new camper on the cards

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 9th July 2007, 11:53 AM

well, maybe not NEW,, but then again---

hmm, just a few quick questions,,

if I cant go independant--

why is a 7 leaf spring set necessary????

I understand some of the bigger ones require brakes (good) so weight may get up to, what?
750-900kgs loaded?

still not sure why the need for so many leafs?
and whats the deal with the length of the leafs?

I thought the LONGER the length the more supple and better ride the trailer would get?

(remembering one of our members telling us how he designed the rear leafs on a falcon ute to have 12 inches of travel)

any suggestions on draw bar lengths?, (tow hitch to trailer axle centre)

I'd like to run D2 rims if possible,, how much drama to retrofit hubs? hmm can they have discs on the trailer? electrics are normally drums huh,,
hmmm.

anybody done this recently?
didnt Phil much around with something like this?

so many questions,,

**100I** · 9th July 2007, 01:08 PM

I can offer an opinion on the drawbar - you want it to be longer from the tralier axle to the rear axle of the car than what the car's wheelbase is, geddit? I extended my box trailer while I was doing some repairs to it & it was spot on behind the little suzuki, acceptable behind the disco, but find it is still near impossible to chase with my workute.

**incisor** · 9th July 2007, 01:38 PM

a trailer over 750 needs to be braked to be towed behind a landrover i believe.

whether you use 5 or 7 leaf spring packs depends on the mass of the trailer itself.

not much use putting a 7 pack under something that doesnt have the mass to move them :P

i use a 5 leaf independant setup on my trailer and it is a much better tow than any of the solid axle trailers i have ever had to tow...

and it has copped a bloody hiding on some trips...

**seqfisho** · 9th July 2007, 04:17 PM

Welcome to the dark side P.T.S.

You can get by without independant suspension if your leaves are correctly rated for the load they will carry, ie; dont use 2000kg springs to carry only 1000kg as it will shake the crap out of the trailer and its contents, also dont worry about the number of leaves as much as they will be varying to the load and manufacturers design, if you use leaves only make sure they are a rebound design as this assists with damping performance.

The Trackabout we took through outback QLD and 1500kms of rough corrugated outback tracks had 7 leaf Alko rebound springs and it travelled every bit as well as the disco so I had no hesitation in getting the same suspension setup on our Lifestyle and it works just as well.

As Inc has said anything over 750kg must have brakes, and even if it was under that weight I would still recommend them, the 10" electric drums from Alko seem to be the standard on most trailers and certainly work well and are easy to maintain and get spares for, there is also a 12" version but a bit of overkill for the weights involved, most disc systems are hydraulic override and a bit more complex and expensive without much benefit IMHO.

You can get D2 hubs but beware it will be a pain in the ass to do, ask Redback as he had a lot of fun doing it with his camper. D1, RRC, Defender hubs are std off the shelf items.

As for drawbar length, about 1.8 to 2mt seems to be the most popular length to allow easy reversing and clearance as well as space to mount storage boxes, spare wheels, stoneguards etc

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 9th July 2007, 04:28 PM

Thanks everyone,,

but dont go anywhere

this thread
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/archive/in...p/t-20681.html
seems to have most of the D2 answers,,

and yes I would like electric brakes,,

it seems the hardest part is coming up with 3 D2 rims,, how difficult can it be to get 10 holes drilled in 2 blank hubs?

sooooo--- as long as the thing HAS brakes, it should be just a matter of swapping the hubs??

**seqfisho** · 9th July 2007, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Thanks everyone,,

but dont go anywhere

this thread
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/archive/in...p/t-20681.html
seems to have most of the D2 answers,,

and yes I would like electric brakes,,

it seems the hardest part is coming up with 3 D2 rims,, how difficult can it be to get 10 holes drilled in 2 blank hubs?

sooooo--- as long as the thing HAS brakes, it should be just a matter of swapping the hubs??

The off road magnet in the electric drum brakes is pretty basic and works well, and it is only a matter of changing the drum with the right stud pattern, but sourcing 3 x D2 rims could be an expensive exercise.

I am sticking with 15 x 7 steel rims with 6 stud toyota hubs and 31.10R15 rubber as they are available everywhere, where as my 245/75 R16 and 16" disco rims are a lot harder to come by let alone more expensive.

**seqfisho** · 9th July 2007, 04:57 PM

Spill the beans Pedro

what are you looking at

or do you have a short list

getting the camper was one of our best decissions

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 9th July 2007, 05:21 PM

I'd really like a hard floor,,

but,,,

have around 9000 to play with,,

have looked at several hundred on the net since yesterday,, all in QLD

for one reason or another not keen on a camper that requires an extension ladder to get into bed,,

your lifestyles look OK,, there is a 2nd hand one for sale,, $15,000

Freedom are made just down the road at Tiaro,,
they look ok on the website, but again the new hardfloors are too exxy

**Bytemrk** · 9th July 2007, 08:06 PM

A hardfloor for $9,000

... you might looking at the second hand market...

I ended up buying one of these a few years back..

http://www.tambocampers.com.au/Cooper.html

Bloody awsome... a bit basic for some - but it's had it's fair share of punishment (including outback SA, Vic high country and your backdoor..Fraser) and I can't fault it. The quality of the build far excedes any other I found in that price range.

The family that own the business are great to deal with - and I'm pretty sure his up market model is made in Qld.... so he may well have an agent up there...not sure..

Cheers, Mark

**awabbit6** · 9th July 2007, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

for one reason or another not keen on a camper that requires an extension ladder to get into bed,,

your lifestyles look OK,, there is a 2nd hand one for sale,, $15,000

If that is the one on ebay, it has sold at the buy-it-now price of $15k

It wasn't far from us and I had intended to go and have a look at it (not to buy at that price)

We are looking at buying a camper trailer too and are also interested in the Lifestyle ones. The build quality is excellent. We went and spoke to them last week and got them to quote on what we were looking at. Came in at just under $12k (hence the amazment at the price of the 2nd hand one). They will negotiate if you start with the base model and start adding to make it very close to the Explorer 360. What we wanted came in at $13,500 and they knocked it down to $12k without us even asking.

Give them a call - you might be surprised what you can get for $9k.

Grab their spec sheet with price list for the Explorer and start playing with the options. I have done up a spreadsheet to make it quick if you want a copy.

Glen, you sound happy with yours. Any advice before we hand over our money??

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