CARAVAN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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HOW TO SET UP YOUR ANNEXE - MECHANICAL AWNINGHOW TO SET UP YOUR ANNEXE - ELECTRIC AWNINGAWNING INSTALLATION MANUAL
SAFE TOWING CHECKLISTEnsuring your load is secured properly and doesn’t exceed your towing capacity makes the road safer for everyone. Check out our towing checklist before you hit the road for a safer getaway.
When towing a caravans, remember to:
SAFE TOWING GUIDETowing a caravan requires additional driving skills, concentration, and safety precautions. Check out our safe towing guide.
CARAVAN TOWING FACTSHEETCheck out our caravan towing fact sheet to make sure you are at a safe weight before you hit the road!
Q. What are my towbar requirements?
All vehicles towing must comply with industry towing capacity requirements and have a correctly rated tow bar fitted. The towing vehicle and tow-bar must both have a Towing Rating that exceeds the ATM Rating of the Caravan. The towing vehicle and tow-bar must both have a Maximum Ball-load Rating that exceeds the actual ball-loading of the Caravan at any time. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to always ensure that they do not ever exceed any of these Ratings when they have the Caravan partly or fully loaded. Q. What do we need to bring? All you need to bring is your bed linen (sheets, pillows, blankets), bathroom linen (bath towels), kitchen linen (tea towels), side mirrors to suit your vehicle (if required) and personal items. A list of all inclusions are available for your review by scrolling to the bottom of the rates page. Q. Do we have to stay in a caravan park or can we camp on the side of the road? The most common place to stay is in one of the thousands of caravan parks all around Australia or alternatively you can free-camp. Camping overnight in "wayside stops" or "rest areas" is also very common in regional and remote areas all across Australia (local restrictions may apply in some areas). When looking for a "rest area" to camp in, look for areas that already have a few other motorhomes or caravans (other campers will make you feel more secure). Q. Can I go off-grid & free-camp? Yes every caravan in our fleet is fitted with solar panels enabling you to free-camp but only to a limited extent. As long as your onboard battery is charged; you can use low-power 12-volt appliances like lights, water pump and some fans however higher voltage power appliances like the microwave or air conditioning will not work without a 240v mains power or generator power source . Key point to remember:
We personally love pets however due to health regulations no animals are permitted inside any caravans sorry. Q. Do I have to clean the Caravan before I return it? No as all hires incur a mandatory $129 cleaning surcharge which provisions up to 3 hours of cleaning so simply unpack your personal belongs and we will do the rest for you. No hassles, No worries. Please note however that excess soiling fees over and above the included 3 hours will be charged at a rate of $80/hr. And no dirty dishes or crockery to be left in the sink so please ensure everything is washed and put away otherwise additional fees will apply. Q. Do I have to fill the gas bottles before I return it? No, you are not required to fill the gas bottles before returning your van. Each caravan is fitted with two gas bottles and if you run out and need them refilled, we do not allow Swap'n'Go bottles to replace existing bottles supplied with the van. If a van is returned with a Swap'n'Go bottle, the hirer will be charged for a replacement bottle. Q. What if I want to stay longer than I have booked? Luxury Caravan Hire will do everything in its power to accommodate all requests so please check with us first. Failure to return a caravan when it is due back will result in fees being deducted from the bond. Q. Can I use 240v appliances on solar power? When free camping (no 240v power connected), no 240v appliance will operate when using either the onboard battery or via solar power as there are no inverters in any of the vans. This can be resolved by using a generator. Q. How much deposit is required to secure my booking? 25% of the total hire charge or $200 deposit (whichever is greater) is required to secure your booking. No booking can be finalised until the deposit has been paid and processed. Balance of all hire charges are due 30 days prior to travel. |
Q. How much is the Security Bond? $1,000 processed onto a credit card on the day of pickup or 24 hours before delivery and refunded in approximately 15 business banking days of return of the caravan subject to adherence to the terms and conditions of the hire. Q. Are there any hidden extras? Published hire rates include all Administration Fees, GST, & Caravan Insurance charges. If paying by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) however, a 2% surcharge will apply. In the event of an incident where the damage is greater than the security bond amount processed, the insurance excess for caravans is $5,000 (& $10,000 for motorhomes) which can be reduced to $50 by simply purchasing the appropriate Travel Insurance policy through Covermore. Q. Should I take out Travel Insurance? Travel insurance can protect you against the following things going wrong:
Q. What trailer plug do I need for my car? Our caravan hire fleet all have 12 pin flat type plugs however conversion plugs to 7 pin flat and round (large & small) are available at no extra charge. Q. What are the fridge operation options? Caravan fridges operate in 3 different modes:
Q. Will the fridge work on 12 volt when towing a caravan? Yes providing your towing vehicle is correctly wired. Due to manufacturing changes to wiring layouts, some of the vans in our fleet utilise auxiliary power to run the fridge during travel via a 12 pin plug. The newer Jayco vans however, have now gone back to the previous standard using Anderson power to run the fridge when travelling. To check if your vehicle is correctly wired so that the fridge operates when travelling, you will need to come into our premises so we can check your wiring configuration. ELECTRIC BRAKE CONTROLLER (EBC)Q. Do I need to fit electric brakes to my car before towing your caravans and campers?
