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  • john_char
    Valued Member
    • Jun 2007
    • 439
    • Perth - Not far north of the River

    Camper Trailer

    Hi all,

    The time has come for us to bight the bullet and get a camper trailer. Now, as with everyone else in this world, money is limited, so will only be spending roughly $6000 for the camper trailer total.

    One model that looks the goods is the Kangaroo Tent city Camper 12. Anyone had anything to do with this?

    We will be ordering the camper trailer in a week or so. So it gives me time to get it fully set up for the next camping season.

    Also, if anyone has one for sale, might be interested in that side of things.

    Thanx in Advance

    John
    Have a Gunmetal Grey NS V6 Exceed. Already raised with lovells, Poly airs, Colour coded ARB bullbar, Sidewinder Dual Batteries, WAECO CF50.... Just moved to Perth, wife and 2 girls and a bloody big boy dog.

    Build Racing bikes in my spare time - check out the link: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f120/
  • Pdiddy
    Member
    • Jun 2007
    • 86
    • Brisbane

    #2
    John,
    I will be purchasing one too very soon and experienced the dilemma of what to get.I have looked at a lot of new and second had ones I'm 99% sure now that I'm going to get a heavy duty off road galvanised trailer made to my specs - which was quoted at $3thou then get the oztrail camper 9' top for $2thou.
    My local camping hire store owner whom I know fairly well has now trialled the oztrail tops on a few of his hire camper trailers and is very happy with the quality of them - he also makes his own tops.
    04 GLS Auto DID,ARB bar, Bilstein/Lovells,stedi 240 w light bar, DPchip, Cargo Barrier, dual batts, etc

    Comment

    • john_char
      Valued Member
      • Jun 2007
      • 439
      • Perth - Not far north of the River

      #3
      I agree that the Oztrail tops are pretty good. What are you doing to have the trailer to your liking? I'm interested as I know bugger all about trailers, especially the off-road type?
      Have a Gunmetal Grey NS V6 Exceed. Already raised with lovells, Poly airs, Colour coded ARB bullbar, Sidewinder Dual Batteries, WAECO CF50.... Just moved to Perth, wife and 2 girls and a bloody big boy dog.

      Build Racing bikes in my spare time - check out the link: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f120/

      Comment

      • Pdiddy
        Member
        • Jun 2007
        • 86
        • Brisbane

        #4
        John,
        The camper will spend the majority of its trips up the beach so galvanised was a must for me. A lot of the brand named ones I looked at were just painted black steel which for my intended use would eventually rust. The components for that price are heavier duty ? being: 7? x 4?x 460mm, 45mm axle; 7 leaf rebound greaseable shackle springs; 2m draw bar with hyland articulated hitch; landcruiser hubs; 16? sunraysia wheels; falcon slimline bearings; 2x jerry and 1 x 4.5gas holders. Wind down legs; swing out sealed tailgate. Vertical mounted spare. ? reg?d onroad

        As far as add on extras, at this stage ? none. His prices for add on kitchen, 80litre underslung water tank etc are very reasonable but I already have stove stands, water jerries and other gear so I?ll try it basic at first. He mentioned you could even buy something like a gal. tool box from supercheap and with attached brackets hang over tailgate on its side and fashion your own kitchen.

        The oztrail 9? camper kits come with twin struts for easy access when packed and when erected a large strutted port under the mattress to gain access into the trailer.

        Bottom line for me was for $5? you have a new setup. ? You could buy brand name ones for a little dearer but their components were very light duty .

        Ian
        04 GLS Auto DID,ARB bar, Bilstein/Lovells,stedi 240 w light bar, DPchip, Cargo Barrier, dual batts, etc

        Comment

        • Rusty
          Senior Member
          • Jun 2007
          • 267
          • Victoria, Australia

          #5
          G'day John
          Have you tried this forum for info on campers? Great site.

