Motorhome Book

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T H E
CAMPERVAN
M OTO R HO ME
B O O K
C O L LY N R lV E R S
Publisher : Collyn Rivers, PO B ox 3634, Broome, WA 6725. First edition published

October 200l . Editi on l .4 publishedJ anuary 200S.
Copyright: The Campervan & Motorhome Book, copyright 200l . All rights reserved.
Apart from minor extracts for the purposes of e view, no part of thispublication may be
reproduced, stored in aretdeval system, or transrnittedinany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, e cording, or otherni se, without the writtenpermission of the publi sher
N ationa l L ibr a ry of A ustr ali a
C ataloguin g-in-P ub li ca tion da ta
R ivers, Colly n
Th e C ampervan & M otorhome B ook
l st e d i ti o n
I S B N . O 9S 7 89 65 0 6
1. Campervans & Motorhomes. 2. Motorhomes & Campervans. l . Title
Distribution:This book may be purchased throughtheCampervan & MotorhomeClub

of Australia Ltd, PO B ox 3327, Hamilton DC, NSW 2303, directly fromthepubtisher
at the addressbelow. It also availablefromanumber of camping and caravanequipment
storesand, in New Zealand from: Capital Books, 23 Waring-Taylor St, Wellington. The
book is now also available from the N ew Z ealand M otor Caravan A ssociation.
E ditorial : E nquiriesshould be adde ssed to Collyn Ri vers, PO B ox 3634,B roome, WA

6725, or v ia emai l at: collynr @biW ond.com.au
Production: B ody text set in 11.5 point Times New Roman. Headings etc. (including
this page) set inArial. The book is desktop published by the author
P r inting: Text: Of f ce S tar, 2/34 F rederick St, B roome. 672S
F ront cover : M cClintock B ros, M eadowbank, N S W
Publisher ,s Note. To ensuretopicaIity this book isprintedinsmall batchesandupdated

between each where necessary. The author would appreciate feedback relating to errors
a n d o m i ssi o n s .
Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate however no responsibility is accepted by the publisher for any error or
omission or for any loss, damage, or injury suffered by anyone relying on the information or advice contained in this publication, or from any other cause.
F ront Cover P icture: The OK A in the K imberley
C onte nts
C hoo s in g the Ve hic le - camperv an, motorho me or coach
C ha pte r 1, P a ge 7
T he C ho ic e of F uel - diesel, petrol, or LP G
C ha pte r 2 , P a ge 10
T he lnte rio r L a y out - defining your ne eds
B u ildi ng Yo ur O w n - w e ight is the e ne my
T h e E l e c t r i c s - th e o v e r a ll v ie w
B atteries & C harging -w hy batteries disa ppoint
S ola r & O the r S o urc e s of E ne rgy
stay ing longe r o n site
lnv erters - produc ing y our own mains power
L ig hting - fluore sce nt, ha loge n or inc a nde sc ent
R efrige ratio n - evaluating the alternatives
lns talling G as - an o utline of the main req uirements
C ha pte r 1l , P a ge 38
W a te r -q ua ntity a nd qua lity
Cha pte r 12, P a ge 40
Preparing fo r the Trip (1) - keeping it going
C hapte r 13 , P age 44
P reparing fo r the T rip ( 2) - travelling in remote areas
C ha pte r 14 , P age 50
P re pa ring fo r the T rip ( 3) - ma inly a bout tyre s
C o mmun ic a tio ns - how to ke e p in to uch
Telev is io n - how to get a good picture o utside towns
Cha pte r 17, P a ge 5 9
S afety - first tie up your ca mel
Cha pte r 18, P a ge 62
S tay in g L e ga l
the bure a uc ra tic stuff
W he re to T rav e l
a ls o w hich w ay, a nd w he n
C ha pte r 2 0, P a ge 71
W ha t it a ll Cos ts - possibly le ss than sta y ing at home
C ha pte r 2 1, P a ge 74
A D efinit iv e L ist
A ppe ndix 1, P a ge 78
w ha t to ta ke - a nd w hat it w eighs
C onta c t Deta ils - w he re to buy w ha t
A ppe nd ix 2, P a ge 81
T he Cam pe rv an & Moto rho me Clu b of A ustralia L td
A ppe nd ix 3 , P a ge 85
Acknowledgements: The author acknowledges JohnOsborne, Laurie Smyth

(respectively General Manager, and Webmaster of the Campervan & Motorhome
Club of Australia Ltd), andPeter Wallis, previously Project Manager of the CMCA
for invaluable advice and assistance. Also my wife, Maari t Rivers, for designing
the front cover, for assistance with the layout overall, and for textual suggestions,
and those many companies who gave permission to reproduce their photographic
and other mater ial . Thank you all !
P refa ce
TE N S of thov sands of people travel the length and bre adth of thi s country using cars,
4W D s, camperv ans, motorhomes, caravans and trailers. F or many such people, trav elling is an ongoing w ay of lif e.
It i s a rapidly expandi ng activity w ith associated c lubs and organisations grow ing
rapidly, yet despi te this grow th little independent informa ti on i s available about the innumerable a spects of buy ing, buil ding, converting, or ev en usi ng, campervans and
m o to r h o m e s .
W hil st building my own vehic le, I constantly received vary ing and often misleading
information by salespeople, particularly about electrical maners. T his book attempts to
alleviate the situation for those seeli ng to buy, build or refi t. A nd especially for those
w ho intend to do the big tri p' .
I t's rare to get every thing right fi rst time. T hat w hi ch seems ideal on paper often
prov es impracticable i n use. H opefully this book w ill help you avoid at least some of the
m auo r tr a ps .
It helps to Oain fi rst-hand exper ience before purchasinO a vehicle or s
ng a long-
term building proj ect. Attend a few meetings of associ ated clubs, such as the Campervan
& M o to rh o m e C l u b o f A u str a Li a a n d ta kl to m e m be r s a bo u t th e i r v e h i c l e s ' fe a tu re s a n d
fai lings. Ideally, hire a motorhome or tw o to gain fi rst-hand exper ience.

T h e A ut h o r
I w as ori ginally a research engineer with G eneral M otors R esearch D i vision , specialis-
ing in monitoring and measuring various aspects of v ehicle behaviour and performance
particularly in off-road usage.
I n the l 960s I drove a l arge 4W D mobile laboratory/motorhome tw ice across the
length and breadth of A fiica, rec ording track conditions. I spent further year s running
my ow n business designing and bv ilding everything f rom nuclear scanners to 500 tonne
concrete testers before sw itching careers in l 970 to found the now -w orldw ide ' E lectronics Today I nternati onaI ' , and other publications in electronics, computi ng, telec ommunica t i o n s a n d m u si c .
F rom l 982-l 990, I w as technol ogy editor of ' T he B ulle tin' and also ' A ustralian
B usiness' . D uring this time I founded the periodical ' A ustrali an C ommunications' and
also w rote the F ederal G ov emment's G uide to I nformati on Technol ogy ' .
The compani on v olume to this book , the slightly larger M otorhome E lectric s' was published in J une 2002. I also ha ve two books on using solar successfully.
M y wife (M aarit) and I own an Australian-made OK A that w e converted into a fully

off-road motorhome . W e have taken this vehi cle twice around A ustra lia , including to the
tip of C ape Y ork , the long route across the S impson de sert , and ma ny of A ustralia 's
maj or and minor inland track s.
P R E FA C E
V
e
the
Choosing
campervan, motorhome, or converte
EV ERY type of vehicle is used for holiday or perm

young vans, converted trucks, coaches and hor
W innebagos and Swagmans cosdng upto half a milli
varying degrees of cost, comfort and suitability.
I deally, the choice of vehicle is determined by

comprornise is often necessary. A campervan may a
collecting the kids from school, or carrying the tools
a major consideration, home parking may be limite

af f o rd th e o th e rw i se i d e al c h o ic e .
F urther compromise may be necessary. The need

coincide. One may insist on a fully-e uipped kitchen
piano, heaps of books, or other heavy and/or space-c
Some people travel extensively in small vehic
enjoyment (and one's sanity) it's better to have som
pri vacy that parenthood and growing children deman
Comme rc ial Lay outs

The big vehicle rental companies form the major mar
drive the layouts of campervans, and small and mediu

cabins and boats, storaoe space is usually sacrific
manufacturers offer alternative Iayouts that better su
Choosing the
Ve hic le
If mainlyoutside, your choiceof transport iseasy.Thecomfonableminimumisalong
wheelbase4WD such as aToyota Troopy or L and Rover. The largestisa medium-sized

camperv an or small motorhome. A ny thing bigger is ov erki ll.
Mainly lns ide
-: E
ur4^
rY
ui] .ri
AulhoTs rebuill 1974 Kombicamper performedfaultlessly over manyof Australia's inlandtracks
It is advisable to have direct access to and fromthe driving cab and, if possible, front
seats that swivel to increase living space. Pay particular attention to storage, window size
and placement, also ventilation above the cooking stove and the sleeping area.
Camperva ns
Campervans are easy to drive and park, are reliable, and cheap to buy, run and service.
They are vaguely comfortable, readily double asday-to-day passenger cars, but most are
too high for under-cover car parks.
Campervans are based on vehicles designed and built for city and suburban deliver-
ies, and have wheels, tyres, shock absorbers, gearing etc. specifiedaccordinoly.
E xcept for vehicles such as converted Toyota L andCruisers, Mi tsubishi 's 4W D
Starwagon,and, to a lesser extent, VW's4WD Synchro, campervans are really not suitablefor extended driving off thebitumen. They will withstand limited dirt-road use, but
are a handful on cormOati ons and seri ously lack trac tion in mud.
lf , in a c rowded
campground, you drive

off 'your' site someone
ese is ikey to take it by

the time you are through
the gate. A tent, or self-
standing awning helps

retain one's place .
The old rear-engined VW Kombi is a notableexception. Its high ground clearance and
rugged engi ne slung over the drivingwheels providesclose to 4W D-li ke traction, but its
low-slung enOine precludes all but the shallowest of creek crossings.

A rebuilt l96S-l 980VW Kombi isstill a goodbuy.GoodKombiscost$8000-$l O,OOO
and increasing. Cheaper ones are rarely worth buying. Spares are plentiful and cheap.
Go ing Up in S ize
Toyota Coaster sized vehicles fill the gap between campervans and full-grown
motorhomes. Many experienced usersfindtheman ideal size. They areused by overonethird of the CMCA's (Apri l 2002) 29,OOOplus membership.
If maintained correctly Toyota Coasters are ultra-reliable and last forever. Expertise,
sp ares an d ser v ic e a e av ailab Ie w or ld -w ide .
New Coasters, converted or otherwise, are not cheap, but thee are plenty of secondhandones from$lO,OOO.Expecttopay about $20,OOOfor agood l O-l 5year-old.About
$4S,OOO-$75,OOOshouldbuy avery goodfourorfi veyearold. Mercedes' high-roofed
delivery vans (particularly the Sprinter series) provide campervan dri vability with small
pAGE 8, c HA pT E R 1
Choosing the Vehicle

m otorhome space . They are reli able, qv iet and comf ortable, but their small w heel s, high
pressure tyres, and low ground clearance lirnit of f -road use. M e rcedes spae s and service costs are surpri si na ly low .
N ew S printer-based conversions cost $75,OOO upwa rds. L ow -mi leage, l 2-l 8 month
old examples sta rt around $60,OOO.
A lso in this categoty are many conv ersions based on li ght truck chassis, e.g. M azda
and I suzu. They are good v alue for money. N ew ones cost from $75,OOO upw ards, but
good second-hand example s ca n be found from around $30,OOO.
L arge Motorhomes
D enning, S w agman, W innebago, etc ., also build m otorhomes on medium and large truck
chassi s. T hese vehic le s are ty pically 8- l 2 metres i n length. The smailer models can be
legally driven by car lice nce holders.
L arge motorhomes prov ide much the same space but a l ot more l uxury than many a
tw o-bedroom home unit. A s indeed they should. S ome cost tw ice the price !
W hilst undeniabl y luxurious, large motorhomes have their dow nsi de. They are not fun
to driv e i n cities and fi nding space to park can be hard, or ev en im possible .
T hese ri gs are substantia lly lim ited to commercial sites with good access. There, they
are comm only charged f or two spa ces (on the not unreasonable basis that they occupy
tw o sp ac es) . I n bet ween , th ey trav el mo stly o n bitu men ro ad s.
T he largest such motorhomes cost f rom $250,OOO to over $5OO,OOO. W el l-m aintained
examples are ciaimed to se ll for close to their ori ginal cost.

C on v e rte d C o a c h e s
T he largest of al l motorhomes are based on new or second-hand coaches, w ith or without a rai sed roof . T hey have chassis and running gear as rugged as that of heavy truck s
and, prov iding ground clearance is adequate, can and do travel the ma in dirt highw ays.
H ow ever they are too large and heavy to take seriously off-road.
L egislation limits how long passenger-can yi ng coaches may remai n in c ommercial
A standard coachbodied OKA , Mitsubishi

Canter, or smal Unimog
is the largest 4W D that
can reasonably be
service. Because of this, good second-hand examples are readily available and remark- driven in State Forests
ably cheap. Goodunconvertedcoaches costfrom $2S,OOOupto $l OO,mO.
Converted coaches v ary huge ly in pri ce -from $20,OOO to more than $400,OOO -wi th
and most National

P a rks .
the a sk ing price seerningly dependent more on condition and quality than age. G ood
sources are the C M C A ' s 'the W anderer ' magazine, a nd w eb si te ( w w w.c mca .net.au) .
F o u r-W h e e l D riv e
A 4W D ' s e xtra traction and higher c learance enables you to drive dow n tothat w ater hole,
cam p out of sight behi nd a clump of bushes. I t enables you to explore sandy track s and
fi rm beache s, and to dn v e through deeper w ater. B ut 4W D is l ar t rom essenti al. M ost ol
A ustra lia 's maj or track s ( e.g. B irdsv ille, O odnadad a, S tn e leck i, Tanarni) can be travelled
during w inter months by w ell-prepared two-w hee l dri ve v ehicles.
F our-w heel dri v e can extract a pric e. A 4W D wi ll keep m oving in conditions that wi ll
bog a norm al vehicle, but this abili ty is li rnited. W hen a f our-w hee l drive be comes bogged
it does so thoroughly .
r l
i i .i
Above T his luxunous US built molor home, called 'SaWta/, was aucnoned by Sotheby in December 1972
c HApT E R 1, pAGE 9
T he C hoice
diese , petro , or LPG?
FOR many, choosino between die

choice is fairly simple. Diesel and
whichever best matches your inte
Cumparcd with diesels, petrol

to drive in town. On the down-sid
use up to 409 more fue l on road
They have little 'turning effort'

box (or the aptly named torque co
effort. As a result a heavily laden

oneven minor hills or into strong h
automatic or manual) and greater
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LP
B ecause L PGi a mixture of propane
and petrol, converting a petrol eng
B ut L PG is only cheap because,
it were, the cost benefit would be l
(e.g. as high as 80 cents/litre in th

Running on LPG is claimed to p
wear and tear, and Iower emission
o f w h i c h ru n o n L P G
Turbocharged Diesel
A turbocharger i ncreases the density of the air draw

inc reases torque and effi cienc y, and decreases fuel co
T urbocharoing can be very effective, i n fac t one w r
diesel engines are like mani ages made in heaven. A n
and most Iarge trucks now have turbochargers as orig
A turbocharger can be retrofi n;ed , but many insta
citing lack of engine accessi bili ty as j usti fi cation. I f b
turbo installed at chassis stage .
A rninor reduc ti on in compression ratio (usually
required. T he engine may al so benefi t from a larger o
A n inbuilt safety mechanism such as a w aste gate
pressure) safeguards engine components.
l n t e rc o o le rs
A turbocharger heats the air it compresses. This is no

dense than cold air, less of it is pumped into the cy li n
w il l recogni se this is an example of C harles' L aw .)
A n intercooler reverses this effect. I t is a big strong
ai r, enabling the en ne to accept a denser charge. A dd
by l O% to l 5% and reduces fuel consumption by abo
Diesel effic iency
A petro engine's power is regulated by constricting both air and

intake is reduced, thus also reducing the effective compression r
The Choice of r uel
Diesel Reliability
Diesel engines are inherently mor
sion, and fuel injected in moreor I
more or less have to run! Because

fi xed in remote areas. There, and
sels, and diesel fueI is more readi
The diesel engine'shigh compr

enhanced by fitting an exhaust bra
Iarly for heavy vehicles, reduces
L ate generation diesels useelect

injectors.Thistechnology origina
to be prej udi ced.
D ie s e l Tre nd s
The sulphur content of A ustralian

will also extend injector life and e
in older engines.
There's a move in the USA an
known is madefrom a methyl este
ludon yet requires no engine modif

but conversion is more complex t
F uel Consumption
B elow 80 km/hr, fuel consumption
typically l l4 litres/lOOkm. Thi
A turbo-diesel will.consume abou
comes the maj or factor.
T he lnte rior
keep it light
A S noted previously, the rental market substanti ally infl uences the layouts of commercially -built c ampe rv ans and smatl/medium sized motorhomes. S o w hi lst excellent for
short-term use the layouts may not suit more permanent usage. In particular their storage tends to be i nadequate for long term travelling or living. N ev ertheless these vehicle s
are extremely good value for money, and can readily be modifi ed for more specifi c use.
Full-scale motorhomes are rarely a probl em - within reason their builders will provide
whatever you w ant or can af f ord.
Chapter 1 suggested that the choice of vehicle should be i nfl uenced by whether one
intends to live mainly outside, mainly inside, or somew here betw een the tw o. T hi s concept should also infl ue nce the layout.
Mainly O uts ide

I f you intend to be mainly outside, you wi ll be using the vehicle chiefl y for transport, YHe who would travel
storage,and (possi bly ) sleeping. You will mostly cook outside, and probably spend y our happily must travel lightly.n
ev er ngs around a campfi re.
S Al NT-EX UP ER Y, W ind
Y our primary need wi ll be storage and easy access for portable tables (of which y ou'll Sand, ai)d $ ars (1939), tr.
Le w is G a la nUe re .
need one for cooking and another larger one for di ning). Y ou wi ll need similar easy storage and access for chairs, cooking stove and utensils, basic food, and water
T he latter four ite ms shoul d ideally be acce ssible from both inside and outside the
vehicle vi a i nternal doors and an external hatch. The gas cy li nder should be housed such
that it does not have to be relocated every time y ou set up the stove.
Y ou'll need an awning that can be rolled out over the cooking area, plus provi sion for
lightinO this a rea.
U nless you're an outdoors fanati c, y ou are likely to fi nd it's simpler, safer and more
comfortable to sleep inside. This also simplifi es setting-up and repacking. I f you are likely
to sleep inside, ensure y ou can access often-used cupboards and draw ers w ith the bed made
vp and in place.
Mainly lnside
F or those less enthused about outdoor livi ng, campervans are li kely to prove claustrophobic. I t's more practical to buy, modify or build a motorhome based on a li ght truck
chassis. P ick or desi a lay out that is light arid sp ious. and w ith w alk-throud ( or craw lthrough) access to the dri v ing cab (sec Chapter l 8).
T he Need for S tructured S torage

T he amount of storage space requi red depends substantially on how well that space is
structured. U nsuuctured space (i .e. bi g open cupboards etc .) is hugely wasteful. R ear-
Use a larger rig primarily

to provide more iving
ranging it so everything has a specifi c place i mproves l ivabiLity, not least because every-
space - not as an
thing can be readily located and acce ssed.
opportunity to carry more

stuff. Not only wi this be
B efore planning storage, have a look at the list in A ppendix l . This li st is based on
sev eral couples' experience and details every thing that is likely to befound necessary for
extended travelling. In the best pan of two years we hav e not, except for more books,
found the need for cany ing any thing that is not on this list.
If housed in reasonably well structured space, all the li sted items fi t comfortably into
less than two cubic metres, but if you really must have a warclrobe y ou will need an extra
eas ier on the vehic le ,
and on your wa et, but

things will be much
e as ie r to find .
cubic metre ( see below re doing w ithout) .
T here's a good c ase for allocati ng an additional quarter of a cubi c metre or so, for the
personal bits and pieces of each person li ving in the vehicle. A gree that what is kept fhere
i s the so l e c o nc e r n of i t s 'o w ne r ' - u n le ss i t 's l e ad bl o c k s.
c HA pTE R 3, pAGE 13
The lnte rior
T he si mplest, lightest, most versatile, economic and space-effective w ay of providing

storage is via w ire dra wers and racks. They are more practical than buil t-i n shelv ing,
adj ustable or othen vise.
W e recomend the S wedish-made E lfa range. W e' v e tried cheaper ones but they all began to rust or fell apart after a few months. T hese rack s and baskets are made in a w ide
v ari ety of lengths and widths. R acks v ary in height and can be cut dow n to fi t if the right
si ze is not obtainable . B askets are one, tw o or three ' units' high and interchangeable. W ith
luck you ' ll fi nd racks and baskets that fi t the e xisting space, otherw ise you can probably
r ean ange th e lay out t o sui t t he sizes av ai lable.
T he baskets slide out for pack ing, for use outside the vehicle, and f or cleaning D irt drops se aight through the mesh,
so the bottom of w hatev er y ou use for housing them can be
v ac uumed by removing the bottom basket.
r
^
s
W a rd ro b e s
_, , aiinna'i; l
F ull-height wardrobes w aste space and can be claustrophobi c in small vehicles. U nless y ou plan to socialise seriously
and ohen, cany crease-resistant clothing roll ed up or folded
in a draw er O r do that anyw ay
W hilst not eve ry one shares our love of openne ss and light,
doing aw ay w ith full-height every thi ng enables y ou to have
the entire lay out open at w indow leve l. W e have done this
w ith our O K A , w hich, wi th its 800 mm maximum height
cupboards, f eels light and spacious de spite its mere 3.6 by
2.O m etre li ving area.
lns ide S ho w e rTro ile t
U nlik e caravanners, w ho stay mostly in caravan park s, most motorhome ow ners find an
inside shower/toi let to be essential. W e lived w ithout for several y ears but an inside toilet
is undeniably desirable on a cold wet ni, ht. N evertheless don't sacrifi ce storage space for
the sake of the loo. E ither do w ithout, or conside r hav ing a sIightly longer vehicle. E ven
an extra half metre makes a biO difference to lay out possibilities.
I f there 's room for a toilet there' s usuall y room for a shower. If not, an outside show er
is a workable c ompromise. W ith or without a pr ivacy curtai n it w orks fine in the bush
a nd in tho se N ati o na l P a rk s th a t l a c k sh ow e r s.
B eds
Some vehicles have
It is very desirable to have a permanent made-up bed, rather than a dinette that doubles
beds that hinge down as a bed. Rearrangi ng a dinette nioht and moming i s tedious, and requires a fair amount
froma recess, winch of storage for sheets and blankets etc.
down fromthe ceiling,
or a re lo cated in a w a l
tha t fo ds o r slides o ut
Most commercially built u ts include a permanent double bed. In many units this is
located ov er the cab, commonly under a pop-top roof, and accessed by ladder. T his can
be scary and even dangerous for the less agile, particularly for the 'far' sleeper who may
need to clamber over his or her partner,and then find the ladder, in the middie of the night.
I f y ou have such a lay out, install a li, ht, sw itchable from either side of the bed.
T he most usual altemative i s a permanent bed at the rear, w ith a forw ard or mid-located dinette. This leav es a huge storaae area under the bed, usually accessed v ia a deep
boot. L ay outs like thi s are feasible for Coaster-sized vehicles upw ards.
This rear-bed layout is often used in converted coaches. M any have the bed on a raised
platform that doubles as the roof ot a huge boot - often housing a small car such as a M iniM oke, or S uzuki Sierra - or a couple of motorcycles.
K it c h e n s
T he essential consideration for an inside kitchen i s an adequate air intake and an equally
adequate exhaust fan over the hotplate. C onsider carrying a second smaller stove top for
pAGE 14, c HA pTE R 3
use outside. T his keep s the i nterior cleaner and cooler
T he lnterior
A small ov en extends the range of meaI s. O ur stainle ss steel version of a popular brand
works reasonably well but like most small ov ens has uneven heat distribution. D espite
its failings w e w ould not be w ithout it.
A camp ov en i s invaluable for baking bread.The sheet-metal 'B edouti e' v ersion works
reasonably wel l but is not as forgi ving as a cast-iron or cast al urninium ov en for baking,
particulary bread. Cheap cast-iron ovens can be bought from any camping store. A ppendix 2 giv es contact details for exceptionally good locally made ov ens Cboth cast-iron and
c ast alu min ium ) .
S tainless steel is ideal for c ookina utensils, bowls, plates etc. I t i s strong, light, cheap, Lay doubled-up shade
compact, andeasy to clean. Furthermore, it does not cool washing-up water nearly as fast cloth along the fu ength
as does china ! Heat-insulated stai nless steel mugs are w orth seeking out. T hey are c ostly
(a1
3out $25 eac h) but don't burn y our lips, and keep coffee wonderfully warm on cold
mom inos.
of the 'living side' of the
ve hic le . S a nd a n d dirt falls
through the holes, leaving

a clean sudace. This tip
G ood stainless steel culi nary equipment, pl ates and saucers etc. can be bought extremel y
cheaply from Chinese supermarkets and shops. M arginally better but more costly stain- was given by a police
sergeant met at Gunlom
less steel equivalents can be bought from li tchen equipment shops.
Falls , Kakadu. T hanks -it
Washing Machine s
works superbly!
W hilst practical only in the larger coach-conv ersi ons, fami lies with rug rats may consider
a washing machine to be a necessity. F isher-P ay kel's 'S martD rive' range of appliances
use low-energy consumption D C motors. A l 200 watt inverter wi ll readily driv e these
appli ances. N o allowance needs to be made for s' uting current.
F loor Cove rings

