Caravan

How much does it cost to get a tow bar installed?It can cost anywhere from $300 to more than $1000 to have a tow bar fitted to your vehicle. Tow bars themselves costs from $200 to beyond $1000.But equipment cost and fitment cost depend on your vehicle, its towing capacity, the type of towbar you choose, the wiring set-up required and more.The cheaper you go, the riskier it gets in terms of build quality and after-sales service but, having said that, there are tow bar prices, tow bar types and installation companies to suit every budget.In very basic terms, a towbar is a device attached to the chassis of a vehicle for the purposes of towing a trailer, caravan, camper-trailer, horse float etc – but not all at once, obviously.There are different types for different jobs and loads, from standard or light duty towbars (rated for loads up to 1200kg) through to heavy-duty kits that are engineered to take on up to 3500kg. Towbars are designated in three classes – Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 – according to how much weight they can legally take on. Class 2 towbars (also called standard or light duty) can carry a load of up to 1200kg and they are the lightest towbar of all the classes. These are suitable for teardrop trailers and small box trailers, those kinds of loads.Class 3 towbars (also called medium duty) can legally cope with a load of up to 1600kg. These are suited to tow large box trailers, camper-trailers etc.Class 4 towbars (also called heavy duty) can legally handle loads of up to 3500kg. These are engineered to cope with big burdens, such as large caravans, horse floats, boats etc.Tow bar prices can be a bit of a toss-up.Depending on the type of towbar you opt for, it could cost you anywhere from $200 to $1000 and beyond. Those prices are for the products alone, they do not include fitment.The cheaper towbars are generally for light-duty purposes, and the more expensive examples are for heavy-duty towing, as sturdier materials are involved in the manufacture of these.Prices will vary depending on where the towbars are built, the quality of steel used in the manufacture of the towbar, the cost of the production processes involved, and how stringent the quality-control measures are during the manufacture of the towbar.As mentioned earlier, towbars are classified according to the weight they can legally cope with, but they’re also available in different designs to suit different tasks and stresses.For the purposes of brevity, though, let’s boil down the options to a fixed hitch (as in bolted or welded to the towbar frame); a removable tongue style; a Euro-style swan neck towbar; and, what you’ll see on many 4WDs and tow vehicles, a 50x50mm hitch receiver with hollow tongue fastened to the hitch receiver by using a hitch pin and R clip. Your towbar also needs a hitch, which connects the towbar to the trailer/caravan/camper-trailer/horse float. The hitch usually has a standard 50mm tow ball on a rigid ball mount. Popular in the 4WDing world are off-road couplings (also called articulating hitches), which can rotate up to 360 degrees.Depending on the type of vehicle and the type of towbar to be fitted, installation may be a DIY job – only if you’re very handy with the tools and are certain your work won’t affect the warranty of either the vehicle or towbar – or, better still, get a professional to install your towbar.The rear bumper, tail-lights and any other bits that may obstruct towbar installation and, if so, will have to be removed while work is being done. Also, the bumper, exhaust shield (underbody) and other components may have to be cut to make way for the towbar.The towbar will have to be positioned and bolted to the chassis, then the trailer wiring, including the harness, will have to be installed.Then it’s time to throw the bumper back on (well, don’t throw it – refit it, properly in place).Sorting out the wiring might just be the most difficult part of the process – well, it is for me – but companies, such as Hayman Reese, have tackled this issues by developing plug-in wiring solutions to minimise the fuss and streamline the process. Towing bar installation cost can range anywhere from $300 to more than $1000 to have a tow bar fitted to your vehicle. Towbar fitting cost will depend on the towbar’s load-rating and the type of vehicle it’s being fitted to. The complexity of the task – whether it will involve cutting the bumper and special wiring – will also impact the towbar fitting price.As with the price of the towbars and towbar kits, a tow bar installation price can vary depending on labour costs and how difficult the job actually is.It also depends where you reside in Australia but, don’t fret, because there are respected purveyors of towbars and towbar-fitting specialists everywhere including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

Going “off-road” or “off-roading” are oft-repeated terms nowadays, but what exactly does off-road mean? 

