Oliver Factory Tour Photos

[OCD Overland]

Yikes - that's precisely the problem that concerns me with the caravans. In fact, I was curious how the lifting mechanism worked since there's nothing visible in any photos. Top of my list of questions to ask Bruce was if there was some sort of manual override, but I guess if it's a cable, there isn't. And with the top down on those, pretty much all your gear is trapped inside, too.

Hope it didn't happen while you were out. That would ruin a trip pdq. But surely there's a way to replace it, and I'd hope you'd be able to do it in the field. Please keep us posted.

btw, I'm in TN, and for some reason, pop up campers are specifically excluded from having to be registered. No reason that a caravan wouldn't qualify, as far as I know.

 

[DUTCH]

I didn't intend to hijack this thread, only to respond to an earlier poster's concerns.

The lift mechanism is four galvanized steel cables, one at each corner. They go through a series of pulleys to one follower that is pulled by a small Warn winch located in the boot. There is no manual override.

The left rear cable has broken on at least six late model Kimberley Karavans in the past year. Mine and at least two of the others are as a result of rust failure of the cable due to rain water getting into the cable channel. Access for repair requires quite a bit of dismantling, drilling and cutting of the karavan - much more than the average shade tree mechanic is capable; and I'm very concerned about the remaining three cables.

Probably enough said in this thread.

 

[OCD Overland]

You're probably right to move the discussion - I've started a new thread to talk about this and any other Kimberley specific issues...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...rs-the-Good-and-the-Bad?p=2010556#post2010556

 

[pennieslj]

We picked up our Oliver last week and are very happy with the trailer and the service we received from Oliver. Definitely not an offroad trailer, but it is extremely well built and should hold up much better to forest/desert roads than most travel trailers.

 

[OCD Overland]

Really nice - congrats!

Liking the grey and black stripes.

 

[Doc Foster]

Truck and trailer = sweet looking rig! Keep us updated on maiden voyage.

 

[pennieslj]

Really nice - congrats!

Liking the grey and black stripes.

Truck and trailer = sweet looking rig! Keep us updated on maiden voyage.

Thank You. We love it so far. We stayed it the trailer three nights on the way home from Tennessee to Utah and could not be happier with it.

 

[Keyne]

Not a full off road trailer but how much off road extremes could it handle?