          Rusty
          2012 NW Platinum 2 in cool silver. Armour tint all round. Hayman Reese heavy duty hitch. Spare wheel lift. ARB heavy duty suspension with lift. Long Range Automotive auxiliary 81 litre fuel tank. Piranha dual battery set up. Battery World second battery. GME TX 3540 UHF.
          Concept caravan, Autofridge 40L Fridge, Waeco CF18 Fridge/Freezer,
          2008 CJ Lancer VR Sportsback with a few little extras

          Comment

          • mr_grumble
            Member
            • Jun 2007
            • 220
            • Central Coast, NSW

            #6
            For anyone who is thinking about the camper 12 option, there's a few things that REALLY should be considered first.
            I've purchased mine and although Im happy with it, there are a few SERIOUS under-designed parts to it which unless paid attention to WILL cause early failure.

            I have pics of our setup if anyone would like to see, we custom made our trailer to suit the attaching of the camptop, something I cannot stress enough as the standard fixing brackets supplied are CRAP.

            Don't get me wrong, I do like the camptop, but to supply as cheap as they did, they had to cut corners, corners which really need seing too before you go using one, mostly to do with the ply base ! The fixes are easily done,

            Id suggest throwing the two gas struts supplied away, used as the instructions show will severly limit internal space etc for kitchens. Mount them any other way and they will likely snap the hinges off the camptop and tear themselves out of the ply base as ours nearly did !
            There are other options to gaining access other than lifting the bloody thing up, and I am glad we took the options, gave us a much better setup in the end

            Once rectified, the Camper 12 would be a camptop to compete with the big brands !

            More info, let me know, happy to share.
            Last edited by mr_grumble; 10-07-07, 08:21 AM.
            "Percussive Maintenance : The fine art of whacking the crap out of something to get it to work again"

            Comment

            • Pdiddy
              Member
              • Jun 2007
              • 86
              • Brisbane

              #7
              Grumble
              I'am keen to know what fixes are involved. I was only considering the camper 9 but its only about 12kg lighter than the 12. Please post or PM your fixes if possible - would be much appreciated.
              Thanks
              04 GLS Auto DID,ARB bar, Bilstein/Lovells,stedi 240 w light bar, DPchip, Cargo Barrier, dual batts, etc

              Comment

              • john_char
                Valued Member
                • Jun 2007
                • 439
                • Perth - Not far north of the River

                #8
                I would love to see some photos of the probs, will be ordering my Camper 12 in about a week, so it would be good to know. We have settled on the camper 12 as the extra room inside would be great for our family and the extra cost isn't really all that much.

                John
                Have a Gunmetal Grey NS V6 Exceed. Already raised with lovells, Poly airs, Colour coded ARB bullbar, Sidewinder Dual Batteries, WAECO CF50.... Just moved to Perth, wife and 2 girls and a bloody big boy dog.

                Build Racing bikes in my spare time - check out the link: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f120/

                Comment

                • mr_grumble
                  Member
                  • Jun 2007
                  • 220
                  • Central Coast, NSW

                  #9
                  Sure, no probs, probably won't be till tonight.

                  The main problems as I said were the ply base and the mounting hardware.

                  The problem with the ply floor is that it will overhang the box section of the trailer by about 300mm. It's this 300mm overhang that you will sit your bum on when getting in and out of the bed, and if your a big guy like myself (or even of average build !), it won't take long to either bend ot break the overhanging base.
                  The fix in a nutshell, 3 x 12mm stainless steel turnbuckles which attach, one end to the underside of the ply base (one at front, one at mid and one at rear) and the other end to the trailer guards (helps if you have the guards that run from front to back that the jerrycans and gas bottles sit on.) This way that whole side is re-enforced and if necessary can be removed if your lifting the base up.

                  The mounting hardware that is supplied is crap.
                  If your having your trailers made, get brackets welded to the trailer to support the latch and hinges before it goes to gal. The supplied garbage is meant to be screwed to the wall of the trailer, not all that bright when you think each of the gas struts supplied will exert in excess of 250kg of force each ! I wouldn't recommend actually installing the gas struts anyway, I'll post the reasons why later.

