How often have you said I wish I had this or that in my MH or Caravan ? I really need a diesel heater, or I wish I had a reversing camera, or that I'd put an extra power point somewhere. What is it you would most like to add to your existing MH or Caravan ?
If we can get a few people to post, maybe we can all get a few ideas on how to make our traveling lives a little more convenient and comfortable.
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Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
How often have you said I wish I had this or that in my MH or Caravan ? I really need a diesel heater, or I wish I had a reversing camera, or that I'd put an extra power point somewhere. What is it you would most like to add to your existing MH or Caravan ?
If we can get a few people to post, maybe we can all get a few ideas on how to make our traveling lives a little more convenient and comfortable.
i will have solar panels & diesel heater plus a gen when i get my MH. THATS NOT A DREAM my dream would be to have free diesel for life. i'll keep dreaming
-- Edited by Glenelg on Saturday 14th of June 2014 01:39:19 PM
About 150mm more in height in our Coaster as I'm 183cm or 6ft tall and have no skin left on the top of my bald head. I either hit it on the air con or scrape it above the door when exiting. It seems like I never learn. Sometimes it pays to be short.
Maybe an extra 240w of solar on the roof but no room left to add them up their so portable ones will have to do.
Glenelg I did have free diesel for life but left the job sigh!!
I think that people tend to fill their vans or MH with a lot of stuff they think they may need and generally don't. A good way to sort that is to get a box of dot stickers and put a dot on everything you have in the van. Every time you use something you take the dot off and after 3-6 months anything that has a dot on it you don't need.
We have a generator but in 3 & a 1/2 years on the road it has been used about 6 times so I would say that we couldn't do without our solar power. And a handy hint here for anyone thinking about buying a new LCD or LED 12v tv, they already are 12v and all you have to do is go into a Jaycar store and they will give you the right 12v adaptor you need as your tv at home has a 240v to 12v converter on it so it runs on 240v. Don't pay more for a 12v tv as your being ripped off.
We don't worry about a heater as one of my favourite sayings is; there is no such thing as bad weather, only poor choice in clothing-Billy Connolly. The walls of your van should be insulated (can't say for MH) but most cold air comes in through your hatches in the roof. A good way to stop that is with those reflective screens we use in our cars on the windscreen to stop the car heating up. We cut one in two and fitted then with Velcro spots and they work wonderfully to stop the cold getting in. Plus our extra quilt comes in handy too.
A small thing I have just tripped over is a 12V outlet on the right side of the van, makes it much easier to plug in a compressor to adjust the van tyres.
Also a 12V outlet near the table to supply phone and tablet chargers.
Just little things, but certainly make my life easier.
samoman67 you are 20 or more years younger than a lot of us old farts, we move a bit slower nowadays. yes we can have doonas when in bed . its that first hour or so in morning and night we need a bit of warmth in winter after we get up or before bed .
i to was told when a kid if cold put more cloth on. no mother or father now to tell me what to do. that y i will have a heater cause i can. ps i not trying to be smart here .
I just installed a 24 inch, colour, 12 volt TV with DVD player in my Coach, $180-00 delivered, I cant buy a 240 volt one for that price,
I am slowly replacing all my gear inside with 12 Volt, Its a lot cheaper than 240 volts.
I have just installed 270 Watts of Solar on the roof, Its more than ample for my needs, I dont have a Genny, I removed it,
I do need longer tow chains and my Comealong for when I get bogged, Twice so far, My Coach gets bogged just looking at a wet dirt road, It has hiway steer tyres all round, 6 of them,
I have two Propane heaters inside, but dont need them as my Coach has full insulation all round, Its cool first thing in the mornings, But moving around inside, soon warms it up, or open the drapes if the sun is out, instant heat inside,
I have two AC units on the roof, I dont need them either, Test days, 38 Celcius and no shade, Both mid doors open, all awnings extended, Was reasonably cool inside,
Not unbearable, only one mid door open, It got a bit muggy, I do have very thick drapes all round, that helps a lot as well, and they Velcro together, So no gaps,
I do need a spare wheel and tyre, But where do I put it, the only place I can, is on the front of the Coach, I need to make a carrier frame up for that,
I would like a higher GVM as then I could put a car and motor bike on a trailer behind it, I only have approx two ton excess for the trailer,
my 300 HP Cat Diesel gets me almost 14 MPG, So fuel is not a big price worry, It carrys a 150 gallon fuel tank, So I can buy it when its cheaper,
My windscreens have to be Imported from the USA, 3 grand a pop when you add shipping and customs, Etc Etc, Done two so far,
I am installing cig lighters on the left side, to run the laptop and any other thing that needs running or charging, But I think it will be USB ports instead of ciggy lighters,
I use left and right side in my Coach, It avoids confusion when I talk to other people about the Coach, as in the USA where it came from, the left side is the Drivers Side,
My Coach is now right hand drive, I converted it fully to OZ ADR's,
My Gas system is a bit of a pain, It stays off for 20 minutes after I fuel up with Diesel or Propane Gas, Its fully automatic, But its better than having it go Bang,
I have seen a few Gas explosions, With people in the middle of it, They were very lucky to walk away from them, Well not really, they got carted off to the hospital in the meat wagon, Flying steel cuts people to ribbons, Especially 3/4 inch plate flying at high velocity,
Removing things I dont use or never will, Ice maker, Garbage Compactor, 150 gallon propane tank, Only because it cant approved here, The Genny, It didnt work any way, the electrical side is not powering, I am not electrical, so I dont play with it, I can buy a 12 KVA Diesel Genny for under a Grand brand new, It has 3 Phase, 240 volt and 12 volt outlets on it, Plug and Play,
It would cost more than that to repair and convert the one I have, its a 6.5 KVA Propane Motor, with 110 Volt power. The motor itself works brilliantly,
My Coach is a Free Camper, Its totally self contained, I dont need external power to run anything,
Some one else to empty the Black and Grey Tanks, Hahahaha, Its very well designed, so its not a real problem, I use bare hands emptying them, I dont get any on me, Its quite a clean process, I only drain it after a few hundred Kay drive, It then become an orange fluid, Runs very easily into the pit, Clean the hose out with the grey tanks water, Its only a matter of closing the Black Tanks Valve and opening the Grey Tanks Valve, Slip the hose back into its carrier under the Coach, and it self drains any thing that is still inside the hose,
Some thing in this post might help some one else, Thats what it is all about,