U nle ss y ou drive alw ays on the bitumen, and stay only in grassed or hard-surfaced caravan parks, don 't even think of fI tted carpet. E ven then it's questi onable whether it's worth
the constant ef f ort to keep clean.
M ore practicable alternatives are wood, or high quality li noleum, v inyl or cork, plu s
w ashable scatter rugs ( IK E A' s cheape r rugs are ideal) . If y our feet are still cold forOet
sartori al cor rectness. W ear U gg boots!
Pop-Tops -or Full Height Roofs

A pop-top reduces travelling height by 5OC
OO mm. This represents about a quaner of
the v ehicle' s frontal area , suffi cient to reduce drag and fuel consumption. P op-tops are
a
b
i '
r3t..
il
e c^:, i
-^ rf
i .
9
r
"
. 1F
c "
i
-
i r
i _N
A pop-top's lowerheight enables you lo traverse tracks in Nanonal ParKs and State Forests many of which are
impassable by vehicles over 2.5 metres orso high. Pix taken atJ im J im Falls, Kakadu.
C HA P TE R 3, PAGE i s
T he lnterior
especially valuable for marginally poweredvehicles, wherethedragof full-heightroofs

may preclude the use of top gear when drivi ng i nto strong head winds.
A pop-top's screen mesh openings provide excellent ventilation on hot summer days
and nights. These openings can beselectively closed off when cold, wet or windy. The
roof usually overlapsthecanvas sides sufficiently toenable the screens tobe left open in
all but horizontally -driven rai n.
Onthe downside, large pop-tops need considerable effort to open and close. Counterbalancing springs or gas struts assist, but opening and closing a large pop-top roof is a
daunting task for the elderly and/or less strong.
It's feasible to install hydraulic or air-operated rams, but this requires expertise and a
fair bit of money. Igor Muriti, in Sydney, is good at doing this -he's also an excellent
coachbuilder (see A ppendi x 2 for address).
Awnings
An awning is all-butessential.Apart fromproviding shelter against sun andrain it's much
warmer beneath an awning on cold nights - even without side curtains.
Zip-on mosquito nets and/or side curtains and a door are worth considering -as is a
'sJ<irt' to close off the gapbetweentheawningandthevehicle -butonly if youintendto
stay inplaces for afew days at atime. The extra bitstake a lotof time andphysical effort
to put up and take down, and take up valuable storage space.
M ost awning manufacturers, particularly E uropean, seem to rate aesthetics and ease
of use over practicality.As a general rule, the more stylish an awning, the less likely it
will be able to withstand strong winds. It's less than amusing to get out of bed to furl a
wildly thrashing awning on a cold wet night -especially if it hasbent the support structure and blown half over your roof. (It happens!)
For serious long-term use it's hard to beat the locally made Aussie Traveller. It is far
fromprertyanditisnotthesimplesttoee ctandputaway,butanadequately guyedAussie

Traveller awni ng is all-but cyclone-proof
Awnings for Pog Tops

Caution is necessary if you plan to fit an awning to a vehicle with a pop-top roof. Most
aw ngs soldinAustraliaaredesignedfor thefull-heightvehiclesof EuropeandtheUSA.
These vehicleshavewallsandroofscapable of coping withthestressesimposedby guy

ropes and wind loading. (Pop-tops are all-but exclusively Australian.)
Conv entional pop-top

lifting and
locating
m e c h a ni sm s
i c.
w i th sta nd
"--
w ill
t he se
strongwinds.
particularly
in
no t
l oa d s
very
To fi t an aw ning to a
&- - ^
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ry
on
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aya
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You must also guy the
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;"ti:., :.i--.i.-.:_S " fa
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t
Most Europeanand American-made awnings are intended to attach to rigid
walls and non-lifting roofs. Pix courtesy of Fiamma.
m e c ha n i sm . A n oth e r so l ut i on i s to
m ou nt th e
aw ning on the non-lifting
part of the vehicle's roof. This avoids the hassIes, but substantially reduces headroom,
and may cause clearance probIems for side-opening doors (a small rubber-tyred wheel
fixedtothe topof thedoorwill preventabrasionandpossibletearing).Altematively you

could avoid goi ng anywhere windy !
T he lnte rior
Hous ing Odds a nd E nds

U ti lisi ng otherw ise unused space makes a huge difference to personal comfort. J umper
leads, hi-lift j acks, hose s, spares etc. can often be hou sed in this way.
U nderfl oor space can be utilised by building w atertight compartments accessed by

h at c h e s
in
t he
fl o o r
an
S
pdo
aceub
te
ers
twk
ee
ino
nth
fd
ein
oo
nre
sr,
. ---- -- -.---.-.-- --.
o r e v e n th e v e h i c l e f ra m -
mg, may also be usable
T he photograph ( top
right) show s how a shallow
lo c ke r w a s f or m e d
Storage space created within the inner and outer s kins of the bootlid. This
by removingtheskinof a lockeris2000mmby6OOmmby 120mm.

boot iid and fabricating a
hingedreplacement.
^r
;Frp
hou
Tsh
ee
sare
vsau
sltn
tan
utm
b
sp
ero
ace
f tr. .
spare parts and other bits
; i-!r -
B^r
--- --^--: -- ---
b
a
s
tn
u
od
tx
ce
a
k
p
sih
e
fe
o
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rt
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is
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eh
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ap
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n
rik
o
sn
p
eg
r, i:! ri ' ^
s
-
,.-
-o
sh o u l d b e a b l e to m ak e
Toollackerfarmed by cutting a recess into the floor, and insening a galvanised

the m up .
H eavy i tem s such as steel box. Deeper than it appears, the resultant loc ker holds several layen of
heavy tools.
tools, j ack s, and recov ery equipment can often be housed in steel boxes inset into the fl oor (lower right) . I f you
do this, have a strong securely fastenable lid to ensure the contents do not fl y around the
i n te r i o r o f th e v e h i c l e i n th e e v e n t o f a n a cc i d e n t.
If possi ble avoid havi ng a roof rack. eavy things on the roof are dangerous B uUcy
things on the roof increase fuel consumpdon and are a menace on bush tracks.
Air^Cond itioning & Heating

T here i s an increasing te ndency to inc orporate air-conditioning in motorhomes and even
large campervans and, in some v ehicles, i s bei ng done at the expe nse of na tural v entilation. T his i s not only unhea lthy but presents problems aw ay from ma ins power unless
o n e c o ntinu o usl y ru ns a m oto r-generator
A n air-conditioner in a large camperv an or motorhome draw s from l S O
3OOO w arts.
T his is w ay bey ond the pra cticable capacity of today ' s solar panels or storage batteries.
A ir-conditioning w hilst camping thus requires mains pow er or a large motor-ge nerator
T he follow ing chapter c overs this topic in more detail .
lnte rior Heating

T his may at last be solv ed ! T he highly respected W ebasto range of diesel -pow ered interior and w ater heaters is now on sale i n A ustralia. I have had one on trial in my O K A for
si nce 2003 and have found it very sati sfactory except that it rea lly doe s require the
optional exhaust and intake sil encers. A nother die sel-p ow ered unit is produced by
E berspacher. S ee also C hapter l 2
Carry ing Firewood

F irewood is rare near regularly used carnpsites - one needs to cart in one ' s ow n. B ut as
fal len timber contains any number of feral nasties, the very last place y ou need it is inside your vehicle. C onsider adding an external fold-dow n rack for th is purpose, made from
galva nised stee l tubing and mesh
B uilding Your Own

establish the priorities before you start
B U L D IN G or fi tdng out a motorhome is a maj or task . It demands much the same skills
as owner-building a small house. Common experience i s that they both take about the
same length of time - at le ast tw elve m onths f ull-time w ork .
I f your vehicle already has an i nhabitable body, delay fi na1building until a roughly
' mocked up' lay out has prov en satisfactory under a range of conditions. D on' t be surprised if y ou fi nd that what seemed fi ne on paper is impractic able i n use (th is explains
why many owner-builder ; sell their v ehicles shortly after completion !) . I n particular do
not build a 4W D much larger than an O KA if you intend to go seriously off-road.
Weight is the E nemy

"S e nd no t fa r a hatche t to
break open an egg with."

THOMAS FULLE R , M.D .,
G nomoiogia (1732).
L egal weight limits can be a trap for h ome builders. T he c ompl eted and fully loaded
vehicle must stay within the so-called G V M (G ross Vehicle Mass) to avoid subsequent
leoi slative diff iculties.
C omplicating thi s, is an anomal y in the registration process. The licensing authorities

are bound by legislation to register any v ehicle that i s w ithin its Iegal GV M (and has a
weighbridge certifi cate to prove it). Thus, if your completed but othen vise empty vehicle
w eighs no more than its penn ia ed G V M , the authorities must register it ( ev en if it is within
a li logram or tw o of the G V M ), but it w ill subsequently be illegal to use on the road w hen
loaded for travelling -because it will then exceed the G VM by several hundred kilograms.
P lay safe by leaving an ample margin For the load.
The registration process is cov ered later in this chapter. Chapter l 9 provides more
complete defi nitions of G V M etc.
Establish the Sb rting Weight

B efore you start planning, determine how much the chassis or shell of your existing or
proposed v ehicle weighs right now. Do thi s by taking it to a local weighbri dge (the registration authori ty will tell y ou where the closest may be found) and have the operator
record individual front and rear axle weights. The cost may be nominal if y ou do not
require a formal C ertifi cate of W eight -i f y ou do it costs about $2S.
You will al so need to estab]ish y our vehicle's legally pennided maxi mum G V M . T his
is usually displayed i n aclearly visible place on the body or chassis. I t will also be on the
Approval Plate and probably i n the manufacturers' specifi cations.
Establish your needs
and priorities before you
make a start . lt is
particuary necessary to
c ho o se a ba se ve h icle
that realy is appropriate

for your needs; e.g., it is
pointless buying an OKA
or a Unimog un ess you
intend to go off-road. Or
a coach if you do.
l SUV
t
ll:l^ .
-.iP l i .u
- i^
^ 'i l.li :i'l _;;l'-< ^
:'F' r.+
:'-';^jp.- ' -r--i'li_-' 'Jr .
.i
l
Whilst asuperbly capable machine, this hugeMAN 4WD, (photagraphed in 1995in Birdsville), isfartoo big to
travel on any but maiordirl highways -where it's capabilities are not required.
Building Your Own

R eme mber that the maximum permitted G V M include sthe w eight of full fuel and w ater
tank s, and every thing that you cany .
H aving established how much ( or l irtle) weight you have to play wi th, you can begin
to plan y our lay out. B ear in mind that because fuel consumpti on is rel ated to weight, the
li ghter the completed vehicle the le ss it wi ll cost to run.
Ke eping it L ig ht
B ecause chipboard is cheap, easily worked, readily obtai nable, and available in v arious
fi nishes, it is often used for interiors. U nfortunately, chipboard is extremely heav y. It
weighs 20 kg to 30 kd squaremetre for the 19 mm thickness commonly used. T his amounts
to 250 kg or more in a typical campervan and 5OOkg or more in a medium-size motorhome.
F or a ful l-si zed coach the w eight w ill amaze y ou ! A further draw back of chipboard is that
it is irreversibly damaged by w ater
Ply wood is so onger. S ev en to ten millimetres is more than adequate, even thinner can
Many recently-made
be used if it is braced.A plywood interior weighs lessthan half of i ts chipboard equiva- coaches have their
lent so weiOht savings are huge. Use marine-quaLity ply if you can afford the extra cost. panellinghedto the
Fibreglass or fibreoiass/foam sandwichare other solutions but both arequite tricky and framing bymarine-grade
m e ssy to use .
S ika t e x a lo ne . O n ce set it
re mains s ighty flexibe
S heet alurninium really sav es wei ght. W e used it, powder-coated white, for nearly all
but grips so strongly you
of the O K A 's i nterior. T he total wei ght of all our cupboards, dinette/bed assembly, over- n ee d a ha m m e r a nd
he ad lockers, w ire baskets etc . is less than l OO kg (all brilliantl y built and fi tted by F red ch ise to re m ov e i .
B lack , R i ck B lack, and F red' s staff at O ut of Tow n 4W D , in B amsley, NS W .)
Distributing the Weight

H ouse he avy items such as batter ies, fuel and w ater tanks, maj or tool s, etc ., a s low as possible, preferably within the wheelbase, and equally between sides. To ensure the final
weight is correctly distributed (including between axles) draw side and top elevations and
mark i n the accurate position and weight of all loads. T he ratio of the distances from th e
effective centre of each load represents the w eight of that load on each axle.
Choosing Mate rials

Draw the proposed layout to scale and work out how many squaremetres of material y ou
need for beds, dinettes, bench tops, cupboards, doors, shel ves etc .
T here is a li st of approximate weights of building materials and other heav y bits and
pieces at the end of this chapter. A ppendix l provides the weights of th ings y ou'll likely
take w ith you. Adj ust where y ou feel necessary , add at least l O9a for contingencies, and
then estimate the weight of the completed, loaded vehicl e. S tay well within the GV M ,
no t least to allo w f or sou ven irs , b o ok s c tc . inev itab ly ac qu ired alon g the w ay
W i re B a s k e ts
Consider using frames and pull-out wire baskee; (described i n the prev ious chapter) for
stori ng al most ev erything.
These baskets and frames are easily held in place so experimenting w ith layouts i s simple. Once the Iay out has proved sat sfactory , the frames can be housed within plywood
or aluminium sides. A dd a strong top, and light plyw ood or thin high-density chipboard
doors, w ith strono door catche s to stop the baskets sli dina out on bends.
B askets and frames are made in various sizes and qualities. T he various brands look
identical but the cheaper e xamples use meta l that' s not tough e nough for mobile use. S ee
A ppendix 2 for suppliers.
W iring/P ipes e tc.

W ork out how and w here to install w iring, w ater and gas piping, making allow ances for
future access. W ires and pipes are more easily installed before extem al cladding, but thi s
i s obviously not feasible with al ready-built bodies. Do not enclose wiring in closed tubing. T his complicates repairs, changes or additions, inste ad use spira lplastic binding ( available from caravan and boat equipment suppliers) .
C HA PT E R 4, PACE 19
Building Your Own

Wiring
Cabling design and installationis beyond the intentand scope of thisbook. It iscovered
i n detail i n my companion book 'Motorhome E lectrics' .
T he legal requirements are set outin A S M
S 3m O:20OOandA S /N ZS 300 l . 200l . These
arenew standardswithseveral changesfromthepreviousAS 3OOl andAS 3OOO,including

a redefi nition of extra-low and low v oltage.
Briefly, you must be a licensed electrician to install or work on electrical systems op-
erating (now) above 50 voltsAC or l20 volts DC. -even if the 240-voltpower comes on]y
frorn a wired-in inverter. All new caravan, campervan and motorhome syctems muttnow
be protected by an earth leakage switch (electricians call themRCDs). These switches
operate automatically and di sconnect the supply if a fault causes a short circuit to earth.
All contact breakers and switches within the vehicle must be double-pole.
Specifiedtypes of multi-strand cablemust be used for the mains-voltage wiring.
Wiring and power outlets installed for direct mainsuse can also double for the power
from an inverter -but you absolutely must have a full isolating switch that separates the
tw o sy stems electrically. Your e lectrician w ill k now how to do it.
A Connection Certificate(provided by your certifi ed electrician) will be requiredasa

condition of registration. This Certificate is not requiredfor <l 20volt DC systems.
Apart fromthe legal implications, a motorhome or caravan is an exceptionally dangerous environmentfor mains electricity, and there are new and stringent requirements. Do
not attempt this work yourself. Ideally, employ an electrician experienced in thistype of
work (caravan/motorhome repairers are usually able to advise re this).
ln s ula tio n
A heaviiy heat-insulated but non air-conditioned campervan or motorhome retains heat
at night and can be extremely uncomfortable until it eventually coo]s down.

You certainly needto insulatetheroof (flat mounted solar panelsassist) but, if youhave
thick insulation in the walls, ensure you have ample through ventilation.
I nclude at least one large opening hatch to provide aidlow over the bed ae a and an
extractor fan over the stove. E lectrolux has a good range of opening hatches.
Older vehicles are insulated with thick wool or fibreglass batts, but as insulation decreases interior space, most builders opted for less than was desirable. A better solution
i s th e U S -mad e h i-tec h m ater ial c al led
A stro-Foi l.This material consists of lay i
-b'-:li
,l
ers of poly fi lm membrane encased betw een tw o layers of refl ecti ve f oil . The
product i s only a few rnilli metres thick
y et provides the same insulation as l 50
mm thick bads. (S eeA ppendix 2 for contac t de tai ls)
Air Co nditioning
A n air -c o nd it ion er i nstalled in a w ell in-
Above: Astro-foil insulation
sulated large campervan or mediumsized m o tor h om e d r aw s ar ou nd l OOO-
l 500 watts. This amount of energy can only be practicably supplied by the mains or a
laroe motor-generator. It is not feasib[e to run air conditioninb fromsoIar energy - it
requiresat least 20 large panels and a couple of thousand kilograms of battery back-up.
Unrestrained Objects
It is essential to secure anything and everything that might fly fonvard in the event of an
accident. E ven at impact speedsas 'low' as 20 -30 kilometresmour, the deceleration forces
involved are huge. The inertia of an unrestrained mass can cause it to have an 'effective'
weight many timesthat it has at rest. Dotake this seriously.A young child waskilled a
PAGE 20, C HA P TE R 4 few years ago by a rigid foam freezer lid flying forward.
Building Your Own

Obtaining Re gistration
Subject to the previousadvice concerning staying wi thin the GVM , obtai, ng registration is
not particularly di ffi cult as lon, as y ou have made no maj or engineering changes to the chassis
or engine.
The vehicle must be completed to th e extent that it can clearly be used for its intended
purpose. I n particular, all sleeping and cooking faci lities must be in place. Y ou are not nec -
essarily required to have a shower or toilet but i f you do they should be complete and i n
worli ng order
Y ou wi ll need a Certifi cate of Roadworthi ness from an authorised serv ice station. (Only a
few are authorised to inspect vehicles ov er 4.5 tonnes - your loc al vehicle inspection authority wiU tell y ou who can do it).The inspecting mechanic mv st be advi sed that you are seeking
motorhome registration.
Y ou will need Certifi cates of Installation for gas (or an approval plate f xed to the vehic le)
and for the mains voltage electrical sy stem, if such is installed.
Finally y ou will need a C ertifi cate of Weight from an authorised weighbridge. Remember
that as long as the recorded weight does not exceed the GV M , y ou will be able to obtai n
registration , but the vehicle must not be driven on the road at a weight higher than the G V M
( in practice the authorities allow about 50 li lograms excess).
W eights of Materials etc

C hioboa rd
19 mm me dium de nsity
20 kg/sq/m
1 9 m m h i h d e n s it
3 0 k i s /m
P lv w ood
10 m m
8 -10 k /s /m
W ate r
1 0 0 lit re s
100 kg
T a n k s a n d M o u n ts
A d d 2 0 % -2 5 %
D ie s e l
Diesel weighs less than water, but tanks tend to be heavier. The above weights for water
w il l b e a b o u t ri h t .
B a t te r ie s
Dee
c c le
a b o ut 3 0 - 40 k
e r l OO a m
/h r
S o l a r P a n e ls
6 O/1 2 0 w a tts
8 -1 2 k
G a s C v linde rs
Gas cy inders weigh much the same as they contain. A full 9 kg cylinder thus weighs
a b out 18 - 2 0 k .
To o l s
And (if applicable) off-road recovery gear, are e)Rremely heavy . Appendix 1 lists
a
ro x im a t e w e i h ts .
c HApTE R 4, pAGE 21
T he E lectrics
a n ov e rv iew
C OM M E R CI AL c ampervan and smalVmedium-sized motorhome electrica l systems are
designed w ith an assumed partem of usage that goes something like this^
* D r iv e se vera l hours each day
* S top on the road for lunc h.
* U sually stay ovem ight where there's mai ns power

* S tay the odd ( single) ni ght in, say, a N ational P ark
T o acc omma late this usage , the v ehicle' s electrics pow er an inside l ight or two, a small
T V, and maybe a sma ll microw ave oven used for a v ery short time.
M ost of these systems can cope w ithout mains pow er for one night, but rareIy for tw o.
A her that time the batteries must be recharged, either via a (usually inbuilt) bartery charger
ancVor by dr iving for some hours.
F o u r C h o ic e s
T hese e lectri cal systems leav e users w ith four choices

1. U se th e v e hi c l e a s the m a k e r h ad i n m i nd .
2. A s above, but work around the electrical limitations, e.g. by not using the T V or microw ave oven on the second night.
3. M odify the electrics to suit y our ow n needs.
4. D esi
and build an electrical sy stem from scratch.
F or most owners, modifying the electrical system is likely to be the preferred choice.
T he required changes are relatively simple, but if y ou hav e them done professi onal Iy y ou
need to specify, in detail, the per formance that you require. T he information in this book
will hopefully assist you to specify these needs.
A Ma tte r of B a la nc e
Generadng, storing, and using electrical energy is rather likeearning and spending money
Generate the same (or more) than y ou spend - and all 's fine as long as y ou have enough
to last unti l y ou make some more. B ut if you make less, or spend more, sooner or later
you have problem s.
The House Battery

The so-called 'house' battery i s the electrical equivalent of a ban k. I t stores the energy
that you need to use when the engine is not running. T he house battery automatically connineteen s ix, result happiness . nects to the c harging system whilst the engine is running, and automatically disconnects
Annuar income twenty pounds, when the enOine stops. This ensures that the starter battery i s not accidentally fl attened
"Annual income twenty pounds ,

a nnua l expenditure nineteen
annual expenditure twenty

pounds ought and six, result
miSeTy." C HARLES DlCKE NS ,
David Coppedield (1850).
w hi Ist cam ping.
B atter ies are a conv enient but ineffi cient way of stohno enerOy. T hey act as does abank
but whilst a bank lets you withdraw most of what you put in, a battety limits you to less,
and withdrawal s are further and non-iinearly reduced by heavy current draw. T he amount
available is about 20-25% of the battery 's rated capacity or up to 4S% if charged deeply
by one of the smart regulators' described inC hapter 6. E nergy still remai ns inthe bartery,
but the battery is progressiv ely damaged if that energy continues to be wi thdrawn. The
l imits on dischargi ng are thus economic rather than physi cal .
How Muc h E nergy Can l Us e?