If you’ve ever been around a group of caravanners, the term WDH will probably have cropped up. But what is a WDH and do you need one?WDH stands for Weight Distribution Hitch, but they’re also known as caravan ride levellers, a load distribution hitch, weight distribution bars, caravan levelling devices, and more, but they’re all more or less the same thing and operate on the same principles.So, how do weight distribution hitches work? Fundamentally, a WDH is used to make a tow-car and its load (trailer, caravan, whatever) more stable by improving the weight distribution of the whole combination.It does that by shifting some of the weight from the rear axle of the towing vehicle to the front axle, and some of the weight back on to the trailer’s axle(s).In the process, this means the car will steer better and have more grip at the front wheels for braking. The safety implications of that are obvious.Standard towing hitches for caravans do not have these features, so a WDH is something you need to specify when buying a van or purchase later.The actual mechanics of the WDH are pretty straightforward. Fundamentally, you’re reducing the effect of the towball downweight applied by the trailer.The WDH achieves this by providing a levering effect that raises the rear of the tow-car and lowers the front.It does that via couplings and sprung torsion bars that link the car to the trailer yet still allow articulation at the tow-ball.Most WDHs consist of a tow-ball tongue with the necessary attachment points, the torsion bars that run between the vehicle and trailer, adjustable chains to allow for different torsional loads, and a set of heavy-duty clamps that attach to the trailer’s A frame to accept the chains.The mistake a lot of users make is to assume that a WDH hitch will also act as a sway control or caravan sway bars as they’re also known.Certainly, by making the weight distribution of a towing combination better, a WDH makes every aspect of towing safer, but a specific cure for trailer sway they are not.Some WDHs incorporate a sway controller into their design, but not all, so make sure you know what you’re buying.There are no hard and fast rules about using a WDH or not, but there’s reasonable consensus out there that for caravan towing under about 2000kg or for a van less than five metres, there’s not really as much benefit from a WDH.The average camper trailer should not really need a WDH. Also, the rule of thumb goes, if the tow-car’s front suspension doesn’t rise by more than about 20mm with the trailer hooked up, and the rear suspension doesn’t fall by at least the same 20mm, you don’t really need a WDH.On a 4WD with heavy suspension, you might find very little deflection of the suspension. Even then, repacking the caravan to better distribute the weight is your first step, rather than rushing out and buying a WDH.Clearly, in a lot of cases, towing without weight distribution hitch is not the end of the world.Some carmakers don’t recommend WDHs either, and, in fact, some go as far as to void your warranty if you use one and damage results.Typically, some cars with air suspension aren’t recommended for a WDH, as the device messes up the car’s factory self-levelling function.Even with a good WDH towing is not always hassle free, and the WDH itself imposes some considerations. One of these is noise, and the levers under tension can produce all sort of nasty creaks and groans.A WDH is also not as good off-road where the greater articulation required at the towball generally rules them out.That said, when it comes to the off-road oriented pin-type DO35 hitch problems off-road can be avoided by ensuring the towball maximum weight of 350kg is not exceeded and that full articulation is maintained.The DO35 can be configured to work with at least two Hayman Reese WDHs.It’s for the same articulation reasons that most WDH manufacturers recommend that you disconnect the WDH when crossing spoon drains or deep gutters and driveways. This is probably the single greatest bug-bear of the whole WDH experience.You’ll often see online forums posing questions about Andersen weight distribution hitch problems, Alko hitch problems, McHitch problems and general questions about all brands including well-known gear such as Hayman Reese.In many cases, the root causes of these problems lie in incorrect use and fitment of the hitch rather than any design or manufacturing flaw, and it’s an absolute fact that correctly and safely using a WDH hitch requires some familiarisation.Which means, of course, that the best weight distribution hitch Australia wide is the one that suits your car and trailer and is the one you know how to use effectively and safely.All the different types and brands use the same basic engineering principles, but a quality brand is crucial in something with the potential to completely change a vehicle’s dynamics. Don’t be afraid to ask question when shopping for a WDH and don’t be surprised if you get a lot of different opinions on the value of such a thing.

As mentioned in last month's report, we wanted to see how the BT-50 performs as a heavy-duty tow vehicle, so as part of our Mazda Genuine Accessories (MGA) installation program we returned to Ringwood Mazda to get the BT-50 kitted out for towing.

A campervan could be your ideal gateway to a world of outdoors fun and adventure travel. Surely, the millions of people around the world who reckon #vanlife is the ultimate way to travel can’t be wrong.

Say you've got about $70,000 and you want a new ute to tow a caravan. Which is best? Well, we've put two impressive offerings up against each other in this comparison review - the Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 and the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain.

