Franklin G2 Plus

Star Attraction

Not so long ago, Qld caravan dealer Gary Kratzmann phoned us to arrange a meeting with one of his customers about to collect their new caravan. "It's Frank Warrick," he said. "And he's very excited about ours and his new Franklin."

If you live south of the Qld border, you might not have heard of Frank, but he's a household name in Qld, having hosted the TV program Frank Warrick's The World Around Us as well as reading the 6pm news on channels 7 and 9.

After a short 'retirement', Frank is now back at Channel 9 as a weather presenter. He's a very personable character, and he and his wife, Lyn, are keen caravanners too - their new Franklin is their fourth van. Actually, their interest in caravanning began when Frank first met Gary Kratzmann while filming The World Around Us, and it was not long after that they owned their first van. Several vans and 50,000km later, Frank and Lyn know a thing or two about the caravan lifestyle - their custom-built van became a source of inspiration for Gary, who went on to develop the Franklin G2 Plus range, which features many of Frank's recommendations.

Stay tuned - CW will have more on Frank and Lyn's caravanning experiences in a future issue.

ROUGH-ROAD RELIABILITY
Underpinning the Franklin G2 Plus is a Preston DuraGal chassis with 100mm rails. It rides on tandem-axle load sharing suspension that's fitted with eye-eye shackle leaf springs - the type that can be easily greased during a van service.

Fourteen-inch alloy wheels give the rough-road van an adequate ground clearance for many roads around Australia.

Standard on this van is the rear bumper bar with looped ends, fitted with a spare wheel and two jerry can holders. This adds about 500mm to the van's external length.

At the other end of the van, the drawbar sports two 9kg gas cylinders, a mains pressure tap and wire rack between the rails. An optional item for the front drawbar is an aluminium checkerplate toolbox - not large enough to cause too many ball weight dramas but handy for ready-use items. The mostly out of sight electrics consist of a 100Ah battery and smart charger with provision for solar panels.

Body construction for the G2 Plus is fairly standard, with a timber frame and aluminium cladding for the exterior. Across the front lower half, aluminium checkerplate gives protection against stone damage. The security door and tinted hopper windows are all Camec items and there is, of course, a rollout awning.

Outside living items include a hinged table beside the door and two external lights.

FEATURE LIGHTING
Inside the G2 Plus, the timber cabinetry is complemented by the lighter-coloured walls and upholstery. The Tasmanian oak cupboard door frames are also a nice touch.

A feature of this van is the lighting - 'bubble-style' halogen downlights parade across the ceiling. Natural light is assisted by a large window area and a big marine-style hatch above the rear area. While there are no curtains, slimline venetian blinds are fitted to all windows.

Comprising a full width rear bathroom, front bedroom area and everything else in between, this van's layout reflects a current trend in the caravan industry. Although not everyone desires a larger bathroom area, the rear configuration leaves the rest of the van with a relatively open feel.

The bathroom has a separate shower cubicle. The cubicle door matches the tinting in the windows.

There's no ventilation window, rather a fan hatch above to deliver the air flow. In the opposite corner is the Thetford cassette toilet and most of the rear wall is taken up by the vanity cabinet, which includes a wash basin, cupboards, shelves and a wall mirror.

We like the magazine and book shelves by the 'reading seat'.

Outside the bathroom, butted against its wall, is a large cupboard area, split with shelves on one side and a tall space on the other - one ponders whether it would be more useful with shelves, too, although others may appreciate the extra hanging space.

COOKIN' IN THE KITCHEN
Moving into more salubrious areas of the van, the kitchen sits along the offside wall. Beside the cupboard is the all-essential fridge, a good sized 168L three-way unit, and fitted into the kitchen bench are the Spinflo Minigrill cooktop and a stainless steel sink. It doesn't leave a great deal of benchtop area, and we note with interest that in his van Frank opted for a design that offered more - something his wife, Lyn, desired.

Something this kitchen bench does have is a considerable mix of drawers available in small and large sizes - in many ways they are more practical than a large, empty cupboard area. Of course, there are cupboards and the necessary overhead lockers as well.

The radio/CD player sits in the overhead locker above the sink.

The kitchen bench flows into the bedroom area, where there are upper and lower cupboards, a powerpoint and a Winegard antenna connection suitable for a TV.

Opposite the kitchen, the L-shaped dinette seats two people comfortably. Contoured foam cushions are used for seat backs and squabs, and the under-seat storage area is accessible by lifting the ply hatches. Part of the wall seat area is taken by the wheel arch. The centre-mounted table will rotate and can be lifted out if not needed.

In the forward section, the 6ft 2in x 4ft 6in (1.9m x 1.4m) innerspring mattress bed has a bed head of side cabinets plus overhead lockers. Bedroom storage is enhanced by the nearside cupboard that separates the dinette from the bed - it also gives a considerable shelf area, with a powerpoint, if needed.

There is also a storage compartment underneath the bed - handy for storing larger items.

THE BOTTOM LINE
There's no doubt that the team at Kratzmann's are old hands at caravan design, not only in keeping up with current trends but also listening to what their customers have to say - and not just high profile ones either. It's evident in the latest Franklin G2 plus, which benefits from the many design tweaks throughout.

Kratzmanns Caravans and Marine
1768 Sandgate Road
Virginia, Qld 4014
(07) 3265 2477

174 Eastern Service Road
Burpengary, Qld 4505
(07) 3888 2755
www.kratzmann.com.au or www.franklinrv.com.au