W ithout mai ns power, a large generator, or a fi eld full of solar panel s, usage must be no
m o re th a n 3% -5%
o f th a t o f a n a l l -e le c tr ic h o m e .
T his is not as restricting as it might at fi rst seem. C ooking dev ic es, water heaters, air
conditioners and refr igerators consume 80% - 90% of the elec tr icity used i n homes. I neffi cient li ghti ng, phantom loads (see right-hand column on the next page) and teenagers
sitting interminably on the I ntemet, consume much of the rema inder
T he E le ctric s
W e can md e huge reductions in electricity consumption by using gas for cooking and
water heati ng. (A small gas cy linder stores more energy than a thousand li lograms of
lead -ac id bad eries) .
S mall motor-driven appliances (e .g. blender r, fans) , present no problem, nor do e ffi cient refi igerators or smal l microw ave ovens used for j ust a minute or two (but see below ) . O ne cannot otherw ise realistically run anything that he ats or cools as i ts mai n function. It i s not real ly practicable, for example, to run a ir-condii oning w ithout a motor-generator or mains power
M ic row a v e O v e ns
F eedback from the fi rst printing of this book shows most people assume that appli ance
w attage rati ngs are only a measure of the energy used.
This i s not so. W attage also qua ntifi es the ' w ork ' that is done. A n ' 8OO-w att' micro-
w ave oven generates the heat equiv alent of 800 w atts. I n doing so it draw s about l 350
w an s, but th e if d r iv en v ia in v ert er , th e laa er ' s lo sses inc reases t he dr aw to l SS O-l 700
w atts. This i s about 3-5 amp/hours for ev ery mi nute it runs. U sed for ten minutes, thi s
may be half a day ' s electrica l consumption !
A s an example of how quicU y technology evolve s, microw ave oven and i nverter ef f -
ciency has i mproved by close to l O% over the past tw o y ears. ( P revious print runs of thi s
book quoted the above consumption as approaching 2OOO w aa s.)
Ma ny TVs, VC Rs, fax

machines, and anything
driven by a plug-in power
pack, may have no
provision for total y
disc onnecting the power
W he n turn ed o ff a t the
appliance switch (if there

is one] energy is stil
dra w n . T h is is d on e for
use r co nve n ien ce a nd to

re d uc e in te rfe re n c e .
Re frigerators
T hese 'phantom loads '
Gas/electric ( 'tw o-way ' or ' three-w ay ' ) refrigerators gulp electricity. E v en supplemented
waste ene rgy. S witch
by solar panels i t is i mpracticable to run them on batteries; but run on gas, they are reall y
appliances off at the
worth considering for extended periods on site. T heir use typical ly halves electri cal conpower point.
sumption, and the ir tial c ost of providing it. G as purchases ( about $l SO/year i f run all
the time) are offset by less frequent baa ery renew al.
O nly run ga s/electric refrige rators on 12 volc; whilst the engi ne i s running, and perhaps w hilst stoppi ng for lunch. U se gas whilst camping but never w hilst driving (that's
how some angels are formed).
M ost user; say the T ropical rated E lectrol ux m odels are ef fechv e in hot clim ates if fi a ed
wi th E lectrolux's roof-vent a nd are no l onger as sensitive to leve l (Chapter l O.)
A nother solution is to use a compressor-driven 12 v olt or 24 v olt dc unit. Chest-opening refrigerators use less energy but eventually prov e tedious (M urphy ' s L aw ensures that
required items are al way s at the boa om ).
T he fii dge must be shielded from direct sunlight, and have ample ventilation top and
l ottom. S et fii dge te mperature no low er Lhan 4 de
ees C , bccause a ty pical fridge draw s
an extra S 9o power for each degree to which it is set below that temperature.
Water Heating
Deep cyc e batteries can be

disc harged to 80% oc casionally but, doing s o
frequently, reduces their
capacity, and also their life.
It is not practicable to he at more than a litre or so of water using l 2 or 24 v olt electrical

pow er. N or is it feasible w ith any thing less than a fair sized motor-generator. E ven then
it' s m ore economical to use gas.
I n short, e lectrical w ater heati ng, like electric cooking, is impracticable except on pow ered sites. C hapter l 2 de scribes v arious way s of heating water more economically.
lnve rte rs a nd Appliances

U nti l recently, l 2/24 volt dev ices such as T V s, V CR s, radio and/or cassede play ers were
favoured for mobile use be cause they use less power than inverter-driven mains v ersions
( an i nverter converts the energy from your batteries i nto 240 volts A C ).
A nother reason for usi ng low voltage devices was that early inverters produced a type
of output (i .e. square-wave) that was not appreciated by many TV s, computers etc . T hese
inverters w ere also v ery ineffi c ient, losino 20-30% of the e nergy consumed . B ut these
days have gone. T here is now a good case for using inverter-generated 2AO v olts for most
things except w ater heating, cooki ng and refrigeration.
T he E lectrics
Computers
D esktop computers are reasonably
sc re e n s d raw f o u r o r fi v e ti m e s m o
costly L E D-type screens draw abo

li ght. L aptop computers draw littl
'cool') . D ig your heels in on this o
to w hen y ou have mai ns or genera
Lighting
C ompact and regular fl uorescents

and tubes are avai lable in ' w arm
D aylight' tubes are good for w ork
H alogen lights are the next most
least effi cient and should only be co
on for short periods of time. The l
heat. ( Chapter 9 covers lighting in
Power Outlet Polarity
E lectrical plugs and sockets must
correct pins. If these wires are reve

subsequent fault in a connecting c
e l e c t ti c sh o c k - o r e le c tr o c u t i o n .
O lder caravan parks are notoriou

ised outlets - usually traceable to u
i n sta l le d t he o u tl et s .
You can check polarity with a $
B a tte rie s a nd
why bafteries disappoint
Charging
T H E v ehicle 's alternator suppl ies electrical energy w hil st the engine is running. T his energy is required by the ignition system ( if the vehicle has a petr ol-engine), electric f uel
pump, li ghts, radio, w indscreen w ipers, air-conditioni ng etc ., and to reple sh the energy
that the s$uter battery uses f or crank ino.
D espite these demands there i s usually enough energy left ov er to charge a second battery, except w hen all the accessories are in use simultaneously
A n associ ated voltage regulator controls the alternator' s output. The regulator' s main
priority is to recharge the starter battery . O nl y tw o to three minute s running are usualiy
required to restore the 65-709o or so of full charge that re liable engine starting requires.
F rom thi s point on the regulator cuts the charge rate right back , to the extent that even
after ten hours or so the char: e i s unlikely to exceed 70% . T his is done to prev ent baa ery
overchargino in vehicles, such as taxis, that operate for many hours each day. B ut it' s less
than useful for camperv an/motorhome s.
B ecause the voltage regulator overri des the altemator, installing a la rger output alternator only m arginally increases the charging rate. L ike a gramophone needle stuck in a
f aulty groove, tbe voltage regulator w ill conti nue to enf orce the abov e charging pattern.
T h e P ro b le m D e f in e d
This inabili ty to charge m uch bey ond 7O9o is serious. T he problem is notj ust that batter- Power gives no purchase /
ies cannot ( w ithout a sma rt regulator) be fully charged - it is al so that th ey cannot be di s- to the ha nd, it wil l not hold,
charge d many ti mes below 50% w ithout seri ously prej udi cing their life and effective soon perishe s . . ."
capacity. T he graph below d ght show s the ty pical life-span of a deep-cycle badery . T he EURlPEDES, Hec uba (c .425
B C) tr. W il[ia m Arrowsmith.
ve rtical axis show s the number of time s the battery can be charged/di scharged. The
hori zontal a ris show s the state of charge. T w enty per cent ( l l .8 volts) is effecti vely ' fl at' .
T he inescapable fact i s that w ith a standard vehicle charging system ( only ) , one is limited to 20-25% of a battery 's norninal capacity w ithout rapidly decreasing battery lif e and
capacity. T hi s is the maj or, y et least understood, cause of our electrical w oes.
T his lim itation means that only a quarter or so of a battery ' s nom inal capacity is available f or use ! I f a battery i s 70rS charged only 2O9o of the nom inal capacity i s a vail able.
T hus the banery that one had reasonably assumed w as good for l OO ampmours ( bec au.se it caid so o n itc side) m ay be go od fo r o nly t went y. A n d that 's whe n it' s new !
S olving the Charging Problem

There are three main way s of remedyi ng the charging situation ( singly or in combi nation) .
1. If you drive some distance on most days ( and have no pro- lOOD
vi sion for ch arOing batteries otherw ise, an effective solution
is to replace the existing v oltage regul ator by a 'sm art regula-
tor' , and perhaps upgrade the altemator at the same time. (I f

you do not driv e frequently how ever this approach is not
w orth wh ile.)
2. T he relati ve ly recently -i ntroduced A G M batteries charge

faster and deeper but it's an initial ly costly solution as one m ust
change a ll or none - including the starter battery .
3. If y ou spend long periods on site, the only solution is to supple ment alte rnator/battery energy by sol ar or othe r means.
U sing a three-w ay fridge run ( on-site) on gas helps.
750
500
25 D
o
90
70
5 0 40 30 2 0 10
CHA PT E R 6, PAc E 25
Batteries & Charging

S mart Regulators
Ocean-going sailors,aware of char

of over-ri ding or replacing the alte
and rapidly. These methods beca
regulators' now marketed by vari

G iven an adequate alternator,
90% of their nominal capacity w i
The 90% charge enables you to
you'd probably thought you'd pa
T hese regulators are unfortunate
maanagement systems, but are w
c u r r e n t d i e se l s.
Th e charging regime employed

tery chargers and solar regulators
If you persue this approach conta

pendix 1. They are aware of this b
ln s ta lla t io n
A smart regulator either replaces t

forward, but unless you have expe
S mart regulators are covered in
Upgrading the Alternator
A s noted previously, little is to be

with a smart regulator it makes se
alternators larger than this, but th
Batteries & Charging

You do not need to modify the charging system for solid-gel batteries, but they are
ruined if charged above l 4.4 volts -as can be developed by some cheap bartery chargers. Sol ar panel v oltage regulators may need adjusti ng to cope.
A bs o rbe d G la s s M a t
Originally developedfor miIitary applicati ons,ihese batteries are heavier andl arger than
their conventional counterparts, but charge more deeply and faster from a standard vehi c le chargi ng system. T hey can also be discharged more deeply (to about 30qaof fl at) with-
m
o
u
u
T
tchein
d
sec
au
m
n
a
b
in
g
ae
tta.erie
as -
w ere briefl y alluded

to
in
t he
e d i ti o n s
book.
3
l,
earlier
of
-i^
:
r
th i s
1- J l , l Ah
S ubsequent
experience
show s
F ~
that they are they are

ru gg ed and reliable
Photocourtesy of Plasmatronics
Measuring the State of Charge

M easuri ng bartery voltage to assess the state of charae is meaningless unless the battery
hasrestedfor some hours.Then, a readingof 12.O_ l 2.2 voltsi ndicates that the battery i s
about SO9o discharged.
A n accurate reading can be obtained by readi ng the specifi c grav ity of the acid ( which
is directly related to chag e) but this too requires the battery to have rested.
The onIy immediately meaningful check i s by measuring how much current has gone
into the battery, and how much has been wi thdrawn (allowing l Oqo for losses). Thi s can
be done by specialised meters, or as an inbuilt function in some solar regulators such as
the P lasmatronic ran, e .
W hen topping up
batteries, use only
d is tilled w ate r - do no t
a dd a c id .
t ypical deep cycle bat ey
photo covrtesy of Surrelee America
Solar & Other Energy

extending time on site
Ln
between battery charges, and hence the length of tirne you ca n stay on site , can be
lengthened by three different w ay s, and i ndefi , tely by the l ast.
1. M inim i.se concumption. T his is w orth doing anyw ay not j ust by attempting to economise but by choosing equipment that utes lest energy in the fi rst place.
2. Increase battery capacity. B ut unless you hav e a conv erted coach and lots of money,
cost, bul k and we ight w ill be a limitation. A bout 2OO-250 a mpmours is a re ali stic maximum for sma ll camperv ans, 325-450 for smalUmedium sized motorhomes. B ut y ou must
have the abi lity to charge those barteries.
3. S upplement energy generation via solar panels or a motor-generator.
S olar E nergy
On a clear summer day around noon, the solar ene rgy falling on a fl at bit of A ustralia is
around 1000 w atts per square metre . T hi s ( arithmetically convenient) amount i s j ust a
bit short of that gobbled up by an electric kettle.
T he day, water, sun, moon,

night - do not have to
purc has e these things with
money." PLAUTUS. The
U nfortunate ly today ' s more affordable solar te chnology i s not very effi cient. S ome
85% - 90% of the sun's energy is lost w he n we convert it into electricity. In practice w e
Comedy of Ass es (3rd c .BC).
capture about l OO w ans/square metre . T hi s may not seem much, but i t is enough to be
useful. (O ur all-240 volt home , non h of B roome, runs totally on sol ar energy. I n building it, we used energy only from our 28-panel syste m.)
W hether for a conv entional home, or a motorhome, solar power is si lent and clean.
O nce a system is purchased and installed there 's free electricity for years after
A solar energy electrical sy stem prov ides a further benefi t. I t enables batteries to be
kept close to fully charoed. T his remov es the need to charge batteti es before each trip
a n d e x te n d s t h e i r u se f u l l i fe .
E stimating What's Re quired

E stimating how many solar panels you need might seem straightforw ard - w ork out the
pow er y ou need, and buy panels rated accordingly. B ut like vehicle electrics general ly,
it's not quite that simple because solar panel manufacturers appear to rate their products
to produce impre ssive numbecs.
S ola r Pane l Output

The rating method used by the solar panel industry does not refl ect typical usage, especia lly that in the w armer countrie s. Vendors accept thi s, but do not make it clear to nontec hnical buy ers. One widely -sold '84 watt' panel has a technical informaGon plate on
*S
.,^ :r
rl
, 2JT
il
a '
e r ,
P,
-, -
PAGE 28, C HA P TE R 7
Xr
Twoby nominally 80 watt panels mountedata slight tilt (followingthe cab rooq provide sufficient powerfora 70
watt Autofndge eight inlenor lighls salellite telephone, etc The systemalso has a smarl regulator and a 140
amp 8osch alternator The location is the Wenlock river crossing on the track up to Cape York
S olar
its u nderside that advises (i n effect) that output under more truly typical conditions i s
S 9 w a tts. A nd tha t ' s i n an a m bi e nt of 20 0C . T he l os s a t 4 00C i s a fur the r 8 R F l Oqo.
S olar reality i s that, with a ty pical l 2 or 24-v olt sy stem, the output of mono- and
polycry stalline solar panels is unlikel y to be more than 70% of their apparent ratings.
Panel output varies wi th location and seazon. To estimate what's probable, take 70qo
of the norninal output and multi ply it by the sun/hour fi gure shown on the appropr iate
area of the maps reproduced at the end of thi s chapter. The concept of 'sun-hours' av erages the sun' s changing irradi ance throughout the day so y ou don' t need to allow for this
i n the calculation. The maps show data for J anuary and J uly. I n adi ation is more or less
pro rata at other times.
A n '80 wan ' panel will thus produce about 336 watt/hr (56 watts x 6 sun/hours) along
most of A ustralia's east and west coast during a summer's day . It will produce about 60qo
of that (about 200 watt/hr/day ) in winter and roughly pro-rata for other periods.
M aximum charging usuaily happens on sunny day s that also hav e a very light haze.
S olar output decreases on cloudy dry day s, fal li ng to 30 - 40% of normal . H eav y rain
reduces the charge rate v irtually to zero, as does smoke from bush fi res.
M ost solar panels lose almost all output if a shadow blocks part of the panel. Uni-Solar
panels are less affected - this is advanta, eous for mobi le appli cations and partially compe nsates f or the panel s' larger si ze.
On reasonably sunny day s two, or ideally three, 60-80 waa solar panel s wil l provide
suffi cient energy to run an effi cient refri gerator,small TV,and modest lighting andto bring
your batteries close to fully charged.
P a nel Mounting
S olar panels may be mounted permanently on the roof, but this requi res the vehicle to be
in the sun all day long. However as long as it i s, the panels charge happi ly away
A lternativel y, the panels can be carried loose and pl aced i n the sun for charging. Th i s
works very well but at the risk of having the panels stoIen. F ollowi ng experience with
both methods I rec ommend having sorne fi xed panels and some loose panels.
T he energy output of most solar panels decreases considerably with temperature. Y ou
can mini mise heat build-up by leavi ng an air-space under the panel s. U ni-S olar panels
use a different te chnology and are not aK ected by heat i n this manner
M ore output is gained by optimi si ng panel orientation, but with small systems, the complication does not warrant the gain except i n Tasmania or the southem tips of our big er
i sland during winter months. I t's cheaper and simpler to add extra capac ity.
P urc hasing Pa nels

So lar panels, ev en of identi cal output and mak e, vary in price from vendor to vendor
T he goi ng pr ice is currently $8-$9 per nominal watt. U ni-S olar panels someti mes sell at
slightly hioher prices. These panel s produce closer to their nominal claimed fi gure than
most, so their cost per waa is competitive.
T he Tables on the next two pages show approxi mate consumption of typical elecOi cal
systems of various si zes. The recommended solar panels and badery storage should enable the vehicle to stay on site more or less indefi nitely, except during prol onged heav y
r
n .
S olar Regulators
Some small solar panels, marketed as 'self-regulating', do not require a v oltage regulator but only because they barely generate suffi c ient voltage to charge a battery effective
on clear sunny day s. S elf-regulati ng pane ls are be st avoided for mobile use.
The most common types of solar panels produce l 8 - 2l v olts off-load. These panel s
must be teamed with a solar regulator to control the charging voltage.
S olar v oltage regulators cost $50 - $350. The more ambitious monitor battery charging, usage, and remai, ng banery capacity
S ola r
S mall CamDes ans

D e v ic e
W a Ws
Hours/Oay
W atVH oun /D ay
12
C a s se tte /ra d io
20
40
S ma ll ches t f ridge
P ump
45
360
50
O 25
450
L ight
3 6
S o la r P a n e ls
2 -3 x 6 4 w a tt
H o u s e B a t te rie s
l 7 5 -2 S O A / h
Lar e C am
e rv a n s /S m a ll M o t o rh o m e s
Device
Watts
Hours/Day
3
W atVH oursr Day
L ights (2)
20
C a s se fte /ra d io
20
S m a ll T V
50
10 0
S ma llf ridge
P ump
60
50
8
0 .5
480
M ic ro w a v e ov e n
16 0 0
0.1
16 0
Mino r a ppl ia nc e s
100
0.5
50
W atV ho urs pe r day
l 20
20
2S
955
S o la r P a n e ls
4 x 8 0 w a tt
H o u s e B a tte rie s
2 5 0 -3 0 0 A /h
M e d ium S ize M oto r ho me s

D e v ic e
W atts
H ours/Day
W att/H ours/Day
L ights (3)
20
C a ss e tte /ra d io
20
20
S m a ll T V
50
10 0
VC R
50
50
Medium f ridge
50
O .5
25
M ic ro w a v e o ve n
1600
O.l
160
M inor applia nc es
100
O 5
W adihou rs pe r day
S ola r pa ne ls
18 0
50
T 14 5
6 -8 x 8 0 w a t t
H o us e B a tte rie s
4 5 0 -5 5 0 A /h
L ara e Motorhomes
D e v ic e
Lights (4 )
W a t ts
80
Ho urs /Day
3
W att/Ho urs /Day

240
C a s s e tte / ra d io
20
20
T V
100
200
VC R
SO
50
F ridge
P umps (2)
1 OO
800
5O
O. 5
50
M ic row a v e o v e n
l 600
O. 1
16 0
L aptop c omputer
50
SO
M inor applianc es
10 0
200
W atVhours daily
S o la r P a n e ls
H o us e B a tte rie s
1770
8 x 8 0 w a tt
4 5 0 -6 S O A /h
NO T E S ^
1. The above Table is intended only as a rough guide to panel capacity and battery storage. lndividual
systems may differconsiderably, dependingonwhetherfull self sufficency is required. 'Motorhome Electrics'
inc[udes a comprehensive guide to all aspects of these matters.
2. Microwave oven ratings relate to heating capacity, not energy consumption. Via an inverter, a typical
'80 0 w aW ov en con sum e s a bo ut 160 0 w atts.
3. ln hot areas, 64 watt Uni-solar panels can replace mono-and polycrystalline 84 watt panels.
S o la r
D A R W lN
C A l R NS
B R O O ME
5 0
S O
ALlCE s pR'NGs
1
.5
B R lS B A N E
.
3 5
SYDN
P ER T H
A D E U llD E
Q
M E L B OU R N E
H
O
BAR
6
DA R W l N
C A lR N S
B R OOM E
6 0
7 5
85
A L lC E S P R lN G S
.
6 5
8 5
B O
P ER T H
7 a
7 5
7 0
SY
Y
6 5
A D E LA l D E
7 .O
6 .5
65
6 .5
M E LBO U R N
H
O
B
6
A
:T
6 .5
Fig. 9.6 an,: S un Hour contours (top) J uly,(boaom) J anuary. Multiplying panel output by the relevant numberof
sun hours gives the outpul tor one day. There is no need to correct for changes as the sun moves across the sky.
These (redrawn) maps are based on Australian 8ureau of Meteorology data.
c HA pT E R 7, pAGE 31
S o la r
B attery Chargers
Low-priced battery chargersare a compromise betweenprice and pedormance.They are
fi ne for recharging a baaery suffi ciently to start an engine. Th ey are also useful for occasionally 'topping up' otherwise inadequately-chargedhouse batteriesbut are best avoided
if mcdns charging i s to be a maj or part of y our routine.
Most low cost chargers work much likevehiclealtemator/regulators. They chargefairly

quicU y to around the 70% level, buttaper off steeply thereafter. However many just 'go
for it' . They continue to charOe at a rate that will eventually ruin the batter ies.
Cheap (around $lOO) battery chargers are a good backstop butif you plan to use mains
power to charge batteries routinely, buy a 'smart' charger made for that purpose. They
cost $4SO upwards but will safeguard y our baneries.
W ind P o w e r
Wind-powered generators are only practical if you intend to stay for long periods on
exposed sites. To be effecGve, they must be high above the ground and well away from
any obstructions. They come into their own in areas such as the more southem part of
W estern A ustralia, the south coast of South A ustralia and V ictoti a etc , where there are
consistent strong breezes. Most wind generators start producing some energy in winds
of l 2-l 5 km/hr, but really need 20-2S km/hr to be worthwhile. Some wind-powered
generators are also surprisi ngly noi sy
Mo to r G e ne ra to rs
Motor-generators are an altemativeto solar panels, but most aremessy andcostly to run.
Fellow campers arelikely to be seriously bothered by their noise. CommerciaI campsites
and National P arks generally ban motor generators, or have specifi c areas for thei r use usually shared by commercial tour groups.
The quietest albeit costly, generators are probably theRV MicroL ite range madeby
Onan. These are often fitted into large motorhomes and have sufficient reserve capacity
to start an air-conditioner. Honda also has quiet lower priced ui ts. B ut even the quietest
of Denerators disturb the silence of a bush , ght.
Small petrol-enpined generators have very short design li ves (some as little as l OO
hours). It is absolutely essential to chanoe their oil at the specified intervals -which may
be every ten running hovrs!
The output of most small 240/12 volt generators is provided for the direct connection
of 12 volt appliances. The voltage output is too low for battery charging. Use a mains
charger connected to the 240-volt output instead. It's not an ideai solution bec ause it's
less than energy ef f cient. B ut it w orks!
i:
F
i
*
li
This OnanRV MicmLite GenSet isclaimedtobe 'quieterlhan[USA] Nalional Parkstandards'
lnv e rte rs
us ing ma ins pow e r
W V E R T E R S rai se the low v oltage direct current from your barteries to the 240-v olt
alternating current required by mains equipment. T he technology has benefi ted from a
huge increase in demand following the widespread acceptance of domestic solar energy
sy stems in remote areas. Recent inverters are both reliable andeffi cient and it now makes
sense to consider usino mains voltage dev ices rathe r than accepting the li mited availability and hi gher cost of low v oltage equiv aients.
T his thinli ng does not extend to refrigerators. M ains powered units are becoming
increasingly effi cient, but all but a few still use two to three times the energy of their
low voltage equi valents. The worst (particularly old units with poor door seals) use more
uA ll is cha nge , a ll
yields its place and

gOeS . EURlP E DES ,
Hera cles (c . 422BC )

tr. W illia m
Arro w s mith .
energy than one w ould think possible .

