New fiberglass

[Lex M]

At the moment the annual Dutch Camping-and-Caravanning fair is going on.
There is some fiberglass news:
- 2 small molded trailers,
- BIOD introduces new production method,
- molded edges and corners, not molded panels: Paul and Paula (German)

Report http://biod.info/2006jaarbeurs (sorry in Dutch, English on request).

[Al V]

That Streamer is one nice looking 5th wheel
thanks Lex

[Andrew Gibbens]

Here, I hope, is the same page via the Babelfish translator: Report with fotoos

As usual with machine translation, some of the language is curious, at best!

Andrew

[pjanits]

I think vacuumgeinjecteerde = Molded Fiberglass!

I think someone needs to start importing these really nice cousins of our trailers.

[Donna D.]

That Streamer is one nice looking 5th wheel
thanks Lex

Too cool, wonder sure would like to see what the interior looks like




I know, we should get Taylor to take his tug to Europe...how would that work for importing?

[Loren G. Hedahl]

The most interesting photo to me was the one of the trailer suspension taken via mirrors.

Looks like they either bought out or reproduced the front "A-arm" suspension from something like a '59 Chevy.

Not quite Cadillac, but close enough for government work.

[Lex M]

I think vacuumgeinjecteerde = Molded Fiberglass!

Not quite.
BIOD uses an 'open mold' technique.
Vacuum injection is a 'closed mold' technique.
Maybe this can help.
I made a translation of the text on the overview page.
Try this url please: http://biod.info/2006jaarbeurs/default.htm
Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Brian B-P]

Thanks to Lex for showing us material that most of us would never have seen ourselves, and to Lex and Andrew for the translations.

So BIOD has evolved to a "self supporting" body shell, which is what we think of as the standard moulded fiberglass design - they just get there in more panels, which makes a relatively flat-sided shape possible without demoulding difficulty. Flat-sided is good in my opinion, for effective use of interior space. Have BIOD trailers so far had an internal frame to support and join the panels?

The moulding technolgy link is a great find, Lex. Moulding with sheet moulding compound is done for some automotive panels; it's not surprising given the difference in volumes of production that the trailer would use vacuum injection. These techniques wouldn't work for most of our half-shell shapes, but seems to me to be a good fit for the BIOD panels.

The suspension appears to be a single trailing arm, with a proper damper (shock absorber) and a coil spring (a couple of red coils are visible between the arm and frame). Loren, doesn't a '59 Chev have upper and lower lateral A-arms, connected to the hub carrier by ball joints (or some earlier equivalent joint)? I believe that this one is more like a Volkswagen Eurovan; a simple non-steering and non-driven independent trailing arm.

The brake cables are nicely shown in this image, with the linkage in the middle of the trailer (low in the photo) to join the two wheel cable to the one coming from the coupler, just like the hardware used for a handbrake in a car.

I'm guessing that all of the black hardware to the right (presumably rear of the axle) is a power-driven stabilizer. It does look strange, and seems to be part of an assembly with its own crossmember and some sort of cable or rod connecting the sides. Can any of our European friends enlighten me about this one?

One final note: the whole chassis is produced by an outside supplier, not by the trailer manufacturer. While this is uncommon in North America, is seems to be the standard in Europe, with Al-Ko being one of the major suppliers.

[Brian B-P]

I agree that the Streamer is an impressive sight. Since the nearly-standard North American pickup truck is not a common European thing, I'm not surprised that this unit is mated with a purpose-built highway tractor - the hitch is as low as possible and the trailer body is not required to clear box sides (just the truck wheels), since there's no box. There were some big fifth-wheels made here many years ago with the same philosophy, but now they are all ridiculously tall things with bedrooms way up over the ever-rising full-size pickup box.

The Streamer would not work with a pickup truck, unless the box were removed, so Taylor has some wrenching to do before he goes to pick one up! Sorry, Honda fans... I really don't think a Ridgeline could be made to work.

If this were available here without custom importation (I see no chance of that), and I could afford it (which also seems unlikely), it just might be enough to get me to switch to the fifth-wheel configuration.

