The CUB CLUB

[paull]

Thanks Moose.

I'd heard that a tropical roof was good both in cold and hot weather so it was certainly something that I was more than likely going to add.
The innerspring mattress was already on the list as most of the foam mattresses I've seen in camper trailers haven't been overly comfortable.
You're the second person I've heard say that the drivers side access hatch real bonus to have so I think that'll be on the list as well.

Interesting comments about the gal. I thought the gal would be the answer to any rust/maintenance issues so it's interesting to hear that even the gal needs maintenance. We don't do a lot of beach work so perhaps that's a few $ I can save and put to better use elsewhere.

What is the issue with the Cub supplied electrics? Is it that they charge a lot for what they supply or are there some quality concerns. To be honest I don't know specifically what they do supply or how much they charge for it but I'll certainly find out.

I'd still love to hear from people who have used both the independent and solid axle leaf suspensions set ups for a comparison of the two. I keep hearing two opposing arguments. Half the people you speak to say the solid axle is possibly stronger and is certainly easier to be fixed if there were any issues while travelling remotely (which to be honest isn't likely to happen for a good while yet). It's also $1000 cheaper. Then there are those who have independent suspension and they say it's soooo much better and helps the trailer track so much better behind the car and that once you've had it you'll never go back. I'm guessing they're both valid arguments but they are both a little intangible to someone who's not had either before. I'll be towing with a Jeep Wrangler which obviously has 2 solid axles of it's own. As much as I love it I can't deny that it's dynamically challenged enough already in terms of it's on road handling (though bloody marvellous off road ) so I'm really hoping to minimise any affect the trailer will have on the handling of the Jeep.

[outbackogre]

Paul, I've had a Supamatic with leaf springs and gal chassis.  I was disappointed to find that Cub paint over the gal chassis and when the paint chips off it starts to look ordinary even if it doesn't rust (I needed to repaint the drawbar prior to selling the camper).  I was also disappointed to find that the leaf packs had been poorly aligned before the front and rear shackle plates were welded on.  I added washers as spacers for the shackles and removed the two smallest leaves on each side to make the suspension work better.  We then did a wonderful trip across to the Kimberley and the Cub performed without fault.  Several years later we now have a Spacevan, with independent coil suspension and no gal.  We hope we have as good a run out of this one as previously experienced. 

My suggestions (and largely in agreement with Ozmoose):
- stick with the drop down legs; they are fast and work ok, even if they are a little vulnerable.
- tropical roof sounds ok, and might also reduce condensation in cold weather.
- see if Cub would agree to gal the chassis and then NOT paint it, otherwise don't bother.
- I'm not sure if it's worth $1000 for independent;  leaf works well if matched to the load. There was a recent thread about a Supamatic that had been left in the outback after the independent suspension failed. 

[travelman]

Hi Paull
We have a 2008 Supermatic Regal Off Road that we bought second hand. It had the old leaf springs, a non-galvanised chassis and I had a local canvas guy make the tropical roof. (Do a search on my name and you'll find an item on the tropical roof.) As well as lots of bitumen work, we've taken the camper around the Flinders Ranges, up the Birdsville Track, around Central Australia and recently did the million and one corrugations on the Gibb River Road and the Mitchell Plateau in the Kimberleys, lots of rough roads in the Pilbera, and completed the loop back across the Nullarbor. We tow with a Prado 120 and I've never had any concerns about the suspension. It has worked faultlessly and I'm not sure what extra benefit independent suspension would provide.
So far we haven't taken the Cub on a beach so there are no issues with salt water. Although I've extended the Prado's rear mudflaps and have installed mudflaps at the front of the Cub below its stone guard, the drawbar does get chipped from the odd small stone that gets flicked up. I just repaint it with some silver anti-rust paint when we get back from a big trip and it's fine.
I'm not sure how much Cub charges to install a battery, charger and 12 volt outlets, but if it's in your budget I'd think about getting it done. You can then build your own lighting system after many hours searching through eBay options.
We don't have a driver's side storage hatch. That's the one thing I would really like.
Enjoy your Cub when you get it, and enjoy the adventures you're no doubt planning.
Travelman

[speewa158]

l have been on a Central Aus Trip with my Supermmatic Escape ( springs & axel ) & a Drover Off road  lndependant suspension . Mine trailed as it should the other died twice  . The left went 1st then the 2nd on the right  , some 450km apart . Stuffed a really good trip 

[outbackogre]

Speewa, what actually broke on the suspension?  Coils, shockers, swing arms, stub axles? 

