FAQ - BASIC TECHNICAL
Vehicles weighing more than 2 tonnes are equipped with a breakaway system. This system activates in the event of a coupling or safety chain failure, causing a key to be pulled which triggers the application of the brakes. This prevents the caravan from separating completely from the vehicle and potentially causing an accident, bringing it to a sudden stop instead.
Nitrogen is put into the caravan tyres from the factory to reduce the risk of blow outs. The drum brake set up on caravans produces a huge amount of heat and that heat can transfer into the wheel and tyre causing normal “Air” to expand to a point the tyre blow. Nitrogen is not as reactive to heat and therefore reduces the risk of blow outs. Over time the brakes wear in and when paired to the same brake controller there will be less heat generated once they have bedded in allowing you to put normal air in the tyres moving forward. It is recommended to have nitrogen put in these tyres due to the nature of drum brakes. You can get nitrogen at any good tyre outlet store to top up your tyres when necessary.
Tire pressures do need to be adjusted depending on the driving conditions. The lower the pressure, the larger the foot print of the tire. It also takes some of the recoil or bounce out when you are driving. Running them to low though does increase body roll, and runs a higher risk of damaging the side wall, and rolling the tire of the bead. Each vehicle and trailer is different, as weight plays a massive part on how the tire profile changes with reduced pressures. The terrain is the other factor, driving on sand, will require lower pressure than driving in the bush. There isn’t set rule, its more about, reducing it by smaller increments and seeing how the vehicle reacts. Keep adjusting to it feels right. Also make sure you have a way to pump them back up to road pressures once back on the road.
As specifications are updated all the time and may be different depending on the year of your RV, please check this with your salesperson to ensure you are given the correct information.
Caravans & RVs require a 15 amp power cord due to the electrical demands of the appliances and systems inside the vehicle. The higher amp rating allows for a greater flow of electrical current, accommodating the power needs of various devices commonly found in caravans, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, heating systems, and other electrical appliances. 15AMP power leads and outlets have a larger bottom pin. You can however plug a 15 AMP lead into your home power. (And no its not by shaving down the bottom pin to make it fit, that’s a recipe for disaster, and also very much illegal)
The correct way to plug your van into your home power is by using a 10-15AMP converter box. This is something you will need if you are wishing to power up your van on 240V or charge your batteries. We sell these converters in our parts & accessories department starting from $92.50.
The biggest reason is that the nature of the fridge using a heating element draws excessive current approx 14-20amps – this being drawn from the house battery would cause the battery to be flat within a matter of hours. This is why the 12v mode is only wired to your car as your car alternator keeps up with the fridge power supply. When the van is not connected to your car or 240v, the only mode you can use is gas.