[Lex M]

So BIOD has evolved to a "self supporting" body shell, which is what we think of as the standard moulded fiberglass design

The difference is the integration of body and floor to a self supporting casco without any help of wooden floors or other stiffeners.
Eventually, even the chassis will consist of composite materials.

I'm guessing that all of the black hardware to the right (presumably rear of the axle) is a power-driven stabilizer. It does look strange, and seems to be part of an assembly with its own crossmember and some sort of cable or rod connecting the sides. Can any of our European friends enlighten me about this one?

That is what is called a "mover".
It is a device to move the trailer over short distances by means of rollers pressed against the tyres, driven by a pair of electric motors.
See p.e.: http://www.caravanmotormovers.co.uk/tech.html

[Brian B-P]

...That is what is called a "mover".
It is a device to move the trailer over short distances by means of rollers pressed against the tyres, driven by a pair of electric motors.
See p.e.: http://www.caravanmotormovers.co.uk/tech.html

Now that's a cool accessory! Thanks, Lex, for the answer and a very informative link.

I have noticed the handles which are common on the corners of the bodies of European models, presumably for moving them into final position by hand (with a wheel on the tongue jack). Some people have electrically powered dollies which lift the coupler and move the trailer like a little tug, but it seems impractical to carry those on a trip. This seems to be the built-in solution to moving a trailer which is too big (or the owner too small...) to do it by hand. It also has the advantages of driving each wheel separately, which provides power steering control, and using the trailer's weight for traction.

The general idea of driving the tires with roller is like some power-assisted bicycles, or the reverse of the old tire-driven bicycle generator. I wouldn't want one at any speed, but for this purpose it seems like a clever design.

It appears that the shaft which had me curious is the method for engaging the devices agains the wheels. It extends across the trailer so that they can be applied from either side, even if one side can't be reached.

I don't expect to install this setup on my Boler anytime soon: they're 29 kg (about 67 pounds) of unwanted weight, too much electrical drain for my current battery, and mounted right where I just put stabilizers... and then there's the cost! Very interesting product, anyway.

[Brian B-P]

For those always in search of the perfect tug, you might be interested in the Volkswagen Crafter which is pulling the Streamer in these photos. In this case, it is the double-cab cab-and-chassis version. The Crafter - which I believe is not available currently in North America - is essentially Volkswagen's equivalent to the Mercedes/Dodge Sprinter: a commercial van/truck line. The VW advantage might be the availability of larger van sizes, a double cab, and three (instead of two) roof heights; the Sprinter has the advantage of being available here, and having a slighter larger engine (even larger coming in 2007). For me, being a VW is not a good feature, but personal experience with a few inferior VW cars has biased my opinion.

Both Sprinter and Crafter use 5-cylinder commercial-duty common-rail direct injection diesel engines. The Sprinter has rear-wheel-drive using a rigid live axle on leaf springs; I'm guessing that the Crafter is the same, but strangely there is no chassis information on the Crafter's UK website. The appeal for me in these European commerical vehicles is not the rear-drive (although that is suitable for the application) or the rear suspension (which is more crude than I would like); instead, it is the commercial-duty drivetrain and moderate size of the truck.

The North Amerian market Sprinter is rated for 5000 lb of trailer towing capacity in any version (they all have the same engine), apparently with no expectation that it would be used on this side of the Atlantic for fifth-wheel or gooseneck towing. The Crafter's UK web site lists towbars with capacities of 2000 kg to 3500 kg (about 4400 to 7700 pounds); of course actual towing capacity will depend on gross combined weight ratings (which are not supplied0 and cargo carried. Various hitches (towbars) are available from VW; however, none of the ones listed on the UK site appear to be the fifth-wheel or other over-axle hitch which the Steamer (or a Scamp 19', or Escape 5.0, or whatever) would need. Help from Europeans again: what might VW UK mean by a "jaw type" towbar? (The rest are balls).

By the way, the UK nose weight limit for the Crafter seems to be 100 kg (that's a hitch weight limit of 220 lbs) for just about any version. I assume that this is the result of European towing practices, rather than a real physical limitation of the vehicle.

