When purchasing a vehicle and a camper it is usually a compromise, as very rarely, does something purchased straight 'off the shelf' suit your intended needs exactly.
This blog update covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of my purchases and the modifications I have made to make both Ute and Camper more suitable for MY needs.
The Ute........
In September 2012 I purchased a V200 Turbo diesel, 6 speed manual Great Wall single cab ute.
Next week it goes in for a 30,000K service, needless to say it hasn't been still for long.
After most of my friends finished laughing, I explained that a saving of $13,000 over a Hilux Workmate would buy a lot of diesel.............
The Dealer Network....
My contact with the Great Wall Dealer network has been mixed, on the way to Queensland during late October 2012, the engine check light came on and performance dropped.
the fault was a failed EGR valve, and when it was eventually replaced the problem was solved.
The second problem was a blown Turbo Induction Hose which was promptly replaced.
The third problem was a "groaning" power steering pump, which was replaced promptly but unfortunately is happening again. I am told by my local Dealer that a modified pump is being developed, and mine will be replaced again when the modified part becomes available.
As Great Wall is not the main breadwinner at most Dealerships you tend to be treated a bit 'second class'
My worst experience was with the Dealer in Queensland (very close to where I purchased the Camper).............if there was a word below abismal, then that would be them.............I worked in the Industry for 23 years and it was the worst service I have EVER experienced. Even my letter of complaint to the General Manager was ignored.
On the other hand I have had excellent service in Newcastle (who finally fixed the problem Queensland didn't) and my local Dealer in Morwell, has so far been more than helpful.
The Vehicle.....
The questions everyone seems to ask?
I am led to believe the Vehicle is based on the RA model Holden Rodeo (most body parts, interior parts and running gear)
the motor is a 2 litre turbo intercooled diesel (Great Wall design from Hyundia/Kia origins)
Gearbox is a 6 speed manual.
I am getting 8-9 l/100k empty with mixed town/country driving, with the camper on the back I am getting 9-10 l/100k at lower speeds (60-70kph dirt roads and backroads) and 11-12 l/100k at highway speeds 90-110kph
The vehicle remains basically standard, no suspension modifications required for camper. A Redarc Battery isolator has been fitted so the vehicle charges the Camper battery when driving but isolates it when camped.
For's.....
fuel economy
price
comfortable seating
good to drive
good low range gearing
good ride with camper on
Against.....
low ground clearance
some very poor Dealer Service
some initial teething problems
Expensive servicing costs
rough ride without camper
Conclusion.....
a bit more power would be nice, and a bit more ground clearance would be good too, but a $13,000 saving in my pocket compensates somewhat when I am changing back a gear or two on the hills.
The good - most things
The bad - not much
The ugly - a Certain Great Wall Dealer on the Fraser Coast in Queensland.
The Camper.........
At the beginning of November 2012 I drove to Hervey Bay in Queensland to pick up my Palomino Bronco B600 Slide on Camper from Palomino RV Australia.
As mentioned previously, not every product suits every persons needs exactly and most things are a compromise of some sort.
When I initially spoke to Kevin at PaIomino I questioned whether the Camper could handle rough stuff, as I intend to travel to a lot of out of the way places......let me tell you, I have just completed 4000k of blacktop and 1100k of dirt roads tracks and corrugations..............nothing fell off, nothing broke, everything still works. This combined with the numerous trips I have completed around Victoria and the High Country has confirmed to me I have made a good purchase.
The fact is, I enjoy the camper so much I don't want to come home, after completing the Painted Desert in South Australia, the Oodnadatta Track, Flinders Ranges and the Darling River Run through Pooncarie and Menindee in the last few weeks I could have quite happily and confidently taken off to the Gulf after restocking the Larder.
The B600 comes pretty close to suiting my particular needs, but I have done some minor modifications just to make life a little easier.
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| Camper fitting day |
The Camper included (at the time of my Purchase) 9ft Dometic Awning, 120amp battery, Gas Heater, stainless flush fitting stove and sink, remote control sound system and a Wineguard Antenna.
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| stainless sink and stove |
The service received from Kevin and Tania at Palomino RV Australia exceeded my expectations.
During the 3 week trip back to Victoria it wasn't long before one thing came to my attention, no screen door.........this was easily fixed with a visit to Bunnings and $4.95.
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| Fly strips |
Most of my trips involve dirt roads of some sort so next issue was dust. Dust was being sucked into the camper through the (Legally Required) vent in the door. After a bit of head scratching a simple solution to this problem was reached.
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| Velcro cover over vent |
The B600 comes with absorption 3 way Fridge only (no freezer) so on any trips over a few days I take along my Waeco 31 litre Fridge/Freezer, running the Dometic 3 way fridge on gas when camped and letting the Waeco run off the 120amp Camper battery. This is usually ok for a day or two depending on the temperature outside, before the battery starts to get low from the Waeco.
To enable the ability of extended stays I have purchased 200W fold up Solar Panels. These replenish the battery in hardly any time at all. I currently store these on top of the bed during travel and stand in the doorway at night. I am exploring the option of a wooden box custom made under the tray of the ute to slide the panels into.
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| 200 watt folding solar panels |
This 12 volt outdoor socket is extremely handy, I also use it to plug my 12 volt shower into and also my outside 12 volt flouro floodlight.
This setup enables me to fill the freezer, plug in the solar and sit somewhere as long as the sun shines without having to rely on electricity from the mains.
The standard Dometic 3 way camper fridge struggles a bit in hot weather, as do all absorption fridges.
With the intention in coming years to spend all my time in hot weather (chasing the sun) I started to look at my options to improve efficiency of the fridge.