A v o id S m a ll L o a d s
M ost inverte rs sw itch automatically to a stand-by mode at times w hen current drawn
falls beI ow a pre-sen;able level. W hilst in this mode an inverter draws an insi gnifi cant
am ount of energy
T h e i n v e rt e r ' s l o a d
detecting mechanism
s w i tc h e s th e u n i t b a c k
dn
o
etecth
tsa
em
loo
am
de
th
na
ttis
it
-.T
r.n rs
g WAVEI RTER i
5
above the pre-sen able
l e v e l . F r o m th e r e o n
the i nverter typically
fo:l ;s! nl:ntwm

::
, SLMB ~ T
a ana
n eed s , i.e. ov er an d
abov e
the
Pix: courtesy of Selectronics
a pplied
load. If, for example, the only applied l oad i s an electric clock at keeps the inven er
running 24 hours a day, the cl ock wi ll draw only a watt or two, but the inverter may
gobble up 24O 360 watt/hr/day. This is a substantial proportion of dai ly usage!
T his does not preclude appliances that need a mains-energised inbui lt clock to be running before the appliance will operate, but w ill necessi tate setting up the c lock ev ery
time the appli ance is switched on, unless the inv erter i s set to B permanently 'on' .
lnv e rte r S iz e
I n v e rte r s a re a t th ei r m o st e ffi c ie n t w h il st clr i v -
ing medium to large electr cal loads.

Y ou need an inverter that is big enough to
do the j ob - but no bigger - otherwi se it w ill
consume too much ' ov erhead' power whilst
f eeding li, ht loads.
W hen assessing your needs bear in mind
that any good quality inv erter wi ll wi thstand

large short -term ov erloads. Y ou can quite
safely sw itch on (say ) a c offee grinder whilst
the inven er is w ork inp at its m aximum con-
tinuous rati ng. I f seti ously overloaded, the inverter shuts dow n bri efly to protect itse lf
80 O3
lt is essential when using
7 DOD
inv e rt e rs to w atch o ut for
6 0 lD
the so-c alled 'phantom

lo ad s' re fe rred to i n
5D l] D
Chapter 5. A ways turn

oH app iances atthe wall
4 Dl] D
sw itc h.
30
2 Dl] D
l OOD
o
1 O;
1m
Crn
1Em
3 Cm
l hr
I hr
O utput of a typical inverter with respect to time.

V ertica1axis (watts). horizontal axis (time).
C HA P TE R 8, PAG E 33
lnv erters
For mostusers, the largestproba
to draw about l 7OO watts for a s

clude a TV and a couple of lights
ability to supply a typical 50% m
or so seconds. W ithout a microwav
larger wilI run the average size po
T
m
a
m
a
b
s
t
t
o
Top to bottom: Sguare-wave, modified c
square-wave, andsine-wave.
u
B e wary of cheap sine-wave inve

ing units (appliances arepluggedin
not be permanently wired into the
ing a good unit, buy only from so
Lighting
fluorescent, halogen
E L E C TR IC lights vary a
o r inc a ndes c e nt?
eat de al in e ffi ciency. F luorescents, for example , use onl y a
quarter of the energy used by incandescent globe s of similar liaht output: a fi fteen-w an
fl uore sce nt tube produces roughly the same a mount of li ght a s that from a 6O-w att
incandescent globe.
A rni nor draw back is that fl uorescent li ght fi ttings only accept tubes of specifi c w adage, i .e. y ou ca nnot obtain a higher w attage tube of the same length. I f y ou need more
light y ou must instaLl a larger (or dual) light fi tti ng.
Compact F luore scents

Compact fl uorescent globes have become popular in recent times. T hey are a bit l arger
than incandescent globe s and can be used in any light fi ttings l arge enough to accommodate them. T hey are currently available in 5, 8, l 2, l 5 and l 8-w att outputs (multiply by
f our to obtai n the approxim ate incande scent equivalent light output) .
These globes have about the same effi cie ncy as regular fl uorescents, but are much more
expensive. T hey are clai med to last ter/ tw enty times longer than incandescent globe s but
C hoice magazine te sts ( and our own experience) show that some fail after a few minutes.
F requent sw itching on and off drastically shortens thei r lives and, ( like most of us) lose
br ightness as they age, otherw i se compact fl uorescents last v irtually for ev er
M ost compact fl uorescent globes cost $l Oupwards but W A has l l -w attu, ts, sli tly
w h it er th an w ar m -w hite , fo r u nd er $ S .
Test al l such globes in the shop, or when y ou get back to your vehicle, so that you can
exchange any f aulty ones w hi lst you are sti ll i n the area.
B oth compact and regul ar fl uorescent tubes are av ailable in a range of light colours.
T hose describe d as 'w arm w hi te' produce much the same colour light as incandescent
globes. Th e so-called ' day light' glo s and tubes are good for work ing situations, but many
people fi nd the light uncomfortably harsh at i ght
Ha loge n
H alogen lights ( l 2 or 24 volts) are about tw ice a s effi cient as incande sc ent lights.
T hey can be driven dire ctl y from ihe battery, but are really intended for operation at l l .8
volts. T hey are Likely to be dam aged or destroyed in used whilst the engine is running.
H alogcn globcs w ith intcgral rcfl cctors arc av ailable w i th v ari ouc beam angles - f rom
spot-li ke eight de grees to 38 and 60 degrees, and ty pically of 10, 20 and 50 waa s. T hirty fi v e w atts hal ogen globes are also made , but can be hard to locate.
A ll halogen globe s produce considerable ultra-violet, so it's best to include a glass cover
(often suppli ed w ith the fittings), or avoid si tti ng directly undemeath the m.
" Does me light of the lamp

shi ne without losing its
splendour unfil it is extingulshe d? MARCUS AURELlUS
w T o NiN us
M e dita tion s
(120-l 80 A D).
ln v e rt e r P o w e r
C ompact fl uorescents and reoular fl uorescent lights are effi cient but require an i nverter
to drive them. T his is not a probiem if y ou hav e a number of lights sw itched on simultaneously, but as explained in the previ ous chapter, it is not effi cient to run an inverter j ust
for very ' ght loads such as a single low w attage globe . O vercoming thi s, 1 18 w att fl uorescent f7ttings are av ail able w itfi inbui lt inveners. T hey cost $35 upw ards. Unfortunately
most have a ha rsh w hite output.
Ea sing the C hoice

I f y ou like a lot of light, use compact or reoular fl uore sc ents. I f y ou' re satisfi ed w ith
localised light, use l O or 20-wart halogen lights di rectly from the battery supply .
I nca ndescent globes are too ineffi ci ent to consider, except perha ps f or short-term use
i n l o c a ti o n s su ch a s to i l e ts .
Refrigerators
the need to choose carefully
THE cooli ng ability, and energy consumption of a refrigerator varies with size, operating principle, and manufacturer.
M ost of the cost is i n thc w orking parts rather than the sheet metal and insulation, so
prices equate more to qu ty than size. A good small refrigerator is thus not that much
cheaper than a good laroe refrigerator. I n practice you get much what you pay for.
Thirty to forty litres is about the smallest of any real use. It's also about the largest
refrigerator that is feasible for smal l vehicles. Seventy li tres is about right for bigger
carnpervans, l Ol l 40 li tres for small motorhomes, and l 7 250 litres for larger ones.
E nergy consumption relates to size, but not pro rata. G iv en si rnilar i nsulation etc., a
typical 220-litre refrigerator usesabout 30qomore energy than a l OO-liOe refrigerator(not

tw ice , as one might expect) .
Because hot air rises and cold air falls, every time a refrigerator door is opened, cold
spill s out. Energy must be expended to replace it. So other things being equal, opening
unit consumes less energy than a door-opening unit.
Chest opening units a re space eK cient, and their contents thrash around l ess whilst
driv ing.Their down-side is the constant unpacking

and repacking to extractdesired items w hich are i n-
lte m
E ne rg y/Da y
vari ably at the bortom. This is not a problem with lnsulation loss
450 watts
two deep, but it's frustrati ng with large ones. A fur- C o oling food
C o oling liq uid
ther draw back of chest-openi ng units is that con-
12 0 w a fts
22 0 w a tts
small unitsbecause contents can only be a layer or Door opening
210 watts
densation quickly causes a layer of water to build Where the energYgoes (typical 1SO li
up o n th e bott om .
tre c ompressor-type fridge).
E lectricity/Gas
M any refrigerators and freezers i ntended for mobile use are sw itchable to run from
l 2 volts DC, 240 voltsAC, or gas, but the most effi cient are the l 2 volt (or l 2-240 volt)
compressor units characterised by the well -known E ngel range. These use only a third
or so of the electrical ener, y of the gas/electric 'absorption' type refrigerators.
T hree-Way Units
vW e s ha ll ne ver b e co nte nt
u ntil e ac h ma n ma kes h is
ow n w eathe r . . . J E R OME K
JERoME. 'OnheWeather',
Many caravanners and motorhome ownerr swear by so-called three-way units ( l2 volts
DC , 240 voltsA C , or gas) of which the Dometic range is probably the best known.
Three way refrigeratorsprovideampleandrapidcooling, butusea lotofenergy when
Theld]eThoughtsofanldle runningonelectricity.They areintendedtorunoff l2voltsonly whilst driving. The l2.5

Fellow(188g). to l 5amps(at l2 volt) consumption of these ui ts isfar too high for running fromsolar
panels. It makeslittle sense tospend$20OOonpanelsto runa $l5OOrefrigerator.It'sbetter

to buy an ef f cient electrical compressor-type unit in the first place - or to use a threeway unit primarily on gas. T his latter approach substanti ally reduces the amount of elec-
tricity that needs to be ge nerated and stored
Most low-voltage refri gerators larger than l SOlitres or so (and available in Ausoalia)
are standard 240-volt units that have been modifi ed by installing a Danfoss or simiIar
compressor. E ngel and other manufacturers supply do-it-yourself kits for those seeking
to convert an existing f ri dge, or to build their ow n f rom scratch. Detail s of how to do it
a re i nc l ud e d i n ' M oto rh om e E l e c tr ic s ' .
Gas Operation
E arly gas refrigerators (made prior to l986) must be level within a degree or two.T his
usually entails ievelling the whole vehicle. Cany ing wooden blocks of various heights
PAGE 36, CHAPTE R 10 toP'aceunderthe whee'seasesthistask^Youcanassistlevellingby mountingspirit lev-
Refrigeration
els at right-angles. L ocate them where they are v isible from the outsi de as well as from
the driv er's seat. Later units are less critical. Dometic (prev iously E lectrolux) model s
R M l 22 and R M 4206 need to be w ithi n 30, models R M 42l 7, 4237 and 427l wi thin 60.
U sers report that the Tropical R ange (D ometic) three-way fridges are extremely effective running on gas, particularly if the optional roof vent is instal led. They typicaUy use
O.4S kg of gas per day. A nine kilo am bottle thus l asts about three weeks.
These refrigerators are idenfifi able by the letter 'T ' immediately to the right of 'C limate R ating' on the bodom li ne of the fridge's ratind compliance plate. M any readers
report diffic ulty in attempting to buy 'T' -rated fridges but they are def nately avai lable.
E lectric Only
E lectric-only compressor-type refrigerators ( l 2 v olts D C or 240 volts A C ) work differ-
ently from their gas/electricity counterparts. E xamples such as the A utofridge, E ngel ,
I ndel, Trai lblazer, etc. draw about 3-S amps at l 2 volts, about one third that of absorption type units. T hey will readi ly run from a couple of 64 or 8Owatt solar panels and an
auxi liary battery . ( S ee C hapter 7) .
M ost compressor refi igerators use Danfoss components. Danfoss compressors manufactured since l 994 use less energy than earlier models. A very recent Danfoss compressor has a variable speed motor that cuts electrical consumption even further
W hilst quiet, the intermia ent operati on of a c ompressor-type refrigerator can disturb
sleep, however a well-insulated refrigerator can be turned off at night if you fi ll its unoccupied space w ith pre-cooled container s of water
E u t e c t ic
Eutectic refriperators do not have the cooli nO coils of conv entional uni ts. I nstead, they
have tanks (called holding plates) containing a very low freezing point mixture such as
water and al cohol . These tan ks are initially pumped cold.T his takes eight to ten hours.
Once the tanks are cold, eutectic refrigerators need to be switched on for only two to four
hovrs a day, ideaIly whi lst driving. They can be routinely shut down at night.
TheA ustralian-made A utofridge is a good and recommended chest opening eutectic
unit. I ndel makes a door openi ng model. I have no personal experience of I ndel refrigerators but have met many apparently satisfi ed users.
E ne rgy Consumption
Refri gerators draw power unti l they reach the desiredtemperature.A n inbuilt thermostat
then sw itche s off the power. P ow er is re stored when the thermostat senses that the intemal
temperature has r isen abov e the pre set ie vel.
R efrigerators cy clecontinuously. W ith the tem
rature conlro1set for the optimum four
degrees C entigrade, the thermostat switches on for about four minutes in every ten
mi nutes. T he 'on cycle' will be longer and/or more frequent on really hot day s, and when
th e th e r m o sta t i s se t c o l d e r
Somewhat confusingly, manufacturers of low-voltage refi igerators usually quote their

products' steady-state draw, rather than giving a fi gure for average daily consumption.
A refii gerator quoted as drawing 3.5 amps and 'on' for ( say ) 50% of the time wil l use
Save energy by defrost

ing frozen food in the
refrige(ator.
3.5 x l 2 (hours) =42 ampmr a day. M ost 4 70 litre chest units draw 2S-45 amp/hr a
day in typical A ustralian summer temperatures, but this may double if, for example, the
unit i s opened ev ery hour or so to cool and store freshly cau, ht fi sh.
F r e e z e rs
Freezer use a lot more energy than do refrigerators. E ven more so than with refri gerators, compressor-ty pe freezers are by far the most effi cient. C onsider chest type uni ts only
and instal l them so they hav e ample ventilation.
tln
hest
neeallin
dforexp
cerGas
ise
T H I S chapter is prov ided to ve some concept of the legal requirements for gas installation. T he cov erage is far from complete and should not be taken as anything except an
overview of the more im portant require ments.
E ssential ly, installations mu.st accord w ith the relev ant sections of the G as I nsthll ation
C ode AG 560l -2002 and must be done by a certified gas fi tter.

L iquid petroleum gas ( L P G ) becom es liquid under pre ssure . It is stored in thi s f orm in
extremel y strong cylinders and reverts to gas when pressure eases.
P ortabie gas stoves and li ghts intended mainly for camping accept the gas at cy linder
exit pressure. C ontroI taps and tiny j ets on each appliance regulate gas fl ow as desi red.
T hese direct pressure appliances are cheap and simple but their minutej ets are diffi cult
or often impossible to clean and diffi cult to replace.
Camperv an and motorhome installations have a pressure-reducing regulator attached

to the cy linder, or located close by , tha t supplies gas piped to appliances which have low pressure j ets of substa nti al size. S uch i nstallations have a so-ca Lled gas fuse that cuts
off the gas from the cylinder i n the event of a maj or leakage.
Cylinder Location
If the cy linder/s are to remain connected to the piping whil st the vehicle is mov ing, they
must either be mounted in a ful ly ope n rece ss w ithin the profi le of the vehi cle (and not
less than 200 mm above the ground) , or in a fully sealed and ventilated cy linder compart me nt w ithin the profile of the vehicle .
Cy linder/s must be mounted upright and rigidly secured so that the faste, ngs wi ll wi thstand a steady Ioad of four times the weight of the fi ll ed cylinder -with this load applied
from any direction.
T he prev ious restriction against the use of cy linders w ith identifi cation mark '4 ' , commerc ial painted fi nish, ( with caravans, campervans and motorh ome s) has been withdraw n.
Compa rtment Ve ntilation

An expert is someone who A ny cy linder compartment must have a drain at least 2S mm in diameter and pointi ng
knows the worst mistakes aw ay from the direction of travel. T he cy linder compartment itself must be at least one
that can be made in his metre away from any opening into the vehicle (unless that opening is at least 1SO mm
subject, andhowto avoid above the drain) and at least l .5 metres from any ignition source (unless that source is at
them wERNER least SOO mm above the drain outlet).
HElS E NBE RG. P hySiCS a d
B eyond (1901-l 976).
The compartment must house the cy linder/s only, and pem it easy remov al and access
to the cylinder v alve. The access door must be openable without tool s. T here must also
be a compartment identifyi ng label.
Connecting to Applia nces

The cyli nder regulator can be connected directly to the cylinder, and then to the v ehicle
gas piping via a fl exibie hose assembly (at least 300 mm long) or by looped copper tubing. Al tematively the regulator ca n be rigidly fi xed to the vehicle and connected to the
cylinder by fl exible hose (at least 300 mm long) plus an excess fl ow valv e, or by looped
c opp er tu bin g.
U nless adequatel y physically protected, the piping to appl ianc es must not be located
undemeath the vehicle. I t must be protected against abrasion where it passes through any
fl oor, partition or structural member. I t must also be securely located at specified interv als to prevent m ov ement.
A ir V e nts
Potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas is produced

fi cient oxygen to ensure total combustion. To safegu
permanent air vents, located at opposite ends of the ve

wh
V e h ic e L e n t h
V e n t A re a
On
U p to 4 metre s
O ve r 4 a nd up to 5 metres
O ve r 5 a nd up to 6 metres
300 s q cm.
O v e r 6 m e tre s
420 s q c m.
M inimum tota l v e nt a re a .
24 0 s q cm.
360 s q cm.
of
of
low
cat
cid
Never impede air fl ow through the obIigatory vents

inder whilst mobile, or if the vehicle is unattended f
G a s De te c to rs
W h ilst the in stall atio n o f the abov e-sized air v e nts e
safe levels with correctly-working appLiances, the ga

per rnillion) and bothtasteIess and odourless, that man
are however problems in installing a gas detector in a
sensitive and liable to respond every time one make
Gas Water Heating
Gas storage heaters are an effi cient and convenient w
i nto a rec ess that is oas-sealed from the vehicle's i nt
They look and sound Iike an unattended bIowlamp ro
dec ade s of use has sh o w n them to be safe a nd re li ab
Typical models heat 20 or so litres of water but yo
W a te r
quantity
a nd
quality
W E each need to dri

a rninimum of tw o li tres of w ater each day in cool conditions.
Tw o to four li tres are needed in w arm w eather and four to six in very hot w eather
O ne n eed s even m ore if exp o sed also to w in d and su n .
It i s very im portant to m aintai n the se lev els. N ot doing so can cause various medical
conditi ons (particularly muscu lar cramping) . B eer, w ine, te a, coffee, soft drinks ( etc.) are
no t su bstitu tes f or w ater. O n the c ont rary - t hey deh yd rate t he bod y
Water Oua ntity

D rinking w ater apart, the absolute mi, mum water consumption i s around fi v e litres per
pe rson/day. This i s not a comfortable a mount. It entails minimal usage for cooki ng and
w ashing up, personal w ashing via a fl annel and a few centimetres of w ater, and a few
drops m ore f or clea, ng teeth.
F i fteen litre s per person/day allows a preliminary soap-up w ith a fl annel, foll owed by
a few seconds show er. Twenty litres per person/day is more com fortable.
A dd an extra tw enty litres/person if you are e aveUing off the bitumen ( or across the
N ul lab or, or betw een P ert h and D arw in) .
W a te r T a n ks
W e lived for days on
nothing but food and
wa te r." wC FlE LDS (quoted
in La u ren ce J P ete r,
Peter 's O uo*ations).
S ma ll camperv ans cany (an inadequate) 3O 4O litres, small motorhomes 8O- l 7S li oes,
larger motorhome s up to 300 litres. C oaches may carry SO l OOO litres.
S tandard-sized plastic and stainless steel water tank s are available from carav an outfi tters and boat chandlers. Sheet meta l f abricators w ill m ak e up tank s to your specifi cation for much the same pric e - but it's necessary to ' shop around ' (w e w ere quoted $2SO,
$47S , about $ 700 ma te and $ l 200 f or the self -same tank !)
S ome manuf acturers use aluminium, but stainless steel is saf er, and there are no probl e m s w i th c o n o s i o n .
If designing your ow n tank s, i nclude a separate outlet vented to atmosphere for air to
escape w hilst fi lling, and to enter w hen pumping out.
To aid stabili ty , tank s should be housed under the vehicle. L ocate them w ell above the
low est part ( which is usually the differential housing) . If y ou intend travelling on dirt roads,
tank s should be protected w ith 3 mm
m m galvanised steel sheet.
T here' s a strong argument for tw o separate tank s, interconnected v ia a ' Y -v alve ' , thus
a ssuring you w ill sti ll ha ve dri nkable wate r i n the eve nt of a tank being holed. M ore
p ref erab le is t o h ave tw o tota lly sep a-
rate system s - one for dri nking water

the other for every thing el se.
W ate r P umps
T he si mplest outlet is v ia gravity to
a low -mounted tap, but manual or
electti c pumps are more conve nient.
M anua l pumps are tiresome, but
bec au se of this , u sers are less lik ely to
w a s te w ate r !
Flojet l2or 24 voltpumpdelivers uplo 12.5 litres/minute
E lectric pumps deliver 8-12 litres
per minute at pressures around 30 psi (200 ki lopascals) . T his is about half mains pressure. T hey draw 4r 7 amps at l 2 vol ts (48- 84 watts) w hilst doing so.
T he simplest electric pump sy stems use manua lly operated sw itches to start and stop
PAGE 40, C HA PT E R 12
the eIectric pump, and taps are available w ith inbuilt sw itches for this purpose . M any older
campervans and caravans used this sy stem ( or had manually operated pumps).
W a te r
T hi s type of installation has the adv antage of simplicity, but w hilst the necessary components are still available it is rarely used now adays.
Automat ic P umps
M ost of today 's electric pump systems operate automadca lly. A n automatic pump maintai ns some pressure in the pipe s: tuming on a tap drops the pressure. T he pump detects
this pressure drop, and automatically tums on. A fter the tap is closed , the pump runs until
residual line pressure is restored.
M ost automatic pumps w ork be st wi th an ac cumulator ( an air-pressur ised reservoir)
installed betw een the pump and the taps. T he accumulator enables smal l amounts of water
to be draw n w ithout the pump starting up, and reduces the annoy ing te ndency of pumps
to chirp aw ay at night. C onnec t the pump/s v ia a separate accessible sw itch so that the
sy stem can be immobilised if leav ing the vehicle for any length of ti me.
W ater pumps are obtainable from caravan accessory shops and boat cha ndlers ( see
A ppendix 2 f or sources) .
Water Connection S yste ms

