Call for off-road caravan ratings
Should only caravans that meet certain standards and criteria be allowed to be called 'off-road'?A leading caravanning expert has called for a recognized industry standard for an 'off-road' caravan to better protect buyers against off-road related problems and breakages.
The Caravan Council of Australia's Colin Young said the different interpretations and definitions of so-called 'off-road' caravans continues to cause "controversy, heaps of problems and complaints, and litigation".
"Reported and witnessed problems have ranged from door and compartment latches and hinges failing, the attachments of cupboards and appliances to the caravan structure becoming loose, and crockery and glasses breaking," Young claimed.
Other unexpected issues reported by buyers include "body sealants and adhesives losing their effectiveness, joins of body panels opening up and causing leakage paths for dust and water, underside bolts, screws and rivets becoming loose, and dangerous cracks in chassis welds - and even the complete failure of major chassis and A-Frame members," he said.
Young is pushing for clear, easy-to-measure interpretations or meanings, and has suggested the following as a guide to off-road caravan classifications:
Gentle: Suitable for smooth frequently-graded dirt roads with occasional bumps and pot-holes - typically up to 25 mm height. Responsible maximum speed of 80 km/h.
Mild: Suitable for seldom-graded dirt roads with recurring bumps and pot-holes - typically up to 50 mm height. Responsible maximum speed of 40 km/h.
Severe: Suitable for rough ungraded bush tracks with occasional severe bumps - typically up to 100 mm height. Responsible maximum speed of 20 km/h.
Extreme: Suitable for torturous seldom-used tracks including continual harsh undulations - typically up to 150 mm height. Responsible maximum of "crawling" speed.
Young also recommended more widespread use of caravan vibration testing rigs, similar to that used by the Walkinshaw-owned New Age Caravans, that would "better protect 'van buyers against premature and troublesome failures".
Whether achieved on a simulator or in the real world, he believes a realistic standard test procedure for each type of travel usage should be agreed upon "so that a potential buyer can compare apples with apples".
It's the latest call for an industry standard when it comes to off-road caravans, with Roma also arguing for a set of guidelines to end buyer confusion.
“Most co-called ‘off-road’ vans are merely jacked-up, cosmetically enhanced versions of what underneath are really just bitumen vans and the buying public is rightly confused," then Roma co-director Mark Palmarini said in 2015.
“They think that some checker plate armoury and some tough-looking wheels and tyres will take them along the Gibb River road and back, but often they are in for an expensive shock when things start breaking.
“Most manufacturers have a let-out clause in their brochures and warranty, but we think that there should be a heightened standard for caravans branded ‘off-road’ that really reflects the type of touring that their owners might reasonably subject them to.”
He also argued that payloads need to be significantly higher on ‘off-road’ caravans than the 400kg for tandems and 300kg for single axle vans that are the accepted minimum ‘dry’ weights before water, gas and personal supplies are added.
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