with more latches probably aren’t suffering the same problem.

Breakaway BatteriesWe replace a lot. The battery that powers the caravan brakes if the caravan ever broke away from the car. We probably find 70% are dead flat when servicing your tandem. Unfortunately in a lot of caravans these batteries only get charged from PIN 2 (Auxiliary Wire) when caravan is being towed thus why they’re so often flat, as they don’t get much chance to be charged!

7-Pin Flat PlugsCommon problem with these plugs is indicators become erratic. The pins on either end of these flat plugs get squashed every time the plug is connected. An easy fix is to carefully spread these outer pins and this usually resolves erratic indicators.

Swifts Preferred Brake ControllerAlways a Prodigy brake controller. Always a Hardings Swift favourite.

Running your caravan fridge when drivingCaravan fridges (3-way fridges) run off the cars alternator when towing. Thus make sure an auxiliary wire has been fitted to the tow vehicle and ideally make sure it has an automatic switch so it’s only ‘live’ when car us running.

Keeping Caravan Batteries HealthyWe change so many caravan batteries. Remember they can’t charge themselves, and left un-charged they don’t last very long. Either charge them with a smart charger or a solar panel, all year long.

Hot Water Service AnodesIn some caravan hot water services is a sacrificial anode that corrodes rather than the tank. Generally look at changing these every 2-3 years, or as Ian often sais if you’re using the van for 4 months a year with lots of different water maybe every 1-2 years.

Caravan Power PointsAny caravan power point or 240V switch is what we call ‘double pole’ which has a different switching system than in your house.

Dodgy Gas RegulatorGenerally we find the symptoms of a gas regulator that’s struggling is ‘puffy’ burners on your stove.

Caravan HeatersEither the gas or diesel heaters are a massive success. Fantastic heaters for ‘free campers’. We’ve installed a lot now as they are becoming very popular.

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Caravanning is Fun

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Staff Profiles

NeilNeil is one of our body repairers. He mainly works on insurance repairs. Neil is originally from the UK and came to Australia many years ago as a Sound Engineer and Mixing Desk Technician. Having mainly worked in the music industry manufacturing mixing desks Neil brings a fair degree of detail to his work on caravans at Hardings. Neil has his own music studio at home and if he’s not doing something with music he’s a big one for DIY around the home. Neil is the one piping the music around the factory on our open days. Neil is a family man, and a Grand Designs fanatic like a lot of us!

GaryGary is the main customer contact for the Mechanical Workshop, so if we’re servicing your caravan and something pops up Gary will give you a call. Gary started his career as a panel beater, then spent many years managing a large metal merchants, followed by recent years in the landscaping-playground business. Gary and his wife have 2 kids and have both been heavily involved in their various sporting activities and all the extra work required to make these sporting clubs function. Now their kids have grown up Gary and his wife are looking to join the rest of you on the road, caravanning. He and his wife run chooks, grow vegetables and generally enjoy their garden.

Graeme is retiringGraeme is part of the furniture at Hardings, however understandably Graeme’s decided to hang up the boots and enjoy some of the perks of retirement. We’re going to miss him when he’s gone. Many customers will recognise Graeme as he’s worked in the body department now for over 15 years. Graeme continues to set a great pace at Hardings and he’s always been able to take on our large insurance jobs with ease and achieve a high level of detail. Having had a long background in the music and entertainment industry Graeme sees it as his duty to keep the rest of us constantly entertained at work and and we’ll miss the atmosphere Graeme brings to the place. Graeme started his career as a professional musician and still continues to perform in live bands, with his current gigs being in a Neil Young tribute band. Whilst Graeme will officially retire at Christmas we’ll happily have him back to fill the shoes of any staff on holidays if he’s not too busy.

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Graeme

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SwiftCaravanServices114-142ColchesterRoad,Kilsyth3137Phone:0397298477Fax:0397293096

spring 2013 caravantalk - hardings swift caravan...

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