The Caravan and Motorhome Book TOC – Full Content Details

Table of Contents

 

  • Acknowledgements
  • Dedication
  • Preface
  • Chapter 1
    • The early years
      • Recreational caravans
      • Gentlemen gypsies
      • Horse-drawn reaction
      • Motor-drawn caravans
      • Fifth-wheel caravans
      • Off-road fifth-wheel caravans
      • Motorhomes
      • Australia – motorhomes
      • Australian campervan/motorhome production
  • Chapter 2
    • What can go where?
      • Off-road
      • Corrugation
  • Chapter 3
    • Campervan, motorhome or trailer?
      • Trailer benefits
      • Trailer downsides
      • Campervan/motorhomes
      • Single vehicle downsides
      • Security
      • Cooking -inside/outside?
      • Further considerations
  • Chapter 4
    • Common requirements
      • Refrigerators
      • Beds
      • Mattresses
      • Toilets
      • Laundry
      • Heating
      • Air-conditioning
      • Storage
      • Floor coverings
      • Awnings
      • Carrying firewood
      • Unrestrained objects
      • Travel lightly
  • Chapter 5
    • Camper-trailers
      • Soft floor
      • Hard floor
      • Kitchens
      • Water
      • Fridges
      • Interior heaters
      • Energy overview
      • Off-road camper trailers
  • Chapter 6
    • Slide-ons
  • Chapter 7
    • Caravans
      • Size and weight
      • Overweight issues
      • Caravan stability: effects of weight
      • Tow ball mass
      • Weight distributing hitches
      • Sway (yaw) control
      • Electronic stability control
      • Tow vehicles
      • Off-road caravans
      • Buying second-hand
      • Electric tow vehicles
      • Caravan summary
  • Chapter 8
    • Fifth-wheel caravans
      • Tow vehicle
      • Hitch positioning
      • Double oscillatory hitches
      • Suspension
      • Imported fifth-wheelers
  • Chapter 9
    • Campervans & motorhomes
      • Motorhomes
      • Coach conversions
      • Fuel usage
  • Chapter 10
    • Off-road campervans & motorhomes
      • Need for four-wheel drive (4WD)
      • Limitations of 4WD
      • Campervan conversions
      • Suspension
      • Wheels & tyres
      • Expedition vehicles
      • Keep it simple
  • Chapter 11
    • Building your own
      • Legal issues
      • Avoiding basic errors
      • Weight
      • Distributing the weight (campervans/motorhomes)
      • Distributing the weight (caravans)
      • Distributing the weight (fifth-wheel caravans)
      • Distributing the weight (camper trailers)
      • Layouts
      • Storage
      • Kitchens
      • Installing a fridge
      • Insulation
      • Air-conditioning/heating
      • Inside shower/toilet
      • Building off-road vehicles
      • Off-road suspension
      • Accommodating chassis flexing
      • Dust exclusion
      • Off-road tyres
      • How tyre pressures affect footprint area
      • Electrical
      • Adequate cable is essential
  • Chapter 12
    • Tyres
      • Tyre ratings and pressures
      • Tubeless tyres
      • High pressure tyres
      • Tyre life
      • Tow vehicle and caravan tyres
      • Removing and refitting tyres
      • Tyre balance
  • Chapter 13
    • Lighting
      • Light brightness and spread
      • Colour temperature
      • The move to LEDs
      • TV interference
      • Light ratings and price
      • LED standards
  • Chapter 14
    • LP gas
      • Cylinder location and ventilation
      • Connecting to appliances
      • Ventilation
  • Chapter 15
    • Water
      • Water quantity
      • Obtaining water
      • Water tanks
      • Water pumps
      • Automatic pumps
      • Quietening a noisy pump
      • Water connection systems
      • Filtering
      • Self-containment – (‘Leave No Trace’)
  • Chapter 16
    • Toilets & showers
      • Vacuum toilets
      • Alternative toilets
      • Toilet chemicals
      • Dumping points
      • Showers
  • Chapter 17
    • Space & water heating
      • Engine heat exchangers
      • Diesel/LP gas powered water/space heating
  • Chapter 18
    • Refrigerators (fridges)
      • Electric fridges
      • Three-way units
      • Eutectic fridges