If your vehicle doesn't have an EBC (Electric Brake Controller) installed, you can hire a portable electric brake unit for a small fee. How to Configure and Test Your Brake Controller
IMPORTANT — Keep your headlights turned on while driving to ensure all Elecbrakes units stay powered on and is operating smoothly. Q. Does my towing vehicle need to be insured?
Yes it is a requirement that your towing vehicle has a current Comprehensive Insurance cover. Q. How can I find out which caravans my car can tow? The towing capacity of your car will be listed on your tow bar, or on a sticker on the inside of your driver's side door or in your cars manual. Our website lists the minimum tow vehicle capacity and tow ball weight under the specifications section for each caravan. You can also call us anytime and we would be happy to assist you with some recommended options. Q. How far ahead do I need to book? To avoid disappointment, we would recommend you book 3-6 months ahead of school holidays. Q. What hours can I pick up and return the van? Our trading hours are Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, Saturday 8am to 12pm & Sunday's by appointment only. Please note that we are closed on all gazetted Qld public holidays. No caravan pickups nor returns are unfortunately available outside of these times. Hire vans need to be returned by 11am. Any late returns after 11am will incur an additional day's rental fee. Failure to obtain an authorisation for a rental extension will result in a late fee of AU$200 per day in addition to the daily rental rate for each day until the caravan is returned. Pickup time of your caravan needs to be scheduled so please ensure this is coordinated at the time of booking. For further assistance, please contact us. Q. Is there a limit to how many km’s I can travel? No, the only limitation is your hire duration, you can take our caravans Australia wide however there are strict restrictions regarding staying on sealed roads. No vans are allowed on dirt, gravel, corrugated or rutted roads, 4WD tracks, beach or sand. Please note that all caravans are fitted with GPS trackers to ensure no vans are taken off sealed roads. 
Q. Can I take a caravan off road? All of our hire caravans are not to be driven on unsealed roads (being a road not sealed with a hard material such as tar, bitumen or concrete), dirt, gravel, corrugated or rutted roads or any 4WD tracks or on beaches or sand. All caravans are fitted with GPS trackers and the Customer is responsible for all damage if taken off sealed roads. Q. Do you supply side mirrors? The law states that you need to have mirrors in order to see behind the van. The trouble is that this is not a precise definition that specifies what distance behind the van you should be able to see and so there is a lot of confusion about how it applies. Unfortunately due to large variation of vehicle types and customer preferences for one type of extended side mirror over another, hiring side mirrors has become very difficult to accommodate therefore each hirer is responsible in supplying mirrors. As such, a range of tow mirrors are available for purchase from most automotice retailers. To view Qld's Towing Guide including legal responsibilities please click here. If you are travelling interstate, please check with the respective state or territory in relation to what is your responsibility. Q. Why is my fridge not cooling? The main power source to run a caravan fridge is 240v & gas. To cool a fridge to its operating temperature for use it must be level in all directions. If the caravan is not level, the fridge will run but won't cool. Even when perfectly level the fridge will take 4+ hours to cool and is best run overnight to reach optimum operating temperature & performance. When beginning to cool a fridge please set the thermostat to 50% capacity and only after 4 hours, then turn it up higher to make it colder. Q. Can you deliver and pick up the caravan for me? Yes, we can deliver anywhere in Australia. For pricing please click here however please request formal pricing for longer distances. Q. Why is there condensation build up on the air con unit? Air contains moisture and this moisture tends to condense on cold surfaces. When air enters the Caravan, condensed moisture may appear on the ceiling, windows, metal parts, etc. The air conditioner removes this moisture from the air during normal operation. Keeping doors and windows closed when this air conditioner is in operation will minimise condensed moisture on cold surfaces. Q. Do you hire Annexes? We are pleased to advise that we can offer fully enclosed annexes on a range of our vans. Pricing for an annexe is only $30/night. To check which vans have annexes please contact us. Q. Is there an age limit to hire a caravan? Yes you need to be over 25 years of age and under 75 years of age. | ||||||
