Buying Fifth Wheelers in Australia
The main reason why fifth wheelers aren’t more common in Australia is the difference in compliance requirements.
I had a call from a concerned fifth wheeler owner the other day. His problem was that he had purchased a second-hand fifth wheeler in one state and then shipped it to his home state, only to discover he could not get it registered because of issues mostly to do with gas and electrical compliance. That’s because it was a USA import which was originally built with 110V AC electricals and USA standard LP gas systems, neither of which comply with Australian Standards. In particular, those being AS/NZS 3001 (electrics) and AS/NZS 5601 (part 2) (LP gas). Sadly, this is not a new problem but one that while mostly pre-dating 2010 still lurks around today.
Import Issues
There are two issues here. One is simply ignorance of the necessary compliance requirements and the other, in the decade preceding 2010, was the number of dodgy importers who were in business. Intervention by the Federal Government more or less closed down the latter but a lack of knowledge of import requirements is still a problem.
It’s not only electrics and LP gas that are problematic either. US built fifth wheelers were often overweight or over-width or had too long an overhang and had inadequate suspension. Another well-known stumbling block is the habitation door on the ‘wrong’ side. In this arena, I came across one importer trying to get under an ATM of 4500kg, over which air brakes are required, by recommending to customers that they drain the water tanks before travel each day. Yeah, sure thing in outback Australia …
Even now, it is quite legal for private person to import a fifth wheeler from the USA for their own use. It has to be safe electrically but not necessarily 100 per cent compliant. For instance, it’s fairly easy to fit a 230V/110V AC step-down transformer and use the 110V AC appliances therein. The difficulty comes when selling said fifth wheeler because, apart from anything else, it’s illegal to sell any 110V AC items in this country. Another difficulty is that each state and territory can interpret Australian standards a little differently and having a vehicle registered in one state is not a given that it will be registered in another.
That’s the problem my caller ran into. Before purchasing his fifth wheeler, he should have asked for evidence of at least three things: a weighbridge certificate, electrical certification signed off by a licensed person and the same for gas certification. A hindsight mistake that has proved somewhat expensive to correct. I’m not exactly sure just how much work has to be done but other cases I have heard about involve a total electrical rewire and component replacement and the same for the gas system. Fortunately, he did not get into an over-width issue which is just about impossible to fix nor any weighty matters. Anyone contemplating buying a US built fifth wheeler should certainly take a tape measure along. The maximum width on Australian roads is 2.5m (8ft 2.5in) and that should include the awning or anything else that sticks out.
I’m not against imports (as long as they comply with all the necessary regulations) of most kinds because I reckon in many cases, they improve the local manufacturing gene pool. The New Zealand recreational vehicle industry is a good example of this. However, particularly when doing it yourself or buying something second-hand, caveat emptor very much applies, and good research is definitely essential.
Why not a Fifth Wheeler?
I’ve mentioned this before I know but despite their towing benefits, fifth wheelers are quite relatively rare in Australia and seem to be getting rarer. The number of manufacturers who build them in Australia, are a bit thin on the ground, as are importers. Just to rattle off a few names – Winjana RV, Travelhome, Summer Life, Fifth Wheelers Australia, Spectrum RV, Trailblazers, Sunliner and Aussie Roadrunner RVs. It’s a very short list of either manufacturers or importers.
There are several reasons for that. One I think being a fundamental misunderstanding about the towing dynamics of a fifth wheeler by many. Another is the perception that all fifth wheelers are the large size that are mostly imported from the USA and along those same lines, the doubt and uncertainty created by the compliance matters mentioned above.
However, there is a number of fifth wheelers that are well-suited to the ubiquitous dual cab utes that are so popular in Australia and anyone who is still in the import business undoubtedly has a firm grasp on all the relevant compliance issues. As far as I can tell there isn’t a good reason why fifth wheelers aren’t more common.
THE NEXT STEP
If you need help choosing your first RV or are considering upgrading your existing one, check out Fifth Wheelers available on TradeRVs today.
The sellers will be happy to help and answer any inquiries you may have about the products advertised for sale.