16' Series To Outback or Touring?
- Thread starter mime_perth
- Start date
At least I'm not alone with the thought @Ssil2000 , nothing worse that banging noggen on stuff.........
Yeah Crusty weve had a bit of a go at touring around - gets entertaining sometimes when we'd pull into a camp site when we had the Dove and you get a few old hands coming over to impart their wisdom of 3 weeks camping in the Big 4 caravan park after a few mid strengths - my wife would go inside the van a p!ss herself laughing when Id wind them up and ask a few silly questions! And thanks I was pretty chuffed with myself when I finally finished building her - and even more chuffed when we got back and didnt have one screw come out, not a single interior item break or fall off - not bad after 30,000 odd kms! But lesson learnt - dont make modifications to a suspenson system on the road with a company that doesnt specialise in motorhomes/buses, when all it really needed was some new rubbers in the main rear leaf bushes!
Great point - I discovered this last night when wiring in the brake controller on the Colorado - coming from a Hyundai Santa Fe - man it was easy to lay underneath it to run the cables....and a full chassis to cable tie cables to!!
We finished a 14mth lap in Jan .... good fun, hey? Any snaps of the inside of the motor home?
All this talk about "rolling the axle(s)". That is a not recommended, i'm sure, but under slinging the axle(s) gives 100 mm extra clearance and is easy as many have suggested and Jayco offer it at delivery. The other thing that Outback gives you is a decent rear bumper bar, ideal for relocating spare and adding jerry can holder(s). Obviously you need to consider weight equalization if doing this.
Crusty I'll dig some out as yes I do have some just not on the blog. I actually found it back up for sale and in Bendigo...looking a little more sad and tired than when we last had her though
Well thanks for all the advice - we ended up pulling the trigger on a 2006 outback ensuite 16 foot van! It was within our budget and has been looked after like a baby, in true WA 3 degrees of separation the previous owner knows my best mate and his dad and was incredibly honest and helpful pointing out every (very minor and few) blemish or thing he has found or changed etc but also showed me every brand of polish/cleaning product/wax he has used to keep it looking brand new over his 10 years of ownership! We couldn't be happier - haven't spent a real night away in her yet but I'm writing this from the front bed in our driveway!
Thanks again and you'll be sure to see me on here more I'm sure as we really got into this Expanda life!
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@Boots in Action @Drover @bigcol I have the 17 Colorado with the Duramax Diesel (I don't know if it's an Isuzu engine or a Chev/GMH) but it tows the van easily. Had to toe the van back from down south and did around 300km of towing and it handled it with ease, even in 6th it took on hills, in auto mode it seemed reluctant to change down a cog and relied on torque to get us over a hill.
Must say I'm pretty impressed with it. Certainly feel comfortable towing the panda with the Colorado.
Must say I'm pretty impressed with it. Certainly feel comfortable towing the panda with the Colorado.
The cup holders more than make up for the noisy old Italian tractor motor in the RG Colorado......................sounds like youv'e found a good'un @mime_perth a looked after older van is often a gem, bugs worked out and some wonderful mods all done and they can still be like new or better...........look forward to more news and I enjoyed your blog and actually may have seen you on the road had clocked up a couple of thousand km's in one on a big tour, used to think about how to mod one, I reckon they were a better rig than a Coaster, so they always caught my eye.
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I have not unslung my axle on the Panda, hower for @mime_perth ; make sure you consider the annex (if you have one with the new van). If you raise the height of the van your annex maybe too short and you may need extensions all round.
Well I ended up with an Outback model so for me the ground clearance is more than sufficient with the axle as it is now - maybe even a touch high as it has some pretty decent tyres on it!
Had a quick look at the annex - cant yet decide if it will live in the van or at home for those times we know we will need it?!
One question I do have is do you all store with the pop-top up or down? I see lots of caravans around me in driveways with the top up? Seems a bit strange to me as I thought theyd be more water tight with them down but maybe it has to do with the vinyl being flat and not creased?
Had a quick look at the annex - cant yet decide if it will live in the van or at home for those times we know we will need it?!
One question I do have is do you all store with the pop-top up or down? I see lots of caravans around me in driveways with the top up? Seems a bit strange to me as I thought theyd be more water tight with them down but maybe it has to do with the vinyl being flat and not creased?
Hi @ mime_perth, with an Outback, there is no need to have the axle position changed as they are designed for greater clearance usually. I assume that the wheels are independently sprung so there is no beam axle. Not really familiar with your model van, but I am sure you will get expert advice from someone on this forum. Changing the axle around so that it is BELOW the leaf springs (instead of attaching it ABOVE) does give more body clearance with a beam axle type. Good luck with your van. I think that pop tops left up are for airflow and internal temperature reduction, but once again, there will be some expert advice from those who have been there and done that!!
depends on where and how you store it @mime_perth
as you well know, we have had the hottest Nov for a long time (also the most rain for a long time) so if you are storing your Van outside in the weather - yes having the pop top up with the windows open will help it not to reach upwards of 50*+ inside
I store ours under the back patio, and only have it out when getting ready to go away, or unpacking when we get home - so sometime the roof goes up, most times no
with our annex - depending on when we go, and where we are going, and for how long will determine if the annex is in the Van
generally leave the two ends in the Van, and only take one of the sides if for longer than 3 days, take both side pieces for more than 5 days
as you well know, we have had the hottest Nov for a long time (also the most rain for a long time) so if you are storing your Van outside in the weather - yes having the pop top up with the windows open will help it not to reach upwards of 50*+ inside
I store ours under the back patio, and only have it out when getting ready to go away, or unpacking when we get home - so sometime the roof goes up, most times no
with our annex - depending on when we go, and where we are going, and for how long will determine if the annex is in the Van
generally leave the two ends in the Van, and only take one of the sides if for longer than 3 days, take both side pieces for more than 5 days