Our son had been injured at work in Cairns and needed frequent support but flying from Brisbane to Cairns was costly. Driving and staying in motels was better but still expensive, so we bought a quick-erect tent and stayed overnight in caravan parks.

One night I arrived in Bowen and set about making camp. It was at dusk, cold, raining and blowing a gale. As I struggled with the tent, a guy in a motorhome drove into the adjacent site, pulled a meal out of the fridge and nuked it in the microwave. He poured a glass of red, turned on the TV and watched the evening news while he ate! It was like being hit by a lightning bolt — he had found the perfect way to travel. I returned home, sold the tent and we started searching for a motorhome that fit.

We have sailed in a variety of yachts and are accustomed to living small but value our comfort. We needed standing headroom, a decent galley, a shower, toilet, air con and a couple of bunks. After looking at a number of possibilities, we settled on an ex rental Ford Transit motorhome.

The finished van, ready to hit the road

It wasn’t perfect, largely because it had been designed to satisfy the short-term rental market. We liked, though, that it would fit in most parking spaces and could be easily accommodated at home. We almost rejected it initially, because the accommodation entry was via a rear rather than side door, but we thought this could be modified. Later we saw a side entry layout version and realised that rear entry gave us a preferable interior layout.

So, we bought the Transit and had a side awning fitted. We also bought a side screen and a couple of ground mats. Our first priority was to hit the road and see how we could best optimise our travelling home.

IMPROVING STORAGE

Storage areas needed attention. The large locker above the driving compartment was open and anything stored there was likely to fall out when under way, so we fitted a removable locker front.

Similarly, small storage areas above the galley were open and we closed these with acrylic sliding doors. When underway they are secured with rubber boat bungs — not particularly flash, but very effective.

The next job was to close the open front of the passenger side bunk. First, though, we took the opportunity to replace the worn vinyl floor with laminated timber flooring. I was unable to locate matching laminate for the bunk front, so I removed the bunk top and used it as the front. I then made a fibreglass and foam top, which is light-weight and easily lifted to access under bunk storage. We used cut down 20L plastic drums as storage bins.

A simple and cheap solution for storing seat back overnight

We bought a pair of comfortable chairs which we store securely in fiberglass pockets attached to the rear doors and held in place with rope and cleats. When travelling, the chairs are stowed on the driver’s side bunk and restrained by fitting the table leg against them.

With infill panel, the table top originally formed a double bed. When not used, the panel was stored beneath a bunk. We didn’t wish to use this as we prefer single berths. A timber slide bracket was fabricated to store the table top at the foot of the driver’s side bunk. The protruding tubular metal bracket was fitted with a removable cushion for safety and comfort.

This completed the first stage of storage solutions and we celebrated by replacing the bunk cushions and curtains. We also bought a full set of magnetic solar screens which have proved to be great for insulation and privacy.

The rear door storage pocket for the chairs

SOLAR POWER

In order to free camp, we needed reliable solar power and fitted two 130W panels on the roof as well as buying a portable 160W array, which can be stored and secured behind the driver’s seat. We added a slide-on wheel assembly to make aiming the panels at the sun easier.

All these panels are connected to a Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) which efficiently charges a 220Ah AGM house battery. A 20W rooftop solar panel (and regulator) keeps the starter battery in good condition when the vehicle is unused for extended periods. A 300W pure sine wave inverter powers small 240V devices, while a 1000W pure sine wave inverter handles a hair dryer, food mixer, vacuum sealer and power tools. Our 12V system also powers a small fridge, LED lights, range hood, water pump, TV and a CPAP machine.

The solar power installation normally recharges the house battery by mid-morning which, together with around four days of battery storage, gives us a considerable margin to cover poor solar conditions. Plan B is a drive to recharge battery conditions or go to a powered site.

We carry a 40A battery charger which enables us to fully recharge overnight, but in eight years we have not needed plan B.

These modifications enabled us to begin travelling in relative comfort.

Extra solar panels for in camp

STORAGE PHASE 2

With on road experience, we recognised additional work would further improve storage areas and utility. An example was that accessing stores in the galley cupboard was difficult and frustrating. Accordingly, we fitted four drawers with stainless runners into the cupboards. We can now easily see and access what’s in the drawers and actually store much more.

