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What you need to do the job: |
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Geoff Peel:
In typical fashion, and in a hurry, I hooked up and left. Showed a few club members at Marong who quickly checked their plugs and all looked OK. It wasn't until I pulled the plug apart that the real truth of the matter was revealed. (Fig 3) From this observation it was very close to being the
start of a fire as you can see the insulation had started to melt; not really comfortable for me as
my car is on dedicated gas
and the inlet line is very close. I ask that all club members check their plugs if
you are NOT running with an Anderson plug to your van
fridge. |
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Gilo (alias John Gilson): I was shocked to see how loose the fitting between the tow ball on the car and the tow hitch on my caravan was when I happened to check it the other day. I assume the factory adjusts the hitch correctly for a standard 50mm tow ball. Maybe they do, but have a look at yours just to be sure. |
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John Caruso: Charging and running devices like laptops and telephones when 240 volts is not available is helped by having an "Auto Laptop Power Supply". It plugs into a cigarette socket in the car or caravan. A dial adjusts the DC output voltage to match the device to be charged - 19V for my laptop and 5V for my telephones. And bingo. Instant power! |
| Keeping Pantry Closed In Transit - Alan
Andrews Get two shallow saddles and a length of double-sided velcro. With the pantry full in, screw one saddle in front of the leading frame and one just behind. Thread the velcro through both and secure with a small screw between the saddles. To secure the pantry slide and so prevent it bursting open the door, simply bring the velcro ends tightly together. Simple. |
 Colour Code Chain Link - Ken WinnellGetting tired of counting chain links every time you hook up your weight distribution hitch bars? I have just colour coded my 5th link (the one I use the way I count) so I should not have to count anymore. What the heck - a minute is a minute when you're getting older... |
| Radiator Coolants - Geoff Peel Towing a caravan places additional strains and stresses on our car's engine and transmission making it imperative we regularly maintain them to ensure their reliability and long life. Most critical is the use of correct "genuine" engine and transmission oils, and engine radiator coolant. In particular, I cannot stress the importance of using the "correct" coolant for your vehicle. It may be more expensive than other products available from the well known vehicle parts stores around town, but in the long run it may prove to be more economical in extending the working life of the engine. Engine radiator coolants should be changed regularly and should not be mixed as ever rarely are different brands compatible. There is a documented case of a Nissan owner having to pay $16,000 to replace the engine because the mixed coolants chemically reacted and turned to "jelly" affording no engine cooling properties at all, thus destroying the engine altogether. Of course, there was no manufacturer's warranty to cover the expense. Like tap water, some coolants do not stop the corrosion of aluminium engine parts like water pumps and housings, cylinder heads and thermostat covers. Inefficient water pumps cause the engine and transmission to run at higher temperatures than normal thus reducing engine and transmission life. Does your engine have aluminium components? Have you had the radiator coolant changed recently?
The golden rule
is: "Don't short cut on your cooling system". For interest, at work I use a long
life coolant designed to last 8 years of heavy diesel application. (Ed. I
have placed a "Cooling System Summary - A Quick Guide" document, supplied by Geoff
and then slightly modified by JC - our resident technical advisor - below if you wish
to know more.) |
| Power Wrench -
Geoff Peel This device, owned by John Beddgood, makes light work of the task of removing tight wheel nuts. Recommended NOT to be used to tighten them, ONLY to loosen as it uses reduction gear technology.    |
| UHF CB Radio
Channel Restrictions - Ken and Beverley Winnell Use of some UHF CB radio channels are restricted by law. If you have or intend to get a CB radio it would be well worth reading information on these websites: http://www.uhfcb.com.au/ or http://www.campertrailers.org/uhf.htm |
| Storing the
Grey-Water Hose up the Chassis - John and Gill Booth It's not a new idea, but John shows how he stores his grey-water hose up the end of his 511 chassis. Photographs courtesy Geoff Peel.    |
| Anode Dilemma