                  I have lots of photo's of both my designs and that of pre-made campers using the camper 12 as well as CAD drawings of a few tricky areas I've had to re-design, most welcome to them, I'll post what I can when I get the chance

                  An example of their 'recommended' method of attachment !


                  The project so far.....


                  Last edited by mr_grumble; 10-07-07, 02:26 PM.
                  "Percussive Maintenance : The fine art of whacking the crap out of something to get it to work again"

                  Comment

                  • john_char
                    Valued Member
                    • Jun 2007
                    • 439
                    • Perth - Not far north of the River

                    #10
                    There are some great ideas in those mods Grumble. You mind if I use some of them on my trailer? Where did you get the water tank from?

                    Unfortunately, my budget doesn't stretch to gal-ing my trailer, so I will just have to look after it pretty well, it will be in the garage most of the time. I'm getting the upright spare holder and rear drop down shelf as options and maybe an addition gas bottle holder.

                    So is yours a camper 12?
                    Is it easy to take the top off the trailer to use as a normal one?

                    Look forward to seeing some more photos soon
                    Have a Gunmetal Grey NS V6 Exceed. Already raised with lovells, Poly airs, Colour coded ARB bullbar, Sidewinder Dual Batteries, WAECO CF50.... Just moved to Perth, wife and 2 girls and a bloody big boy dog.

                    Build Racing bikes in my spare time - check out the link: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f120/

                    Comment

                    • mr_grumble
                      Member
                      • Jun 2007
                      • 220
                      • Central Coast, NSW

                      #11
                      Unfortunately, the picture files I copied onto CD early this morning didn't seem to work

                      Anyway, the water tank is a CAMEL 65L, can get them at most caravan accessory outlets (do a search on CAMEC and there should be an online catalogue). Was $280 from memory (Caravan Accessories, Kogarah) and the best thing about them is that they are a heavy duty poly type so not further stone guards are necessary. My advice is if your looking at one of these, when you get your trailer made, get them to weld the chasis cross-members the same distance apart as the mounting holes of the tank, that way it should bolt straight on. The cross members on my trailer were about 50mm too far apart so the tank had to be installed onto 50mm angle brackets, then onto the chasss.
                      Also need to consider the weight distribution of the trailer too, 65L of water will be 65kg which will affect the ball weight of the trailer, so careful placement is required. I put mine just behind the axle, this way it counteracts the additional weight that I have placed on the drawbar.

                      My last trailer wasn't galvanised, and that virtually rusted away in 7 years (it was out in the weather though). Galvanising was one thing that I wasn't going to miss this time, for the additional $750 I think it's well worth the investment. Only downside is that its very difficult to weld anything else to the trailer afterwards, even if you grind the galvanised coating off, seems the zinc still penetrates the steel mking the weld dodgy. The trick is, is to have everything you needede welded, on the trailer before galvanising, not an easy task, there's always something that gets left off

                      When most of the trailer manufacturers 'paint' a trailer, it is almost always without primer etc, just a topcoat of hammerfinish on bare metal, looks great when new, but get just one rain shower on sit and it starts turning orange very rapidly and it's all downhill from there

                      As for removing the camptop, its only attached by two latches on one side and two hinges on the other, the problem is that it (camper 12) weighs about 150kg and without at least 3 heafty guys, lifting the top off can be interesting ............... but possible

                      I don't know where you are looking for the camper 12, they seem to be predominantly at Kangeroo Tent City outlets, but price wise, they're top dollar. Have a look on ebay, there's a guy (amonst a few) that sell these online for substancially less (from memory around the $1k less !!!), he's in Brisbane and is actually the national distributor. We had his price and was ready to buy when my missus went down to the local BCF and got them to price match (freight additional), so we went with them instead.

                      Can also remommend the optiopnal canvas sunroom which attaches to the awning to give an additional room, from memory it's an additional $300.

                      Keep in mind what sort of use the trailer will be used for. Is it onroad, soft-offroad or OFFroad. ?
                      The way each of the trailers are built is dramatically different in make-up and price.

