Bushtracker, real caravans for the outback

Bushtracker, real caravans for the outback
COME AND SEE THE BUSHTRACKER
Owners Forum
www.bushtrackerownersforum.com
www.bushtracker.com
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for your interest in the
Bushtracker range of caravans.
Recognised Australia wide for 20
years as the leader in off-road
caravans, what we are really about
is correcting all of the features
that have caused people problems
traveling with caravans over the
past 40 years.
We have engineered designs and
equipment to correct the faults
and weaknesses that have caused
failures in caravans traveling in
the outback.
You really need to see what we are
doing and understand why we do it for
your own benefit. Our success is your
success as you happily travel around.
We also design custom layouts to
suit the individual, and you will be
pleasantly surprised at all of the
variations and unique ideas you
can see at the Factory. There at the
Factory, you can also see gear and
equipment not available anywhere
else. For 20 years Bushtracker has
been recognised as the leader in
off-road caravans, and you owe it to
yourself to come and see why!
LAYOUTS
Layouts do not affect the price, and you can have anything you like.
Each caravan is custom designed to suit your individual needs.
We literally have hundreds to choose
from, and usually have something
pretty close to what you would like
in our collection. After talking with
you about gear and style of travel,
we can get a group of layouts for you
to work with. When we know what
hobbies interest you, a computer
work-station with Sat-com up-link for
managing your business and E-mail
in the bush… or a freezer hold for
Barramundi… Or maybe a workbench
and charging system for Minelab gold
detecting equipment. These things
and mode of travel and sleeping
accommodations and tow vehicle
choice, etc will affect layout choices
of samples that we can send away
with you. We allow considerable time
to coach you through the process, as
your success in achieving your planned
lifestyle is our success and will sell us
more vans as you happily travel around.
SUSPENSION
On the suspension, it is a fully tandem independent and load sharing
suspension available with a standard spring or optional air bag
arrangement. The fact that the load-sharing characteristic reduces the
shock of rough tracks to the payload is why the Defence Department likes
it so much.
The load sharing characteristic is so
important, because when the leading
arm of the suspension hits an obstacle
it shifts 1/2 of the load onto the rear
arm of the suspension, and when the
rear arm of the suspension hits the
obstacle it shifts 1/2 of the load onto
the front arm of the suspension.
The net effect is that the suspension
articulates rather than delivering the
shock of the road to the van twice in
the tandem form. It is the suspension
that moves in the ruts, shifting the
load front to back and then back to
front, rather than jarring the van by
delivering the entire shock to the van
with each wheel.
It is simply the best. It has been
around for about 20 years, but is not
widely used as it is more expensive
than normal caravan suspensions.
You must have a fully independent
suspension for several reasons. Here’s
a couple: One, the independent leaves
a tunnel through the centre of the van
for higher ground clearance, an axle
suspension drags the axle when the
wheels fall into a rut, and the axle
acts like a boat anchor to bog the
tow vehicle.
Two, and most importantly, the
independent breaks up what is called
in engineering language “harmonic
motion” which basically means that
when there is just the right speed and
timing on the ruts, the bounce builds
on itself to create a destructive force.
When you see it you will like it. And
most importantly it is load sharing in a
tandem mode.
WALL FRAMES
We would suggest to you that there is a real advantage to coming up
to the factory for a visit if you want the best. We guarantee you will be
impressed. No one builds frames like we do.
Most are still building glue and stapled
timber frames on the exterior walls. Of
the very few who build in aluminium
most are building in 1mm “C” channel
with single pop-rivets. We are building
in 2 and 3mm square box section
25mm x 25mm and 50mm x 25mm
with full laps on 3mm angle, double
rivets diagonal in aircraft style and
welded as well.
Then all corners are welded and
through-bolted. Nothing compares
with that in strength and longevity, and
it is immune to the normal caravan
destroyers, like dry rot, borers, wood
swelling, fungus, water damage, etc.
Boeing does not build their exterior
walls of aircraft in glued and stapled
timber, and neither does Bushtracker.
In the tropics wire staples only last a
few years. All cladding is in 250mm
strips and they even staple on the
cladding in the overlaps where wind
at 100 km per hour can blow moisture
up to attack both the wood frames
and also the staples. They also have
to continually battle dry rot and
fungus in wooden exterior walls, and
some have even resorted to using
treated wood to try and slow down
the dry-rot effect.
