17' Series options

[Bonners]

Hi to all,
a great deal of expertise on this site.
We have been researching which van and which tow to purchase and have come to : 17.55.5Sh OB and a near new Ford Territory AWD diesel.
Can someone give me say their top 5-10 options i should include on the van and in relation to the territory the ford dealer is talking about electric brakes - is this needed as we have not towed a van before.
Looking forward to advice
Geoff

 

[Lara]

Hi Geoff,
You must be a night owl like me!
Which model were you looking at? There's the 17.56-1 OB or the 17.56-2 OB. Main difference being the 17.56-2 has internal hower and toilet.
I'm also new to the forum, but love all the help and advice you get here.
We bought our 16.49-1 OB Expanda used, so didn't have the option to have things factory fitted. Great idea getting some advice from others before you sign on the dotted line. I'm loving the outback, great to have the extra clearance.

Everyone has different needs etc, but for me if ordering new I would have
1. Air con.
2. Awning and annexe.
3. Shelves in the robe, instead of hanging space.
4. Solar, or at least have Jayco Pre wire for solar so you can install down the track.
5. Have install TV or at least have them strengthen the wall for TV bracket in the future.
6. A few more power points would be handy.

As far as the brakes go, Yes you will need electric brakes. You could have the dealer install or any auto electrician. If your like me, DIY electrics isn't an option and should be left to the professionals. We have the Hayman Reece brake controller but I'm not a fan. After reading many posts on this site we are going to change over to the Tekonsha Prodigy P3. Have only read good things so far and from what I understand it is motion sensing and compatible with the Alko brakes on the Expandas.

Good luck with the purchase. Very exciting time for you!
Lara.

 

[Bonners]

thx Lara

Thanks for those suggestions Lara, will investigate those barkes.
Its a PopTop discovery, with double and two bunks.
Geoff

Hi Geoff,
You must be a night owl like me!
Which model were you looking at? There's the 17.56-1 OB or the 17.56-2 OB. Main difference being the 17.56-2 has internal hower and toilet.
I'm also new to the forum, but love all the help and advice you get here.
We bought our 16.49-1 OB Expanda used, so didn't have the option to have things factory fitted. Great idea getting some advice from others before you sign on the dotted line. I'm loving the outback, great to have the extra clearance.

Everyone has different needs etc, but for me if ordering new I would have
1. Air con.
2. Awning and annexe.
3. Shelves in the robe, instead of hanging space.
4. Solar, or at least have Jayco Pre wire for solar so you can install down the track.
5. Have install TV or at least have them strengthen the wall for TV bracket in the future.
6. A few more power points would be handy.

As far as the brakes go, Yes you will need electric brakes. You could have the dealer install or any auto electrician. If your like me, DIY electrics isn't an option and should be left to the professionals. We have the Hayman Reece brake controller but I'm not a fan. After reading many posts on this site we are going to change over to the Tekonsha Prodigy P3. Have only read good things so far and from what I understand it is motion sensing and compatible with the Alko brakes on the Expandas.

Good luck with the purchase. Very exciting time for you!
Lara.

 

[fishinglizard]

ive got the 17.55.5 sh the only thing I would suggest is that if you have the cd/dvd/mp3 player installed have them put the speakers under the front 2 seater couch, they put my internal speakers under the bed which is ok when I listen to the radio, but if the kids are watching a dvd at bed time and i am laying on bed reading you have to have the volume to loud for the kids to here it.(only video is wired to tv, may have to look into this and change it) If you search for pictures you should find some and youll see what I mean. If you dont get the bigger fridge and you get the microwave above the fridge the side of the cupboard was already fitted for but not with a tv bracket. I put it in myself. I opted not to get air conditioner, (i dont like air conditioning). The only thing I regret not getting was the outside tv connections. (if I get an annex later) but I dont like annexes either so that will probably not happen. Other than those 2 minor things it a cracker and we all love it. I think alot of people get put off buy the shape of the bed in the picture, I am 182cm tall and fit no problem, I wouldnt like to be 200cm tall and try and get in it, and we have heeps of empty cupboards after moving the things from the old hawk camper into it.

Lizard

 

[Burnsy]

G'day gboni, I'll add one to the list.....battery pack very handy and worth while!

Cheers.

 

[fishinglizard]

I have one of those yeah get that too.

