Tuesday 17 December 2013

The Bushtracker being Built

Allison and I spent a few days last week (8 to 14 December) on the Sunshine Coast during which we visited the Bushtracker factory to check out building progress on our caravan. Having a little more to put in the van than we could take in one LC load, we drove up (about 2500 km each way - 2.5 days up and the same back) and dropped off some gear in a nearby Kunda Park storage locker, ready for kitting out the van on delivery. 

We did the initial design work for the caravan with Philip on 28 August 2013 and have continued modifying the design since then. We signed off on a pre-final production design on 28 October and production moved ahead under Matt's supervision. By the time of our visit, the chassis had been constructed, the frame built and installed on the chassis with the floor in place, the cabinetry installed and the van was in electrical fitting having the 240, 12 volt and solar systems installed.

The following few photos were taken around the factory during our visit. While they are not of our van, they show the stages prior to the electrical fit-out.


Each frame section is built to the specific design of the particular van. I'm told that the welder has had long experience at building aluminum frames and both their construction quality and design make the Bushtracker a very solid off road van.

The frame sections are welded together and bolted onto the chassis prior to installation of the cabinetry. The floor is high grade marine ply with all exposed surfaces treated with three coats of resin to prevent any water ingress.  The distinctive nose cone, under which the spare wheels and gas bottles are later located, is a further distinguishing feature of Bushtracker. With the high internal under bed storage, the queen size island bed sits neatly into the nose cone, high off the floor.

Each component of the van is custom made according to the production schedule. However, some elements of design are ongoing. For example, we made some changes this week as a result of the visit. In our original design we were not going to install satellite TV equipment although we had planned for the pre-wiring and roof bracing needed if any future buyer wanted to do so. As it turns out, for $1500 there is now a system with a lightweight external (plug in) satellite dish that folds up into a relatively small bag which can be stored in the hold. So we have asked for that system to be installed as well as including the future wiring and bracing provisions for someone who might want to install the $6,500 oyster rooftop satellite dish. 

The Simplicity suspension is heavy duty in build, a Bushtracker feature. Note the high wheel arch boxes that allow each wheel substantial vertical movement over rugged ground. The nature of the suspension means that the weight of the van is always evenly distributed over the wheels, even when one is on a different plane to the other. In our case, we have opted for 12 inch commercial brakes and the wheels and tyres will be the same 18 inch setup as the LC so we will have three spares.
The high quality 6 inch chassis is built off site by a specialist chassis maker who also builds for the army. It is heavy duty in construction, dip galvanised and treated later with a special rust preventative under the van itself. 
The upswept tail allows for tight uphill situations such as three point turns in the bush. While it cuts out some internal storage space and militates against external rear storage, including placing the spare wheels at the back, the unique off road Bushtracker shape distinguishes the purpose of the van. It aids in the principle of keeping the weight over the wheels and a little toward the front, preventing what is known as harmonic motion on corrugated roads.

 The following photos were taken inside and outside of our van during its electrical fit-out.

 This is our actual van. It is fitted with temporary wheels during construction to ensure that what we get in the end is brand new.
The kitchen is on left of photo and the cafe seating on the right, with the bed raised. Note the bedside storage lockers. We have also opted to arrange for the table of the cafe seating to be able to be lowered and used when necessary as the base of a single bed. The mattress inserts will be used as bolsters on the main bed.
This is the kitchen area of the van showing the amount of storage under the bench. We have opted for a pot drawer rather than a microwave but you can see where the 240 volt PP will be installed at the back of the drawer in case we decide on a microwave later. Note that the high wheel arch boxes take up much of the space in the lower cupboards, which will be accessed mainly by locker doors. The area under the sink (with the external AV locker cutout at the rear) will have a top-to-bottom door while the other spaces will be drawers. The Swift stove with grill and oven goes in the large space to the left of the photo.

