A few quick snaps from the 2013 Brisbane Caravan and Camping Show
- Thread starter whatcharterboat
- Start date
It's a F-650 isn't it?
Ugliest and most utterly useless machine ever produced imo...
blackduck
Explorer
Spot on in the opinion stakes
but isn't it scary to think there are enough rednecks out there to create a market for such a beast :victory:
westyss
Explorer
There are many of those trucks over here, I see one almost daily in our small town where I live so I guess our redneck ratio is higher than normal. Mostly F 650 or F 750 and some Topkicks 5500.
Did I read that right for the price on the double swag that was hovering around $500?? Is that for real? And are washer /dryers popular down there with the camping crowd? My father inlaw has one in his big motor home and has never used it.
thanks for the pictures too John!
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi Yves
You're welcome. Yes on the swag price. That would one of the better quality double swags though . My double swag was $190 back in '87 and still gets plenty of action now and will probably see me out ....swags have come a long way in the last ten years with insect protection, tougher and more waterproof bases and framework..........but re: price , as Owen and I have said on here so many times, we are really ripped off, over regulated and over taxed here in Australia.........and don't blame the guy who made the swag. His rent, material and labour costs and everyone buying cheap Chinese knock-offs would probably have him living on the edge.
To put this in perspective, a common "offroad" caravan here like a Bushtracker is up around $140k , new Landcruiser up around $90k to $100k and a trip to ARB could easily burn up $10k or $20 .....that's over 1/4 million for a grey nomad to drive out the gate on their big trip!!!
Re: washing machines....no not that popular unless its a big vehicle/caravan and being permanently lived in. I have only installed one for a expedition truck customer and they came back 6 months later and had it removed to make more storage space. ........ Coincidently we are installing another one in the next Global Warrior and we recieved plenty of interest about it at the show......the big question is not the space they take up but the power and water they consume.
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John E Davies
Adventurer
What brand is this trailer? I am interested in the small stone protectors plus angled (and armored) tongue box. I wonder how effective they are compared to the full width screen? Can you comment?
I am looking at options for stone protection for an upcoming purchase - a Moby1 XTR offroad teardrop trailer. US trailers don't come with any protection. Whatsoever. Except perhaps for some plastic bed liner on exposed areas.
Thanks.
John Davies
Spokane WA USA
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SkiFreak
Crazy Person
That style of stone guard is very common here and would be quite easily made as a DIY project.
Basically, it is just a simple frame (normally made from about 20mm SHS) which is covered with shade cloth.
The shade cloth is just wrapped around the frame and held in place with some pop rivets and oversized washers.
The shade cloth, being reasonably flexible, absorbs the impact of the stones and stops them ricocheting back towards the tow vehicle. Simple, but very effective.
Basically, it is just a simple frame (normally made from about 20mm SHS) which is covered with shade cloth.
The shade cloth is just wrapped around the frame and held in place with some pop rivets and oversized washers.
The shade cloth, being reasonably flexible, absorbs the impact of the stones and stops them ricocheting back towards the tow vehicle. Simple, but very effective.
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi John,
That's a Kimberly Kamper.......big bucks but one of the best for sure.......if you like those guards have a look at Rock Tamers.
John E Davies
Adventurer
What is 20 mm SHS? That doesn't mean anything to me....... Is it a thin walled steel tubing?
Yes, I have seen lots of pics of that type of cloth guard ... just none here in the USA, for some strange reason. But my question concerned the guard on that KK - it is two small lateral guards (steel or aluminum) plus an angled front box, plus a couple of below the frame "mudflaps". I have never seen such a design and was wondering why they did it this way..... It looks better IMHO, but I imagine there would be leakage between the gaps. Maybe it is just an experiment?
Here's a higher quality pic I found at the KK website, since now I know the manufacturer:
John Davies
Spokane WA USA
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SkiFreak
Crazy Person
There I go, making assumptions again...
Sorry John, I did not look at the image close enough and assumed that the front guards were made from shade cloth (as the majority here are). Obviously they are not; they are metal.
Having said that, I am not convinced that metal guards would be better than the shade cloth variety, as they do not absorb any of the impact of things hitting them. Sure, they are angled down, which would help, but you are still going to get more ricocheting with this style of guard.
As to why they did it this way... only they would know. Not really sure what you mean by "leakage", but you normally only get lots of debris flying up directly behind the wheels. A guard that runs along the entire front is normally just easier to do IMHO.
BTW... SHS stands for "Square Hollow Section". It's just the technical term for square steel tube.
Sorry John, I did not look at the image close enough and assumed that the front guards were made from shade cloth (as the majority here are). Obviously they are not; they are metal.
Having said that, I am not convinced that metal guards would be better than the shade cloth variety, as they do not absorb any of the impact of things hitting them. Sure, they are angled down, which would help, but you are still going to get more ricocheting with this style of guard.
As to why they did it this way... only they would know. Not really sure what you mean by "leakage", but you normally only get lots of debris flying up directly behind the wheels. A guard that runs along the entire front is normally just easier to do IMHO.
BTW... SHS stands for "Square Hollow Section". It's just the technical term for square steel tube.