Understanding Your Caravan and Equipping Your Caravan

Caravans and camper-trailers have to be registered separately to
your vehicle, and serviced regularly. Before you set off on your
trip, it is worthwhile spending some time understanding your
caravan workings and all its components. Although many features
are now standard, particularly in new vans, there will still be
some equipping of your caravan to do.

SERVICING

Similarly to your car, caravans need regular servicing also. The
wheel bearings and brakes need to be checked every 20,000 km or
annually. Your normal mechanic that services your car will be
able to service your caravan as well. By understanding your
caravan you will be able to take a spare set of wheel bearings
with you and replace them yourself. If you are unsure of how to
do this, just ask your local mechanic and he will gladly explain
how to change them.

Brakes are a little more complex. Again your normal mechanic
should be able to check them for wear etc, but sometimes you may
have to visit a brake specialist.

Most other areas on your caravan are just routing checking like
the battery and lights etc. You can either do this yourself with
a little bit of knowledge, or wherever you are travelling the
garage mechanic will be able to check them for you.

Power Supply

Caravans are usually wired to operate on both 12 volt and 240
volt. The 240 volt supply will be a plug-in supply from your
powered campsite or from a home power point if you are staying
with friends. They require 15 amp plugs, which are not normally
fitted in homes so make sure your extension lead caters for 15
amp plugs.

Most caravans have a 12 volt battery to operate the electrics in
your caravan and this must be charged regularly by either a
battery charger or via an Anderson Plug connected to your car
when it is running. Some caravans and motorhomes are also fitted
with a switch which charges your caravan battery while the
vehicle is plugged into 240 volt power. It is strongly
recommended you have this switch connected.

If you have an Anderson plug fitted that uses your vehicle's
alternator to charge your caravan battery, make sure you have an
isolation devise fitted so the batteries can be separated when
the vehicle is not running. The last thing you want is for the
caravan to drain your vehicle's battery and not be able to start
your car.

If you are going bush you may consider carrying a generator with
you as well. If you are going to stay in caravan parks you will
not need a generator. If you think you just might want one, they
are heavy, take up a fair bit of storage room and are noisy to
operate.

Another popular source of power these days is solar power.
Similarly, to the generator this would only be useful if you are
not staying in caravan parks and do not have an Anderson plug
fitted to your vehicle to charge your caravan's battery.

Refrigeration

What sort of a fridge should you have? For many years the three
way fridge has been the preferred choice for caravan owners.
These operate on 12 volt (battery), 240 volt (power point) or
gas. These fridges work quite well on 240 volt and gas, but
struggle a bit when on 12 volt despite using quite a lot of
power - some of the newer models perform a bit better.
Performance can be slightly improved by installing a ventilator
fan behind the fridge to improve airflow. These are available at
caravan accessory shops.

Gas Supply

Most caravans, campervans and motorhomes have gas-operated
stoves, ovens and hot-water services. Gas is efficient, clean
and quite safe. Use a two gas bottle system so you can use one
gas bottle until it is completely empty and then switch to the
other bottle. This will save you trying to guess how much gas is
left in a bottle and how long it will last and also enables you
to use all the gas and not refill it with gas still left. Always
stand gas bottles in a vertical position and make sure a
regulator is fitted so it will turn the gas off if a major leak
occurs

Check that your gas bottles are not out of date. The date is
stamped on the collar of the bottle, and it should indicate that
the bottle has been checked within the last 10 years. It is
against the law for a reseller to fill out-of-date gas bottles.
Most service stations now have exchange gas bottles. This
enables you to take your empty gas bottle and just pay exchange
it for a full bottle. Check the out of date on the new gas
bottle as well, to ensure it will not expire shortly.

Lifestyle Extras

By understanding your caravan and equipping your caravan, you
will want a few necessary extras. Television, video recorders
and DVD's are increasingly popular items to travel with. Most
Australian towns have some kind of television reception but for
those who want reliable reception, there is the option of
installing a satellite dish to your caravan, offering access to
a selection of free-to-air and cable channels. If you are off
the beaten track, don't forget you DVD's. Television and videos
come in 12 volt and 240 volt.

A full annexe, complete with floor, can add thousands of dollars
to the cost of a new van. It may seem like a desirable item but,
if you are moving around a lot, you may find that it gets used
rarely. Awnings tend to be more useful as they are much easier
to set up.

You will spend nearly as much time outside under your awning as
you will inside your caravan. As such an outdoor table setting
is an important addition to your camping equipment. Also
desirable are a couple of comfortable chairs to relax in. With
these kinds of purchases, you tend to get what you pay for in
terms of quality.

Another fairly indispensable item is an outdoor stove or
barbecue. Cooking outdoors while caravanning is sociable and
pleasurable, and it means not having to live and sleep with the
smell of cooked meat or fish. Most parks have barbecue areas,
but these can be in high demand.

Portable chemical toilets are used by those travelling in
smaller campervans or with caravans that do not have a built-in
facility. They require regular emptying and the chemicals have
to be replenished. They are popular with older travellers who do
not relish the idea of navigating a course to the amenity block
during the small hours.

Blocks and Chocks

You will rarely find your camp site perfectly flat, so you will
need to carry levelling blocks to rectify the situation. These
come in the form of shaped wedges (or you can use a thick, flat
board). They are placed on the ground and your caravan is driven
onto them. Some motorhomes have built-in self-levelling
supports. (see arrive at campsite).

A pair of shaped wheel-chocks is very handy for stabilising your
van. Chocks can be bought commercially or easily made at home.
They should be placed on the downhill side of the caravan's
wheels to prevent the unit rolling.

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>www.crikey-adventure-tours.com/caravan-holiday.html for the
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About the author:
Ian Molloy is the owner of Crikey Adventure Tours. Visit his
website href="http://www.crikey-adventure-tours.com"target="blank">www.cr
ikey-adventure-tours.com for more information about this
article and other related topics. His site is full of very
helpful travel information including tips on motorcycle travel,
driving cross-country, travelling with a caravan and other
camping and travel information.