[paull]

All good info so far so please keep it coming.
Also good to hear of the Cub's being used in far flung places and coming back unscathed. It's good to know they are capable and that real people are using them in that way. The 4x4 shows and the marketing hype show them to be solid units but I'm never really inclined to put too much faith in them until I hear from people who aren't getting paid to say it.

Based on what I've heard so far it looks like I'll save myself just over $1500 by not getting the independent suspension or the gal.
If the independent suspension was a significant improvement over the leaf springs and just as reliable then I'd maybe have stretched for the extra $1000 to get it but if it's reliability is in question then it's certainly not worth it.
As for the gal, by the sounds of it for the sort of driving I do (i.e. not on beaches) I think a decent hit with a pressure washer and some regular loving with a can of spray paint might be all that's needed to keep the rust at bay. I can spend the money I've saved on some decent mud flaps, which I would have needed even with the gal.

Probably the last real decision to make is about the electrics.
I'll be honest and say I've no idea about electrics. I'm not even sure what we'd potentially use them for.
When I get a fridge I'll likely keep that in the back of the car, not the camper, so I don't need to worry about powering that.
We'll certainly want some lights, but other than that and maybe charging phones (which can be done in the car anyway.......if I'm unfortunate enough to still be in an area with phone reception) I'm not sure what else we'd use it for.
I've no doubt we'll find loads of uses for them but coming from tent camping where there are no electric's means this is kind of new to me.

Cub's current (no pun intended) electric spec is:
240V - 15Amp input with 2 internal outlets and 1 external outlet.
12V - 100ah AGM battery, a Projecta 1500 Management Unit (runs off 240V or vehicle), 50ah Anderson plug for connection to vehicle), 2 x 12v merit plugs internally and 2 more externally with 2 LED lights (to be position wherever I want them).
That costs about $1800 to fit.
I did also ask about an inverter but they do not include one. That means the 240V is only to be used when connected to an external 240V power source.
To those in the know;
- does that spec sound good/bad/indifferent?
- does that cost sound reasonable?
- is there anything you would recommend to add/change?

Thanks again.

[Barrabart]

Paull,

My Trackabout has two 110amp hr AGM's, with two ciggy outlets beside the tail gate, and anderson plug to connect to the Cruiser, all very simple and does the job for me, lights plug to one cig outlet, Evacool plugs into the other one (when not just left in the Cruiser).
For lighting we have a Korr Camp Light kit 4, and i reckon it's great. i know i could of mucked around and made lights cables and switches, or bought bits and peices from ebay etc, but i just couldn't be stuffed really, plus it all comes in a hard case, which makes it great for storing in the camper...... the Korr kit is great, highly recomend you check them out. "Korr Lighting" are also members on this forum, just so you know.

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=30966.msg484811#msg484811

http://korrlighting.com.au/led-camping-lights.html

[Stewart]

We have that stock standard electric arrangement on our Cub Supamatic.  We have a gas fridge so don't need electrics for that.  We have managed to charge two phones , two ipads, 12volt shower, recharged the Coleman hotwater system and ran  3 sets of LED lights for just over a week with no need to charge the batteries. We have never run out of battery yet, but have only stayed for 8 nights in one spot so far. We only ever recharge the battery through the Anderson plug when driving.  All works well  and highly recommended. We have a supamatic escape and got cub to put an extra 12 point near the beds so we can run lights.  We have since put in a 12 volt socket near the pull out pantry and a usb charger for our phones and wasn't very complicated  to do ourselves.

[avotrol]

Power set ups depend on what type of use your camper will get: powered caravan parks or bush camps. Its no use having the most elaborate 240 volt system on board when there are no power points in trees. By relying on mainly 240 volt, you really limit where you can camp.

I pulled out all the 240 volt gear from our drifta when I rebuilt it and ran all new 12 volt only, as we don't need mains power in the camper. 12 volt powers everything you really want / need these days (for those who have it, air con excluded) and if set up in a van park and want to charge the batteries then we would simply take a battery charger and plug that in.

