"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"

Dazza53 · Member

Eropean or Australian ?

Possum3 · Guru

Check Caravan Council of Australia www.caravancouncil.com.au/ Download free technical and purchasing data and checklists.

Whenarewethere · Guru

I can't comment on caravans, but let tyre pressure down for rubbish roads. It makes a hugh difference in quality of ride. Pump them up when you are back on nice roads. Get bigger & more compressors if you want to complete the job quickly. Connect directly to the car battery & leave engine running while pumping.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome to the gang Dazza53, enjoy here and out in the playground.

Yes, they are close to the ground. Too close for my liking to be honest. Being that low to the ground can cause problems entering or exit servo's. Some centre's, especially the smaller type have big dips at the gutter on roadside. The other problem is, some CVP sites have similar problems.

That all said, I know people with both vans you mention and are happy. They pick and choose servo's etc but have still been caught short.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

the rocket · Guru

Hello dazza53 and a very warm welcome. Enjoy.

Crinkle and Dobbie · Member

Hi Dazza and welcome,

We own a swift caravan and love it. We tow with a Falcon sedan and have no trouble what so ever. We only travel on tarmac, and with all the safety anti sway equipment we traveled from Brisbane to the Snowy Mountains then down to Bega without any problems.

I would highly recommend.

Julie

Eaglemax · Guru

There is a height that is "too low". IMO the caravans of which you mentioned are not quite that low. I've proven with my home built van (which was built very low so I didnt need steps to enter it at all) was just lower than that sweet spot of height. So I had to raise it a little, say 40-50mm.

It wasnt such a big issue for me, and now I usually miss those service station gutters of which Dougwe mentioned, and I have steel wheels on my stabilisers in case.

So, I cant comment on rough roads, if you only go on dirt roads for a short distance say up to 30kms and slowly if you really need to get to a place, as suggested lowering your tyres is to way to go. If that is adhered to then go for it.

Tony

kesa32 · Senior Member

Hi Dazza , we've got a large Bailey , it's pretty low for some servos entries now and then , but 90% are fine .

We've taken ours on a half lap (20k ) and probably done another 20k over the years around Vic , it's been a great van , and as mentioned if you want to go on gravel roads adjust speed and tyre pressures

They're not meant to be used for corrugated roads and bush work etc , they're made for black top work and do it well , easy to tow etc

Our main limitation is the tug being a rwd territory and its off-road abilities l guess , but currently that doesn't worry us
So depending on where you want to go you need to by the right gear , many people find their off road vans aren't really that suitable when they hit the hard stuff and suffer serious damage as a consequence

Lots of people with experience on here to give you advice , and with enough research etc you should find something suitable

You can always leave a van somewhere and go into harder territory with a tent etc ..... lots of options ( and budgets to suit )

Good luck

Dazza53 · Member

Thank you all for you very interesting comments. Much appreciated

littledick · Senior Member

I seem to remember some have an internal raised section internal near the door, could be a trip problem if a bit unsteady on ones feet. hmm

Dick.

Mamil · Senior Member

If you're looking at Euro vans I'd add Adria to your list (Slovenia). They are well made and good value, light to tow, and have Australian versions with upgraded chassis, equipment, and raised height. They still aren't an off-road van, but a number of owners have done and are doing a lap in them and are very happy.

Greg 1 · Guru

As others have said, a lot is the way you drive. If you try to do the same speeds over gravel that you do on the blacktop then you may well have trouble. Because a van is jacked up and is called an off road van does not necessarily mean it's good off the blacktop. We recently did a lap with some friends who had purchased a so called off road van that the moment we went off the blacktop had cupboard doors and other fittings raining off, whereas our van which makes no such pretensions, handled the corrugations fine. I have travelled most of the outback dirt roads with a van at one time or another most towing with a two wheel drive I might add. I now don't often go off the blacktop and usually leave the van at a park somewhere close and go in to the sights by car only. Just preserves the van as it is very difficult to get that red dust out of them which seems to work it's way in to even the best sealed vehicles, and these days I cannot afford to be swapping vans on a regular basis like I used to do.