Trak Shak Australian vs Chinese assembled

[AdrianLR]

The top of the camper is the floor of the fold out bed. Our 2001 was plywood which I made sure was well sealed even though it was stored under cover. Perhaps the one at Mannheim was in the open, plywood went soft so everything inside got wet.

The exterior rust may be a result of variability in Chinese manufacturing. A 2009 model was probably made from completely different grade steel, possibly in a different factory, probably by different workers to a 2010 let alone a 2012. I deal with this issue at work in an unrelated field. We're always asking Chinese suppliers about batch sizes to get consistent products. As I said earlier, it's entirely possible to get high quality out of China, it isn't as simple as sending a drawing and expecting perfection though.

[Aaron Schubert]

This is true.

Thanks for the info isportfish; that sounds heaps better.

Aaron

[MillsyD]

just thought I'd add to this discussion as a mate of mine and myself bought a Trak Shak each in 2006. I got the first Chinese made and he got the prototype. I had warranty and he didn't. That mattered as we both had issues. I still have mine. He sold his years ago.
The paint does peel but not badly. I suspect, quite strongly, that this is because the steel used in parts of the trailer was very high carbon and very dense. It only peels on some panels. My tent wasn't waterproof. At all. It was replaced. The alignment of the trailing arms was off causing weird tire wear.. The basic wiring in the connector box was completely unlabelled and the wiring in places too thin. The "stainless" steel rack is not stainless. They went back to galv later. Almost all of these issues are the consequence of "material substitution" that is now legendary in China.
BUT
We have done 300-350 nights in this camper over the past 13 years. I have had no serious failures. No flat tires. Just some wiring issues. The mattresses are too hard but not so much that we bothered to change them. We have towed it through Boggy Hole, down the Finke part of the Old Ghan Route, up to Coburg Peninsula. Through sand, mud, corrugations, 85cm of fast flowing Top End river, around the Meerinie Loop before it was paved (that took the completely off the underside) and 10's of thousands of road km.
It is as tough as old boots.
Would I advise someone to buy one? Yes but only if you really intend to go beyond the tar and you need the 4-6 beds. It is not a caravan. It is built tough, requires 2 fit people to setup and packup and is not "comfy. It is made to be reliable in the most extreme places in Australia, and has been. Think on this: there is no plastic except the 12v plugs and the tail lights. The 12V plugs all needed replacing. It is all steel with the exception of the wiring, tires, suspension bushes and lights, tent floor and timber bed insert.
It is also heavy. FULLY loaded it gets up around 1500kg. You need a suitable car. Land Cruiser or Patrol. Anything smaller is asking for trouble.
So does Chinese made vs Aussie made matter?  No. IF you buy new get a written warranty. I'd be wanting 2 years. If you buy second hand then any issues should be long fixed... or really obvious.

[Fizzie]

Welcome to MySwag, Millsy

Excellent write up for a first post

Hope we see many more of them!

[Aaron Schubert]

Wow, there's a blast from the past!

We ended up with a soft floor for a few years, then upgraded to a hybrid unit just recently.

Cheers for the information - could be useful for those in the market for the Trak Shak's

Aaron