5 Maintenance Tips for your Camper Trailer
Platinum Campers 5 Maintenance Tips for your Camper Trailer Tips for Extending the Life of Your Trailer Learn More Like any vehicle you own – Camper Trailers do require servicing. Ensuring your home on wheels is always ready to go, you need to perform periodic general maintenance. To extend the life of your camper trailer – follow these simple steps to keep your Camper running smoothly. For a more complete guide on caring for your Camper – check out your manual. 1 – Wheel Bearings Where to begin? We here at Platinum Campers always recommend starting from the bottom and working your way up. A camper’s wheel bearings may be one of the most important parts – well they do keep you attached to the ground – so, they are important and require special attention. We recommend you check your bearings before and after every single trip you make. For a quick inspection, rotate each wheel while it’s jacked up and off the ground. Each wheel should rotate smoothly without any grinding noises or notchy feelings. While you’re there, wriggle the wheel from top to bottom and side to side to detect any excessive free-play. You can pop the bearing cap off the hub to see what the condition of the grease is like too. 2 – CLEAN WATER STORAGE Platinum Campers recommends keeping your water tank full during long periods of storage. This means there will be less oxygen is stored in the tank, slowing down the production of algae and bacteria. It’s when you notice any odours coming from the water that it’s time to sanitize the tanks.There are so many products on the market for this available at your local camping store or Bunnings But for a quick and easy solution you can clean with bleach. This will need to be heavily diluted; about ¼ cup of bleach to roughly 55L of water should do the trick! For a less abrasive option Bicarbonate Soda solution works a treat as well. Remember to flush the entire system from the filler pipe to each water outlet, and don’t forget the hot water system if you’ve got one too. 3 – Caring For Your Canvas The best thing you can do for your new canvas is weather it. This will help make the canvas more flexible and easier to put up and take down. A regular hosing down with clean tap water will will prevent things like bird droppings and acidic seeds from penetrating and damaging the coatings that are applied at our factory. You should Never pack your canvas if it is still damp or wet. Platinum Campers say that most of the cuts, rips or tears discovered in the tents canvas actually happen while the tent is being packed away. It’s also a good idea to zip the windows closed, which helps to protect the insect mesh inside as well. 3 – Lube It Up Regular greasing of any grease nipples not only keeps things lubricated, but the grease actually helps create a protective barrier which keeps water out of internal components as well. Anything that locks, latches, hinges, swings, slides, rotates or even moves can benefit from some spray-on lubricant as well. 4 – LPG Checks Platinum Campers will ensure your gas is permanently plumbed to your accessories, which makes setting up much quicker and easier in the long run, but this also means any repairs should legally be carried out by a qualified technician. You still need to check things over regularly for leaks, just in case. To do this spray over any connections or fittings with soapy water, and if bubbles appear from any of the connections, it can indicate a possible gas leak. If you discover any leaks – call a qualified gas technician asap “How often should you check wheel bearings? Although tedious – we recommend you check your bearings before and after every single trip you make. “ 5 – EASY ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE With all the dirt, water, mud and everything else we throw at Camper Trailers it’s no wonder the electrics can sometimes become a little problematic. Cleaning your tail lights, Auxillary plugs, Anderson Plug connection with some contact cleaner. Doing this simple maintenance after a trip will ensure you are always powered while on the road. If you have been off-road or on bumpy terrain it may also be worth checking your battery terminals. We can think of nothing worse than a 30KG battery tipping over mid trip. What’s Next? If you need help choosing the next camper trailer or are thinking about upgrading your existing one, contact the Platinum Campers team today. We’d be happy to help and answer any inquiries you have about your camper trailers.