By having everything in 12 volt (laptops, TV's, dvds, cameras, phones, fridges, showers, lights, pumps etc) with the right 12 volt set up you have the freedom of camping anywhere with unlimited power kept charged by solar or the car. We have two 100amp deep cyclers and can camp up to two weeks no probs (fridge in car) and that's with the kids charging ipads, dvds etc. After that, I throw the solar on and keep camping.

  avo

[paull]

My guess would be that we will stay in caravan parks in the short term (to keep SHMBO'd happy) but then I would like to get out and do some more remote trips and camp away from the crowds.

I think it's probably best to just to go with the electrics that Cub supply for now, see how that works, how we use it, and what else might be useful. I can then look at modifying it later if need be.

I think I might be getting closer to a decision......which is equal parts exciting and frightening. This is when what has been previously discussed in theory starts to get expensive!

[zedd]

Hi Everyone,
I haven't been with "myswag.org" long and didn't realise that it had The Cub Club. Yesterday I posted our first experience with our new Spacematic Off Road Drover into the general area of this forum. Lots of people sent me helpful comments.

We picked up our cub last month and headed off for our first trip last Wednesday. We had no problems putting it up, but had a terrible experience with 78kph wind gusts. I can't say our cub really coped well, but that was probably because of the strong winds. I don't think they are really meant to cope with such wind gusts are they?

We used plenty of guy ropes and pegged everything down really well, but the wind got in and the annex started to take off. The poles collapsed. We quickly dismantled it, but the back part of our cub kept lifting with the wind gusts. We managed to winch it down during a slight gap in the gusts. The winch worked really well. But it was a frightening time and now I am not overly confident in using it in winds again.  Might I add we also had very heavy rain and we didn't have any leaks.

We are really happy with the construction of the cub, but we find the idea of Velcro spreader poles and c clips very flimsy. There aren't enough eyelets on the base of the annex walls to peg them down well.  I intend to put in more eyelets. Is there anyone else who has come up with a different pole system? I only read about one post in this section.

Since finding "The Cub Club" on this site I have read all the posts. It seems that people love their cubs and highly recommend them. We did a lot of research before buying ours and hope that this one horrible event will be our last.

I have sent the cub company an email and I am hoping that they can offer some suggestions also. I do think they need to make some modifications to the pole system. I am pretty sure we erected the annex properly as I took photos when we had our walk through

[4runnernomore]

Hi Zedd,

First welcome to MYSWAG and the CUB CLUB

Have a look inthe first part of my thread ref wind issues.

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=2185.0

I have found having the annexe on the lee side will asssist in large wind or if that is not possible dropping the height of the annexe and angling you poles with good angle on your guide ropes will also help.

Also use the winch strap to your advantage by tightening it up as much as possible till the floor almost starts to lift.

Hope that helps.

cheers, Chris

[zedd]

Thanks for the suggestions Chris. Next time we will be better prepared. I think we were caught unawares with the strong gusts.

[FlyingBushPig]

Hi all, about to start work on the electrics on our Spacevan and would like to know if anyone has true floor plans? We have the standard queen bed with large cupboard on the door side & small cupboard on the other side with the power outlets on it.

[Wazza2]

Hi Zedd,

I echo Chris' comments and add a couple more thoughts.

78k gusts are massive gusts for any camper to contend with. As kitesurfer I see the camper as a damn huge kite that I would only use on an extremely light wind day. If i knew 78k wind was coming the I'd pack the camper awning (fold it over the main tent).

Next thought is, moderate wind put the awning on lee side but if strong gusts are expected and the site permits, then park head on to the wind. This minimises the surface area the wind is hitting. If you have to park this way then leave the awning packed away.

We've travelled a lot with our Supamatic and where the awning was set up and wind came in later we just looked to ensure we stopped as much wind as possible from getting under it. The velcro on the walls always seemed to hold up fine, as did the poles most of the time. If a pole came unstuck because the wind got under things then we'd fix it straightaway, even if at night.

As has been mentioned, dropping the corner poles to prevent pooling of rainwater is also a good idea.

Hope you continue to enjoy your new toy. W

[paull]

Well, I've gone and done it. Put down the deposit on the Supamatic today.
Got a few extras (OK quite a few) but hopefully that'll mean there'll not be too much I need to add for a while.
Now just got to wait a few months until they build it.......and hopefully in that time I'll find the money to pay for it 
Can't wait.
In the mean time I'll need to get the car sorted out so that it's ready to tow.