In practical terms, I assume that any truck with tires of moderate height (including mid-size pickups available here) would fit the Streamer, with the pickup box removed and suitable hitch mounted.

[Andrew Gibbens]

what might VW UK mean by a "jaw type" towbar? (The rest are balls).

Pin and jaw couplings are available either on their own or combined with a ball on top:





The last item is the trailer end - a simple eye. The coupler eye has enough free play that, when braking, the 'nose' of the eye presses into the jaw of the towbar, so that the pin doesn't take the braking force - consequently the noise when using this sort of coupling is appalling! They are mainly used for building/plant equipment - trailer-mounted air compressors and the like.

Andrew

[Brian B-P]

Thanks Andrew. I found a few references on web sites after asking about them, but no good illustration.

Here, the equivalent coupling is a similar ring on the trailer, but the hitch side is more rounded, like a hook with a pivoting top. Again, it can be combined with a ball, with the ball as the tip of the hook. It's called a hook-and-ring or pintle hitch, and is normally large compared to some of the European examples.

As Andrew said, they are normally not for RVs, although here they are not limited to industrial equipment - they are the military standard, and are also used to tie together the components of road trains, which are highway truck rigs with multiple trailers.

The free play necessary for them to pivot side-to-side (and which the straight-pin European design needs even to pitch up and down) makes them questionable for ride quality and surge brake use. I have not seen any reference to their use with surge brakes here. One FiberglassRV member set up his trailer and tug to be switched between a normal ball and socket, and a ring and pintle hook - the pintle setup is used off-road, because it allows more movement for rough terrain.
(Sorry, I can't remember who built this setup, and I think it was before the hacking of the forum.)

Fifth-wheel couplings use a pin, retained by a jaw, which made me wonder what the European jaw-and-pin design was (it's not like a pin-and-plate fifth wheel at all). The simplest variation of a pin-based coupling is the source of the term "hitch pin": like on my lawn tractor, a clevis on the trailer loosely sits on a flat hitch, and a removable vertical pin dropped through holes in them ties them together. Truly lousy but cheap, like the rest of the tractor.

[Ken C]

Bump from 2006, thought new members may have fun looking. Mods, let me know if bumping is not allowed, thanks. Translation page still working HERE

[Alan Weinel]

Lex et al -

Thank you so much - VERY interesting. I LOVE to see how things are done elsewhere and to see new ideas. That is SO COOL. We are in California, and our daughter married a German guy and lives outside Mainz. So,when we visit, **FOR ME** it is fun to go to an OBI or Hornbach store (Like Home Depot / Lowes here in the states) to see how THEY do stuff and what they have for sale!! And now that we are getting our new Scamp, my NEXT trip to Europe will include some trailer sales places and camping supplies. Yippee!!!!!!!!! More new things to see!!!!!!!!!!!

(I **DO* also enjoy the REGULAR sights when travelling, but seeing the "guy" things is just bonus for me!)

[lloyd cicetti]

Who makes and sells the "Wind" and the "Cockpit" or are they even sold yet? Very cool....wish we had options like that in N.A.

Lloyd

[Lex M]

Who makes and sells the "Wind" and the "Cockpit" or are they even sold yet? Very cool....wish we had options like that in N.A.

Lloyd

The Wind still seems to be alive.
http://www.abeltasmaninnovations.com/wind/

[lloyd cicetti]

Lex, thanks for the virtural tour.....do you have a website for the Cockpit? Do the Dutch somehow lead the pack in designing caravans? We don't seem to put the same emphasis into styling here in America. I have looked at the Eriba Puck and BIOD online. Quite impressive. Is there another manufacturer in Europe or Australia that is worth looking at (drooling over).

Thanks for the info,

Lloyd

[Donna D.]

Bump from 2006, thought new members may have fun looking. Mods, let me know if bumping is not allowed, thanks. Translation page still working HERE

Not a problem Ken, thanks for thinking of the newer members... even I had forgotten about this topic