Top 10 Places in Australia to take your camper trailer
Platinum Campers Top 10 Places in Australia to take your camper trailer Ready to Explore in your new Camper? Learn More Here’s the Platinum Camper Trailer and Caravan’s State-by-State wrap on some of our best known camper trailer spots. This is just but a small samples of what Australia has to offer – there are so many more than just these 10, but this will wet your appetite and possibly introduce you to some locations that are not so well known. Let’s face it; anywhere you can camp in your camper trailer is going to be better than a day in the office. Bribie Island – QLD Camp behind the dunes on the Ocean Beach, and enjoy fantastic opportunities to boat, fish and explore. Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area, just a short drive from Brisbane offers a variety of coastal camping experiences, some accessible by high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, others accessible by boat. Camping permits are required and fees apply. A tag with your booking number must be displayed at your camp site. Website Link Kilcowera Station – qld Kilcowera station is located a 14-hour drive from Brisbane and offers up a genuine outback experience. Throughout the area, there are plenty of places to make camp with your camper trailer. One of the most scenic spots at Kilcowera Station is the Cardenyabba lagoon. This area of natural beauty is the perfect place to spend an afternoon kayaking or catching yabbies. Spend your day exploring the 120,000 acre Station. As with most Outback destinations, the night sky is not affected by light pollution. There is nothing quite as Australian as enjoying a cold one next to a roaring campfire under the stars. Website Link Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park – sa The lowest natural point in mainland Australia can be found in Lake Eyre, approximately 15 m below sea level. Lake Eyre is also the largest salt lake in the country, however nowadays, it’s rarely ever full. Even just to see a small flood in the lake, you may have to wait three years. This is because the amount of water that fills the lake is dependent on the intensity of the rainfall in the surrounding areas. But the lake still makes our list because it offers a unique camping experience, where you can try for yourself at one of two campgrounds within the park: Halligan Bay and Muloorina Station Bore. Website Link TALBOTVILLE HISTORIC TOWNSHIP CAMPING AREA – VIC Speak of Victoria and we immediately think High Country… a place that is the 4X4 Mecca of Australia. I could fill a book with descriptions of magic campsites around here. So let’s just drill down to the best one. Talbotville – an abandoned gold mining town north-west of Dargo, best accessible by 4WD only and literally surrounded by endless days of tracks. The town is long gone, leaving a perfect level green grassed camping area beside the most pristine river, the Crooked River. If there was a campsite in heaven, this would be it! Website Link Ayers Rock Campground – NT Nothing screams Australian outback more than Uluru. One of the best places for those touring with their trailer camper in the Australian Outback is the Kata Tjuta National Park. Set against the warm red sands of the desert, Ayers Rock Campground is the perfect place to pitch up and explore some of the finest Outback scenery in the world. The campsite is located just 15 km from Uluru and plenty of desert oaks provide shade from the heat of the day. Located over 1500 kilometres from Adelaide, this stunning destination definitely requires a camper trailer fit for purpose. Hardcore drivers would be able to reach it after a solid 17-hour drive. But it is better to split the journey between several days and enjoy what the heart of Australia has to offer along the way. Website Link Niggly Cave, Junee Cave State Reserve, TAS Calling all explorers! The Junee Cave is just far enough off the beaten track that it’s less popular among the tourists, but in reality, it’s not even 100 km out from Hobart. This large cave system, consisting of nearly 300 caves, is a great choice if you want to feel as though you’ve got the entire place to yourself. For bragging rights, don’t miss Niggly Cave, Australia’s deepest cave at 375 m deep. What’s more, Tasmania’s first national park, Mount Field National Park, is only 5 km away in the nearby town of Maydena where you’ll find the Land of the Giants Caravan Park. With plenty of campsites suitable for tents, campers, and caravans, you’ll feel right at home at this serviced camping and caravan park. Website Link 1770, QLD The town of 1770 is found on the Queensland coast between Rockhampton and Bundaberg. It has two good caravan parks – one on the shores of Bustard Bay and one that is a 10-min walk to the pristine surf beach. Eurimbula National Park, just before the town, has two waterside camping opportunities at Middle Beach and Bustard Bay. If you are into boating and fishing these are the picks. A few kilometres south of 1770 is Deepwater National Park with numerous camping opportunities tucked amongst the shade trees just 5-mins walk from the surf beach which you will have all to yourself. Website Link The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park, WA Until space travel to Mars becomes a reality, a trip to the Pinnacles will have to do. The vastness of the land, the jagged rock formations, and the yellow sand are convincing enough to make us feel as though we’ve been transported into outer space (without the deadly side effects). For an even more eerie experience, visit this desert in the late afternoon to see the sun cast strange shadows on the sand. Although there are no campsites in the park, there are accommodation options in the nearby town of Cervantes, like RAC Cervantes Holiday Park. Website Link Simpson Desert Regional Reserve, SA This breathtakingly beautiful desert landscape