H ose and clamps range from reinforced pl astic hose and w orm drive hose clips, to more
sophisticated ' snap together ' sy stems.
T he f ormer has the advantage that hose and clips can be bought
vi rtually anyw here . S pares can thus be lirnited to a fe w clips and a

couple of m etre s of hose.
P ropri eta ry ' snap together ' sy stems are neater and quick er to asse m bl e Th i s b e ne fi ts as se m bl e r s, but l ac k o f sta nd ar d ' sa ti on co m -
d,
k
ph cates obtaim nE spare part s
Hose Qua lity

P ressurised water hose ( for cold w ater only ) is normally m ade of clear
plastic w ith diagonal nylon reinf orce ment. I t is obtainable f rom cara va n/motorhome and boat equipment supp liers. S uppliers also stock
hose claimed to be more suitable for dr inking water. S peciali sed and
more costl y hose is necessary to w ithstand hot water. I t is stock ed
by w ashing machine a nd dishwasher repairers.
^_i
ri ^' <i-P u tl
iK^ h r h l* i
M a in s P re s s u re
H oses, clamps, taps and fi di ngs intended for boats and campervan/
motorhome s may not w ithstand mains w ater pressure. To connect
yo ur syst em to mains pressure y ou mus t inc lud e a paralle l water i nlet
wi th a pressure reducer
T he Nee d for F iltering

C ood qua lity tow n water can be obtained in coastal areas, medium to largish regional
centres, and a few inland areas. Otherwise, and particularl y in inland S outhA ustralia, good
quality w ater is scarc e. I t is often unobtai nable except in li tre bottles. I n one outback S A
fi lling station, in 20O2, diesel cost $ l .27l itre, water $2.O/litre. I t' s of little consolation
that e sca lati ng fue l pti ces are closino this gap.
I t's best to distrust all w ater draw n from anyw here except maj or towns. The main d sks
are guardia (faecal contarninati on) and cry ptosporidium, but other less-hostile contamination can still cause tummy upsets
Consider installing a
s eparate pump, filte r and
3 0 m e t re s of f le xible ho s e
for pumping up wate r from

re mo t e s t re a m s . T h is is
extremely valuable in
is o late d area s .
Types of F ilter
P ermanently installed i n-li ne fi ltering w ill remove most nasties but not necessar ily the
heav y metais f ou nd in so me bore w ater
D on' t be talked into installing more fi ltering than y ou need and avoid spec ialised
housings than w ill onIy accommodate their ma nufacturer ' s invariably costly fi lters. S everaI manufacturers produce ' standard' housings ( see pix above) for w hich a w ide range
of interchangeable fi lte rs is ava ilable .
C HAP TE R 12, PAGE 41
W ate r
A good arrangement is three fi lters in series. The fi rrt i s a simple coarse screen fi lter
instalIed in a readi ly accessible loc ation betwe en tank and pump. Its purpose is to
remove grit and other mechani cally damaging particles.
T he second and third fi lters, located betw een the pomp a nd the taps, should be of
5.O- l O.O rnicrons and about l .O micron re specGvely. F ilter manufacturers claim that a
1.O mm paper filter w ill trap guardia, cryptosporidium etc.
S ome manufacturers supply different housi ngs and fi lter s for mains pressure a nd low
pre ssure wa ter supply. W here there ' s choice, us. e the low pre.ssure version. A cti vated
carbon and sil ver iodised fi l ters ( etc) provide even better filtering, but do not w ork effecti vely at the low pressure ty pical ot campervan/motorhome water sy stems.
R everse osmosi s systems produce truly excellent w ater, but retain only l O% or so of
the amount processe d, i.e . the remaining 90% gets dumped. O ne could use this residue
for washing but it's questionable if it's worth the complication. A further problem with
re verse osmosis sy stems i s that they use a great deal of electrical energy
H o t W a te r
The simplest way of obtaining hot water is via 25-30 metres of black l 3 or l 9 mm poly thene ini gation hose ly ing in the sun. C onnect a tap to one end and a supply of cold water
to the other. T his i s extraordinari ly effective during the summer, and all year round i n
centra l and northern areas. I t's a much better soluti on than solar w ater bags.
A hose loop syphon and insulated storage tank is a more sophisticated version of the
ab ov e . T he c o l d ou tl e t ne e ds t o b e a t l e a st 3 S O n un a bov e the ho t i n le t fo r r e li ab l e the r m o -
syphoning. A 2S-metre coil of poly pipe should cost y ou about $ l O, and i s obtainable trom
ir rigation suppliers, or most country ha rdw are stores.
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Heat Exchangers
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tubing, inserted i n line w ith the vehicle' s interior
heater.T his tubino si ts i nside an outer casi ng
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cold-w arm setting, and/or by draw ing more or less

w ater throvgh the heat exchanger via an adj ustable restnctor
T he above arrangement has a couple of drawbacks F irstly , the mtenor heater must be
tumed on to heat water Th is can be uncomfod able on hot days but there's nothing one
c a n d o ab o u t n i
Secondly, the devices are intended to provide showers within a minute or two of stoppi ng, commonly w ith the engine left running T hi s is better than nothing, but mconvenient for l ong-term stay s on site T hJs can be resolved by pumping the heated water from
the heat exchanger into a heat-insulated holding tank
The abov e system w orks w ell enough. W ater stay

w inter and for tw o day s or so in the sum mer. A refi n
coiI of black plastic irrigation pipe for heating when
I f you experiment w ith this sy stem, av oid pressuri
to cause fatigue c racks. O ne w ay to av oid thi s problem
used i n w ashing machines and dishw ashers are inexp
S uitable heat exc hangers are av ai lable from source

Y et another alternative is a system that consists of
size of a large saucepan that is placed over a gas rin

heated v ia the heat exchanger's coi ls and thence to a sh
a c ommerc ially avai lable v ersion of this system a few
but I was constantly concerned that any careless mov
pull the w hole dev ice off the stov e.
G a s W a t e r H e a t e rs
T here are two main types of gas water heater, storag

the most commonly used . B oth are described in the p
Diesel W aterN ehic le Heating
O ne further possibility i s a diesel driven heater.

W hilst not well-known yet in A ustralia, di esel-pow
been used i n boats and road v ehicles for many dec ad

T w o such units are now av ailable in A ustralia -and bo
and motorhomes. B oth have an inbuilt heat exchange
h e a te d a n d t h e n e x h a u ste d i s se a l e d f r o m th e i n te r io r
The air/w ater versions of the units can heat radiator

units al so prov ide hot w ater (v ia a further heat excha
Preparing forthe Trip (l )

l
keeping it going
POORLY maintained vehicles are a repairer's nightmare. Any one or more badly wom
or maladjusted components may cause a breakdown, but countless potential causes of
break dow n remain, w aiting to manifert.
F or example, a repairer cleart a blocked fuel line and advises the whole fuel sy.stem
needs cleaning and fi lters replaced. Thi s i s a time consuming job costing $2OOor more,
and is usually rej ected.
The v ehicle breaks down agai n next day 50 km out of town. D irt from the fueI tank
hasagain blocked the line.Yetdespite having wamedthatthismay happen, and offering

to fi x it, the repairer may still be blamed.
Yln every affair consider

V ital components do occasionally and unexpectedly fail, but most break-downs are
what precedes and follows, caused by neglected maintenance and/or the fi nal expiry of belts, hoses, fi lters etc ., that
andthen undertake it.n have long exceeded their serv ice life.
EPlCTETUS, Discourses The lessonis simple. For eouble-freetravelling, regular maintenance and the replace-
(2nd c.) tr.TW Higginson.
ment of w om components is essential .
Chapter l 4 covers the extra preparation that is advi sable for travelli ng in the outback,
or inisolated areas such as CapeYork and the I\-imberley. To avoid unnecessary duplication,mattersthat mainly affectthe lattertype of traveller are includedinthischapter.These
matters are identified, both in the main text and the Parts/Spares listings, by italics.
Mainly about Diesels
M ost diesel engine problems are caused by dirty or contaminated fuel, or dirt/sand in-
gested via the air intake. Water, leaves, sand, rust or paint flakes may fi nd their way into,
or form within, your vehicle's or a fuel vendor's tank. Sooner or later this muck is likely
to re stri c t o r b l o c k th e fl o w o f f u e l .
T he ori ginal fuel fi lter traps most of this muck but w here it is feasible
it' s best to add a second f lter instal led be tw een the fi rst f ilter and the
engine. T his can be done with many current and most older vehicles, but
fi rst checkthefeasibility witha seN ice sb tionspecialising with your make

of vehicle. S ome recent (mostly petrol) fuel systems use the fuel to lubricate and cool the very hot running pump and may not be able to tolerate
eventhe sliOht restrictioncaused by an additional fi lter.A good fuel fi lter
costs around $l 50. If one can be fi tted it is likely to be one the best i nP ix: L uc a s/C A V
ve stmen ts y ou ' ll ever make.
Water in diesel fuel tums into high-pressure steam when injected into
the cylinders.Thishasexplodedinjectors.To discouragethis, diesel fuel fi ltershave water
traps (e.g. the small screw on the very bortom of the pix of the L ucas/CAV fi lter above
left) . D rain at least tw ice each year
Av oid S uspect F uel

Don't buy unknown brand discount diesel. This often consists largely of solvents, crude
oil etc. that vendors buy free of tax. Such mixtures may cause the engine to overheat and/
or foul the inj ectors.
Dirty or contaminatedbuUc storaOe tanks are also occasionally encountered. Wherepossible, buy from major-brand seN ice stations in large towns, or from truck stops.
Have diesel fuel injectors cleaned and adjusted at least every l OO,OOOkm, or if the engine blows black smoke under loadat normal engine speeds (most diesels will blow smoke
if fl ogoed at v ery low engine speed) .
A dd an anti-bacterio logical diesel additi ve i f the vehicle is off the road for more than
PAGE
, C HA P T E R 13
Keeping it Going
three months or so. It i s avai lable from some truck stops and 4W D parts stores. It i s not
necessarily the same inj ector cleaning additiv e referred to above , but some rec ently introduced products perform both functions.
Oils Ain't Neces sa rily Oils !

D irt build-up is not the only reason for changing oil. M ost engine lubricating oil s are multiviscosity ; i .e. they are thin when cold to ease starting, and thick en a s they become warm.
iki
f -r
i
$
' -e i
= j
î hl
v c
Q
ri
l l l r
-
l l
Better than words , this photograph illustrates the needfor adequate fuelfrlters (photograph,taken in the south
west of Oueensland is of lhe aulhor's previously-owned Kombi campervan).
M ulti-viscosity oils gradually lose this property ; for example nominally 20/SO oil eventually reverts to a straight 20 ade . T his is inadequate f or a hot engine.
C umently at least, diesel en, ines must hav e oil change s at least as freque ntly as the
manuf acturer rec om mends. T he quaLifi cation about 'currently ' is necessary because ongoi ng oil research is re sulti ng in lubricating oil s with greatly extended lifetimes A s far
as I am aw are at the time of publishing this edition, no engine manufacturer ha s y et approv ed any of these oils. B ut this is lik ely to change . I n the meantime, change oil at not
l e ss th a n th e r e c o m m e n d e d i n te rv a l s
L ubricating oils generall y hav e an A meri can P etroleu m I nstitute designation marked
on their containers. A typical mark ing i s 'A P I ' followed by ' C ' for diesel engi nes, and
' S ' for petrol en nes. T he ' C ' (or 'S ' ) is followed by a fv n her letter - C , D , E , F etc. T he
further this lerter is up the alphabet the more com plex the additi ves
D o y o ur b est to fo llo w th e manuf ac tu rer 's r ec o m mend ation b ut if y ou c an ' t fi nd th e
e xact oil ( or an equivalent), oil designated ' A P I C C ' or ' A P I S C ' for diesel and petrol
engi nes respecti vely, w ill get you out of trouble . T his doe s not apply to D etroit D iesels.
T hese engines must hav e the specifi ed oil.
P etrol E ngines
M ost petrol engine breakdow ns are attributable to fue l block ages (or electrical malfunctions) so the need for clean fue l still applies. To ensue it is clean add a sec ond, high quality,
Few iumper leads are

a de quate for starting a cold
fuel filter betw een the original fi lter and the enOine if possible ( see above regarding the
f easi bility of thi s)
diesel engine. Make up

your own using OB S
S e rvicing the E lectrics
(start er) cable and heavy

cla mps.
W ith older petrol engined (i .e . pre-computer-controlled) vehicles clean and re-gap spark
plugs and contact break er points every SOOO- 7S OO k m. If feasible, set the contact breaker
gap using a dw ell me ter ( rather than fee ler gauges) . T his give s a truer reading because
distributor shaft and bush w ear causes di sc repancies betw een static and dyna mic gap set-
tings. T hi s affects ignition ti ming, and may e ven prev ent the coil from generating enough
energy to start a cold engine. R eplace plug leads, coil-to-distributor leads and rotor every
fi ve ye ars, the distr ibutor cap after seve n y ear s or l OO,OOO k m
c HA pT E R l 3, pAGE 4s
Keeping it Going
Spark coils occasionalIy fail. I t

(often now known as a 'capacitor
Computer-Controlled Engin
Computer-controlled engine func

reduce emissions. W hilst comput
problems do arise, they usually ne
and depressingly large amounts o

Problems are moctly due to the
gine information. The computer-u

and replaced regardless of cost.
VehicIes with computer-contro
serv ice stations. I f you have a brea
facility rather than having it messe
most outback dwellers and trave

Toyota H i-L ux and Troopy.
A ir F ilte rs
It is essential that engine air fi lteis

considerable -a four litre engine
suburbanhouseevery l50seconds
larIy, even if they look clean. As fi
ing the paper f

ments are readi
mulated oil sup
element holds
Keeping it Going
TOo ls (oeneral)
A lle n k e ys (me tric & impe ria l)
C e ntre pu nch
C rimp ing too l
C o ld c h is e l
C o rd l e s s d ri ll
D r il l & d r il l b its
F e e le r g a ug es
F il e s
- fl a t
- h a l f r o un d
- re v e rs i n g
- s to p
H os e
ra d ia to r
- h os e (ge n e ra lJ
- bra k e ble e ding
J um pe r le a ds
O i l f ilt e r
S oas s (oetrol enaines onlv)

D is t. ca p , rotor & p oin ts
( or comp le te dis tribu to r]
F un ne l (p lus ga uze s tra ine r)

G re a s e g un
lg nition c oil
S p a rk p lugs
S p a rk p lug le a d
H a c k s a w & b la d e s
7 i ninq S
H a mmers ( lig ht, med ium , hea W )
W hee lsW res
r a t -ta i l
M ir ro r - s m a l l
P l ie rs
c irc lip
re g ula r
- ro u n d n o s e d
P un che s ( va rious)
S c re w d ri v e rs
re g u la r
- P hilips
S p a n ne rs
a djus ta ble (s ma ll, me d ium , la rge )
- o il f ilt e r
o p e n -e n d e d
ring
J a ck
H i-li# j a c k
S ec ond sp a re whe e l
l n n e r tu b e /s
W he e l w re nc h (stron g)
Ty re re pa ir k it
B e a d b rea k e r
P re s su re ga uge
Ty re le ve rs (3)
Ty re p ump or c omp res s or
V a lv e s
v a /v e s te m to o l
l Nheel nuts (one s e
s o c k e ts
Va rio u s
s pa rk p lug (pe tro l e ng ine s only)

s ump p lug
A ra ld ite
T w e e z e rs
W ork g lov e s
V ic e q rips
Tools (electrical)
C a ble ( va riousJ
C rimp e nds
lns u la ting ta p e
J umpe r le a ds
M u l tim e te r
B ra k e fl u id
C le a ning ra g
E m e ry pap e r
E p oxy ( tw o p a rt]
F e ncing wire
G a s k e t m a f e ria l & c e m e n t
G re a s e
H ose c lip s
O il (e ngine , g e a rbo x, d iffe re ntia l/s
R a d i a to r s e a la n t
P o la rity te ste r
sS olde
os rin
s a s
R ope
S s res (aeneral)
S o ff w ir e
A i r f ilt e r/s
S c r e w s , n u ts e tc .
S ea lin g tape (wate r res is tant)

W D 40 ( or simila r)
B ra ke lining s , d is c pa d s
F a n b e lt/a lt e r n a to r b e l t
F ue l p ump ( co mple te )
F u e l ti lte r
F use s
G lo b e s
he a dlights
- s ide lig hts
- ta illights
Locate a spare s et of
keys securely under-
W ooden blo cks (a ss orted)

N o te : Tools a nd spa re s listed in norma l ty pe w ill ge ne ra lly be a de q ua te
if trave lling ma inly o n maj or bitumen

ro a d s . T h o s e
in i ta l i c s
s h o u ld
ne a t h t h e v e h ic le re le a s a b le w it ho ut
t oo ls !
be
adde d if y ou inte nd trav ellin g extens ive ly in iso la te d a re a s .
Keeping it Going
O lder, less commonly encountered vehicles, or those venturing into sparsely populated
areas need a lot more . T he recommended lists of tools and spares may see m overki ll but
carry ing them w ill sa ve tim e, money and inconvenie nce. E ven if you don' t k now how to
use the tools or replace bits and pieces, you' ll fi nd people who do, and w i ll .
C o m m o n P ro b le m s
H ere is a well -tested listing of the most like ly problem s - and how to avoid them . Item s
in italics apply only to v ehicles that w ill be used in the outback or extensively in isolated
a re a s .
R ad ia to r h oses . R ep lac e any h ose that f eelc rig id o r very fl oppy w hen p ret ced , or is more
than fi ve years old. Ti ghten hose clamps and, if the hoses are replaced, check clcunp tightne ss agai n after l OO km.
R ad iator : C heck thoroughly for leak s, also check radiator mountings - replace or repair
if necessary. H ave the radiator reverse fl ushed if it' s more than fi ve years old.
F uel fi lter /s: C lean or repl ace. R efer to comments above regarding the feasibi lity of adding an additional fi lter
A ir fi lters . C lean or replace . A parti ally block ed air fi lter is unlikely to disable a vehicle
but may lead to power loss w ith die se ls, and increased f uei consumption w ith petrol engines. A ir 6 lters need replacingf requently if rPa vell ing on d irt roa ds. They a re best repla ced by a clea na ble f oa equiva lent. A ppendix 2 gi ves contact details.
B a tter y . R ep la ce f itb more tAen three years old. If i t' s younger, have it load-tested by
an auto-e lectrician and replace if necessary. R em ov e and thoroughly clean battery connectors and ter minals. U se an anti-corrosion preparation when reconnecting. C he ck water
levels monthly . A part from age, the most common causes of battery fai lure are underchargi ng, and shock loading caused by loose battery mountings. B a ttery cla mps tha t work
by nipping on to a n edgef owned a round the base of the ba ttery a re likely to f a il on corruga ted roads. A dd extra clamps ti t hold the ba ttery securely in p lace.
D r i ve belts : C heck for w ear and tear, and adj ust tension. R eplace if necessary or if they
are more than three years old . A lthough the baa ery wi ll keep the engine goi ng for a ti me,
a broken alternator belt w ill eventually bring you a halt. A lway s carry a spare .
B ra k es : C heck brake pads or li nings and replace if more than tw o-thirds w orn. C heck
brake li ne s for damage . R e place brak e fl ui d if it' s m ore
than three year ; old. (T he brak e
i ndustry w ould prefer you did
this ye arly but that' s ov erk ill
for most vehic les and usages.)
C l ut c h
C h e c k th a t th e c l u tc h
pedalstillhasadequateremain- ! -ing adj ustme nt. I f in doubt,
co
lu
nts
cu
hltpla
ateifs
specoa
ialis
dt.
visR
ed
e.place
Engine Mounts Replacethe
rubber mounting blocks if they
are dam aOed.
. -- ^
:'l
.!:-.7'-, jd
j \
-- .i
J
Photo: courlesy Ryco
D r iv e shafts and univ emal j oints Check nuts/bolts for tightness ( use a torque wrench
for thi s) . L ubricate the slidinO spli nes at the forw ard end of the propeller shaft. T hese
splines allow for axle move ment as the w heel s rise and fall ov er bumps. I f they lock up,
damaging th st loads are throw n onto the differentia l, drive shaft, a nd gearbox beari ngs,
and the engine and gearbox mountings. This work s essentia l.
S p r in gs: A part from broken leaves, potential problems are diffi cult to spot. One certain
w aming sign is that the vehicle sits close r than seems reasonable to the bump stops. I f
there is a ny doubt, ha ve the vehicle c heck ed by a spring specialist ( rhis may inv olve the
springs having to be removed from the vet cle to check their free-state curv ature.
PAc E 4e, C HA P TE R 13
U -bolts: C lean U -bolts and nut threads, and lubric ate
again using a torque wrench. R echeck after l OOkm a
(some outback tour opera tors check U -bolts ever y d

S hock absor ber s: H ave shoc k absorbers checked b
and replace if necessary. I n most cases this can be d
still on the vehicle. Consult a specia list regarding u

ments. Also replace shock absorber bushes f dhey a
vehicle has been used extensively off-road.
E xhaust pipe/silencer : C heck exhaust pipe, silencer a
and rubbers. R eplace them $ they are even rePrrotely s
ists - it's a tri cky and fi lthy j ob.
W heel bearings: check for correct adj ustment, repac

Tyres: - R eplace tyres regardless of wear if they
C hapter l 7 deals with tyres in detail.
Preparing for the Trip (2)

l
travelling in remote areas

VA RIOUS sectionsof this book cover the sort of vehicle that isneededto go where, the
importance of carrying ample water: and the need for adequate maintenance. This and
the fol lowing chapter outline the additional aaention that is advisable if travelli ng extensively in rem ote areas.
Fuel Availability
Fuel is available at not more than 400 km intervals along most outback routes in A ustralia except the north w est of W A w here there are a few SO
OO km stretche s. T his is
true a[so for the more-travelled inland routes. A range of 7OO km provides a conserva6v e margin e ven for the B irdsville O odnadatta a nd S trze leck i track s.
The l lOOkrn Tanarni track (Halls Creek toA lice Springs) is an exception. There, a
range of lOOO km is necessary if you wish to bypass the mid-way fuel point atR abbiP;
Flat, which at the time of going to press, was open only at weekends.
Fuel consumption on dirt is much the same as on bitumen. Fuel saved by (hopefully)
slower driving compensates for the slightly increased drag.
Y here is a pleasure in being
in a ship that beaten about
by a storm, when we are
su re tha t it w ill n ot fo und e r "
PASCAL, Pensees (1670) tr

