Fake DO35 hitch warning

Counterfeit and potentially non-compliant copies of the locally designed and manufactured Vehicle Components Hitchmaster D035 premium off-road coupling are being fitted to some camper trailers and hybrid caravans, potentially exposing travellers to risk and insurance denial, it is claimed.

The copies of the previous Version 2 of the DO35 coupling that ceased production in June 2017 were spotted by Vehicle Components staff on some hybrid camper trailers at last month’s Adelaide Caravan & Camping Lifestyle Show and were being offered to manufacturers at the recent Victorian Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow, according to Vehicle Component’s Managing Director, Chris Goddard.

Goddard said the fake couplings had only just arrived in the country in time for the South Australian show and the camper tailer importer removed them after being threatened with legal action.

Goddard said he understood that someone was also ’hawking’ the fake couplings to manufacturers and distributors displaying at the Melbourne Show.

*We have a list of our customers who this person approached,” he said. However, at this stage Goddard said Vehicle Components was not planning to take any further action and to the Queensland company’s knowledge, none of the fake couplings was in the field.

Safety concerns with fakes

He said what made the counterfeit couplings concerning for unsuspecting buyers is that the examples they saw were assembled incorrectly, with the receiver on back to front and could potentially be fitted upside down, leading to unexpected de-coupling.

“There’s also an issue of patent infringement from our perspective, but it’s the safety issue and our good name earned over 40 years as Australia leading manufacturer in all-terrain towing technology that we are more concerned about,” he said.

Goddard said that the DO35 copies were made of the previous-generation V2 of the coupling, not the latest V3 that features a number of improvements and is being fitted as standard by a number of Australian camper trailer and caravan manufacturers.

“They display our logo and ADR compliance, but we have no way of knowing what quality materials they have been made from, or whether they actually comply with the regulations,” he said.

Vehicle Components advises anybody who has recently bought or ordered a product with a DO35 coupling to check that it is the genuine article and if not to call them on 07 3624 3800.

Counterfeiting rife in RV industry

Copying of Australian designs and innovations in the RV industry has been rife for many years, to the point where Australian Off Road founder Steve Budden said the speed at which counterfeiters could bring a pirated design to market made it impractical to embark on a long and costly patent application.

“It’s much better to spend your money on new designs to stay ahead of the game.” he said.

The Caravan Council of Australia's Colin Young said dodgy operators have for years tried to pass off copies of genuine parts as the real thing.

"A number of years back, there were poor-quality illegal copies of 50mm ball-couplings, brake drums, safety-chains, and lamps and reflectors," he said. "All had counterfeit names, ADR/AS markings, and ratings embossed on them.

"I have no idea as to how many were sold… or if they are still available."

NOTE: First two photos are the suspected copies; third photo is a real DO35 hitch.