Gaps resulting from retaining the original cupboard structure allowed us to store even more in an organised fashion. Drawers are numbered from the top left in a clockwise direction to the lower left, and when I am having a man look for something, this allows Elizabeth to tell me “It’s in number three” — convenience and harmony achieved by one modification.

A shortage of bench space was alleviated by a removable bench  extension which is relocated and doubles as a bedside table at night. It’s large enough to hold two dinner plates and strong enough to support heavy items.

Originally a microwave was fitted but we never used it, so it was removed, and the space is now closed with a removable acrylic panel. As well as providing more valuable storage space, a small TV/ DVD is installed on stainless slides so it can slide out when required.

The addition of this simple table allowed Graham to ditch the freestanding table and save on storage

Accessibility to the overhead lockers was improved by adding intermediate shelves. One locker is used for a range of commonly used tools and a number of useful small items that help keep the show on the road. This area was a source of frustration when trying to fix something, which has been sorted by installing three drawers. To maximize space, the top and bottom drawers are installed behind the original locker frames. Access to all drawers is gained by removing the middle drawer which enables the others to be withdrawn. The only downside is that Murphy decrees that whatever we want is never in the middle drawer. Nevertheless storage and accessibility has significantly improved.

Not every modification requires significant effort or expense to provide worthwhile improvements. Each night, we remove the seat backs to turn the seats into comfortable beds. We originally stowed these in the passenger compartment, but we now store them below the passenger side overhead lockers. Retainers made from stainless saddles, shock cord, clips and some lengths of pvc pipe support the seat backs overnight while maintaining adequate headroom.

Originally we carried a demountable aluminium table for outside. This was stowed above the driving compartment, but was a hassle to remove, assemble and repack. Accordingly it was rarely set up for overnight stops even though it would have been useful. Eventually this was replaced with an exterior table behind the side sliding door, made from fibreglass and foam and attached with a length of piano hinge. It is supported by a pair of gas struts and, when closed, firmly held in place by a pair of fabricated catches. Now we slide the side door open, release the catches and the table glides into place.

The slide-out TV

COMFORT AND SAFETY

We had insect screens fitted to the side aperture and to the rear entry area to keep the beasties at bay, and a small but efficient fan provides comfort when needed.

When heading west, we were worried about possible wildlife impacts and had an aluminium bar fitted (as well as a tow bar), and a set of LED driving lights in case we were forced to travel at night. These became unexpectedly vital when we got caught in a severe dust storm one day.

Originally the shower was fitted with separate hot and cold taps which had to be adjusted to get an ideal temperature. This wasted precious water, so we replaced the individual taps with a mixer tap. We also noticed that sometimes the gas hot water system had been accidentally turned on due to the hot water switch, fitted to the galley front panel, being bumped while working in the galley, so wooden ‘idiot shrouds’ were fitted to protect the switch.

Boarding and exiting the motorhome required work to make it easy and safe. Exiting the passenger seat was solved by buying a folding plastic stool and fitting it with a rope lanyard so it could be easily lowered before exiting and retrieved when boarding. It is stowed in the passenger side door pocket.

The lowerable passenger step

A rear step was fabricated from fibreglass and foam to make the rear door access easy and safe. It is based on a truncated pyramid for stability and the upper surface is coated with anti-skid. It also has storage underneath for our sullage hose, freeing up other space. Anti-skid tape was fitted to the vehicle rear to further improve safety.

To assist with this, a folding boarding handle was constructed from stainless steel. The handle is normally folded down out of the way and securely held in place by a latch. To raise the handle, it is pivoted to the vertical position by the user then lifted and dropped into another latch socket which holds it securely in place. The whole idea is to limit the possibility of falls.

HOBART STRUTS

Tasmania is located within the Roaring Forties so it’s no surprise it can be rather windy. Geological features and severe weather patterns can increase wind speeds well beyond 50 knots (roughly 100km/h) at times. We experienced very strong winds at the Hobart Showgrounds, said to be amplified by Mount Wellington. We enter and exit our little Ford Transit motorhome via the large rear doors, and a particularly savage gust slammed a door shut as Elizabeth was exiting and came close to seriously injuring her. I was very careful to hold the doors open against wind gusts, but the door was torn from my hands despite this. It has to be said that Tasmanian weather is often quite calm much of the time, but caution is nevertheless necessary.

