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Author Topic: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip  (Read 5428 times)

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Offline MarkVS

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Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« on: October 22, 2013, 07:28:16 PM »
For those that have soft floor campers, and done a Cape trip, I am keen for suggestions on things that need to be done to prep the camper for a Cape trip.

I don't mean things to take, or things to make sure are OK (eg. check bearings)...more things that I may need to do to my camper to make sure it can handle a Cape trip.

Thanks

MarkVS   
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Offline duggie

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2013, 07:46:39 PM »
Faith, by that I mean faith in your trailer, faith in your abilities and faith in those who you travel with. From what I saw your outfit will do the trip.
cheers duggie
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Offline McGirr

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2013, 07:49:23 PM »
Mark

Make sure that there is nothing sitting under the draw bar. Example jockey wheel and winder as they will get taken off when you tackle the crossings. Any stabilizer legs at the front may also get wrecked. You may slide down some tracks of the draw bar on the camper.

Apart from that you should be fine.

Mark
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 07:52:55 PM by McGirr »
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Offline muzza01

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2013, 08:23:34 PM »
Do your best to make it waterproof and dust proof. That's it.
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Offline MarkVS

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2013, 08:30:42 PM »
Quote from: McGirr on October 22, 2013, 07:49:23 PM
Mark

Make sure that there is nothing sitting under the draw bar. Example jockey wheel and winder as they will get taken off when you tackle the crossings. Any stabilizer legs at the front may also get wrecked. You may slide down some tracks of the draw bar on the camper.

Apart from that you should be fine.

Mark
The camper manual 'handbrake' has some of the mechanism and cable running below the draw bar..I will have to see what I can do about that. The rest all sites above...I do have my 'stone stomper' which I'll have to take off at appropriate times.


Any need to do anything about stabiliser legs at the back ? or protection of water tank which sits behind the axel ?

MarkVS
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Offline muzza01

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2013, 08:34:42 PM »
Yep, you will need to protect the water tank. Make a bash plate.
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Offline McGirr

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2013, 09:40:05 PM »
My damage from the last Cape Trip.

More the front of the draw bar. The handbrake should be ok. Talk to JK he is a Cape Specialist.

Palm creek did the damage, but there is another track now, not as bad.

Mark
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 09:42:16 PM by McGirr »
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Offline HEM19X

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2013, 06:16:41 AM »
Quote from: muzza01 on October 22, 2013, 08:23:34 PM
Do your best to make it waterproof and dust proof. That's it.

x2 - Mark, if you are planning a lot of overnight stops, you might want to have a small travel awning.. saves a lot of time. We used some shock cord/bungy cords to keep all the 12v & trailer electrical cords up - always run them OVER the drawbar to stop them getting damaged - Did the same with the Jockey Wheel handle.

Have a great trip & take it easy.

Mark
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Offline Mobi

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2013, 08:14:17 PM »
Quote from: muzza01 on October 22, 2013, 08:23:34 PM
Do your best to make it waterproof and dust proof. That's it.

As a newbie to the cape but in the desert, to keep dust out requires continuos adjustment due to the corrugation. I expect to need to do the same for water. I have an Outback Sturt camper trailer which has been great.

Looking forward to the trip.

 :cheers:

Peter
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Offline Symon

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #9 on: October 24, 2013, 12:25:43 PM »
Main thing is that on the front of the trailer have nothing sitting below the bar, when going down crossings the trailer will be sliding on the bar so anything below will be smashed.  If need be disconnect the handbrake cable and tie up the handle for the OTL.  You don't really need a handbrake for that track, just chock the wheels when setting up.

Consider carrying spare U bolts and a leaf spring.  The trailer suspension will get a hammering.

You might also want to look at these threads -

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=15278.0
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=14695.0
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=23545.0
« Last Edit: October 24, 2013, 12:27:25 PM by Symon »
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Offline wholehog

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2013, 03:14:32 PM »
Buy an "All Terrain Camper" ;D
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Offline McGirr

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2013, 03:53:23 PM »

Mark

You did the Gulf with no problems. What you took as spares etc you will be fine. We will go over your camper at maytown to check things as well as other members. It will only cost you a beer or 3.

Mark
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Offline duggie

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #12 on: October 27, 2013, 07:39:12 PM »
quote author=McGirr link=topic=33101.msg526529#msg526529 date=1382853203]
Mark

You did the Gulf with no problems. What you took as spares etc you will be fine. We will go over your camper at maytown to check things as well as other members. It will only cost you a beer or 3.

Mark
[/quote]
This is where I was coming from when I first replied to this post, MarkVS- Mark, your outfit completed the Gulf trip so you now should have some gained experiances from this and a better understanding as to what to do in certain situations.

Quote from: duggie on October 22, 2013, 07:46:39 PM
Faith, by that I mean faith in your trailer, faith in your abilities and faith in those who you travel with. From what I saw your outfit will do the trip.
cheers duggie
[
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Offline jk

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2013, 08:16:37 PM »
You'll be fine Mark........................we'll take good care of you  >:D  ;D

You have all the gear you'll need already, one big trip isn't that different from another  :cheers:

Cheers
Johnno
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Offline HEM19X

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Re: Soft floor camper readiness for Cape trip
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2013, 06:06:44 AM »
Quote from: McGirr on October 27, 2013, 03:53:23 PM
Mark

You did the Gulf with no problems. What you took as spares etc you will be fine. We will go over your camper at maytown to check things as well as other members. It will only cost you a beer or 3.

Mark

Going into Maytown was where we had the most trouble, lots of BIG rocks that we got hung up on!

H
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