Manufacturing

Crusader incorporates a thick composite roof and floor into the construction of each caravan. Composite construction is the process of joining a number of layers of material together and creating a strong and reliable component designed to cope with movement stress, climatic conditions and general usage.

See the amazing result from heating the roof and measuring the inside temperature.

THE SIDE WALLS SIT ON TOP OF THE FLOOR

The walls are manufactured from strong Meranti timber but Crusader goes one better and provides supports of 40mm by 21mm timber every 250mm along the length of the caravan and install corner blocks to take the stress of each opening. The walls are also fully insulated and rather than attaching the walls to the side of the floor as is common, Crusader locates each wall into slots on the top of the floor and then the walls support the roof. Why is this important? The thick floor and the 6” chassis takes the weight of both the walls and roof and they move together whilst travelling whereas by attaching walls directly to the chassis, vibration and flexing can loosen over time causing distortion throughout the caravan.

HIGHER 80” CEILINGS FOR THAT SPACIOUS FEELING

If you have ever wondered why a Crusader caravan feels that much more spacious well the secret is in the ceiling. Whilst finished in a gloss white to reflect the available lighting from the numerous LED lights and very large windows, Crusader builds each caravan to a standard ceiling height of 80” whereas most of our competitors stay at the traditional 78” height. Two inches might not sound much in itself but it does make a rather dramatic difference to the livability of the caravan inside and even more so if you yourself are tall.

COMPOSITE FLOORS

The floor is a vital aspect of Crusaders construction processes as it supports the walls which in turn support the roof so together they form a flexible load sharing structure aligned perfectly to ensure that all internal fittings such as cabinets and windows fit perfectly into pre designed locations. Our floor is thick, 42mm thick in fact and comprises a top layer of industrial strength vinyl on a one piece plywood board then a massive 30mm of high density polystyrene foam insulation and lastly a skin of hard wearing fibreglass which acts as a shield against road debris, mud and other substances. The fibreglass underbody skin and the high density foam act as a reliable insulator against cold or heat creep from the ground, depending where you are parked and this makes for more comfortable caravan living.

COMPOSITE ROOFS

Complementing the floor, the roof is also of a composite one piece design without joins, 30mm thick and incorporates the same high density polystyrene foam for greater protection against the weather. The fibreglass top skin offers additional protection against hail and other debris such as small branches, in fact, the roof is strong enough to walk on. The one piece roof actually extends from the top of the front checker plate, up and over then down to the bottom checker plate on the back wall. You can’t get any more “one piece” than that.

Our Crusader model range combines our unique composite fully insulated floor system with underbody road protection and our one piece composite, hail resistant roof, on tough DURATECH box steel chassis.

STRONG DURATECH BOX STEEL CHASSIS

Our “Duratech” chassis are manufactured in Australia from Australian steel and incorporate box steel rails, not C sections as commonly offered. When the thick composite floor and roof are taken into account, our caravans, whilst stronger than before, are lighter than ever and meet all compliance criteria.

SUSPENSION

Crusader caravans are strong and are designed to cope with the many different road surfaces found throughout Australia. The suspension is matched to each model with particular attention given to axle load, tare weight and brake size to provide more carrying capacity than the average caravan on the market today.

Our quality control systems are second to none

THE FURNITURE

Subtle structural partitions are built into every caravan to provide further structural support. Cupboards are screwed to the wall from the outside thus creating a structure that will take an extreme amount of weight and the stress and strain of road movement. There is no MDF in a Crusader caravan. Each cupboard door is of quality ply and is laminated with acrylic material chosen from a wide range of colours. To compliment the doors, soft closing struts are provided on each overhead together with full width piano hinges for greater rigidity and will never requiring adjustment. Internally, the cupboard openings are finished with rounded moldings which is indicative of the lengths Crusader will go to present a quality caravan for sale.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE GROUPED TOGETHER

The majority of electrical controls are grouped together in an internal overhead cabinet, items such as the solar panel controller, the fuse box, water pump switch and the internal hot water system cutoff switch. This grouping of equipment is uncommon in the caravan industry and is a great feature when needing to easily access these controls. 12v and 240v electrical systems are a critical component of any caravan as well as ensuring the safety of the occupants by safeguarding against overload situations. Crusader exceeds industry specification throughout the caravan and offers segregated circuits rather than a system of one main circuit and minimal switches.

YOUR SAFETY IS IMPORTANT

Every Crusader Caravan is engineered to perform well on the road assuming a proper distribution of the load occurs and it is properly attached to the tow vehicle. The breakaway feature on every Crusader Caravan will cut in should the caravan somehow detach itself from your tow vehicle, a highly unlikely occurrence generally caused by incorrect coupling in the first place. The breakaway system will immediately apply the brakes and stop the caravan from rolling any further – a great safety feature. Your caravan is provided with a fire extinguisher and smoke alarm for your safety and a four point locking security door that offers you security and at the same time allows great air ventilation on those hot and humid nights.