This has only made more problems
in wood framed caravans because
the material used to treat the wood is
copper based and the copper could
chemically react with the aluminium
exterior cladding eating it away in
time. Even normal condensation and
humidity in the tropics will attack the
thin staples in the exterior walls and
start these problems.
comparison. We also use three
inches of cooler board insulation in
the roofs and one inch in the walls
not batts or fibreglass to settle out
on the corrugation. Why? Because
it’s the best!
Because of the nature of the
construction of our Caravans, our
vans are lighter and stronger than
a wooden exterior frame van from
the trailer up. A wood exterior frame
means some fairly substantial timbers
to span the roof. Ours are not only
more durable, but also lighter and
stronger from the body armour up,
while heavier from the armour down in
chassis and suspension, where it really
counts. Which means we have a lower
centre of gravity than other caravans.
On our cladding, we use hidden
structural rivets every 250mm on each
wall stud. It is many times stronger
and more durable. There is just no
Bigger Brakes and
Bearings
We have also done the engineering
to incorporate the option of 12”
two piece hub drum commercial
brakes into our suspension and
that is a major improvement over
the standard 10” or 12” caravan
brakes. Besides better brakes,
our larger hubs allow for bigger
bearings as well.
See if anyone else could do this with their frame!
Our suspension can be fully
aligned, as each a-frame is
adjustable. It is simply the best, and
stands head and shoulders above
the rest. Again, what we are about
is building the best and strongest,
not just “the look”. As it turns out,
when you compare apples for
apples (as close as you can get
since we offer things not available
anywhere else), if you were to price
up their vans with what we offer, we
are also very comparable in price.
BUILT TO LAST
Before you choose a Caravan Manufacturer, you need to see how they are actually built. You owe it to
yourself to come to the Factory for a visit and see the difference. Call us for an appointment and we will be
happy to show you through the factory. We welcome a fair comparison with the rest.
If you are too far away to come for a
visit, we can do it all by fax and mail.
Even your vinyl, curtains, upholstery,
etc. can be done that way, and in fact
some of our Customers come to the
factory for the very first time when
they pick up their new “Bushtracker”.
However, we would suggest that a
round trip airfare is a small price to
pay to get the highest quality caravan
on the road today. And it is something
you may have for the rest of your life,
so a trip to the factory is well worth the
confidence it will build in our product.
Here you can see all of the stages of
construction that are hidden once the
caravan in completed. Here you can
make the decision with the confidence
and security of knowing that you are
getting the best.
Call us for an appointment so we have
more time to attend to your individual
needs, and we will be happy to show
you through the factory. We will not
make comments about other specific
Manufacturers, as the energy should
be spent in showing you how our vans
are better. We will say however, that
our Competitors seem to be content
to copy the style of “Off-Road” rather
than do the hard yards to correct the
weaknesses that normal caravans
have in traveling the Outback. This
only fools the people that don’t know
what they are looking at.
We operate from a different
perspective and have engineered the
entire van to suit the Outback, and if
you come here to see the bones for
yourself in the Factory, you will know
for yourself that we really have no
Competitors.
As to second hand Bushtracker
caravans: The problem is that some
people will pay more than new value
not to have to wait for one to be built.
To wait for one second hand that
has a layout that you like, and an
equipment list that you want, could
be a very long wait indeed, it is just
impractical. We build “land yachts”
to last a lifetime. Just about everyone
that sold Second hand in the last few
years has turned a profit. Not only do
they tell us about it, but many-many
people have sold their vans to get a
larger one built - In the last two years
alone they almost all turned a profit.
INSIDE THE BUSHTRACKER
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to designing your new
Bushtracker. Our layout staff will coach you through the process right
down to the individual cupboard layouts and positions of power points
and lights. The end result is a purpose built caravan, tailored to suit your
individual needs and requirements.
Your choice of custom interior:
'Modern choices' or 'Timeless timber',
the interior decision is entirely up
to you. Part of the custom building
process is giving you full input into
the interior colour choices with your
selection of vinyl flooring, wall and
cabinet panelling, curtains, bench
tops, cupboard doors, cupboard
facings and upholstery just to name a
few...
02
03
04
01
05
The interior finish of a Bushtracker
caravan is second to none.