W F T rotter.
F uel N orage
Jerry cans are cheap and convenient but storing them can be a problem. The last thing
one needs is full fuel cans inside the vehicle, or the overturnino force of l50 kilograms
or more on a roof rack two or three metres up.
You can fi t a bigger fuel tank, but it's better to have two separate ones, each with i ts
own filter/s. Custom-madetanks are costly, butaresafe and convenient. F itachangeover

valve enabling the existing fuel gauge and pipes to be used for either tank.
S pecialised Servicing
E nsure your vehicle ismechanically soundbefore setting off.E verythinpin the previous
chapter appLies, butunlessyou really know what to look for, have your vehicle checked
by a specialised 4W D service centre.Their staff is more likety to understand your needs
th an th o se at man uf ac tu rer s ' ser v ic e statio n s.
:"
-
-_ . l
<
E r
Adequate preparation is vital if travelling in remote areas. This1960 photo shows the author's QL Bectford in
mid-Sahara. Theneedfoiadequatetools andspareswas highlightedbyhavingtodismantletheengine inmiddesertto repaira crackedcylinderhead.Thevehicle carriedover 1500 litresoffuel-morethan sufficientforthe
PAGE 50, CHAP TE R 14
5000kmSaharan crossing -and fromGibralterto London. Maximumspeed was a govemed 50 km/hr!
R e m ote A rea s
O utb a c k B re a k d ow ns
The most common outback problems that prevent the vehicle being drive n are : dirt in
the fuel sy stem, battery failure , ove rheating cause d by a blocked radiator or leaking radiator hoses, brok en U -bolts and springs. S hock absorber fai lure is also common, but rarely
incapacitate s the v ehicle. A partially blocked air fi iter is also common. W hilst this too i s
unlikely to di sable the v ehicle it wi ll cause a loss of pow er loss w ith die sels, and increased
f uel consum ption in petrol engined vehicles.
A ir fi lter s requi re fre quent reptac ing if trave lling extensive ly on dirt roads. A s a
replacement element costs $2S upwards c onsider a foam-based cleanable equi valent.
lngested DiW Water

A n en ne w elcomes neither hot air, dust or anything liquid. T he fi rst reduces running
effi ci ency. The second wears it out. T he third can w reck it -especia lly if it's a diesel.
F o r protec tio n ag ain st th ese ills, o utb ac k travellers in stall s norkel s that t ake in c leaner,
cooler air at a higher level . S norkel s are trick y to ma ke and install -bea er by far to go to
one of the many 4W D equipment suppliers and have the j ob done professionall y
Oi l Te mperature
A n oil te mperature gauge is almost as va luable as a w ate r temperature gauge when trav el li ng in the hotter part s of A ustralia.
T he maxi mum sustained safe temperature for engi ne oil is about l l O degree s C . Temperatures abov e thi s may affect its v iscosity, possibly leadi ng to bearing fai lure.
B u ll B a rs
B ull bars are realistic needs f or long distance trav ellers, interstate nu ck drivers, and coun-
try dwellers. T hey may he lp protect a vehicle and its occupants in the event of hitting
a n i m a l s a n d w i l l e as e b r a n c h e s a si d e o n n arr o w b u sh t ra c k s .
B ut a bull bar is unlike ly to protect vehicle occupants in a front-end colli si on even in

forw ard control vehicles: in fact it may di minish the ability of the front part of the vehi cle to crumple progressi vely in an impact w ith another car or obstacle. Then, the bull bar
protects the vehicle but increases the forces acting on its occupants.
W hilst the ve hicle acce ssories industry and the 4W D press v ehemently denies that bull lf mounting s pot lights on
bars may increase the severity of any collision w ith pedestrians, there i s i ncreasing evi - a bull ba r, ensure the
dence that they do (particularly because 809o or more of all 4W D s are used primari ly in lights and bar are quite
cities) . T here is no logical case for fi tting a bull bar unless you i ntend to trav el exten- rigid because flexing
introduce s a 'whiplashsiv ely in counOy areas, and forthc oming legislation may ban all except those made from
like' effect that drastically
some form of progressi vely y ielding material.
l \ f urther concern i s that a poorly designed bull bar is likely to aff ect air bag triOoering
s horte ns globe life .
he nce you legally may not, and certainly should not, f t a non-approv ed bull bar to an ai r
bag equipped vehicle.
Off-Road Driv ing Courses

I f you hav e a 4W D ve hicle consider compleGng an off-road dri ving course. C hoose careful Iy though as onl y a few are government accredited, and some are run by very macho
boys i ndeed !
Winches & Ve hicle Recovery

A good strong w inch is w ell worth considering, bvt w inching i s a potentially dangerous
operation. B y all means fi t a w inch - or carry one of the ha ndy portable models ( O K for
campervans, but inadequate for motorhomes) . L eam how to use i t safely by compiedng
an accredited off-road dri vina course, as noted above. M uch the same goe s for vehicle
recovery generally. It is not a good idea to leam as y ou go' .
C HA P TE R 14, PAGE 51
Preparing for the Trip (3)

l
mainly about tyres

FOL L O
G a spate of publicised tyre failures, a survey of thousands of pri vate U S
motorhome users showed alann ing fi ndings. F or example^

A lmost every U S motorhome user exceeds tyre manufacturers' maxi mum loadings by
20% -30<
7o. M any do so by 50% or more.
Despite the above, most users were running at tyre pressures lower than specifi ed for
their rigs' maximum recommend loading. The tyres were thus massively under-inflated
for the gross ov erloads at which they were being used.
The survey concluded. With gross overloading, and all-but universal under-inf lation
US recreational vehicle tyres are subj ect to rnore Qbuse than any other knownf orm of
tyre usa ge . . .. including mine, qua rry a nd exp lora tion vehicles '.
A ustraIians are perhaps more ty re and/or vehicle weight conscious, but even casual
observ ation show s that gross tyre abuse is not confi ned to the U S A .
Vehicle We ight
A vehic le's legally pe
tted maximum weight (specifi ed as G V M -G ross Vehicle M ass)
is li mited by several factors. One of the major factors is the load rating of its ori: inall y
specifi ed tyres.A n AustralianDesign Rule requires all vehicles to carry a placard stating
the si ze, load and speed ratings of those tyres.
The load you can legally cany is the di fference between the Tare (unladen) weight,
and the GVM . The weight of driver and passengers is included in the GV M . Chapter l 9
includes a fulle r explanation of Tare, G V M etc .
Gross Vehicle Mass (GV M ) i s set by whichever is the Iowest of these parameters: maximum pen nissible tyre loading, maximum permissi ble axle loading, v ehicle manufacturer 's specifi ed maximum weight lirnit. With rare exceptions such as the M itsubi shi Canter, the latter two factors preclude fi tting heavier tyres to increase the GV M .
The M itsubishi Canter has iight and heavy ty re options; holders of a car licence can
dri ve the lighter-tyred, and hence lower GV M -regi stered version. The heavier-tyred
ves ion must be registered at the hi gher GV M -evenif it isnever loadedbeyondthe lesser
weight. I n other words the GV M relates to what a vehicle could weigh, not necessari ly
what it does weigh, D rivi ng licences work correspondingly
Upgrading Ty res
Y he necessity for running with
sofsoft
t flasa
bbnd
y tyre
s whencrossiTg
is w e ll kn ow n . . .
R OYA L G E OG R A P H lC A L S O C lE r T
Hinls to Tra vellers (1932).
Despite the above, it makes sense to upOrade tyres l y increasing the ply ratinOone size.
This gives the tyres an easier ti me at the expense of a slightly harder ride. Note however
that, following developments in tyre technology, 'ply rating' no longer indicates the
number of pLies, it has become an indication of ruggedness and/or sidewall thickness.
I f travelli ng extensively on dirt, tyres such as the Dunlop A dventurer lessen the i nci-
dence of sidewall damage, and provide better
p. T he ag essive tread patternof tyres
such as these does cause them to be noisy. Further, they feel 'lumpy ' on bitumen roads
and, despite regular rotation, may develop such uneven wear pattems that they are unusable long before they wear out. Use road pattern tyres if you are drivi ng mostly on the
b i tu m e n .
Consult a specialist tyre supplier before making any changes, and remember that with
ty res, you rea lly do get w hat you pay for
Tu be le s s o r T ube d ?
Inner-tubes squirm around, generating heat in the process. B y eliminating tubes, tyres run
coolerand last longer.Also, and not loston vehicle manufacturers, eliminating tubes saves
money and time on assembly lines.
PACE 52, C HA PT E R 15
Tyres
On the downside, a tubeless tyre requires a ped ect seal onto the wheel rim. Th is seal
i sprejudiced or evenl ost i f the rimis damaged.Achievingthisinitial seal requiresa considerableblast of air from a garage-scale aircompressor. I t is sometimes possible to obtain
a seal by applying a strong toumiquet around the centre of the tyre, thus forci ng the
si d e w a l l s o u t w ar d .
B ecause tubed tyrescan be fi tted and repaired without specialised equipment, they are
still preferred by many outback dwellers and travellers, many of whom routinely fi t tubes
to tube less ty res. B ut thi s is really not a clever thing to do because the increased heat buildup in turn increases the probabiIity of tyre problems. Can y an inner tube or two for emergencies, but remove the tube when the tyre is repai red.
R e t re a d s
Today's retreads are morereliable than in the past but, as campervan and motoh ome tyres
tend to be overloaded, it is vitai for the casing to be thoroughly evaluated before
proceedi ng. Of the several retreadi ng processes, B andag i s one of the more consistently
reliabIe and i s used extensi vely by the heav y transport industry
Ty re B a la nce
W heel/ty re balance is pan icularly important for large secti on wheels and tyres and even
more so for vehicles with beam front axles. A maj or imbalanc e may cause the whole front
axle to 'tramp' if the shock absorbers are less than adequate.
It shoul d be possible to balance a tyre with no more than three or four small weights.
I f more ae required, the ty re i s most likely fi tted off-centre. Tyres hav e a circular mark
around their periphery about l 5 mm above the wheel rim. Thi s mark provides a visual
Check and set pressures to

the recommended level only
when the tyres are cold. Buy
and use your own gauge, as
th os e at s e rv ic e s tation s a re
oft e n in a c c u ra t e .
guide that the tyre has been mounted con ectly. I f a w hee l see ms out of balance check
fi rstly that this marker is concentric with the ri m ( within l- l .5 mm) . If not, i t must be
refi tted as it w ill be impossible to balance othen vise.
This lia le-reco,
sed problem is common with the large diameter tyres fi tted to heavy
small diameter ti ms
such as the 900 x l 6s on some O K A s, M itsubi shi C anter 4x4s,
Forward C ontrol L and Rovers etc. It is caused by rolling the u, nfl ated wheeVtyre assembly toward the safety cage often used during infl ation. I n the process, the extremely
heavy wheel drops out of centre, and is held out of centre, during infl ation.
To avoid this, the tyre rim must be lubricated (using detergent if the correct liquid is
not av ailable) and the wheel sli ghtly infl ated whilst hodzontal (to keep the tyre centred)
before lifting vertically. You may need to advise the tyre firter accordingly aseven experienced oadespeople are oc casionally caught out by this.
I f the ty re still cannot be haianced without using more than three or four weights it is
of faulty construction. T his is rare, but does occasionally happen. Tyre manufacturers wil1
usual ly replace such a ty re w ithout argument.
^, ^^
r H( -r! ^
B.
Pq
.: !
.
'l
. ^î-.
F
i
l
'
. tFl ^
.
Whilst not a funjob, changing evena tyrethis size (1200x20) is not that hard lo do (Pix:al hor)
c HA pTE R 15, pAc E 53
Tyre s
Tyre P ressures
F or on-road use, infl ate tyres to the ty re manufacturers' recommended pre ssures for the
vehicles' known laden arle weights.
s is more accurate than following the vehicle
manufacturer 's recommendations (which usually apply only to the fully laden vehicle)
and may be too hi gh for your use. Pressure tables can be obtai ned directly from the ty re
manufacturers. D o not exceed maximum recommended pressures.
R educing Tyre P ressure

Ty re pre.\.s ures chn use fully be reduced to 2S psi ( l 7S kP a) w hen crossing soli sand. R e -
ducing thepressure considerably increasesthe lenoth of the tyre's footprint (photos -right).
The increased fl otation eases the stress on engine and transmission. Keep speed below
40 k m/hr until the ty res can be reinfl ated.
If bogged, drop pressures to 15 psi, ( l OOkP a) and stay

below 2S km/hr until the ty re s are reinfl ated K eep front
w heel s in a strai ght line until y ou reach firm ground or the y
will di g in sideway s and bog y ou down agai n Avoid sharp
tums and heav y brak ing E ither may tear a ty re off the n m
High Press ure Ty res

R ecent large campervans and large, li ght motorhomes hav e
w ide-profile ty res that ru n at pressures e xceeding l 20
pounds/square inch ( about 830 kPa) . S uch pressures are
beyond the capacity of many serv ice station compressors. I f
y ou have such tyres carry a second spare, or a cornpressor
capable of the required pressure. G ood compressors are not
Upper: tyre at 50 psi. Lower: the
cheap. E xpect to pay a few hundred dolIars. T he above tyres sa me ty re al 15 ps i - note the
are not good i n soft sand - high profi le tyres are better
greatly extended footprint.
Dua l R e a r W he e ls
Dual wheels are primarily used to increase a vehicle's canying capacity, whil st standardising on th e same size tyres. W here there's a choice they are rarely fi tted on off-road
vehi cIes ( see pix on page l 8) . T he problems with dual w heel s off-road is that rocks tend
to get trapped betw ee n the inner sidew alls and, if not re mov ed, wi ll abrade and eventu-
al ly penetrate a ty re . I t i s a lso claimed that they are less effective in sa nd.
Removing and Refitting Tyres

All tyres becomeinternallY Thehardestpart is 'ungluing'thetyre beadfromthewheel rim.Thisis bestdonevia aspecialtyreoxidised but the flexing
caused by driving bi ngs
th e o xid is a hon to th e
su ace where it evapo-
re moving device (obta inable from 4W D equipment suppliers), however the bead can, at risk of
damaging the tyre, be unglued by using the we ight of the vehicle, a jack a nd a wooden block.
S oaking with water and deterge nt, or a squirt of W D40, a lso he lps.
Onc e the bead is free, push the bead of the tyre (that is on the valve side of the tyre) firmly into
rates. But if the vehicle is the centre ofthe rim.This provides the freedomof movement toenable the tyre's removal. lnsert
rarely di ven, Wis oxidisation is trapped, causing the
rubberandfabricto
deteriorate . To re du ce th is
effect, drive your v ehicle 20
tyre levers and lever the tyre oB the rim (or use the tyre removing dev ice) making sure that the
bead opposite the levers remains deep in the rim well. Refitting is the reverse of the above.
Tubedtyres require a modified procedure. Free the beadas before andpushit intothe rim-we1l
opposite the valve. lnsert tyre leve rs eithe r side of the valve and leve r the tyre off the rim.
To refit, fit one side of the tyre onto the non-valve side of the whe el rim. From the other side inse rt
-50kmat leastonceeverY thevalveandtube. Pushthebeadoppositethevalvefirmly intothe rim-well. lnflatevery slightly.

six months. Lever the tyre gently into place usingthe levers either side ofthe valve.
Difficulties in fitting tyres are due to the bead not being totally freed, or not pushed fully into the
well of the rim. Using the above technique, a bicycle tyre can be removed and replaced, using
fingers alone, in fractions of a second - if you don't believe this, try me!
C om munica tions
keeping in touch
M A K lN G a telephone call outside A ustralia' s cities and maj or tow ns is neither easy nor
cheap. C DM A (increasingly ) and G SM mobile cover the larger population areas and some
maj or hi ghw ay s, but the technol ogy doe s not lend itself to nation-w ide coverage.
R ecepti on of both sy stem s can be extended by using a high gain extem al antenna - but
only by l S% -2S% . Telstra, O ptus and Vodaphone each provide maps showing the coverage
that can reasonably be expected.
F or nation-w ide coverage, the only cuir ent ( and costly) solutions are still H F radio and
satelli te telephony. N ew generati on te chnology using multiple satellites i n low orbit w ill
ev entually prov ide worldw ide telephone, fax and data coverage but is unlikely to be widely
a v a i l ab l e b e f o r e th e en d o f 2 0 0 2 .
Me ssage B ank
O ne sim ple and eff ecti ve w ay to k eep i n touch is to set up a TeI stra M essage B ank answ er inp serv ice. T he service enables you to recover messages from any telephone anyw here and can be based on your home telephone, a mobi le telephone or, f or travellers
w ithout a permanent home base , v ia a number allocated for thi s purpose alone. M essage
B ank cun ently c osts $5 a month plus minor usage charges.

H F R ad io
H i gh F reque ncy (H F ) radio is f amous f or its assocjations w ith the R oy al F ly ing D octor
S ervice ( W D S ) . The system radiates transm issions to the ionosphere ( a min or-like layer
iF.(Î
>r
i $-
sl l l -
E 1b SysE..
ryC "s
l
'
i l
'u
s
., K FP
r S
Satellite telephonenax is the only c ommunication systemthat will pravide Australia-wide coverage. The dome in
the above photo is a n active a nte nna use d with a W estinghouse tra nsceiver (a nd Optus). Note the two 80 watt
solar panels directly behind the dome. The smaller dome to the rear is a solar-powered fan.
above the earth) f rom which they are refl ected dow n to blanke t an area l SO k m or more
from w here they originated.
B a d c Dmm u nic ati on s
corrupt good manners n
T his so-calIed ' sk ip dista nce ' varies w ith the radio frequency used svnspot activ ity ME NANDE R [342 - 292 BC]
(quoted by S Paul in
w hether it's day or night and a great deal more e xcept perhaps one' s star sign
Corinthia ns TX V 3q .
H F radi os have up to 500 channels including some reserved for R F D S B ut de spite
the multiplic ity of channels traffi c congestion is an increasing problem I t is often nec-
CHA P TE R 16, PAGE 55
Communications
essary to try several channels befo

want it, and to where you want it
Telstra's R adphone service ena
tactdetailsinAppendix2), but this

possible to makeor receive person
handled by this service). HF radio
other data equipped HF receiver.

H F R a d io S e rv ic e s
S everal organisations
run specia ised HF radio
s e rvic e s for tra ve lle rs .
Particu arly noteworthy

a re the A us tra lia n
Na tiona l 4W D R a d io
Ne two rk a nd a lso B ush
Telegraph. There are

a s o ne w s a nd w ea th e r
services. (S ee Appendix
2 for detai1s.)
Users must subscribe to a specifi c
do not need an operator's licence

H F R a d io 's F u tu re
The HF radio system served outb

amateur radio, stiIl has considera
technology and its present numbe
adequate service. It's acontentiou
one. If you plan to travel in isolate
an HF radio, several companies ha
pendix 2 for contact detai ls) .
Current Satellite Telephony
Telstra and Optus provide satellite

(and some distance offshore) usin
Due to more favourable satellite
age over Australia's land mass tha
Of the various receivers, some
C ommunic atio ns
K it is, they w ill switch automatically to one of those services. W here i t i s not, they w i ll
switch autom atically to satellite reception. .
I ridium, the fi rst multi-satellite sy stem ceased operations aHer some months due to com-
mercial rather than technical reasons - it w orked we ll enough. I t has since been revi ved
and i s now part of the Tel sOa netw ork .
T he initial and usage costs of the forthcoming satellite sy stems will eventually be well
below those of current satelli te telephony. If communi cation needs do not necessitate immediate usage of an
or current satellite telephone one could consider delay ing purchasing for a year or two.
E m a il
E mai l is a good, cheap and effective w ay for trave llers to k eep in cl ose immediate touch
with famil y and fi iends. M ai l can be sent and accessed v ia publicly available compute rs
i n (some) public librar ies, touri st irf ormation centres, I nternet cent re s a n d c a f e s.
You ca n al so send and recei ve email using your ow n computer via

f ixed telephones, select G S M and some C D M A m obile handsets,
l
- ^ ^^
o o Oa
O p o o
O 3
a P
D D O a
o a
o o o p o o
' p
O O O P 4 0 P O
" r m] i r i
,(l"is&
ea&.=l l/l
D D DO D $ d O
Q O O D O D
< '
e
g
and sate llite telephones. I ni tial setting up can be a
hassle, but ev entually w ork s. Telstra' s H elp L i ne is

extraordinar iIy helpf ul, particularly if you have access to a te lephone (i .e. ove r and above the computer line) w hilst sorting out the problem/s. The Telstra
c onsultant w ill literally 'taLk you through the proce ss - ( see A ppendix 2 f or the contact number) .
C B R a d io
C B radio is handy for charting or exchanging informadon, and inv aluable for v ehicles travelli ng in convoy. A s described below, there are three m ain f orm s of C B radio and w hilst
aIl have allocated emergency channels, the range of a ll forms of C B is unpre dictable . B ecause of this, C B radio cannot be relied upon f or cmcrgcncy c om munications.
27 M H z C B
T he still-available 27 M H z ( megahertz) sets established C B radio i n A vstralia. T hey are

cheap and simple, but electrical interference degrade s reception. T heir range is typically
a few li lometres but can vary from a k ilometre to ha lfw ay across A ustralia. Traffi c congestion can a lso be a proble m.
S ingle S ide band 27 MHz

T he more sophi sticated and costly S S B (S ingle S ideband) 27 M H z sets extend usable dis-
tance, but nei ther reliably nor predictably. T hey are how ever less prone to interference
fr o m e l e ctr i c a l n o i se .
U HF FM C B
M ost campe rv an/motorhome people use U HF C B radio. O perad ng at 477 M H z, U HF C B

prov ides quieter, higher quality transmission than 27 M Hz .
The range is more or less line-of-sight but, w here av ailable, U HF repeaters extend the
range to 30O km or more . O utback stations use this serv ice exte nsiv ely. D eta ils of U HF
repeaters can be obtained from the w eb site listed in A ppendix 2.
CHA PT E R 16, PAGE 57
Co mmunica tio ns
Comple menting U H F C B are pocket-sized U H F transceivers that provide around three

li l omee es (i .e . line of sight) comuni cadons to and from y our main U H F C B .
CB Cha nne l Usa ge

W hilst repeating that CB radio cannot be relied upon for emergency communication,
ch annel 9 ( 27 M H z) and 5 & 3S (U H F ) a re nevertheless reserved for thi s purpose.
F or normal u se, truckies mostly use C hannels 8 ( 27 M H z) and 40 ( U H F ).
T he C amperv an and M otorhome C lub of A ustralia promotes the use of channel 20 ( on
bo th 2 7 M H z and U H F ) .
C arav anners are cur rently exhorted to use channel 18, but this is c onte ntious. C B enthusiartshave baditionally used channel l 8 for chaning and are said to be less than amused
by the prospect of sharing ' their ' channel.
E P lRB s
W hen activated, E P lR B s (E mergency P osition Indicating R adio B eacons) automatical ly

transrnit an emergency radio signal that i s received by a satelli te. T he satellite re -transmits the signal to a local terrni nal that determines the activ ated E P IR B 's positi on w ithin
5 km or so. T his information i s then passed to C ontrol C entres that initiate search and
rescue activi ties. T ech, cal limitations impose a lag of up to six hours betw een E P lR B
a c ti v a ti o n an d se a r ch a n d re sc u e i n i ti a ti o n .
E P lR B s are primarily used by y achties sailing offshore, but some outback travellers
have recently begun to cany f hem. W hi lst they are pote ntial lifesav ers, they absolutely
must be reserved for Oenuine ly life-threatening situations. If E P lR B usage continues to
expand, users may need to insure against the costs of rescue.
E P lR B s are sold by boating equipment suppliers. T hey require no maintena nce except
for regular baa ery replacement and a self-test twi ce a year.
M a il
M ail can be sent for subsequent col lecti on to any post office anywhere in the world
T he offi cial w ay of addressing such mail is as follow s^
Y o u r n am e
P O S T R E S TA N T E
W h e re v e r
P o st C o d e
C ountry (if appli cable)