When we returned home we decided that prevention is better than cure and fabricated some strong tubular stainless-steel struts that can be easily fitted to either or both rear doors.

One end of the struts has an adjustable hinge fitting, and the other end has a piece of stainless mounted at an appropriate angle. It has a nut welded to it to keep the fabricated wing bolt in place until the strut is fitted.

The Great Australian Bight

A stainless plate has a nut welded to the rear of it and is fastened to the vehicle rear. When the strut is fitted, the hinged end (made in part from marine fittings) is screwed into the nut on the stainless plate.

A similar plate was fitted to the rear doors and the wing bolt is removed from its holding nut and screwed into the other plate nut.

When the struts are fitted to both doors, access is unimpeded. We have used them on many occasions  including during a ferocious storm at Bundaberg, so it is probably unfair to christen them Hobart Struts, but it would equally be unfair to call them Bundaberg Struts — perhaps we should just call them Wind Struts.

For some time we wished to add additional external shade screens, however the construction of our small roll-out awning limited us to a side screen only. Then, our local supermarket had a special on sun screens. This prompted us to see if fitting these was possible.

The design of our roll-out awning uses arms hinged in the middle to support the awning, which made attaching screens rather difficult. We needed to be able to add struts to attach the screens securely. We managed to find suitable telescopic paint roller handles for the struts and added hinged end fittings to mate with the hinged arms. The attachment points on the arms consist of small stainless plates, with a nut welded to the back of them, pop riveted on to the arms. For anyone wishing to do something similar, great care needs to be taken  to position the plates to suit the arm moldings and avoid damaging the stainless cable inside the arms.

Bundaberg Storm from Bagarra — time to get the Hobart struts out again!

The screens were originally fitted with Velcro attachment points, but it felt preferable to replace these with eyelets and rope ties. The struts attach to the arms with wing bolts and the screen is then attached to them. The fact these strut lengths can be adjusted and locked in position means the awning can be locked at different lengths to compensate for various wind strengths. A further benefit is that the struts brace the folding arms which had a tendency to fold up when wind speeds increased, causing the awning to flap violently.

Some time ago we discovered an awning designed to be fitted to the rear of a 4WD vehicle. It was on the throw out table at the store for a bit less than $20. How could I pass that up? Like many bargain purchases, it sat unused for ages, but after the motorhome arrived we eventually decided to make use of it. First step was to fabricate a fiberglass roof extension and fit it to the rear of the Transit roof.

It was then fitted with a length of sail track and we had a narrow vinyl strip fitted with a sail track rope on one side and half a zipper on the other. The other part of the zipper was sewn to the awning. We were then able to slide the vinyl strip into the sail track, assemble the awning and zip it to the vinyl strip already attached to the sail track. Because the motorhome is considerably taller than most 4WD vehicles, the fibreglass rods supporting the aft end of the awning needed to be extended — I used some from an old tent. To protect the awning, I slit some rubber hose and fit it over the door edges. A side benefit is that the fibreglass roof extension stops water leaks if the doors haven’t been properly closed, and it also provided a mounting point for a reversing camera.

The complete setup

Our son and I went into a caravan park one night on the way to Cape Tribulation in North Queensland. Being in a rainforest, it was raining and an access road leading to the restaurant was under repair. We got bogged and try as we might, we couldn’t extract the vehicle. Covered in mud, we walked to the restaurant to see if someone could pull us out and while we were waiting we had tea. We were eventually towed out and returned to our site.

Part of the problem was that the tyre treads worked on bitumen but were useless on a slippery surface. When we arrived back home we bought a pair of recovery tracks which we now stow in the shower. We also bought a small folding shovel and a small hand winch and carry a Kevlar tow rope. Not the perfect solution but it’s all we are able to fit aboard. This setup would have easily got us out of trouble in the caravan park.

THE FUTURE

We can do just about anything we desire but there is always the next problem to solve — the more you have, the more you want! I recommend clearly defining the problem and trying to develop at least 10 ways to solve it before making any modifications. Initial working sketches followed by detailed and dimensioned drawings assist in eliminating mistakes.

Perhaps you may find some of these modifications can be adapted for your particular circumstances. We also hope to see you on the road and pinch some of your ideas. Go small, go now!

'To your health!’

Category: Unknown
Written: Sun 01 Nov 2020
Printed: November, 2020
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