First step was to place a circulation fan inside the fridge. This cost $28 from Award RV in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne. It runs on 2 'D' cell batteries, which are supposed to last about 2 weeks running 24/7.
I have had about 3 weeks use out of mine so far and still going strong on the same D cells.
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| circulating fan for inside fridge |
I had already purchased another solution as well from Award RV, so I decided to install that as well.
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| solar fan - rear of fridge |
It also works on overcast days so I suspect it works on ultra violet.(cost $65 from memory)
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| solar panel for fan glued to roof |
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| rear of fridge with vent cover removed |
Now back at home I am looking for a small on/off switch to install so that I can turn the solar fan off when it gets too cold.
Not knowing the level of battery power I had left was concerning me, and I had at times pulled out the Solar Panels only to find I had plenty of battery power left.
To solve this problem I fitted a battery monitor. Whilst installing this I also fitted an additional 12V socket inside giving me 2 power sockets inside now. I found that if I had the Waeco plugged in I had no where to charge my phone.
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| additional power socket and battery monitor |
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| GVA flat screen 12V TV |
My 12v power lead for my rechargable battery charger (for my camera) plugs straight into the TV. It runs beautifully on 12Volts from the power socket and seems pretty easy on power consumption. I can now free camp and bush camp and as long as I can receive a signal watch TV too.
Now back to the camper overall.......
For's.......
light weight
compact size
durability
comfort
ease of setting up
gas heater
Against.......
windy nights (rocking on vehicle suspension can be stopped by lowering a couple of legs)
some small dust entry
only 40 litres of water storage.
Conclusion.....
On my way home from picking up the Camper I realised that I should have had a rear awning fitted also, on wet days it would be good to have some shelter to remove shoes before heading inside. Next time I am up that way I will probably get one fitted.
Some of the Finish could be a little better inside with some of the timber but this is only minor. it's tough and I would prefer tough to pretty.
Would I buy it again?......HELL YEH!!
The Good - I love it all
The Bad - very little
The Ugly - none
The Complete Package.......
How they go together...........
To spend extended time on the road, and living long term several more issues need to be addressed.
Washing Machine
On this last trip I trialled my washing machine, Caravan Park washers and driers are pretty expensive, not to mention the time spent waiting for the wash to finish and the cost of staying in the park on top of that............I want to eventually spend a lot of time away from civilisation, so some form of clothes washing needed to be developed. Either that, or don't wear any clothes...haha.
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| the washing machine |
Next issue, with only 40 litres of water and 70 litres of diesel I am not going to get far in arid and isolated areas.
Last year on the Gibb River Road I heard stories of people having to wait several days until the next fuel arrived by truck, as the roadhouse had run out of fuel.
I started thinking tanks under the tray?, poly pipe under the tray? What do I do?
My nephew put me onto another line of thinking. He has a Hilux, and has a 55 litre water bladder behind the rear seat of his dual cab. I loaned this from him for my trip to outback South Australia, and was impressed with the results.
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| water filler behind seat |
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| flop hose out the door and bingo 55 litres of water on tap |
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| 160mm of spare space |
I did a bit of research and found that Fleximake in Dandenong in Victoria would make a custom bladder for diesel. Matt at Fleximake was very helpful and on my way back from South Australia I picked up my custom 60 litre diesel bladder to fit in the space between the tray headboard and camper.
The main bladder is 1000gsm material and it has another protective cover surrounding it of 900gsm material. I requested this addition as my concern was corrugations and the prospect of 'rubbing through'
I think I will get quite a few years of use out of this bladder.
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| 60 litre diesel bladder without camper on |
firstly..... no moving parts, a long range fuel tank is of little use it an electrical relay fails due to dust or corrugations half way up the Tanami Track.
secondly......removable quickly, no need to carry a heavy fuel tank around in the vehicle that is empty 95% of the time when not needed.
thirdly......cost.....this custom tank cost $330 including GST. I am guessing a fitted long range tank would cost considerably more.
fourthly ....easily transferable to another vehicle (if sold or needed in someone else's vehicle)
To refuel the main tank from the bladder the drain hose is just placed in the filler neck of the ute and gravity does the rest.
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| from the rear - no camper fitted |
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| 60 litre diesel bladder |
I am yet to test this diesel tank out, but the service was good from Matt at Fleximake , the quality looks to be good, no moving parts to fail, and the price was fairly attractive.
Another addition is a wireless reverse camera ($29 on EBAY) which plugs direct into my Hema Navigator. This help greatly in carparks and turning around in the bush.
The overall package of Ute and Camper, I have found to be excellent. It is easy to park, easy to drive and manouvre (no towing). I can head down a road or track reasonably confident that should the need arise I can easily turn around and head back.
A bit more grunt would be nice, but hey I am not in a hurry and you don't notice this once in the bush anyway.
I love the camper :-) I have had heavy rain, howling winds, frosts, and heat and it handled all well.
I have used my camper and ute in the High Country and the desert and both have handled everything I have thrown at them well, including low range four wheel drive tracks, sand and a bit of mud.
If I am staying a few days I can remove the camper and still drive around in the ute. I like that versatility.
I really enjoy this combination and do not regret the purchase of either, the modifications only make it better for my intended use.
I have saved the BIGGEST problem for last, family situation restricts me to short to medium trips at this stage and I just want to go........................and go and enjoy this set up I now have.
There is so much to see in this amazing country, and with Winter approaching fast in the Southern States, six of seven months in the Tropics, along the Savanah Way is certainly where I would prefer to be.
This set up and the modifications I have completed will allow me to do this when the situation allows. If only I had fitted the rear awning................
Finally, after retiring 6 months ago, a quick reflection.........I have heard people say "I would get bored in retirement"............let me tell you...............I don't know how I ever found the time to go to work?
loving it :-)
Bye for now.