I have to say that Ross at Cub is great to deal with.
Yes, he's a salesman, but he doesn't try to sell you every accessory known to man.
He seems to give sound advice based on what you want from the camper and his experiences in using them, even if that means he's advising you not to get something. 

[speewa158]

Speewa, what actually broke on the suspension?  Coils, shockers, swing arms, stub axles?


 Sorry for the delay . The drover that had been to the Cape & back & on another trip was traveling to Fink from Alice via Chambers Colom had independent suspensions . The break happened 1st on the left side at the swing arm pivot . After a time we managed to dismantle the stuffed unit , reweld the bits together & then refit it . Both shockers were stuffed but at least we could roll ,,, slowly at best . After going in to Lamberts Centre of Australia the Drover limped to Port Auguster  for Shockers as it wondered like a drunken sailor on a spree . On the way there the other side let go at the same place north of Cooper Peedie  . Same again reweld & go . Apart from that my Supermatic Escape followed me everywhere very well . l would drag a Cub with confidence anywhere in Aus & back .   Shit Happens .
On a 1st trip if the weather turns 7 your not able to read the situation l wouldn't blame the Cub .
                                                                         

[outbackogre]

Thanks speewa.  Sounds like the Cub independent setup may have some weaknesses.  Just to clarify further - was the break (failed weld?) on the swing arm assembly itself?  Do you happen to have a photo?  I wonder if I can have some gussets added to strengthen it.  We have no immediate plans for any challenging trips so I might wait to see just how adventurous we get with this camper in the time we have it.  Thanks again.

[bobnrob]

We are really happy with the construction of the cub, but we find the idea of Velcro spreader poles and c clips very flimsy.

I felt the same when we had our Cub re: the Velcro, and even questioned one of the rep's at a show about it. He said they'd never had any negative feedback, so they were staying with that designed!

Then I remembered a mod that jclures had done when he'd rebuilt his CT, and experiencing the same problem as him when we had our softfloor, I decided to do the same 'fix' as him on our Cub, and it was a LOT better, can read jclures write up here...http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=1493.msg180826#msg180826
I didn't remove my tent bows, or weld a brace in like he did. I marked out the bottom of where the bow's bend started, then dropped the bows to take the strain off the canvas and give me room to work.
I then put eyelets in the canvas, reset the bows and canvas, then drilled into the bows, then put an eye bolt in each bow.
Cost me $60 to have 3 new spreader bars made with a 90º spigot to hook into the eye bolt. I could've just bought the spigots and replaced the Velcro ends, but I wanted to keep them spreaders for possible future use 

[speewa158]

Outbackogre The suspention let go at the pivot point a batch of dodgy welds l believe  . Got no pics was busy at the time .  Extra plates could help but how far do you want to go when it may never happen again 

[poppasmurf]

Reconfigured the draw bar to take genie box I had made for me. Here's a couple of pics.



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[Terry W4]

Cub Supamatic regal off-road I have. Haven't had the ball weight checked yet. What ball weights you chaps have?

[Herks]

Hi Folks
The general rule when designing and or modifying trailers is to TRY and keep the ball weight to around 10% of the TARE.

From the mods above, but the way a great use of space there well done, I feel that this may be a bit of a surprise when you get to measure what it actually is. Especially when loaded and ready for the road.

The best way to counter this is to get as much weight moved to behind the axle to help in keeping the weight where it should be.

Also interested to see what your ball weight actually is with this setup,

Again well done with the mod though, might "borrow" some of it myself.

Thanks

[poppasmurf]

I haven't checked ball weight but I used to carry the genie in the main box so by adding a new box and moving genie forward it should still fall within the 10% of tare range.


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[alnjan]

I haven't checked ball weight but I used to carry the genie in the main box so by adding a new box and moving genie forward it should still fall within the 10% of tare range.

The further forward you move something ie the further away from the axle you move something the heavier it will be on the drawbar.  The basic physics. Not the best I could find to explain it.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/physics/machines/Levers.shtml

Fulcrum = Wheels  ;  Effort = Tow Ball weight  ;  Load = Load 


The further the load is away from the fulcrum/wheel and closer to the effort/tow ball, the more effort is required to lift it, or the heavier the tow ball weight.  This can be counter balanced by have the load closer or behind the fulcrum/wheel.