T he general experience is that this is be st handled by a reli able relative or fri end able
and willing to selectively weed the mail and send it on in numerically sequenced batches.
E ven from B roome (one of the most isolated towns i n A ustral ia) mail to almost any where else in A ustralia takes a general maximum of fi ve working day s.
The cheapest form of postaOe is usually pre-paid A ustralia P ost satchels.
A nother solution is to use one of the commercial mail-forwarding serv ices. The company
aptly named P ost Haste has a very good reputation.
A n altemative solution to the j unk-mail postage problem is to have your name and address removed from mail-order lists. T his can be done by contacti ng the A ustralian D i rect M arketing A ssoc iation. (A ppe ndix 2 for contact details) .
R oa d Tra nsport
The maj or around-A ustralia coach serv ices also cany parcels. One of themaj or suc h such
services ( M cC afferty ' s E xpress Coaches) charges a fi xed rate per kil o ( be yond 400 km) .
B ecause the coaches run day and night, the serv ice is extraordinari ly fast (e.g. B roome
to the CM CA Head Offi ce in N ewcastle, N S W , in a reliable fi ve day s) .
Te le v is io n
obtaining a good picture outside town
O V E R fi fty different frequencies are used by more than l 90O A ustralian TV stations.
S tations in the maj or ci ties and some regi onal ce ntres use frequencies in the V HF bands
( C ha nnels O- 1l ) . M ost country stations use the U HF bands (C hannels 28 69) , and the se
bands are also used to fi ll gaps in areas of otherw i se poor recepti on in cities.
U sing a basi c antenna a good T V pi cture should be receiv able w ithin a fi ffeen/tw enty
ltilometre radius of large cities and most tow ns. A more sophisticated antenna may doub l e th i s d is t a n c e .
T he transmitted pow er is low er in remote areas but w ith a correctly aligned antenna
and a c lear signal path, you should still recei ve good pictures w ithin 1O, 15 km of the T V
transrnitter. T here are also freak reception are as. F rom our base outside B roome w e obtain
good recepti on ( but poor movies) from E ast Timor
T o reduce inted erence between T V stations w ith overlapping coverage, transmirting
antennas may be mounted horizontally or v ertically. Y our ow n antenna must be set up
accordingly (i .e. either upright or on its side) . You can tel l which w ay is con ect by checking w hat the locals do, or asli ng a local T V technician, or the station itself. O r by consuiting the book or web si te m entioned be low .
T he T V A nte n na
The lower the channe l number, the larger the ante nna. T he optimum element w idth for
channels l and 2 is an impractical 2.6 metres. It i s about 800 mm for channels 5- l l , about
30 O m m f or ch ann els 28- 2 S, an d ab o ut 20 0 m m f or ch annel s 35- 6 9.
D espite some antenna vendors' claims, no single antenna can optimal ly receiv e all channel s. F urthermore, any antenna small enough for mobi le use is alw a ys a compromise
between conv enience and performance and thi s wi ll occasiona lly limit reception.
Te le vision antennas pick up transrnissions in a ( fl attened) balloon shaped pattem , the
pointy end of which must face tow ard the T V transmitter. The fatter the balloon, the less
important it i s to have the antenna oriented precisely, but the low er the stren
of the
recei ved signal . A nd v ice versa.
F or travelling, one needs an antenna that combi nes good receiv ing strength and a reasonably broad pattern.
R e c o m m e nd e d A nte nn a s
W ideband omnidirectional antennas work well in strong signal a reas, w here they w ill pick
up both U H F and V H F si gna ls. O n the downside , they lack directionality and have no
"l hate television. hate it as

much as eating peanuts. But
immunity aOai nst 'ghosting'. They are sold for general mobile use, but work best on boats,
can't stop eating peanuts.
w here there' s few er things around to refle ct ' ghosts' .
A log periodic ante nna ( suppliers know w hat this means) is a beder choice . It can be
used both v enically and horizontally and provide s a good picture except in marginal ar-
ORS ON W E LLE S, lVe w Work
He ra ld Tribune , Oct l 2, l 956.
eas. C ontact details are i n A ppe ndix 2.
If y ou can li ve w ith U H F reception only, the so-called ' phased a rray ' antenna is an
excellent choice . I t is compact, adequate ly covers the w hOle UH F band , and has extremely
good fringe area reception.
Locating the Ante nna
VHF antennas require mounting as high as dossible. ? his is not always so with UHF
antennas (try fi ne-tuning the antenna height to obiain the cl eanest reception). The path
between the antenna and e ansmi tter needs to be clear for U HF reception. E yen small trees
w iil de ade the signal.
.
,.
For bothVHF andUHF, the antennamust be connectedvia the shortest feasib1e r6bte
using high qual ity coa rial cable . If ribbon cable is curcentl y i nsta lled, it' s best to replace
)
'
C HA P T E R 17, PAGE 59
Te lev is io n
it with coaxial .(Ribbon cable is fl at, with side-by-side conductors; coarial cable is round,
w ith an outer screen and a central conductor.)
E arly TV s had no provision forcoaxi al connections. If you have such a set, you'l l need
to use a coaxiaVribbon adapter. These are cal led 'baluns' and are e adily obtainable for a
dol lar or two from T V suppliers, D ick S mith E lectroni cs etc.
A nte nna Amp lifie rs

No mader what vendors A ntenna amplifi ers are needed primarily in fringe areas, and/or where there is a lot of
promise, no single antenna electrical interference. By boosting the received signcil that is already in the cable they
can provide good reception
o f all A ustra lian T V c ha n-
nels. compromise is
inevitable.
overcome losses in long antenna cable runs and thus reduce picture dearadation caused
by electn cal interFerence picked up by the cable.
B ut this is all they do. Contrary to common belief, they cannot and do not attract a
stronger si
al into the antenna. They can only amplify what's there already and are of
little or no value where there's only three or four metres of cable, except in areas where
the receiv ed siOnal is electrically very 'cIean' but a little too weak to be handled satisfactori ly by the T V 's input circuitry.
S a te llite TV
] A different approach is to use a satellite antenna to pick sionals

directly off the B 3 geo-statiomuy satellite. T hi s satellite carries
most of A ustralia's intemal free-to-air TV and FM si gnals. PayTV signals are only receivable across a banana-shaped band about
5OOkm wide that roughly extends from Rockhampton to A delaide,
Abrolga sate llite
receiving antenna.
TV
plus the area around P erth and also D arwi n.
A n acceptable picture can be received in most parts of A ustralia
v ia a 9OO mm diameter dish, but a l 200 cm dish i s better, and i s

like ly to be necessary in the far nonh or far south-w est.
T he B 3 sate llite is positioned more or less over the S olomon I slands. T he user must
havea clear sight path to the satellite (angles vary from 70 degrees atCape York, to 35
deorees at the south-west tip of W estern A ustralia.
A brol ga Communications has developed an effecti ve and affordable satel lite di sh
housed in a shallow alumi nium caseless than a metre square (above left). The antenna is
aimed more or less where the sun is (or should be) at l l .OO am. A n associated almanac
provides information for fine-tuning. The device costs around $l6SOplus GST
Choosing the TV
Any fi inge areaTV can be used if you have 24Ovolt power (but many travel lers sti ll settle
for a l 2 volt unit). F or mobile users, the most practicable sizes are l O inch and l 4 inch.
If there's room, the latter is preferable.
One portable TV (which I cannot name for legal reasons) is marketed under two different brands. E xcept for badges the two sets are identical inside and out and have identical warranties. Cur iously, one sells for over $SO more than the other
S mall TVs bvt must either be spri ng mounted, or firmly bolted down.L ike car batteries, they will not wi thstand unrestrained jolting.
Tuning
Tento 14 inch TVs draw
ab o ut 30 w atts i.e . a bo ut
2.5 a mps a t 12 volts.
M ost T V s have 30 or so tuning presets. A s A u str a l i a h a s 5 2 c h a nne l s i t i s so m e ti m e s
necessary (with onIy 30 presets available) to retune achannel or two. ii ecent TVs have
60 tuninOpositions, and once adjusted, only occasional fine-tuning is required.
Tuning is basically simple, but oftencomplicatedby semi-comprehensible instructions.

Have the vendor's technician show you how (i.e. don't just leave it to the technician you' ll need to do it y ourselO .
M o st sets a r e t u n ed l i k e th is ^
1. L ocate the TV transrnitting station. Point your antenna in that direction using the correct (vertical or horizontal) orientation. o ry all directions in hilly or built-up areas.)
Te lev is io n
2. S wi tch on the TV and select the fi rst channel number required.

3. A dj ust the tuning controls, (you may possibly pass through other channels) until y ou
receive the f rst selected channel . The picture may appear i n two or more tuning posi tions. I f it does, select the strongest. Y ou can identify the desired channel by the picture
content -but to do this you wi Il need a current TV program guide.
4. R epeat this proc ess for each required c hannel .
5. I deally observ ing the screen through an outside window, move the antenna to obtai n
the best picture on the channeVs you w atch most.
6. S ecure the antenna, then fi ne-tune the T V to opti mi se picture quaUty

Y ou may need to repeat the sequence , but i t only takes minutes once y ou' ve done it a
fe w ti m e s.
A few towns have V HF and U HF antennas several kilometres apart. A wide pattern
UHf signa1strengthcan
antenna may pick up both, but u sually requi res aligning for each.
A guide to a ll A ustralian TV stations, channels and frequencies is included in ' TV A cross
vary considerably over

distances of a metre or
Australia -the Caravanners Guide to Television Reception'. This book i ncludes all Tv
three. lf you do not receive
station locations and their coverage areas. If you have TV, don't leave home without it. I
w ish I ' d thought of publi shing it!
( S ev eral readers have rec ently reported diffi culty in obtaining this book -it is possible
that it is has ceased publication) . T here is altematively, a free web site l isting available
a 9ood picture, try moving
t h e v e hic le a s ho rt
d is ta nc e V HF is le s s
affected in this way.
at: w w w.aba.gov .aa >roadcasters/televisi on.htm

V id e o R e c o rd e rs
V ideo recorders can be purchased from $220 upwards. The more expensive models have
additional but rarely needed facilities. S ome offer potentiall y berter sound, but you will
not pick the difference if you are li stening v ia the very smal l loudspeakers usually fi tted
i n sm a ll to m e di u m -si z ed T V s.
T he V CR must be tuned to your T V A gain, thi s is basically si mple but complicated

by the techno-gabble. A sk the vendor how easy it is. W hen they tell y ou it's quick and
si mple , and they invariably w ill , ha ve them do it as a conditi on of buy ing.
E v en the smallest tow ns, and many caravan parks, have video rental outlets. U nfortunately they do not invariably have videos one w ishes to w atch. M any public Ubraries have
a good range, and some lend to vi sitors.
S ome portable TVs have an

inbuilt VCR . Before buy ing
e ns ure bot h T V a nd V C R
a re
PAL-compatible. At least one

a v a ila ble in A u st r a lia w ill r un
on[y (US ) NTS C v ideos w h ic h a (e no t us e d in t h is
country !
Keeping S a fe
first tie up your camel
THE R E 's littleneed to get paranoid about risk when travelling,bvt someelementary knowledge and precautions are advisable in circ umstances and environments that y ou have not
previously e xperienced.
B ecause y ou will do it ev ery night, and you need to sleep soundly and without concem,
ensure y ou have a safe site. L ook for likely sites two to three hours before sunset. I f y ou
have not found anything after an hour or so, check guidebooks for locations of possibIe
caravan parks that could act as a backstop. Outside carav an parks, the safest pl aces to stay
are probably National Parks (within most of which, Park Rangerr maintain regular patrols).
I f you see a caravan or motorhome in a promisi ng but vi sually exposed site ask the
occupants if they are stay ing overnight and, if so, would not obj ect to y our company. M ost
tr a v e l l er s w e l c om e suc h m utu a l e m oti o na l c o m fo rt .
An often-overlooked risk is camping under eucalyprus trees! It is not for nothing that
country people call them 'widow makers' . B ranches snap off these trees without waming
and at any tim e, ev en in de ad c alm s.
Being Hassled
'T hrust iWy body -but
A lthough it' s rare , drunk en and/or bored
c u t t h ' ca rds th e s e n "
hoons have been know n to w orry those

campi no alone . I t's usually j ust a carload of
thouohtless drunks lobbing close by, but it
F l N L E Y P E TE R D U N N E
Mr D ooley 's
Philos ophy (1900).
Lt t i
l
fo
c
arn
tub
neatd
eis
lyr
coan
rcee
.T
rtin
heg
s.ep
Ph
ry
ob
sic
lea
m
lss
atteaecm
kslim
are-L
'li
?!
ited to a 309 O kilometre radius of large The driving cab is part of the living area in this
towns. I f y ou hav e any concerns about your Mercedes Sprinterconversion.
security (for any reason) make sure you can drive off without needing to go outside the
v ehicle. To enable thi s have a lay out that provides easy access to the drivi ng cab.
Pack up everything before going to bed. L ock entry doors from the inside, but leav e
thedoor keys in the inside locWs, and the vehicle keys i n the ignition.I f threatened,don't
venture outside Driv e away and appear to be calling the police - even if out of range
F ire
I nstall at least two dry powder fire extinguishers L ocate one c lose by the exit another in
the kitchen area Install them so that their pressure gauges are readily visible Have an
immediately accessible fi reblanket in the kitchen area. I nstaLl a smokealarm in the sleeping
area PhotoelecOic types work well for thi s application
Mosquitoes
M osquitoes are more than j ust a nuisance. S ome carry nasties such as R oss R iver F ever
(which existsAustralia-wide), the equally unpleasant B armah Forest virus, and thepotentially fatal M urray V alley encephalitis
Peak mosquito time is betweenthe end of the wet andthe beginning of the dry seasons
in tropical and semi -tropica l areas, and most other areas after extensive rai n.
Repellents are necessary, but some of the more effective products contai n diethyl -
toluarnide (DE ET ) which can cause aller, ic reactions. There are also 'natural' repellents
based on substances such as citronella, tea tree oil , or pyrethrum. R epellents lose effectiveness after a time, so effective screens or nets are necessary whi lst asleep.
A nother approach is the type of vapourising device made by M ortein, and other com-
PAGE 62, C HA P T E R 18
panies W hiIst they draw onty a few watts, they requi re 240 volts T his is fine where
mains power is available, but extremely ineffi cient if they have to be run from an inverter
(because the inv erter will draw at least that much power agai n).
Safety
An Alte rnative to Repellents
Mili tary research has shown that mosquitoes are especially attracted to people with a
defi ciency of vitarnin B 1. A l OO mg tablet of B l taken daily reduces the incidence of
biting: the effect takes a week or two to become effective and works for most people.
S andflies (midges)
These tiny creatures can cause allergic reactions out of all proportion to their size. For
those aff ected, the best solution is antihistamine tablets, preferably beainnino a day or
two before entering known sandfl y areas. It may also be necessary to apply antihistamine cream before going to bed.
Marine S tinge rs
T hese are nasty things. The best preventative is to avoid swimming in stinger-prone seas
between N ovember and March. Stingose or raw vi negar provides reli ef . Pour it over the
a f fe c te d a r e a/s b u t d o n o t r u b i t i n .
S na k e s
M ost snakes are happy to co-exi st. T hey are defensiv e rather than agoressive and usu- An oRen recommended
ally as anxious to avoi d confrontation as you are. They will slither away once they sense
and ef ectiverepellent is
your presence, but can be slow to do so.
baby oil, almond oil or
Snakes react to liOht and shade, movements, and vibration, t ut lacking ears, they do whatevei, p1us fO%-15%o
not hear as we do. K you suspect snakes are around, wall heavily. If you are serious]y Dedol anda dashof
. Us ing
concemed, pause for a count of ten ev ery few metres to give them time to sense and re- cS itronella
o rb olen e ins tea d
spond to the vibrati on. L eav e a f ew metres betw een the leader and w hoever follows.
of o il
is just as effective
Snakes oftenreact andbeaintocross thepathjustafter thefirstpersonhas wakledby. lotless messy.
and a
B e prudent when in the bush, especially around rocks. W ear leather boots, socks and
jeans (ideal ly with gaiters) i f walkingoff clearedtracks.There is bttle risk of unprovoked

aaack, but snakes regard beina trodden on as unfriendly and react accordingly
B e particularly c autious duri ng the breeding season -from iate O ctobe r/D ecember. If
confronted by a snake, don't make any rapid movement. E specially don't wave anything
at it. R emain still , or very slowly move away.
Don't even think about killing a snake -that'show most people get bitten.
S na ke B ite
If you are so unf ortunate as to be bitten, do not w ash the venom off the sk in. I t w ill
not seep into the site of the puncture and may be needed for subsequent identif cation.
The best defence
against sandflies is to
Usinga lOOmmelastic bandage, bind the limb, workingfirst towardsthe extremity, avoid areas where
and then back and towards thc trunk. B ind firmIy and i mmobilise the li rnb by slrapping
to a board or whatever is available. Note the time (thc mcdico will need to know this).
D on't panic but seek urgent medical attention.
the y a re known to be
b ad . T he loc als w ill be
a ble ta ad v is e .
C ro c o d ile s
Freshwater croca li les (narrow snouts) are relatively harmless. They wil l only attack if
provoked, but it's better not to swim in thei r presence as they dislike being disturbed.
rl;tl l^
^
;er-y:?+
'gf"PLz
4.r-_
Regard all stretches of tropical water, fromthe smallest af billabongs to lhe sea, as concealing crocodiles
This is a relatively harmless treshwater crocodile, butfreshies may still attack if provoked
S afety
S altw ater crocodiles ( or estuarine crocodiles az they are now called to av oid confu-
sion) are quite different T hese creature s are j ust plai n nasty. Y ou will not be far w rong if
y ou re gard their lite' s am bition as being to eat y ou. A nd, as the locals say, if y ou see their
sm ile, y ou 're too close !
C rocodiles inhabit most w et places in the north and north-w est of A ustra li a (more or
less north of a line f rom B undaberg to P ort H edland) . I n these areas, assum e there are
crocodiles unless you are certain to the contrary
T he creaturec are keen ob.cerverc of habit. T hey study thei r intended prey ' s routine s -
and adack after a few repeats of (say ) someone fi shing from thc samc spot - but don' t
assume y ou are safe if y ou only go there once. B e aware that crocodiles can j ump, at stagge ring spe ed, to their f ull extended length. C amp at least 50 metre s f rom the water
Becoming HuW Unwe ll

W hilst outdoor life seems to keep long term v oya gers fi t and healthy, accidents and i llne sses do nevertheless happen.
S eriously consider com pleting a S t J ohnA m bulance ( or equivalent) C P R (C ardio-P ulmonary R esuscitation) course, or bea er still the f ull F ir; t A id C ertif icate.
A lso recom mended is to cany the 'R em ote A rea F irst A id F ield G uide ' , or ' A ctive F irst
A id' . T he latter, w ritten by experienced ambulance paramedics, is simple and conc ise .
S ee A ppendix 2 for details.
M ost commercial fi rst aid kits are unsuitable for traveller; . A n ambulance paramedic/
w riter recommends making up y our ow n k it - following the list included at the end of
thi s chapter. T he k it i s compact, yet a dequate for routine and emergency situations.
Not B ecoming Lost

M ost of A ustralia 's maj or tracks are w ell signposted, even those across the Si mpson, but
station track s are somethi ng else agai n. I f y ou intend to travel off through-routes cany a
compass, and know how to use it. A G P S receiv er is also worthwhile (but only if y ou really
do k now how to use it and have maps with the required G P S co-ordinates).
F las h Flooding
F lash fl oods can occ ur at any time in the southern part of A ustralia, and during the
m onsoon period in northem areas.
R oad author ities offi ci ally close
al l affected roads dudng fl ood conditions and reopen them only when
th e w at er h a s re c ed e d an d v e h i c l e s
can travel w ithout dama gi ng the
surFace D o not ignore ' R oad

C losed ' signs To do so is (a) j ust
plai n stupid, (b) there ' s a fi ne of
- ;;
about $l OOO per axle if y ou get

caught, and the ri sk of getting
caught is e xtremely hi gh
Cyclones
-;-;;-=
--- ^
_-d
- Cyclonesaremainly encountered
Mainhighwaytothenor h,about 10OOkmfromPer h-March20OO, in the north and especially norththe water de pth is a bout a me tre .
w estem pa rt of A ust ralia betw een
N ove mber and the end of A pril, w hen most travellers hav e moved south any w ay. N evertheless many trav ellers are now choosing to visit the north and north-w est during thi s time
of year. W hen (i t' s not iO one occurs it is essentia l to k now what to do.
In these areas, cyc lones are not freak events. N orth-w est A ustraIia has four to six cy clone w arnings (of w hich a bout a third tum out to be for real) each year, but only those
that become se ri ously threatening are reported in the national media .
S afety
F or travellers at least, a comforting thing about cyc lones is that the y form and mov e
slowly, typi cally at 1O- l S km/hr. M ost liv e for a week or so, but some extend longer. The
ma in risk for trav ellers is that there is often no meteorolo cal indication, apart from the
barometer falli ng like a stricken lih , that a cyclone is heading for you until it's only a few
hours aw ay. This can even catch the locals unaw ares.
S o the fi rst rule for Oav elli ng in cyclone-prone areas i s to check w eather re ports on local
A B C (A M ) radio at least daily. If there is a risk of a cycl one of any size passi ng w ith in
200 or so k ilometres, check its track and drive in the opposite di rection, and if possible
inl and, until y ou are at least 2SO krn aw ay. T his wi ll not only keep y ou c lear of cyclo c
w inds, but of the alway s ac company ing tor rential rain and fl ooding. N ote how ever that
cyc lones track erratical ly (see map below ) and may ev en rev eise direction.
Cyc lone Wa rnings

L ocal radio stations giv e ample wami ng of cy clone activity. Once a cyclone watch advice
is given the M eteorological B ureau provides regular updates on the A B C's local A M sta-
tions.Thesereportsare included c Z 5 a P i in the regular new s bulletins, a nd -^
th
a
lseohbo
ro
ua
rd
(in
caitstiaatlly
l5am
ttin
hu
rete
eshpo
au
srt .
int erv als) .
If a cyclone begins to present -:^;

a rea listic dan, er, reports are pro-
^ ^;
vided at l 5 minutes past each . .. .
hour. Fromthere on, radio cov- :--: .. :^::--: j^. -^

-:.-_. . .:
eraoe is more or l ess constant.
N o te th a t i t i s t h e lo ca l A B C A M
station that you need
not F M
These lrac ks of past cyclones show it s best lo avaid the more prone
areas during the 'cyc[one season'. Cyclones canoccuratany time of
the year. Source: Bureau af Meteorology.
(unless there is only F M ) .
Cy clone adv ice can also be obtained by ringing l 300 659 2 10 (W A) , and O8 8922 3630
(N T ) . R ojected positions, magnitude, estimated aff ected areas and w ind stren% hs, can also
be obtained from the I nter ne t at w w w .bom .gov .au
and f rom the U S N a vy si te at
www.npmoc.nav y.mil ( this site now requires one to go through a tedious security ritual) .
Wa rnings
B lue A len - C yclone may affect the area w ithin 4 8 hours. S trong w inds not y et a direct
th rea t. (T ra vellers mo ve out ).
Y ellow A ler t - C y clone mov ing cl ose and appear s inevitable w ithin l 2 hours. Strong w inds
likely to occur in aHected areas. (T rave llers move out - right now ) .
R ed A lert - C yclone and destructiv e w inds imminent. (I f w ind forces pe 'i t, tra vellers
urgently seek closest assistance) .
Cyc lone S t re ngths

C ategories of c yclone severity range from ' l ' for low lev el cy clones to '5' for the most
severe. T he cateoories and descriptions rcfer to the w orst conditions that may occur - thus
the p robability is that the effects you expe rience may be less severe.
Category
S trongest Gust
c l 25
l 25 - l 69
l 7 0 -2 2 4
2 2S - 2 79
>2 80
Typical Effects
D amage to crops, trees and carav ans.
M inor house damage , signifi cant damage to
carav ans. R isk of pow er fai lure.