Caravans have always held a special place in the hearts of many Australians. These moveable accommodations on wheels have been mainstays of the Great Aussie Holiday for many decades.But nowadays caravans cost a lot of money – they are a huge investment – and even if you did want one they’ve been hard to come by over the past few years due to skyrocketing Covid-related demand and delays in supply.What’s the next best thing to owning your own caravan? Borrowing one from a mate and returning it grotty and banged up? Wrong! The next best thing to owning a caravan is hiring one for however long a period of time you want. Now you can even hire a caravan directly from its owner via what have been dubbed peer-to-peer van sharing services.So, how does that work? Is it easy to do? Is it becoming more popular? How has Covid impacted the popularity of caravan hire? We’ll answer those questions and many more in this yarn.Read on.A caravan is essentially a self-contained house on wheels, replete with kitchen facilities, beds, seating, storage and some even have toilets and showers. In those ways it is similar to a motorhome, but the difference is a motorhome is an all-in-one vehicle-and-accommodation package that is driven as one mobile unit, while a caravan has to be towed behind a separate vehicle.A campervan is also a vehicle-and-accommodation package and it’s driven but it generally has fewer amenities than a caravan – no toilet and shower – and is not as big as a caravan.Camper-trailers are similar to caravans in that they have to be towed, but they do have fewer amenities than a caravan, such as a toilet and shower.Different strokes for different folks.What type of caravan you decide to hire will largely depend on what you want to use it for, where you’re going to take it, the duration of your trip and – gulp – your budget.How many people are you taking on your trip? Will your trip involve off-roading? Are you going off-grid? Are you taking pets? Do you like a bit, or a lot, of luxury?Caravans of all types and sizes are available – everything from two-bed caravans through to 4 berth caravan hire and 8 berth caravan hire – so all you have to do is figure out the logistics of your trip, and hire a caravan to suit your plans.You’ll also have to decide whether you’ll hire a caravan from a commercial operator, or opt for a peer-to-peer van sharing service, such as SHAREaCamper, Camplify, or Camptoo.Camplify, the self-proclaimed “largest and most trusted van sharing platform” in Australia, states that it has “thousands of unique vans available for hire across Australia and a community of over 50,000 holidaymakers”.Same goes for mobs like SHAREaCamper and Camptoo – they all reckon they have plenty of caravans, so sourcing a suitable caravan shouldn’t be a problem.Your caravan options range from pop-top caravans (use your imagination) to static caravans (already on location so you just arrive and use it) to touring caravans, which you’ll tow to your desired location with your vehicle. You can even hire a tow vehicle and the caravan to go with it. There is a caravan for hire to match everyone’s needs.You will no doubt find a caravan seemingly purpose-built precisely for your travels, whether you require off road caravan hire, off the grid caravan hire, pet friendly caravan hire, luxury caravan hire, or your budget only stretches to cheap caravan hire.Most caravan hire companies and peer-to-peer collectives have caravans in pretty much all of the popular locations, so expect to find caravan hire in Perth, caravan hire in Brisbane, caravan hire in Melbourne, caravan hire in Adelaide, caravan hire in Sydney, caravan hire in Tasmania, and caravan hire on the Gold Coast.The duration of the loan may have a minimum period – for instance, two days – but long term rentals can be discussed with the company or the caravan’s individual owner or agent.Working out how to hire a caravan is easy. Commercial operators or peer-to-peer van sharing services have comprehensive online booking systems and it’s simply a case of picking your caravan, selecting your dates, thoroughly reading the terms and conditions of the caravan loan before you pay any money, make sure you’re fully aware of all of the fees involved (more about that in the ‘How much does it cost?’ Section below), and then laying down your cold hard cash – well, punching in your credit card details etc.When you go to collect the caravan, you should run through a thorough caravan checklist with the owner/agent, take photos of the whole unit (inside and out), and make sure the owner gives you the lowdown on any quirks or peculiarities in the operation of the caravan that you need to know about it. Prices vary widely, depending on location and the type of van. Just to give you an idea, we had a look at Camplify and that search indicated that it’s possible to hire a caravan that sleeps six people for from $100 a day in Byron Bay, though average pricing for caravans that sleep five it seemed was around the $150/day mark (at time of writing) in other areas; we saw a two-bedder for $250 a day; and there was a caravan that sleeps six people listed for $500 a day.The age, size and condition of their caravan will determine how much you’ll be charged per day.Also, be aware that peer-to-peer van sharing services tend to charge fees other than the rental cost you will be anticipating. For instance, there may be booking fees (often non-refundable); a security deposit (taken from your credit card prior to the hire period, then released back to you when the van is returned in an owner-approved condition); credit card fees; insurance (as always, the more you pay at the start, the less excess you’re liable for if there’s a claim); and other fees, such as cleaning, any extra kilometres travelled above expected, late fees, and cancellation fees.Yep – on the flip-side of the massive growth in caravan popularity, there is the option for caravan owners to lease their vans out via peer-to-peer van sharing sites, such as Camplify.All you need to do is register an account and your van on any of the reputable websites, upload photos and info about your van (including a description, details of onboard facilities and any restrictions you want imposed on the caravan loan) … and then away you go.Be warned: there are numerous terms and conditions and a stack of contract-related stuff you must read through and understand before you hire your caravan, so you know where you stand in regards to loans, payment and how damage claims or disputes are dealt with by the company involved.

When you think about it, using a car or four-wheel drive to tow a trailer much bigger than a standard box trailer is really asking a lot of the car’s design and engineering. 

The VW Caddy California Maxi is the new compact camper van set to tap into the global appeal of #vanlife.Even though this kind of vehicle isn't a camper in the strictest of terms - it lacks everything beyond a bed - that hasn't fazed any owners of camper vans, or compact camper vans, or even those who are enamoured with the idea of car camping, more so than ever actually doing it.

The VW Crafter Kampervan is a big new van built with Jayco expertise!