06
07
08
01 Bathroom with toilet and vanity
02 Modern choices interior
03 Upright fridge and bunk beds
04 Tailored layouts to suit your needs
05 Cafe dining area
06 Timeless timber interior
07 Dovetailed drawers on heavy duty
roller bearing runners
08 Top load washing machine
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
You need to understand that we offer a range of gear and equipment that
no one else in Australia even offers. The rest are about building the look or
the style of “Off-Road”, while we are about building the real bones of off
road travel in the Outback.
What level of gear you need is up to
how self-sufficient and independent
you really want to be. However, you
may not be aware of some of the
gear and lifestyle that is listed in our
brochure on the Internet Site, so
please have a study of that for your
own benefit. We would suggest that
you get away from the normal light
duty, road running caravan gear; in
favour of some proper expedition
grade equipment. Please contact
Bushtracker for a current pricing guide
which outlines the many choices
available.
What other needs you may have are up to you, we offer general touring
self sufficient equipment up to a level of expedition grade equipment,
that no one else in Australia even offers. As to the Gear Selections from
above, we can give some advice on how much of it you need when we
talk more about what level of self-sufficiency and independence that
you want to achieve. We can give you a fair evaluation.
COST
Please contact us for our lastest pricing on all of our caravans. So that
you are not fooled by what the others build, You need to have a closer
look at Bushtracker and you will find that:
YES, we have the best engineering,
YES, we have the best equipment.
And YES, we have the nicest interior
finishes of any caravan in Australia.
You price it up with the Optional
Equipment to suit your own level of
self-sufficiency and independence, for
the Lifestyle you want.
BOTTOM LINE
The point is that we excel from our suspension to our aircraft style wall frames, our equipment, our
engineering, and interior finishes. And we build all together the best caravan in Australia.
We also have an enormous range of
gear and equipment that no one else
even offers and you will have to see it
for yourself with a trip to the Factory.
What we are really talking about is a
level of gear and equipment matched
to the level of personal freedom
and independence that you require.
We really have no Competitors in
Australia. Again, the point is that you
owe it to yourself to see what we
are doing in person at the Factory
before you make the mistake buying
something else.
So, we would like to invite you to
come to the Factory for a visit. A trip
there is a small expense on a “Land
Yacht” you are likely to keep for the
rest of your life. Here we can give
you the real confidence in our vans
and show you the real bones of the
quality in the construction, as well as
a vast number of layout possibilities in
books and on computer. Here you can
walk through a dozen vans, and get a
better feel of confidence for the things
that make us #1.
We would like to suggest that you
have a look at the Internet Site at
www.bushtracker.com, and schedule
a visit to the Factory as soon as
possible; here you will be impressed
with what you see. Be aware that it
takes time to build a custom van to
the highest quality. You may need to
think about Booking your own Delivery
Slot as soon as possible if scheduling
is important. That is the only penalty
for being #1, they tend to keep us
Booked up a bit, but the best is worth
waiting for. Many of our Clients who
could not wait and were fooled by
what the Competition has on to offer,
have come back later and said: “Right,
well we can wait now.” No one builds
a van like we do; we really have no
Competitors in Australia.
Our basic aim is to make you selfsufficient and securely “at home” in
the bush.
We are not about being the biggest, just the best!
Come for a visit and discover your new home!
Prices current at the time of printing. Bushtracker reserves the right to make changes without notice.
STANDARD INCLUSIONS
Chassis and drawbar
 A Hot dipped galvanised A-frame not
just tacked on the front, but runs right
into the chassis.
 Fully galvanised laminated double chassis.
 Departure angle on the back, for
pulling up or backing up a steep bank.
Necessary in any off-road caravan!
 Fully independent and load sharing
suspension that is also alignable in the
bush, the best on the market with 12
inch commercial brakes. (Please note
that vans up to 15 foot, including the
Pop-Top range are fitted standard with
single axle, independant suspension that
is fully alignable.)
 Two spares, yes you should have two
and mounted on the front of the van
where they should be (not on the rear
where they contribute to ‘hobby horsing’
and sway) and mounted directly to the
chassis.
 A heavy duty handbrake not the silly
thing on a normal hitch.
 A 4x4 hitch because a normal hitch only
articulates about 22 degrees.
 Power / easy mover geared jockey wheel
to move the van around, makes hooking
up a breeze!
 Off-road tyres and wheels, can be
designed with stud pattern to match a
range of tow vehicles.
 Stone guards on the front, and no boot
to bounce the stones back at the tow
vehicle.
 Secondary stage under body protection
layer.
External features
 Galvanised heavy duty wheel boxes.
