Travelling Recipes

ROOF MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONERS ON POP TOPS

This article relates to the things you may or may not know about the caravans we use today, together with some home spun handy hints and/or recommendations to hopefully assist your caravanning experience. These articles are primarily intended for new caravanners, together with those people wishing to purchase their first or another caravan. Most of the topics are taken from my class notes for the “Caravanning for Beginners” course, I conduct at the Bruce TAFE in Canberra. Also some Articles are Club members Handy Hints and Safety Matters taken from the Canberra Caravan Club Web Site. In due course all these Articles will also appear on the Club web Site.

Roof Mounted Air Conditioners for Pop Tops

Most new caravans are now being fitted with all the comforts of home that are feasible, and air conditioners are no exception to this trend. Whilst roof mounted reverse cycle air conditioners are a common fit on full height caravans, it is only in the last couple of years that designs have been developed for roof mounting air conditioners on pop top caravans. At this stage not many of these units are factory fitted by the caravan manufacturers. They are mostly fitted after market. Therefore, may I suggest there are several crucial factors that should be taken into consideration before having a roof mounted fitted to your pop top caravan. They are:

(a) The ability of the pop top roof structure to support the additional weight of an air conditioning unit, both the static weight and the dynamic weight created when the caravan is being towed; [average static dry weight of these A/C units is circa 35 kgs]

(b) The ability of the roof structure and roof support structure to counter the vibration created by an operating air conditioner, and

If you are unsure as to the suitability, or otherwise, of roof mounting an Air conditioner on your Pop Top caravan, seek and follow only the technical advice of the actual manufacturer of your caravan. Don’t be satisfied with “she’ll be right” assurances given by some salespersons.

© John Seeley Septemper 2007

Daily Incidental Costs When Caravanning:

Nowadays you can just about pay for everything by credit or cash cards. Accommodation, Fuel and Food costs are usually catered for by the use of these cards. There is however, a need to still carry some cash with you when caravanning, to pay at those places where a plastic card is useless. Things that fall into this category are:

roadside stall operators and some small shops;

small businesses who do not take plastic cards, and

coin operated devices in caravan parks and roadhouses [ie coin operated hot showers and washing machines

Suggestion: Get yourself at least 3 screw top plastic jars for coins, and keep a good supply of coins in each. NOTE: Use plastic jars NOT Glass jars, glass has a bad habit of breaking.

One jar should be for $1 coins

One jar should be for $2 coins, and

One jar should be for 20 and 50 cent pieces.

Remember: Most washing machines in caravan parks now take at least two $1 coins plus one possibly two 20 cent pieces per load. We found one set of washing machines recently that took five $1 coins per load. The same applies to coin in the slot showers for hot water, most of those require two $1 coins for a couple of minutes of hot water. Generally where you have to use coin in the slot facilities, there is nowhere to get the required change.

© John Seeley November 2007

The “Trail-A Mate” Type of Caravan Jacking Systems

Most suppliers of new caravans provide a dedicated lifting device/jack with each new van purchased. In its basic form the lifting device/jack is generally a bottle type jack, albeit employing a hydraulic or mechanical screw type action. Unfortunately, these types of jacks generally require the operator to most times lay on the ground, in order to place the jack underneath the suspension or chassis, and then operate the jack. This jacking method is dirty antiquated and dangerous to the operator. To prevent this type of jack sinking into the earth when put under load, the base of these jacks should always be supported on a sturdy piece of timber that will safely facilitate the lift.

In recent years a new hydraulic jack has been developed for use on caravans. This product is called a “Trail-A Mate” and it is designed to couple into special lifting lugs, that have been welded onto the underside of one of the chassis cross members on each side of the caravan. Each lifting lug is designed to lift that particular side of the caravan, and associated wheel/s, off the ground. The drawbar support plus the wheel/s on the other side of the caravan then support the remainder of the caravan. These special lifting lugs are usually located under the chassis cross member that is immediately behind the wheel, or behind the rear wheel in the case of multiple wheels. The jack itself is essentially a hydraulic bottle jack whose underside has been connected to a steel pipe support pole, the lower end of that pole then fits into a base support plate, which makes contact with the ground, facilitating the lifting process. The closed up length of this jacking device is circa 750mm. This length is easily stowed in the front stowage boot of the caravan or the boot of the tow vehicle. This unit also works at the front of the caravan, in conjunction with the jockey wheel bracket. This is a very useful tool which allows you to jack up your caravan from the standing position, and saves you from having to jack up the caravan whilst laying on the ground. Additionally, it also overcomes the old problem of not enough clearance between the ground and the lifting point on the caravan, which generally occurs when trying to remove a flat tyre.

Our current caravan is classed as a semi off-road variant. Subsequently it is a lot higher off the ground than a conventional caravan. This requires a jack with a lot more vertical travel. As such, in order to lift our caravan with a conventional hydraulic bottle jack, I was forced to carry quite a few wooden blocks, of various thicknesses, for packing up the jack. As this method was always fraught with danger, I also carried a vehicle support stand to support the van weight whilst a wheel was removed.

Now that I use a “Trail-A Mate” jacking system, I will always require the services of the vehicle support stand, when I have a caravan wheel off, but I no longer have to carry and support the jack with the wooden packing blocks.

Safety Advice

When Jacking a Caravan: Always ensure the caravan is connected to the tow vehicle, or to some other immovable object. The tow vehicle is prevented from movement, and the caravan wheels have their park brake/s on, and chocked either way.

Jacking Using the Jockey Wheel for Support: Never repeat Never attempt to jack one side of the caravan, whose only drawbar support is a jockey wheel. The likelihood of the front of the caravan moving off sideways on the jockey wheel is extremely high, especially if the caravan is on any sort of sideways slope.

Recommendation: I think the cost of incorporating a “Trail-A Mate” type of jacking system to your caravan is money wisely spent. Let’s face it nobody enjoys changing a flat tyre, especially when you have to firstly put the jack under the caravan, in generally the worst of environments. Not to mention your legs out the side of the caravan waiting to be run over by another passing vehicle.