Inside the large fridge space with the cutout for the upper fridge vent. We inquired about insulating this space but it was explained that the compressor fridge needs to draw air from around the space and its efficiency would be severely reduced if it were insulated. This is in contrast to the requirements of the three way absorption fridge in our last van that would have benefited from such insulation. 
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This is the ensuite vanity. Note that the lower section of the vanity is sloped as it corresponds with the swept up tail of the van. The lower sections will have locker doors while the upper sections will have drawers.
This is a front on picture of the lower storage hold inside the shower recess. The shower walls and floor are to be completely covered in fibre glass with water proof doors to be added to the storage lockers. Note that the lower section of the locker is sloped as it corresponds with the swept up tail of the van. 
This is the upper section of the shower recess with its storage locker, and the right hand storage locker in the ensuite, to be used for toiletries. Note the window to the shower and the wiring above for the 12 volt fan. We have added 50mm to the shower to get the shelf and sufficient space to wash our hair.
This is the storage unit to the left of the ensuite for towels and sheets etc. The large window over the toilet  provides venting without the need for a forced fan on the roof.
This is the front of the van showing the high storage locker or 'hold' under the queen size island bed which is raised on hydraulic shockers. You can also see the structure of the three large storage drawers, the compartment for the Dometic 5 kg front loader washing machine and a side compartment on the near side for further storage, accessed above and at the side. There is no foot locker on the near side because we have installed a small pull out external BBQ that can be hooked up to the van's gas supply.
This is one of the under floor storage lockers on the off side beside the bed, with the bedside storage to the left top of picture. You can also get a glimpse of the floor covering the Alli has selected.
This is a nose cone view of our van. You get an idea of the distinctive Bushtracker shape as well as the size of the windows and storage door. You also get an idea of the quality of the electrical work noting that the 240 and 12 volt wires all go through pre-drilled holes in the frame into which  grommets are placed to ensure the wires don't rub and short on the frame. All electrical work is set out carefully to the pre-arranged plan.
Note the wooden backing plate for the external clearance light, as well as its wiring that has been roughed in.
This shows a glimpse inside the van door, showing the fridge space, pantry and under fridge drawer space. The pantry will be mainly drawers with a locker at the bottom. Under the fridge is a large drawer. On the outside of the van you can see the kitchen window frame as well as the frame for the external electrical locker. The roughed in 12 volt wire near the door is for the lighted grab handle. To the left inside of the door is the locker for the water tank manifolds so that we can choose which tank to use. It is important to use water from the outer tanks first for balance.
The A frame and its nearby wall frame are braced to take the load of the two heavy 18 inch spare wheels and the gas cylinders, all sitting under the nose cone. The gas plumber has left the gas piping for the next stage of his work.
This is the off side rear of the van showing the upswept tail, the locker for the hot water system, the locker for the toilet cassette and the lower fridge vent. The through pole storage locker will be installed in the rear triangle section with a screw on lid exposed both sides of the van.
At the top of the rear of the van is a tail light and the reversing camera. These wooden backing plates are ready to take each.
The hole in the back of the van is the frame for the external shower.












 
The shot above shows both the solid nature of the chassis and suspension as well as the rust proofing coat that has been applied under the van. The shot to the right shows the main electrical board, being built with pride by a skilled and experienced craftsman who has worked for the company for many years. He pointed out that the company employed highly skilled and experienced people in each trade to ensure the build quality of the vans.




The under bed storage area, known I think as the cargo hold, is accessed from both near and off sides through extra large doors and from inside by raising the bed. The cargo hold houses the electrical fuse box, battery charger, inverter, solar regulator, etc on the main board. The lithium battery goes in the white box at the electrician's shoulder. Access from the bedside lockers allows you to move gear if it has shifted and is blocking the door from opening. Later, at the back of the electrician, will be installed the water tank filling manifolds.
The front off-side over head cupboard is used to house the circuit breakers, as well as the DVD/Radio, solar and battery charge indicators, hot water heater switch, and the VAST satellite box.
This last picture isn't of our van but I thought I would take a photo of one having the skin installed. Note how well the thick insulation is fitted tightly to the frame. Our van is in the background.
So our caravan is well on the way. We have opted for an Air Command Cormorant roof top air conditioner, 4 solar panels and 4 water tanks (one potable).  We may add a couple more tanks when we have our first service.

The van will have external speakers with an external remote, a 24 inch LED TV that can go inside or outside, bluetooth to the stereo so we can play music from our I Phones, extra power points inside and out, and the outdoor shower. It will also have a diesel heater for the winter and a large storage box on the extended A Frame for the generator and three jerry cans. 

We have also selected the A and E electric roll out awning. The seating is brown leather and the cupboard doors are a flat finish, with a sliver splash back to the kitchen bench. 

With Bushtracker about to close up for the Christmas break, it is unlikely that van will be ready before early February 2014. We will not rush anyone, so we will simply wait patiently until we get the call.

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