 

[Bonners]

Thanks for that advice FL, Burnsey ang Lara. was out at Jayco Syd today looking and getting quote( trying to screw em down ) good thing is theyre the new models. Optedfor upgraded roof a/c , aerial, tvdvd, battery, picnic table and radio cd . Will get annex eventually. havent signed on the dottedline so will investigate external tv point. Good point about speaker location.
He recommended their electric brake setup aN energiser 3 (pendular) any thoughts on that?
cheers
geoff

 

[Burnsy]

Energizer 3? Haven't heard of that one so can't comment, but the tekonsha3 is awesome!

Cheers.

 

[Bonners]

just reading about brakecontollers burnsey and that one seems to be the one to go for.

 

[MastoCamper]

Hi Geoff,
Brake controller would be the first priority before any other, (I would call this a necessity not a mod),
Love my Terra and how well it tows, but still notice the difference between towing a Flamingo camper with brakes, and a 4.5m alloy runabout half the weight, the boat (no brakes) never swayed but did put the car in a skid when I had to stop suddenly, never had that issue with the van,

Next would be WDS (Weight Distribution Systems),

And because I love my music, a decent Stereo/DVD head unit with zoning, installed one in the Flamingo, upgrading with the Panda, great if you want to entertain the kids with a DVD and have music playing outside, no need for TV/DVD combo which open up the options, (I’ll post my step by step installation, if anyone is interested),

Annex and flooring (dense shade clothe stitched to size from anywhere but an RV outlet) eyelets are very easy to add,
If you do extended stays, a Veranda and wind break,

LED lighting throughout,

4 large plastic cutting boards from $2 shop (for under corner jacks) idea from other thread, love it,

Most of these are add-ons after purchase,

Oh, and don’t forget the cold beer for arrival and setup, it’s all about priorities,

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Capt. Gadget]

After swapping from a Hayman Reece controller to the Tenkonsha ,mine is the P2, the difference is unbelievable, my biggest sook with the Hayman Reece was you would have it turned up out on the highway and when going through a town at slow speed you would touch the brakes and almost get whiplash, now that I have the tekonsha it knows how hard you are braking and only applies enough brake to pull you up gently in town and more than enough to pull you up at speed on the highway. As for mods don't get Jayco to do too many or you will have nothing to do on the weekends that you arent away in the Van. haha!!

 

[Lara]

Hi Geoff,
Just wanted to add one more....
I would get the option for the largest fridge, even if that means sacrificing a bit of bench space. Especially if traveling with the family. And yes, Burnsey is on the money with the battery pack too.
Good luck with the purchase, let us know how you go!
Lara.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Yep agree with Lara a bigger fridge is something I regret not getting

 

[Stan Lee]

Have u considered a transmission cooler for your car mate ???

 

[Bonners]

Thx for that Mike
kids are teenagers so theyre self sufficient with technology - ipads, laptops etc. like that idea of the cutting board under the jacks - clever cheap and i can use the dodgy one s in kitchen. Annex will be add on when budget allows. nothin cheap in the RV shops. Good to hear that the terri tows well.
Geoff

 

[Bonners]

hi lara looked at large fridge yesterday at syd jayco, but it means microwave down low and crook back wont cope with too much bending.

 

[Bonners]

on list burnsy

G'day gboni, I'll add one to the list.....battery pack very handy and worth while!

Cheers.

 

[Bonners]

thx for that Grant, web research backs up what u think that the Tenkonsha is the one to get. no time for anything but mowing at momement with all this rain.

After swapping from a Hayman Reece controller to the Tenkonsha ,mine is the P2, the difference is unbelievable, my biggest sook with the Hayman Reece was you would have it turned up out on the highway and when going through a town at slow speed you would touch the brakes and almost get whiplash, now that I have the tekonsha it knows how hard you are braking and only applies enough brake to pull you up gently in town and more than enough to pull you up at speed on the highway. As for mods don't get Jayco to do too many or you will have nothing to do on the weekends that you arent away in the Van. haha!!

 

[Lara]

Yep, I'm with Grant, can't wait to get rid of our Hayman Reece brake controller. Pain in the neck constantly adjusting the brake settings while driving, the things got a mind of its own.
With the fridge, gotta look after your back, but get the largest you can that still allows the microwave to be above it.