Our tips


smart phone travelling tip
Save money on not having one of these !!!

rv tip, bluetooth/hotspot tethering
Blue tooth tethering/hot spot connection
PHONE AS A MODEM : This tip is about using your smart phone as a modem, via cable or blue tooth. If you have a compatible phone that has mobile hot spot and or tethering features then you can say good bye to that extra pre paid or post paid wireless usb stick that has been costing you extra money whilse travelling. My wife and i turn on mobile hot spot for our son to use via his iPod, he gets Internet connection via the blue tooth setting and best of all, once we think he's been on there long enough we just turn the hot spot off, easy. Any how you can also use this method or by using the phones usb cable to connect to the Internet on any other device, like your PC, tablet, laptop, or you can even have multiple devices running of your smart phone. Our smart phones where pretty easy to set up and probably took a few minutes to work it out. If you are travelling and want the comfort of using a PC via your smart phone then search on Google for more details, it should give you all the info you will need to get started.
rv tip, usb cable tethering
Usb cable tethering connection

  
  
Curved style windscreen
WINDSCREEN : This tip is about the type of windscreen that is on the bus or motor home that you might be looking at buying or renovating. Our bus that we purchased has two panes of glass as the windscreen, both of which are 100% flat. This style is our choice of windscreen as we are able to get in any local glazier, to cut and fit suitable hardened glass or alike with ease and much more cost effective. Where as with a windscreen that has been built with either one, two or more panes of curved glass, you might find your self stranded for days on end trying to source a replacement, let alone the price for a replacement. We have talked to a couple once that paid up to $15,000 just for a curved windscreen replacement, just imagine how far you could travel if that was $15,000 to go onto diesel. Keep this tip for next time your shopping around for a project, because you never know when you are going to need to replace that windscreen, be it from a kangaroo, or a bloody stone that has been flicked up by those lovely road trains. But one day it will need to be done!!!

Side view of flat windscreen



motor home kitchen
Basic kitchen keeps the weight down
motor home weight tip
Using same materials
WEIGHT - This tip is on the obvious, keeping the weight down in your motor home, caravan and alike, whether your striping a bus down for rust repairs or updating your kitchen, you really need to watch the weight. Use the same type of material when replacing rusted sections of the frame, if the frame is running say thin wall RHS at 1.5mm thick, then don't use 5mm thick RHS, this will only pour the weight on. Only add extra RHS or bracing if needed, say like in areas where you may be alternating or adding a slide out or something, if your not to sure then seek expert advice as like an engineer, body builder. Re-skinning the external wall, use something light but also durable like aluminium, galvanised, fibreglass sheeting. We are using ACP (aluminium composite panel) of a thickness of 4mm, strong but very light, and if you shop around you can pick this stuff up for half the price of aluminium. The interior really needs to be thought out properly to, chip board is cheap, but bloody heavy. Why not spend that little extra and use marine grade ply, many thicknesses and really lighter, you can even get ACP in like 2mm thick panels and in any pattern, colour or finish. Fresh water, grey and black water and any other tanks like fuel need to be thought out too, why have a ton of weight on board when travelling if you are only going from caravan park to caravan park. If you want to be more self contained then you really need to work out your limit, no need to over do it. Generators, bbqs, pumps, bull bars and any other rv products, the list goes on and on, I'm sure you get the idea though, every thing on that motor home, caravan, or what ever it is that you are pushing or pulling around this great country of ours, you need to keep that weight down. Not to sure, get some one in, some one like a engineer, body builder or just some one with some knowledge in this field. Theory, Just say you wanted to lay a new floor in your motor home and marine grade ply was $800 more than your chip board or some thing else, just think of the weight savings, better fuel economy and better speed that extra $800 is going to provide. Might have to spend a little more now, but you'll reap the benefits down the track, especially if you are planing to keep it long term.
Acp for motorhome project
ACP from Blue Chip Group


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