                      If it to be offroad, then full tube chassis is a must (as opposed to right angle cross members). Spring setup, axle profile and size, hub size, wheel size etc. The price difference between an on-road and off road setup will be approx $1000-$1500.

                      I went and checked out lots of trailer manufacturers and settled for a guy in Sth Sydney, SALES Trailers who was happy to make a custom job and had a few good suggestions.

                      Will try to get pics later.

                      Cheers,

                      Steve
                      "Percussive Maintenance : The fine art of whacking the crap out of something to get it to work again"

                      Comment

                      • simoncurly
                        Member
                        • Jul 2007
                        • 243
                        • Adelaide SA

                        #12
                        Originally posted by john_char View Post
                        There are some great ideas in those mods Grumble. You mind if I use some of them on my trailer?
                        Yeah should be more of this sharing of ideas .. When you are a newbie like me buying a camper trailer can make your head spin especially when you spend a day at the show looking at 35 different types. Unless you have done a lot of campertrailering before you don't know how much emphasis to put on the features/designs available for a camper. In my case i am moving up from swagging for several years and before that tenting.
                        Anyway i bit the bullet and bought one and am in the process of adding a few extras before the maiden voyage. No doubt a few good trips will see me knowing whether i bought the right one.

                        cheers Simon

                        Comment

                        • Pdiddy
                          Member
                          • Jun 2007
                          • 86
                          • Brisbane

                          #13
                          Steve,
                          Did you do away with the struts altogether? I like the idea of lifting up the whole shebang when packing/unpacking whereby entrance only thru rear tailgate is not as easy. There is will only be two of us so only considering the 9ft which is supposed to be 135kg.The basic 12' is 147kg. Without struts is lifting a major feat. I will have to have a closer look at the hire one when it comes back in re the overhang etc. Thanks for the helpful info
                          Ian
                          04 GLS Auto DID,ARB bar, Bilstein/Lovells,stedi 240 w light bar, DPchip, Cargo Barrier, dual batts, etc

                          Comment

                          • john_char
                            Valued Member
                            • Jun 2007
                            • 439
                            • Perth - Not far north of the River

                            #14
                            I agree with the sharing of ideas. Even the smallest, most trivial thing might be of huge interest to someone else. I wouldn't have guessed that someone else would be looking at getting a camper trailer and was considering the same one as me.

                            I'm still trying to sort out exactly what the final configuration will be, it would really help if I could see a camper 12 in the flesh, but there doesn't seem to be any at any of the shops in or around Sydney, anyone out there seen any? Also, would it be better to get a trailer made somewhere else......

                            Geez, decisions decisions.....
                            Have a Gunmetal Grey NS V6 Exceed. Already raised with lovells, Poly airs, Colour coded ARB bullbar, Sidewinder Dual Batteries, WAECO CF50.... Just moved to Perth, wife and 2 girls and a bloody big boy dog.

                            Build Racing bikes in my spare time - check out the link: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/f120/

                            Comment

                            • mr_grumble
                              Member
                              • Jun 2007
                              • 220
                              • Central Coast, NSW

                              #15
                              Originally posted by john_char View Post
                              it would really help if I could see a camper 12 in the flesh, but there doesn't seem to be any at any of the shops in or around Sydney, anyone out there seen any? Also, would it be better to get a trailer made somewhere else......

                              Geez, decisions decisions.....
                              There is a camper 9 setup at Kangeroo Tent City at Tuggarah, I used this one quite a bit to get ideas when designing my trailer.

                              Kangeroo Tent City do do a package deal which is everything, trailer and camptop but in it's standard form probably would be suitable for soft roading. It is upgradable and the price isn't too bad, somewhere between 5-6k, but same applies, watch the mounting hardware. The pics of the 'not how to do it's' that I posted earlier was from the Tugarah outlet.



                              I see your in Newcastle, if you want to have a look before you buy, give us a yell and I can get it out as I'm a bit south at Kariong.
                              Last edited by mr_grumble; 12-07-07, 01:17 PM.
                              "Percussive Maintenance : The fine art of whacking the crap out of something to get it to work again"

                              Comment

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