Howdy all. I am after some advice. I am on the downslide to retirement & intend to travel extensively. I have recently been using a caravan, but have decided a small motorhome may suit me better in the future.....it is just me & 2 medium dogs. I am in the fortunate position of being able to afford to buy new & as I have no mechanical ability I think this is the way to go. I have been looking at the Trakka range ( online as going to Sydney is currently not an option) & in particular the Jabiru offroad. My question is how much difference is there likely to be between a length of 6.09 m & 7.12m ? I like the idea of twin beds but this is only in the larger vehicle. Is there likely to be a big difference in parking, access etc between the 2 lengths? Both have 360* cameras
Unless you are capable driver of larger vans with limited to no, side vision it may be prudent to go for the smaller wheelbase model
Bicyclecamper said
06:57 PM Jul 30, 2021
Also, a bigger vehicle may require a license upgrade, so anything over 4.5 tonne. which is a car license weight limit.
Sidcam said
06:53 PM Jul 31, 2021
Thanks..will look at that...mind you I am told the anticipated delivery date is the 1st quarter of 2023!!!! I think the caravan & I will be a team for a while
Sidcam said
07:00 PM Jul 31, 2021
GVM is 4100 for both vehicles & I am confident I can keep the loaded weight down. Thanks again....I am sure I will be back with more questions later!
wendyv said
09:31 PM Aug 8, 2021
Greater length can be more of an issue when crossing gullies, sharp dips etc. So, think about how rough the terrain is that you are likely to travel. Smaller is more manoeverable.
TheHeaths said
12:10 PM Aug 9, 2021
Sidcam wrote:
GVM is 4100 for both vehicles & I am confident I can keep the loaded weight down. Thanks again....I am sure I will be back with more questions later!
I would check Tare of both. With the same GVM for both, I would expect the longer unit to have a higher Tare, so that would mean a reduced payload for your gear. Very important if you are doing long term travel.
Sidcam said
12:31 PM Aug 13, 2021
Thanks all...I have settled in the middle with a Trakka Torino 6.3m...hope to see you all out there....
Cathy
Sidcam said
10:35 PM Oct 18, 2021
Hi all, just thought I would update you. I have now done a few trips with the Torino & love it. It has an "outback kit" on it which simply gives me a bit more clearance. When it arrived (bought unseen) on the back of a truck I looked up at it & thought " what the hell have I done, it's huge". I put all terrain tyres on it, not because I want to do serious bush driving, but I just wanted to be able to go a few ks on gravel roads to get to a greater range of camping areas & to reduce my chance of punctures. My first few trips I stuck to the country areas while I got used to handing it & now I have no issues taking it into the city ( if Adelaide counts). I did take it out to Glue Pot station which is about 70ks of dirt each way & it seems to have handled the corrugations, but it did fill with dust...not sure, I may have had the vents open. One thing I love is that everything is there. I am carrying a 2 burner gas stove, partly because the diesel cooktop is very slow to heat but basically I just need to throw in my clothes, books, cooking gear, food & go...so I have not had to add much weight at all. The toilet is very tight & I avoid using it as much as possible, but the shower is fine. It takes a long time to heat up the hot water but that just takes some management. I think if there were 2 people travelling it would test the friendship but for me & the dogs it is great, usual issue with a motorhome of having to pack it up to go anywhere.
It has fabulous huge side mirrors & great reversing camera, I just have to be very aware of limited vision out the side at eg a T-Junction, looking behind or along the side is not a problem. Am a happy camper & east coast Yorke Peninsular SA there is no-one around
Gaylehere said
01:09 PM Oct 19, 2021
Glad you are enjoying your motorhome. Cheers.
msg said
01:39 PM Oct 19, 2021
All terrain tires may not be better for outback roads. The light truck tires were probably the better option. An example of this would be the time I took my small transit van to Birdsville. (300k of intermittent corrugations, sand, tar, rocks, rain and minimal good dirt. It was just before the races so plenty of vehicles on the road.
I arrived and got home unscathed on my light truck tyres. No letting air out, or anything. 4x4's fitted with AT tires were dropping like flies. Even the people (experienced bushies) I was travelling with, who were towing a caravan secumbed around Betoota. Service centre when I got there was buzzing. Old tires getting repaired and new ones fitted by the hundreds. Getting the mud off was the hardest. Though Birdsville has the hot springs and facilities to help with that.
dabbler said
12:53 AM Oct 20, 2021
@msg. Many All Terrain tyres are also Light Truck tyres. In general ATs are a good choice for people who often use unsealed roads and tracks whether LT or not (assuming the load rating is suitable for the vehicle). Light truck tyres that are not also AT are not typically designed or constructed for prolonged unsealed conditions.
dabbler said
12:59 AM Oct 20, 2021
Sidcam, interesting to read your thread. We're about to make a similar decision and purchase. Hopefully Mercedes will start the flow of Sprinters into OZ again and delivery times will be shorter when we are ready.
msg said
12:43 PM Oct 20, 2021
all i'm saying is from my extensive experience LT tyres are great on all kinds of surfaces. Touch wood, I have never had a flat tyre in the 10yrs and 120k kms. (lots of off road and bush tracks where there is no road)
Whenarewethere said
02:22 PM Oct 20, 2021
I believe that LT tyres have more ply layers.
