IN THE FRAME
WORDS AND IMAGES : MARTY LEDWICH , WWW . RVEETHEREYET . COM
CARAVANS IN AUSTRALIA ARE BUILT IN NUMEROUS WAYS , FROM NUMEROUS
MATERIALS . LET ’ S EXAMINE THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF EACH …
If you want to purchase a new or secondhand caravan , you may wonder about the various construction methods used by manufacturers . What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method ? Is one better than the others ? We looked at the most popular construction methods in detail to help you make an informed decision .
Ask your manufacturer what grade of meranti is used .
TRADITIONAL WOOD FRAME
Wood has been used to build caravans for as long as caravans have been built and , over the years , little has changed . In Australia , meranti has been the timber of choice for caravan builders .
Classed as a soft to firm hardwood , meranti is generally not prone to warping or twisting . It is a relatively easy timber to work with and it has good nailing , gluing and screwing properties . It is also said to be ‘ dimensionally stable ’, meaning it will hold its measurements when exposed to variations of humidity and temperature . All of this combines to make meranti timber a solid base for a caravan ’ s outer structure .
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