Downs Caravan and Trailer Repairs

17/08/2019

Hi to you all. Our business of repairing caravans and trailers
was suspended for a while now as I have been helping others. I am now coming back to help one and all enjoy you vans. If you or someone you know needs professional help, I am here for them. We are happy to help with any problems you have and have a special rate of $55 per hour inc GST until 30/9/2019. We are happy to come to you and provide an estimate for your services or repair. We are able to provide a special price on diesel and gas heaters.
Please phone Mal 0400 336 154 for an estimate.

20/11/2018

Hi, Today we will talk about GTM (gross trailer mass). GTM is the total weight carried by the suspension of the trailer or van. This does not include ball weight. To expand from this we have ATM(aggregate trailer mass). This is the total combined weight of the GTM and ball weight. An excellent explanation for all this is found here. http://www.withoutahitch.com.au/caravan/understanding-caravan-towing-capacity/
Thank you.

Understanding caravan towing capacity can be tricky. We help you sort your payload from your tare and calculate your aggregated trailer mass (ATM).

13/11/2018

Gday to you all, Today we will talk about Ball weight. Ball weight is the downward force the trailer or van has on you tow ball. The tow bar and car manufacturer will set an upper limit for the weight. You can not exceed this weight by law. Some caravan manufacturers will specify a ball weight, some won't. People using a weight distribution hitch are doing so to replace the weight back to the front wheels, this does not lower the ball weight. ( we will discus WDH in another topic). The recommender ball weight is about 10% of the trailer or van AGM or maximum trailer or van weight.
Thanks for today.

12/11/2018

Hello to all, We were discussing weight at work the other morning. With vans and trailers we have 5 different weight ratings as such. Tare is the first we will talk about today. Tare is the weight the van comes out of the factory empty. Some manufactures don't add gas bottles, awnings etc when they weigh the van for tare weight. Some don't even weigh the van, they calculate it by the weight of all the components. Most manufactures allow 300 kg for single axles, and 400 kg for dual axle vans as the load allowed above the tare weight. Some manufactures are now allowing a lot more weight above tare as customers are demanding more carrying capacity. Tomorrow we will talk about GTM. Thank you.

08/11/2018

Good morning again, I have been asked about wheel nuts and how often you should check them. After a tyre change or service, I would recommend you check them after the first 200 km. We tension them with a tension wrench to 100 ft/lb. If you don't have a tension wrench, as tight as you can get it with a cross bar wheel spanner. The wheel nuts should be checked about every 5,000km after this. If a wheel nut is tightened to the correct tension, it shouldn't come loose. If you have a flat tyre and fit the spare, check the wheel nut surface for rust. If it is rusty, try to clean the rust off with something metal. you must check the tension within the first 20-50km after fitting the spare. Then after the next 100 or so km. The rust may dislodge and cause the wheel to become loose.
Thanks and happy motoring.

06/11/2018

Good morning again.
People are always asking for advise on what tyre pressure they should run. The rule of thumb is to set the pressure cold before you take off. Drive for 1/2 hour or so and pull up and recheck the pressure. The pressure should rise about 4 psi. If it raises a lot more, the tyre is too low. Raise the pressure by a couple of psi and retest.If it only raises by say 2psi, it may be too high. Lower it by a couple of psi and retest. This is a slow process, but you will get the pressure right for your tyre sizes and load of the van or trailer. This changes if you travel rough and corrugated tracks.
Thanks and have a safe and happy day. Stay cool and hydrated.

05/11/2018

Good Morning to everyone.
Tip for today. If you have a trailer or caravan with a flat 7 or 12 pin plug and some lights are not working, Spread the little split terminals on the trailer side of the plug. Don't spread them too far or you won't be able to reconnect the plug and socket. This usually happens to the indicators first as they are the two outside terminals. As we disconnect the plug from the socket, we usually wriggle it from side to side and this closes up the slit terminal. Have a great day and happy motoring.