Also a lot quieter than all terrain tyres, especially when they get older as the sipes are less effective.
I have put a lot of acoustic insulation in my car to quieten it even though it was a quiet car to start with.
Peter_n_Margaret said
06:59 PM Oct 20, 2021
Whenarewethere wrote:
I believe that LT tyres have more ply layers.
Also a lot quieter than all terrain tyres, especially when they get older as the sipes are less effective.
LT tyres simply have a higher load rating as far as I am aware. Matters NOT how many plies they actually have.
The tyres I use on the OKA have a single (all steel) sidewall ply. They are rated to 3,075kg load per tyre. That is "full" truck, way past "light" truck.
AT tyres will also generally use more fuel than highway pattern tread.
Cheers,
Peter
dabbler said
07:24 AM Oct 21, 2021
Yes, AT tend to be noisier as the pattern becomes more aggressive. Yes AT in general increase fuel consumption. However, factors like materials composition, tyre width, tyre pressure have a greater impact in noise and fuel consumption than tread pattern. No, LT do not necessarily have more plies used in construction or have higher load raring than AT tyres. No, LT are not generally recommended for unsealed conditions. Essentially an LT tyre can have HT or AT (even MT) tread patterns.
Factors like age, composition, construction, sidewall height, and pressure have the greatest impact on durability and puncture resistance and these come at a cost. AT tyres like Toyo Open Country are selected by many tourers because they combine the middle of the range for the factors mentioned. Sidcam has not made an eerror.
msg said
01:59 PM Oct 21, 2021
Debbler, I did not say it was an error. Just that the change may have been an unnecessary expense based on my experience.
Howdy all. I am after some advice. I am on the downslide to retirement & intend to travel extensively. I have recently been using a caravan, but have decided a small motorhome may suit me better in the future.....it is just me & 2 medium dogs. I am in the fortunate position of being able to afford to buy new & as I have no mechanical ability I think this is the way to go. I have been looking at the Trakka range ( online as going to Sydney is currently not an option) & in particular the Jabiru offroad. My question is how much difference is there likely to be between a length of 6.09 m & 7.12m ? I like the idea of twin beds but this is only in the larger vehicle. Is there likely to be a big difference in parking, access etc between the 2 lengths? Both have 360* cameras
Thanks in advance for any input
Unless you are capable driver of larger vans with limited to no, side vision it may be prudent to go for the smaller wheelbase model
Thanks..will look at that...mind you I am told the anticipated delivery date is the 1st quarter of 2023!!!! I think the caravan & I will be a team for a while
GVM is 4100 for both vehicles & I am confident I can keep the loaded weight down. Thanks again....I am sure I will be back with more questions later!
I would check Tare of both. With the same GVM for both, I would expect the longer unit to have a higher Tare, so that would mean a reduced payload for your gear. Very important if you are doing long term travel.
Cathy
It has fabulous huge side mirrors & great reversing camera, I just have to be very aware of limited vision out the side at eg a T-Junction, looking behind or along the side is not a problem. Am a happy camper & east coast Yorke Peninsular SA there is no-one around
I arrived and got home unscathed on my light truck tyres. No letting air out, or anything. 4x4's fitted with AT tires were dropping like flies. Even the people (experienced bushies) I was travelling with, who were towing a caravan secumbed around Betoota. Service centre when I got there was buzzing. Old tires getting repaired and new ones fitted by the hundreds. Getting the mud off was the hardest. Though Birdsville has the hot springs and facilities to help with that.
I believe that LT tyres have more ply layers.
Also a lot quieter than all terrain tyres, especially when they get older as the sipes are less effective.
I have put a lot of acoustic insulation in my car to quieten it even though it was a quiet car to start with.
LT tyres simply have a higher load rating as far as I am aware. Matters NOT how many plies they actually have.
The tyres I use on the OKA have a single (all steel) sidewall ply. They are rated to 3,075kg load per tyre. That is "full" truck, way past "light" truck.
AT tyres will also generally use more fuel than highway pattern tread.
Cheers,
Peter