I have been clearing out my wood working shop today and one of things in there was a cheap wardrobe belonging to my Granddaughter. It is an Argos type plat pack one, cheap and cheerful, but it took a load of space so I dismantled it to flat pack again, taping up all the parts etc. I then made a place in the roof of the shop to put it. However It was so blo**y heavy, I needed the Wife to help me get it up there into the new rack. It is made of Wasp sh*t wood. not ply or even real wood the Chip board is so HEAVY for what it is.
What has this to do with Motorhomes??? you ask. Well most of them are made with same stuff and there is loads of it in the interior parts and making all the major structure of the interior. Is it any wonder that the vans are so heavy. My new one however is made from a plywood made of Birch and Balsa wood and compared to Chipboard it is so light. No wonder the Germans have brought the weight right down on the new models, they must have saved at least 4 to 500 kilos all in, by using the new ply for all the interior doors and cabinets, partitions etc. I know that the material has been taken up by one UK maker and I hope that rest will follow suit, the cost is a lot more per sheet but if it becomes the norm then that will come down. When looking to buy a new van then you should ask what thew construction materials are and avoid the high weight ones, the maker will all start using it if they lose sales or cannot make the lower 3500 all up weight.
What has this to do with Motorhomes??? you ask. Well most of them are made with same stuff and there is loads of it in the interior parts and making all the major structure of the interior. Is it any wonder that the vans are so heavy. My new one however is made from a plywood made of Birch and Balsa wood and compared to Chipboard it is so light. No wonder the Germans have brought the weight right down on the new models, they must have saved at least 4 to 500 kilos all in, by using the new ply for all the interior doors and cabinets, partitions etc. I know that the material has been taken up by one UK maker and I hope that rest will follow suit, the cost is a lot more per sheet but if it becomes the norm then that will come down. When looking to buy a new van then you should ask what thew construction materials are and avoid the high weight ones, the maker will all start using it if they lose sales or cannot make the lower 3500 all up weight.