 Aluminium wall and roof framework, 2
and 3mm structural box section lapped
onto 3mm angle for a total of 5mm thick
at the joints, fully welded and double
structurally riveted.
 A separate locking security grill on the
door (should have).
 Four seasons hatch.
 A watertight door for crossing floods and
rivers, also helps make it dustproof.
 Tinted Dometic windows with built in
insect screens and blinds, double glazed
to help keep it cool - and the windows
are safer than glass.
 Aluminium checker plate body armour
on the caravan, not for decoration but
thick enough to withstand the outback
conditions.
 Body rub rail.
 Pair of LPG gas bottles.
Standard inclusions current from 1st July 2013
 Scratch resistant aluminium exterior
cladding.
 Outside 240V mains power point.
 We use all marine grade sealants
throughout the caravan, because it is
simply the best and longest lasting.
 External LED marker lights and LED tail
lights incorporating reversing lights for
additional safety and vision at night.
 12V high grade external light.
 Rear protection bumper and tail light
protector.
 Front window stone shield with struts (on
most models)
 Insulated roof and walls: Three inches of
cooler board insulation in the roofs and
one inch in the walls cut and matched
to the framework with no gaps. Not
batts or fibreglass to settle out on the
corrugation. Why? Because it’s the best.
 12 pin trailer plug.
 Illuminated LED entry grab handle.
Internal features
 Custom designed internal layout.
 Custom internal colours including vinyl
floor, bench tops, curtains, upholstery,
timber doors and even van striping
with literally thousands of potential
combinations.
 More durable polyester resin finished
panelling instead of the normal paper
finish.
 Positive locking marine grade cabinet
catches, simply the best, instead of the
flimsy type.
 Gas struts to lift double beds for storage
access underneath, just makes life
easier.
 Tasmanian oak doors and drawers
dovetailed in the corners like Grandma’s
furniture.
 We use real rollers and guides on our
doors and drawers, because it is the
best.
 Bulkheads, bench tops and cabinetry
are all made of high quality waterproof
ply and Meranti. No chipboard or MDF is
used in a Bushtracker.
 High-grade fancy stainless sinks with
chrome flick mixer
 Australian made Swift stove, oven and
grill with automatic ignition
 Dometic 90L 3 way gas / 12V /
240V fridge, or you can upgrade to a
compressor drive unit.
 Looped high efficiency long life
fluorescent lights that burn half the
power, or high efficiency two stage LED.
 Provision for Air-conditioning, structure
roof framed to carry air unit, run wire and
circuit breakers, insulate, panel over and
under. All major work done to install air
unit at a later date.
 LED reading lights at bed
 LED reading lights at dining
Plumbing
 Lockable water fillers
 Town water entry with pressure reducer
 Easy access internal inlet manifold for
selectively filling water tanks
 Easy access internal outlet manifold for
selective use of water tanks
 Suction line for tank filling from a creek
 Marine Flojet automatic water pumps
with filters, others work, but for how
long? This is the best.
 Chrome flick mixer to taps and shower
rose
 Genuine John Guest snap fit plumbing
throughout van
 Outlet tap on A-Frame
 2 x Heavy duty armoured water tanks,
independently plumbed for safety in the
bush.
 Potable and Non-potable dual water
system: To allow for any local non drinking water source to be used for
the shower and sink for washing up,
while preserving the other tanks/system
for just drinking water. This system has
separate pumps, venting, drainage,
locking water fillers, taps, and completely
separates the systems so they cannot
cross contaminate. This greatly extends
your drinking water, as the major
consumer of water by about 98% are
the showers and washing up. And so,
you can use a local source of water for
your bulk water usage and renew it on
a weekly basis if need be while greatly
extending your drinking water and
independence in the bush.
Electrical
 Deep cycle battery, so the van can be
self powered without hooking up.
 Custom made sealed and vented battery
boxes.
 Automatic battery charging system.
 Solar ready electrical system with 12V
breakers and meter.
 Dual wired for 12V and 240V, a true
hybrid electrical system.
 3 x Double power points, 1 x Single
power point for microwave
 Fusion CD/DVD/AM/FM/iPod head unit
with two ceiling mounted speakers and
automatic radio antenna
Bushtracker, real caravans for the outback
SUNSHINE COAST | QUEENSLAND
85 Enterprise Street, Kunda Park, QLD 4556
Tel: 07 5476 5833
Fax: 07 5476 9253
Email: [email protected]
www.bushtracker.com