Full metal jacket caravan lightens up

A first batch of lighter, 3500kg ATM-rated 'full metal jacket' Harvok full-height caravans has arrived in the country, capable of being towed by most popular dual-cab utes and 4WD wagons.

The first 19ft 6in Harvok Suit of Armour 'vans arrived earlier this year with a 3300kg Tare and 4500kg ATM, meaning they could only realistically be towed by larger American pick-ups and light trucks.

Harvok's Regional Director - Pacific, Adrian Cappola said the innovative Melbourne-designed, one-piece steel 'vans which are being promoted as the "world's first robot built, monocoque caravan", have slimmed down to a more user-friendly Tare weight of 2940kg for the rear door couple's layout and 3000kg for the front door, family three bunk version.

That's about the same as the original, more traditionally built Harvok Powerbank models which arrived on the market in late-2021 as the first all-electric 48V hybrid caravan priced at under $100,000.

Ball weights at Tare for the new 3500kg ATM-rated Harvok 'vans range between 183kg and 220kg depending on the layout.

Adrian Cappola said the lower Tare and ATM weights was achieved through a combination of stripping weight out of the monocoque construction process and 'de-speccing', including removing non-essential items like the rear bar and front toolbox, and re-locating the spare wheel to the A-frame.

"We've also lightened up some of the furniture inside and haven't applied the Raptor coating underneath, which all added unnecessary weight," he said.

Otherwise, the latest 19ft 6in Harvok 'vans offer the same high-level equipment list as before, including standard fitment of a 9.6kWh 48V lithium battery system (the equivalent of a 12V 800Ah lithium system), 40AH multi-stage 48v battery charger, 3000W inverter and 1000W flexible roof-mounted solar panels... enough to run many of the onboard 240V appliances simultaneously, including the air-conditioner, microwave and induction cooktop. 

The 3500kg ATM vans are currently being offered for $109,990, or $5000 less than the RRP$114,990. A limited number are available for immediate delivery, with display vans also being rolled out to dealers.

 "The way we're going to keep prices down is by using robotics and building them in an automotive style process, which also eliminates human error as robots don't make mistakes," Cappola explained.

He said a new 16ft single axle version of the 'full metal jacket' van is expected to go on sale in Australia in late-2022 or early-2023.