R oof & structural dam age . C ara vans destroy ed
S ignifi cant roof loss & structural dama, e.

C arav ans w reck ed. Dangerous fl ying de bri s.
E xtre mely dangerous. W idespre ad destruc tion.
c H A pT E R 18, pAGE 65
Safety
P rotecting Your Vehicle

Because of their height, and light
tionally vulnerable to cyclone da
versions will stand a bit more. B
van parks in cyclone-prone areas
ingsinthischapter show howtose
Diagonal tiedown to ground

pins
dow
a 20
Safety
Bogged in S a nd
Reduce the risk of becoming bogged by lowering ty re pressure to about 20 pi ( l 40 pa)
but then l imit driv ing speed to 20 k m/hr
If bogged, dig all sand aw ay from the front and rear of the ty res, and form a channel
between and beyond them. T hen i nch slow [y back and forth to compact the sand. W ith
luck y ou' ll e ventually be able to reverse out in your ow n tyre tracks.
K this does not get y ou out, re-
duce tyre pressures to l 5 psi ( l OO

kpa) and try agcun Y ou w ill almost
mv an ably get out by following this
:,
procedure .
If
w ater is av ailab le , w et t he
sand thoroughly and try to drive

out aft er the w at er h as so aked in ,
.La
but not dried. This onl y w ork s i n

some type s of sand - but w here it
d o e sn ' t i t w i l l n o t m k e m a n e r s
w o rs e
i'
O nce clear, reinfl ate the tyres, -; -^---- ----^
otheNvise keep the speed below 25 Theauthor'sOKA crossing8ig Redinthe Simpson. Reducing tyre
km/hr and make no sharp turns, or pressure is the way to keeping moving in sand like this.
bra ke heavily unti l y ou can pump them up once again.
M ake a mental note of the above tips. A n overseas tourist died a few y ears ago w hen lf bogged in sand, keep
her campervan became bogged in sand, some k ilometres of f the O odnadatta track . W hen
the front whee ls pointing
recovering the vehicle , the police simply let the tyres dow n a bit and drove it out.
absolutely straight ahead

a s you get yourse[f out.
B ro k e n W ind s c re e ns
Do n ot t um t he m e ve n
W indscreen damage is invari ably blamed on oncomi ng vehicles throwing stones in y our
direction, but this i s not usually what happens. T he reality is that you drive into stones
that are mai nly r ising and falli ng - not being hurled tow ards y ou.
N ext time y ou are on a di rt road, stop and note the traj ectory of stones thrown up by
passing vehicles - and the effect of their speed. M ore stones are thrown up by fast mov ing than slow moving v ehicles, but most of the stone movement is upwards and si deway s
slightly from straight

ahead or they will dig in
sideways and bog you

down once again
r a th e r th a n fo r w a r d s.
S o, w herev er feasible , slow to a craw l w hen meeting oncoming traff c where there 's
l oose stones. I t' s not the oncoming vehicle ' s speed that cause s w indscreen and vehicle
d am age. I t' s m ost ly y o ur o w n !
F irst A id K it
Adhes ive sti ps
Adhes ive tape

A lc oh ol s w a b
A ntise ptic wipes
Combine dressing
Crepe bandage (50 mm, 75 mm and 100 mm)

G a uz e s w ab s
Non-adherent dreu ings

Triangu[ar bandage
Wound d(essing (No 14)
H a n d to w e ls
r s s ue s
P lasbc bags
Disposa ble glove s
Safety pins
S c is s o rs
S plinte r probe
T w e e ze rs
A na lge sics
As pirin (also for inflammation)

A ntise ptic crea m
B um c ream (first us e ice d water)
Clorodine or similar (for diarrhoea)

E ye lotion
Eye pads (sterile)

P a ne d e in e
Water purifica tion ta blets

F irs t A id boo k
Keeping Legal
a nd othe r bure a uc ratic stuff
R E N E \K lN G a driving licence or vehicle registration from outside one' s 'home state ' can
present unexpected d ifficulties. S ome S tates w ill renew licences prior to thei r expiry date
and if thi s op tion is av ailable, it 's w on h surr en der ing a sGll -c u rr ent licenc e i f a l on g-ter m
l i c e n c e c a n be o b ta i n e d .
T o obtain or renew a drivi ng licence , y ou must prov ide a street address ( not a P O B ox) ,
in the S tate that is issuing the licence. T here' s no w ay around th is one - argume nts that
y ou have no 'home state ' wi ll not be accepted. U se a re lati ve ' s or fii end' s address if
necessary because it' s no address - no licence.
V ehicle registration is similar: the authorities demand that you give a ' garage address' .
A rguing that y our motorhome is nev er 'garaged ' is a w aste of time. A gain y ou' ll need to
use a re lativ e' s or frie nd's address i n the State w here the vehicle is to be regi stered. (N ote
thi s address does not need to have a phy sical garage!) .
If possible contact a registration offi ce in your home State before setting off, to establish procedures. I f interstate, contact the relev ant authori ty in the S tate of lice nce or registra tion i ssue . T his is easier sa id than done bec ause most licensinO authorities list only
Ol 3 telephone num bers that cannot be dialled from outside the relevant State , and Directory E nquiries cannot prov ide any di rect numbers! B ut all is not lost - a list of relevant
addresses and direct te lephone numbe rs i s provided in A ppe ndi x 2.
Licence Update
N ational driver ' s l icences are being prooressiv ely introduced
Th e n e w c l a sse s a r e ^
C
LR
MR
HR
car (replaces class l A )

li ght rigid (replaces class 1B , 3A )
medium rigid (replaces c lass 3A , 4A )
heavy rigid (replaces class 3B , 4B )
HC
heavy combi nation ( replaces class SA , 5B )
MC
muIti-combinati on ( replaces class 5C)
Under the ne w scheme , C licence holders may drive any vehic le w ith a G ross V ehicle
M ass of less than 4.5 tonnes, and seats up to l 2 adu lts.
L R C la s s if ic a t io n
Ylf there isn't a law, there The LR classjfication is that most likely to affect motorhome drivers. An L R licence is
W ill be " HAROLD FAB E R.
New Mork Times Magazine

Ma rch l 7, 1968
required for vehic le s that have a registered G ross V ehicle M a ss ( G V M ) exc eeding 4.5
tonnes and less than 8.O tonnes. N ote that the licence requirement relates to the vehicle 's
pote ntia l carry ina capacity. I n other words if the vehicle' s G V M is S .S tonnes, but i snever
l oaded beyond 4.49 tonnes, y ou still need an L R licence.
T he G V M is defi ned as whichever is the lowest of the permitted tyre loading, indiv idual axle loading, or the manufacturer 's stipulated maxi mum weight. Thus fi tting
heav ier ty res does not necessati ly increase G V M .
D e f in it io n s
W eight (in this context) means w hat you think it m eans.
Ta re W eight i s the unladen w eight ( but usually includes a nomina l amount of fuel) .
G ross Vehicle M ass ( G VM ) i s the Tare W eight plus ev ery thing you are cany ing, includinO driver and passengers, fuel and w ater.
A ggregate L oaded M ass (A L M ) is basically the weight of a trailer, plus the wei ght on
the coupling. The effect on the towing vehi cl edepends on how eve]y thing moves up and
down over bumps, but wi ll be roughly the laden traiIer weight plus l O% .
Keeping Legal
Gross Combination M ass (GCM ) is the GVM plus AL M, i.e. themaximumyoucan

have, including a iaden trailer
Towing
Legislation governing what size ancl/or weight trailer can be towed by what weight of
vehicle etc ., was standardised nationally in December l 998.
The new regulati ons removed the previous speed restriction of 80 km/hr for vehicles
weighing less than 4.5 tonnes whilst towing trailers having a laden weight greater than
750 kg. T he general speed limits now apply.
V ehicle s ov er S tonnes, with or w ithout a trailer are l imited to l OO km/hr
Legal Towing Weights

In general, for vehicles with a GV M not exceeding 4.S tonnes, the marimum perrnissible e ailer weight ( including load) is the lesser of .
* the capacity of the towing apparatus, or
* the relevant maximum trailer mass specifi ed by the vehicle manufacturer
If the manufacturer has not specified maximum trailer mass, or this figure cannot be
ob ta i ne d , th e m a xi m um t ra i l e r m a ss i s ^
*
one and a half times the unladen mass of the towi ng vehicle, if the trailer i s fi tted with
br a ke s, or
* the unlade n mass of the motor v ehicle, if the trailer is not fi tted with brakes.
Logboo ks
Drivers of certain classes of heavy vehicles must carry loobooks detailinOdriving and
rest hours. This requirement no longer affects people driving heavy motorhomes.
W eigh-ln S tations
A ny load-caQy ing vehicle is liable to be checked to ensure it does not e xceed its rated
wei ght and vehicles above cert ain weights must pull into weighing stati ons for checking. Requirements currently vary fromState to State but notices advising the vehicles af-
fected are displayed at the entries to the weighing stations. This requirement currently
affects motorhomes, however the CM CA is acti vely seeki ng their exclusion.
The Definition ot 'Camping'

Authorities define 'camping invarious ways butit is the local councils' HealthDepartment regulations that usually prohibit the overnight occupied parking of acampervan or
motorhome i n defi ned areas - w hethe r the v ehicle is self-contained or otherw ise.
In practice you're likely to be left undistvibed if you stay overnioht in a quiet backstreet, not ov erlooked by nearby resi dences, if y ou do not raise a pop-top roof, or let
any thing drain onto the ground.
Don't stay ovemight near an establishedcaravan park, andunder no circumstances cheat
park owners by using their faciliti es wi thout paying. Some people do!
Drinking Alcohol Whilst Camped

l~rnder Section 25of thePoliceOffencesActit isillegaltodrink alcohol in apublic street
or public place (prescribed by regulation for the purposes of S ection 2S).
S ubsection 2S (5) e xtends S ection 25 to make it an offence to drink alcohol in a sta-
tionary motor vehicle, which is in apublic streetor (prescribed) public place.

The intent of this part of theActis, from Hansard lOMay l995, 'to cover thosepeople who gofrom hotels to their cars, with liqiaol and sit drinking their liquoP Of !en af
ter consurning the liquor they return to the hotel, purchase ntore, and on the way to and
f ro, da ma ge p roper ty a nd other wise conduct tAemselves in a n antisoc ia l ma nneP '
It is technically an offence to consume alcohol in a campervan or motorhome even
whilst settled down for the night in a public street, or (prescribed) public place, but
Keeping Legal
most pol ice offi cers are aware of the intent of the A ct. It is unlikely in the extreme that
police would take any action in the above circumstances. I n the improbable event that
they did, any consequent charge would almost certainly be thrown out of court.
Fishing Lice nces

Fi shing lic ensing and fi shing restrictions var y from State to State and from time to time.
Take this seriously. I llegal fi shing can (in the NT for example) result in confi scation of
all associated equipment. This does not j ust mean your rod and l ine - it can even extend
to yo ur vehic le/s .
Voting
E v en though y ou plan to be away fr om home for some l ength of time, or to spend life
more or less permane ntly on the road, A ustralian law still requires y ou to vote.
The si mplest way of doing so is to pre-register as an 'itinerant voter' . T his status enables y ou to cast your vote from any polli ng booth, any where. A ny E lectoral Offi ce can
assist you in this matter. E lectoral Offi ces are listed under that heading in theTelstraW hite
P ages telephone book s.
W he re to T ra ve l
also which way - and when
S C O R E S of round-A ustralia carav ans, campervans, motorhomes and c oaches trave l the
main circumferential route y ear-round, w ith a general mi gration to the north for the
A ustrali an w inter, and south for the summer. M ost people undertaking the round-A ustralia trip trav el antic lockw ise to take advantage of the strong prev ailing winds.
T he ongoing i ncrease of trave llers has now outstripped the avai lable faci lities in rnany
of the more popular areas. M ost coastal area s are now packed from late December until
rnid-J anuary , and during E aster and school holidays. T hese vary from S tate to State .
A I so crow ded are the ' backpacker trails' particularly along the coast from S ydney to
C ape Tribulation ( north of C aims) , the G reat O cean R oad, K ak adu and U luru, B roome
in the northern winter, any place know n to hav e good fi shi ng ancVor boat acce ss, and absoluteiy any w here recommended in a recent L onely P lanet guide.
W ithout booli ng, obtai, ng a site duri ng holiday times in these are as is al l but impossi ble. A nd if y ou do score a site, the overcrow ding w ill probably cause y ou seriously to
w i sh you hadn' t.
F ortunately this situation eases a few k ilometres aw ay from the coast w here 's there' s
usua ily ple nty of room. T hi s includes the less popular N ational P ark s if you arrive bo
fore 3.30 pm. S ome of the more popular N ational P ark s have obligatory booli ng but you
can usually do this by telephone.
Aboriginal-R un S ites
S ome outbac k N ati onal P ark and other campsites, particularly in C ape Y ork and the N T ,
are run or ow ned by A boriginal communities. E very one of the scores we have stayed at
has been clean, well run, and with indiv idual sites that are far more spacious and private
tha n those in com mercial parks.
Avo iding Ma in Highways

M ost trave ll ers keep rigidly to main roads, making rninor detours to places of especial
interest. T hi s is a curi ous practice ! T here are any number of far more interesting and
virtu ally traffi c -f ree altem atives - at least i n sou th em and eastem areas . Th e eastem S tate s,
in particular, have a netw ork of delightf ul back -roads and settleme nts.
Travelling on Dirt Roads

O ut.s ide m id -s umm er an d the w et seaso n, standard campe rva ns and motorho mec c an safely
travel A ustralia ' s maj or dirt-surf aced routes i ncluding the B irdsvill e, Oodnadatta, dnd
S tn e lecki tracks and the P lenty H ighw ay
vF o r my pa rt, trav el no t to go
anywhere, but to go. trav el

for tra ve ['s sake . T he gre at
a ff a ir is to m ov e." R O BE RT
Lo u is s w v m s o N Tra v e ls
Wwh a Donkey (l 879)
Above Between lnnammka and BirdsWlle passable by any well prepared 2W D
C HA P TE R 20, PAGE 71
W he re a nd W he n
The above is true also of most of the Cape Y ork Pe, nsula, excepting that the roadfrom
C ape Tribulation to C ooktown has several v ery steep hills uncli mable by overladen
v ehi cles. The road from Cooktown to W eipa is rough, but passable by camperv ans and
motorhomes in good condi tion. F rom W eipa to the top of C ape Y ork is strictly 4W D terri tory. So are al l three of the Simpson crossings, and the C anning Stoc k R oute (W A).
A s noted in Chapter l 7, fuel is availableat comfortable interv al s along most main routes
in A ustralia, exc epting the north west of W estem A ustralia where there are a few gaps
of 400 or so kilometres. This is true atso for the more-travel led inland routes, including
the B irdsv ill e, O odnadarta, and S ttz eleck i tracks.
How Long
Nights in the outback and
no rthe rn A us tralia c a n be
freezingly cold. Don't get

caught - ta ke wa rm
c lothing and a doona.
M any inexperienced travellers attempt to see too much in too lidle time. A round-A us-
tralia trip needs a rninimum of twelve months. Several years is not an absurd iength of
ti me - there's simply so much to see and enj oy
B ut don't try to see everything along the roadoryou'll quickly becomejaded. Instead,
stay for a few day s or ev en weeks in areas of parti cular interest.
Ma ps
U nless you drive only on the main hi ghways, accurate and up-to-date maps are essenGal, but obu ining such maps can be a problem outside maj or cities, although some fuel
stations can y a reasonable se lection.
In our experience, the very best overall map of A ustralia is that so]d by Dick Smith's
A ustralian Geographic shops. For more local coverage we' ve found the Hema range consi stently reliable. It's also worth carryi ng one of the more comprehensive guidebooks.
T hese usually include maps of most city and town ce ntres.
I f you have a laptop computer,a further possibility is the recently introduced mapson
CD-ROM . These are obtainable from major map shops (of whic h there are one or two
in each maj or city ) .
The Global Positioning System

Developed and provided by the U S Depanment of Defense, the GIobal PositioningS ystem (GPS) provides extremely accurate readouts of position, height above sea level , speed
a n d d i re c ti o n o f tra v e l .
G PS receiv ers cost from $3SO upwards and are worth having if y ou intend to trav el
off m ain route s in isolated areas, or hike off marked trails. B ear in mind that a G P S i s
useless w ithout detailed large-sca le maps that include CP S co-ordinates.
A GP S receiver can also be handy if you intend to drive and/or camp in State forests.
There, virtually identical-looking roads appear and disappear monthIy.A GPS receiver
can also be comforting in isolated i nland areas, w here station tracks are i ll defi ned.
You do not need a G PS to travel any of A ustralia's maj or routes, dirt or otherwise, not
even for a S impson crossi nO!
W he n it ' s W e t
N e w S o uth W a les C o a s t
Northern Territory
F e brua ry-J une

De ce mbe r-April
O u e e n s la n d
D e c e m b e r-M a rc h
S o uth A u s tr a lia
Ma rch-J uly
Ta s m a n ia
M a rc h -J u ne
V ic t o ria
W este rn A ustra lia ( NW )

W e s te r n A us t ra lia
PAG E 72, C HA P T E R 20
J une -J uly, a lso O ct-De c

Dec e mbe r-April
A pril-J une
This Table indicates typical main rain periods but unseasonal rains may also occur
W he re a nd W he n
O ua ra ntine E xc lus io n Z o ne s
O ne haza rd of travelling around Australia are quarantine zones set up to limit the spread
of fruit fly and similar di sease s. I t is illegal to bring uncooked fruit and vegetables into
th e se z o n e s . O f f e n d e r s a re
l i a bl e to be fi ne d f ro m $200
up to $l l ,OOO.
T h er e a re se v e r al o f th e se
z o ne s of
w h ic h
th e m o st
OK EN
co mplex i s show n on the

map (right) .
It i s illegal to tak e f ruit
and ve getables bought in
the north of C ape York morr
th a n a fe w h u n d re d k i l o m e -
e es south (unle ss provably
H ]L LS T O N
l
BENUARK ^ G R lFFlTH
+MlLDURA
Pl
A D-
LAl DE
NA R RA N D E R A
>
wAN
I t is also i lle, a l to tak e

frui t, ve getables, and also
cardboard f ruit and vegeta-
C AN -
wAGGpBE
purchased in W eipa 's superm ark et) .
SY DNEY
. ALBUR Y
.
B E N D lG O
E PP E Fl
ME LB OURNE O
b l e c a rt on s, be tw e e n S ou th
A u str al i a a n d W e ste m A u str a l i a - a n d v i c e v e r s a .
This is one of the more complex exclusion zones
T h e F ed e ra l G o v e r n m e n t' s
free public ation, 'T ravellers
G uide to P lant Quarantine ' has all the information that y ou need about the v ari ous quarantine zones and their restrictions. A l so see w w w.agric.nsw.gov/fruitfl y.
C a s u a l w o rk c a n o fte n b e
obtained in popular areas

during the haliday
s e as o n . S o me trav e llers
c o m bin e b us ine s s w it h
plea sure by ma king

things a nd selling the m in
loc a l m a rke ts .
C HAP T E R 20, PAGE 73

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Publisher : Collyn Rivers, PO B ox 3634, Broome, WA 6725. First edition published

1. Campervans & Motorhomes. 2. Motorhomes & Campervans. l . Title

Distribution:This book may be purchased throughtheCampervan & MotorhomeClub

E ditorial : E nquiriesshould be adde ssed to Collyn Ri vers, PO B ox 3634,B roome, WA

Publisher ,s Note. To ensuretopicaIity this book isprintedinsmall batchesandupdated

F ront Cover P icture: The OK A in the K imberley

T he C ho ic e of F uel - diesel, petrol, or LP G

T he lnte rio r L a y out - defining your ne eds

B u ildi ng Yo ur O w n - w e ight is the e ne my

B atteries & C harging -w hy batteries disa ppoint

S ola r & O the r S o urc e s of E ne rgy

stay ing longe r o n site

lnv erters - produc ing y our own mains power

L ig hting - fluore sce nt, ha loge n or inc a nde sc ent

R efrige ratio n - evaluating the alternatives

lns talling G as - an o utline of the main req uirements

W a te r -q ua ntity a nd qua lity

Cha pte r 12, P a ge 40

Preparing fo r the Trip (1) - keeping it going

P reparing fo r the T rip ( 2) - travelling in remote areas

P re pa ring fo r the T rip ( 3) - ma inly a bout tyre s

C o mmun ic a tio ns - how to ke e p in to uch

Telev is io n - how to get a good picture o utside towns

Cha pte r 17, P a ge 5 9

S afety - first tie up your ca mel

Cha pte r 18, P a ge 62

the bure a uc ra tic stuff

W ha t it a ll Cos ts - possibly le ss than sta y ing at home

C onta c t Deta ils - w he re to buy w ha t

T he Cam pe rv an & Moto rho me Clu b of A ustralia L td

Acknowledgements: The author acknowledges JohnOsborne, Laurie Smyth

It helps to Oain fi rst-hand exper ience before purchasinO a vehicle or s

fai lings. Ideally, hire a motorhome or tw o to gain fi rst-hand exper ience.

M y wife (M aarit) and I own an Australian-made OK A that w e converted into a fully

campervan, motorhome, or converte

EV ERY type of vehicle is used for holiday or perm

I deally, the choice of vehicle is determined by

a major consideration, home parking may be limite

F urther compromise may be necessary. The need

Comme rc ial Lay outs

drive the layouts of campervans, and small and mediu

manufacturers offer alternative Iayouts that better su

If mainlyoutside, your choiceof transport iseasy.Thecomfonableminimumisalong

wheelbase4WD such as aToyota Troopy or L and Rover. The largestisa medium-sized

Mainly lns ide

AulhoTs rebuill 1974 Kombicamper performedfaultlessly over manyof Australia's inlandtracks

E xcept for vehicles such as converted Toyota L andCruisers, Mi tsubishi 's 4W D

campground, you drive

ese is ikey to take it by

standing awning helps

low-slung enOine precludes all but the shallowest of creek crossings.

sp ares an d ser v ic e a e av ailab Ie w or ld -w ide .

$4S,OOO-$75,OOOshouldbuy avery goodfourorfi veyearold. Mercedes' high-roofed

Choosing the Vehicle

examples are ciaimed to se ll for close to their ori ginal cost.

L egislation limits how long passenger-can yi ng coaches may remai n in c ommercial

A standard coachbodied OKA , Mitsubishi

ably cheap. Goodunconvertedcoaches costfrom $2S,OOOupto $l OO,mO.

and most National

FOR many, choosino between die

whichever best matches your inte

Cumparcd with diesels, petrol

They have little 'turning effort'