      • Running on solar
      • Fridge problems
  • Chapter 19
    • Television
      • Screen types
      • Recording
      • Tuning
      • Satellite TV
      • Digital radio & satellite radio
      • Caution
  • Chapter 20
    • Communications
      • Email
      • Satellite telephony
      • HF radio
      • CB radio
      • Channel usage
  • Chapter 21
    • Away from mains power
      • Promises – promises
      • Converter systems
      • Solving the issues
      • Generators
      • Wind power
      • Fuel cells
  • Chapter 22
    • Batteries & charging
      • Battery life
      • Battery choice
      • Battery charging
      • Dc-dc alternator charging
      • Battery capacity & losses
      • Battery configurations
      • Engine computer issues
      • Future alternator charging
      • Mains battery chargers
      • Knowing the state of charge
  • Chapter 23
    • Solar energy basics
      • Storing solar energy
      • Watt’s possible
      • Golden rule
      • Locating the modules
      • Carried loose
      • Weather effects
      • Buying solar modules
  • Chapter 24
    • Solar specifics
      • Solar available
      • What solar modules produce
      • Solar regulators
      • Battery capacity for solar
      • Excess solar capacity
      • Solar installation
  • Chapter 25
    • Mains power
      • Supply cables
      • The 10/15 amp dilemma
      • Victorian-built RVs
      • New Zealand-built RVs
      • US/Canadian imports
  • Chapter 26
    • Inverters
      • Sine-wave or modified square wave
      • Transformer-based inverters
      • Switch-mode inverters
  • Chapter 27
    • Preparing for the trip
      • Fuel
      • Air filters
      • Oils ain’t necessarily oils!
      • Servicing the electrics
      • Computer-controlled engines
      • General
      • Spares
      • Caravans and camper-trailers
  • Chapter 28
    • Common problems
  • Chapter 29
    • Outback travelling
      • Fuel storage
      • Specialised servicing
      • Bull bars
      • Driving off-road
      • Driving in sand
      • Beach driving
      • Debogging in mud
      • Debogging (snatch straps)
      • Using a snatch strap
  • Chapter 30
    • Keeping safe
      • Carrying weapons
      • Fire
      • Bush fires
      • Insects
      • Sandflies (midges)
      • March flies
      • Marine stingers
      • Crocodiles
      • Snakes
      • Flooding
      • Maps
      • On not becoming lost
      • Global Positioning System
      • Finding north
      • Personal locator beacons
  • Chapter 31
    • Cyclones
      • Essential preparation
      • Cyclone categories
      • Western Australia warning routine
      • Appropriate actions
      • Protecting your vehicle
  • Chapter 32
    • Keeping well
      • Learning, mental exercise and creativity
      • Nutrition
      • Exercise
      • Friends
      • Laugh more, live longer!
      • Mind, body and spirit
      • Vices may help!
      • Sleep apnoea
      • Becoming hurt/unwell
      • First aid kit
  • Chapter 33
    • Where to stay
      • [caravan park] ratings
      • Freedom camping
      • Indigenous-run retreats/sites
      • Leave No Trace
  • Chapter 34
    • What it costs etc.
    • Chapter
      • Food
      • Alcohol
      • General
      • Concession cards
      • Selling up
      • Communications
  • Chapter 35
    • Legal issues
      • Tare Mass
      • Aggregate Trailer Mass
      • Gross Trailer Mass
      • Gross Combination Mass
      • Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM)
      • Legal towing weights
      • Weighing-in stations
      • Driving licence requirements
      • Licence and registration renewal
      • Personal Property Securities Register
      • Import issues
      • Private imports
      • Camping defined
      • Drinking alcohol whilst camped
      • Fishing licences
      • Voting
  • Chapter 36
    • Approximate weights (kg)
  • Chapter 37
    • About us and our vehicles
      • OKA
  • Chapter 38
    • Contacts & links
      • RV organisations
      • RV publications and websites
      • Useful RV service
  • Publishing Details