2005 Roadstar Voyager 4000
caravan
Chassis has 150mm A frame
which is carried through to the end of the suspension
- Independent suspension suitable for off road conditions
- Landcruiser wheels
- Hayman Reece weight distribution hitch
- 22' 6" (external)
- Tare weight 2400kg ATM 3200kg
- AL-KO Electric braked axles
- Multi-stage Smart Battery Charger
- Morningstar ProStar controller
- 2 120 w Kyocera solar panels
- 2 kva Honda generator fitted to the tow bar (didn’t need it)
- 2 120 amp hr gel batteries
- Latronics 1200w Sinewave pure inverter
- 3 80 litre fresh water tanks
- Combined Ensuite with shower and
- Dometic vacuum toilet, chemical free, two cassettes
- 186 litre Dometic 3 way frig/freezer
- Swift 4 burner gas cooker, grill and oven
- Technika Microwave
- Swift range hood
- 240/12v flat screen TV/DVD
- Lemair washing machine
- Suburban 22.6 litre Gas/Electric hot water system
- 2 9kg gas bottles
- Gas detector
- Linear radio/CD player
- 2 Water filters
- Galaxy windows
- Velcro on seat backs for easy removal
- 6ft 6inch island double bed
- Venetian blinds
- Dometic 8500 awning
- Shade screens
- Ground cover
Our solar panels, battery system is automatic, all we have to do is turn the control panel to 240v, gas or auxillary, whichever we are using. We have a control panel showing the volts, amps etc so hopefully we won’t run the batteries low. All our lights are 12v which means they all work off the battery system when we are freedom camping and not plugged into 240v power. We have a 1200w pure Sinewave inverter which converts three of the power points from 12v to 240v. Essential if using electronic equipment such as a laptop to avoid power surges. As I’m writing this (April 2005) the solar panels are putting power into the batteries even though it is raining and very cloudy. The water guage shows how much water we have left - not sure how accurate that is yet but will give us a good idea as to when we need to top up again. The caravan comes with a water filter in the kitchen but John has also fitted another filter so all the water coming into the caravan tanks is filtered. Apparently the water is not so good further into the outback and needs to be well filtered.
Our hot water system is gas and electric and heats up in a very short time so if we’re freedom camping we just turn it on 10 minutes before we want to do the dishes or shower. But if we’re connected to 240v we have hot water all the time.
The Hayman Reece hitch is a weight levelling and anti sway system which works well. The caravan is very easy to tow - I towed it the other day and I felt quite confident but I think John was pleased to get behind the wheel again once he’d had his sleep.
The reason we bought in Australia is that if we had brought a vehicle into Australia from New Zealand we would only have been able to stay here for 12 months or lose a 60% bond.
We had reverse backing sensors fitted to the Landcruiser as I have trouble judging distances when parking but unfortunately when the Hayman-Reece hitch is fitted to the rear of the Landcruiser it activates the sensors. We asked a couple of auto electricians about getting a switch put on to activate them (they automatically activate when the vehicle is in reverse gear) but that was going to cost about $150 so we gave it a miss. Then John found a connection in a back cubbyhole of the Landcruiser that can be taken apart to de-activate them. So this is what we do. If I’m going to drive the Landcruiser by myself John can take the Hayman-Reece towbar off and re-connect the sensors.
I spent a lot of time on the internet researching our adventure and through this met other NZ people either touring Australia or planning to. One couple we met was Smillie and Grant Henderson who have given us a lot of advice. It’s made our choices much easier having their experiences to either follow or not. They do a lot of freedom camping and this is something we are just getting into. At average $20 per night in a camping ground it soon adds up over a year and it’s nice to have the freedom associated with freedom camping.