- Geoff Peel from a magazine (Ed. Abridged version) Q: "I'm replacing the anode in my hot water service and it seems rusted in....". What can be done? A: "First up, are you using a 1 1/16 inch socket? Make a well under the nut with Blu-Tack, and flood it using a penetrating oil. Leave for a long time. Don't overly force the nut as it may damage the vitreous enamel lining inside the tank. Try gently banging the head with a hammer to loosen it if necessary. When you get it out, don't completely cover the threads - use only 3 wraps of teflon - or you will insulate it from the tank and won't act as an anode. Replace it every 6 months in SA/WA or using bore water, or yearly otherwise. See http://www.around-oz.com/diy_mh/diy_sacrificial_annode.htm for more info." |
| Caravan Stove
Top Glass Lid Breakage - John and Gill Booth .... pulling out the 240 volt plug from the power point in the cupboard for the hot plate when not in use. I suggest to everyone to do the same in your van, plug it in again when you need it. It might save you the hassle of replacing the glass top and a possible fire in the van. To read the whole story, click here. |
| Strengthening the towing mirror support - Geoff and Sheena Peel Just a tip for the people having difficulty with mirrors that tend to "blow in" when large trucks go past. I fitted a second support arm and over the weekend travel to Moama ... no problems at all.   |
| Negating the smoke alarm - Sue Boardman If your smoke alarm keeps going off every time you make toast for breakfast, fit a shower cap over it! Do not forget to remove it afterwards though. |
| Taking the push bikes along - Chris and Annie Smart We've been pondering for some time how to get our 2 adult cycles with us whilst towing our van. I have tested our set up and found that the cycles do not foul or touch the van when driving and turning. We already had the Cycle Rack, and Annie came up with the idea of turning the boomerang shaped base around and it appears to work OK. It is bolted on under the treg/thread. We are aware that there will be the additional weight on the towball. The rear doors of the Landcruiser open as well. |
| In Case of Emergency (ICE) - Courtesy of NSW Coromal Club Isn't it true that we all carry a mobile phone with hundreds of numbers/names stored in the phone's memory? In case of an Emergency, WHO DOES ONE CALL? The ICE concept has been adopted overseas with great results. The idea was conceived by a paramedic who found that most people carry a mobile phone. Programming the phone with ICE1, ICE2 etc enables the Emergency team to contact the right people if needed. Let's spread the ICE concept within our Club and among our family and friends. |
| Awnings To avoid damage to your awning when putting it up in high winds, feed it through the awning rails and peg out the canvas before you assemble the frame. When you have done this you can move the pegs to their correct position. Likewise, to take down the awning in high winds, leave the canvas pegged out until you have fully dismantled the frame. |
| Line up the Ball and Hitch - Chris and Ian Morgan Put a small mark on the rear window of the car and another on the front of the caravan so that from your normal driving position the ball fits under the hitch by lining them up when reversing. (Paraphrased - ed.) |
| Raising the pop-top roof - Alan and Joan Andrews Try raising the roof of your pop-top with the door open by first lifting the rear from the outside by standing on the rear bumper bar and then going inside to lift the front using the ceiling handles. This technique avoids having to kneel on the double bed and lift using the rear ceiling handles. The front is easily lifted from the inside afterwards. |
Getting
a handle on things - Ken and Beverley Winnell If you are travelling, especially in the cold night deserts where
the temperature can drop below freezing, the last thing you want is skin stuck
to cold metal in the morning. I have made a cover for my jockey wheel handle
from a piece of old washing machine hose. You can usually find old washing
machines on nature strips ready for hard rubbish collection. I just went and
knocked on the door and asked if I could take the hoses. I have attached a
picture of my little set up. The original tip came to me via the towing school
class Beverley and I did when we first purchased our pop-top caravan back in
2003." |
For those members who have caravans with a shower and would like to save
water while having a shower, especially while free camping, might like to
try my idea with installing a gas or water cock ,the difference is in
the handle, on the shower outlet pipe, see photo. How it works is you
turn on the gas or water cock and the hot and cold taps, adjust the
water temperature to suit, wet yourself down, turn off water at gas cock, soap yourself up, turn on at the gas cock , rinse off. By doing this you
save water as you
don't have to take time readjusting the water temperature with the shower taps. Also the setting can be left for
the next person to shower, thereby saving more water.
