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WORDS: COLLYN RIVERS
AS YOU PREPARE YOUR VAN AND VEHICLE
FOR YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY, HAVE YOU
CONSIDERED THESE FIVE COMMONLY
OVERLOOKED MAINTENANCE ISSUES?
Caravans and motorhomes are generally
reliable, but ABS statistics show their
average age in Australia is generally over
17 years, well over 20 in Tasmania.
Therefore, there’s a fair bit that will
typically need attention.
Most caravan owners are aware that wheel
bearings need regular replacing, but tow
vehicles do not. The cause is older caravans’
almost invariably undamped suspension (i.e.,
a lack of shock absorbers).
This imposes jack-hammer like forces via the
caravan’s wheel studs and wheel bearings
as the springs suddenly release the pent-up
energy caused by being compressed when
a wheel runs over a bump. Nonetheless,
many caravans can readily have shock
absorbers fitted.
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That aside, these are five RV maintenance
issues that are quite commonly overlooked.
As you head off on your summer holidays,
they would certainly be worth paying
attention to.
1. TYRES
In most usage, a tyre’s lifespan is when the
tread is worn out. In (typical) RV usage,
however, wear is less of an issue. A tyre
is subject to further and rarely realised
limitations and your pre-trip maintenance
needs to take these into account.
Strong sunlight, particularly if reflected
from sand, damages the rubber’s molecular
structure (causing it to become brittle). A
further issue is oxidisation, a process whereby
ozone ‘age hardens’ the side walls of tyres
that have less than regular use.