Post by Brian M on Feb 1, 2009 10:29:07 GMT
From: ClassicSafariman (Original Message) Sent: 15/08/2006 23:58
With a small number of Safaris now being broken for parts by members there is a new source of body panelling, perhaps also of badges, and of the aluminium mouldings that outline the side flashes, etc. This provides all those materials unique to Safaris which would be needed to replicate the manufacturer's original showroom Safari Steps.
These were constructed for showroom use only, for the company's exhibits at The Caravan Show and similar exhibitions, but some of them later found their way into the hands of various members of what was then (but is no longer) The Safari Caravan Owners' Club; it has of course for many years now been no longer an Owners' Club. These became highly prized items, especially on the Rally Field.
I have posted some photos of this item.
I was lucky enough to acquire one, and I have used it ever since as my primary caravan step. However the original wood construction, which is hidden in use but on which it is based, was designed for showroom use only and so was left unpainted, with the result that after several year's use I had to rebuild it. This time I ensured that all the wood was properly painted before assembly.
Essentially it consists of a semicircle of half-inch (12 mm) exterior grade plywood, with a diameter of 32", standing above a similar semicircle of thinner ply (thickness is not critical, but 6 mm would be fine) of 31" diameter, and supported on some 2" x 2" (50 mm x 50 mm) timber struts. The curved vertical face is then panelled in Safari body panelling, to match the caravan, and finished with Safari side moulding and the Safari script badge. The bottom is then reinforced with a couple of wood battens, and the top surface is covered with carpet. The final end product is then very distinctive, and complements the caravan nicely.
It would be easy enough to replicate some more of them, given a supply of the necessaries from breaking a Safari, and of course the structural material is simply timber which can be readily sourced from normal channels. However if I were doing it again I would use rubber matting (or similar) rather than carpet for the top surface, in the interest of better grip when wet, and I would redesign the timbers below the base so that it would sit more securely when the ground is uneven. Those details apart, however, it is a distinctive and very useable accessory, albeit that it does add significantly to the weight!
Oliver
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Recommend Message 2 of 4 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 16/08/2006 13:19
Hi Oliver
In the late 60's and early 70's Pearman Briggs fitted a retractable step as standard.
Don't know why it was discontinued, it was very useful, providing it was well lubricated.
Colin
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Recommend Message 3 of 4 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 17/08/2006 00:28
In part I think you have hit the nail on the head, with your proviso about it being well lubricated. All too many of them weren't, and seized up, and they could then be the very devil to free off.
A second problem was that at least some of them were made of what appears to be mild steel with a plastic coating, and if any splits develop in the plastic then water can seep inside. What happens next is that the steel rusts, and the rust forces the plastic outwards, so effectively the plastic surface appears to have swollen; if this happens to be the inner part of one of the slides then again the system jams up, and no amount of lubrication will help. This tends to jam it very much more severely than mere lack of lubrication, and the only solution is to remove the plastic, then clean the rust back to bare metal; then use brute force to get the outer members of the slides onto the part of the track you have cleaned up, before applying similar treatment to the rusted and swollen region now newly exposed. Finally apply a suitable paint scheme (I used Hammerite on my one), and then plenty of lubricant, and it should work again! But it takes a very considerable amount of work.
I did in fact repair and the one on my 1978 'van, largely out of interest to give it a fair trial, and I then used it for one particular tour of the Highlands when my "showroom" Safari step was a potential problem. Space in the towcar was limited on that occasion, and payload limitations made it preferable not to carry such a heavy step in the caravan, so it was an excellent opportunity to try out the newly-repaired built-in fold-away step instead. It worked well, but with three important limitations:
1 If we happened to have had a lot of road dirt thrown up as we drove, the underfloor step arrived on site in a filthy condition, so unless one has a pair of old gloves to hand one gets filthy in pulling it out. This was quite a major disincentive to future use of it.
2 My companion on that holiday was my elderly father, within the last six months of his life (although we didn't of course know that at the time, mildly overweight, very heavy-footed, anything but agile, not very sure of his footing, and partially disabled, so we were both of us concerned that this step was a little small for him. Since a significant minority of other Safari owners when the 'vans were still in production were either elderly and partially disabled themselves or had relatives who were and who sometimes visited them on site and/or caravanned with them this is a problem that was presumably not confined to just my father. While the elderly and disabled were only a minority of caravanners, they were a minority that perhaps the company could ill afford to ignore, and particularly since an important section of their customer base was the affluent retired market.
3 Perhaps because Father was so heavy-footed, coupled with being a little overweight, I was very conscious how much the step flexed when he used it. I have no way of knowing whether this flexing was or was not within the design parameters, but visually it gave cause for slight concern.
That seems to be three good reasons for regarding the fold-away step as not universally a good solution, even though it does seem to be a good idea for some owners and in some situations.
Whether these are amongst the reasons for discontinuing it I don't pretend to know.
Oliver
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Recommend Message 4 of 4 in Discussion
From: 2Diesels Sent: 17/08/2006 09:40
My Safari has a fold away step but it's more of a sprung loaded cantilever type of affair & it looks to have been there from new as it is attached with the same style of nuts & bolts as the legs. It's right what you say about it getting filthy on the road so I am going to fit mudlaps but I am going to use the hard plastic "hairy" spray suppression type off a wagon as opposed to soft rubber as they are much more effective.
Regards Colin
With a small number of Safaris now being broken for parts by members there is a new source of body panelling, perhaps also of badges, and of the aluminium mouldings that outline the side flashes, etc. This provides all those materials unique to Safaris which would be needed to replicate the manufacturer's original showroom Safari Steps.
These were constructed for showroom use only, for the company's exhibits at The Caravan Show and similar exhibitions, but some of them later found their way into the hands of various members of what was then (but is no longer) The Safari Caravan Owners' Club; it has of course for many years now been no longer an Owners' Club. These became highly prized items, especially on the Rally Field.
I have posted some photos of this item.
I was lucky enough to acquire one, and I have used it ever since as my primary caravan step. However the original wood construction, which is hidden in use but on which it is based, was designed for showroom use only and so was left unpainted, with the result that after several year's use I had to rebuild it. This time I ensured that all the wood was properly painted before assembly.
Essentially it consists of a semicircle of half-inch (12 mm) exterior grade plywood, with a diameter of 32", standing above a similar semicircle of thinner ply (thickness is not critical, but 6 mm would be fine) of 31" diameter, and supported on some 2" x 2" (50 mm x 50 mm) timber struts. The curved vertical face is then panelled in Safari body panelling, to match the caravan, and finished with Safari side moulding and the Safari script badge. The bottom is then reinforced with a couple of wood battens, and the top surface is covered with carpet. The final end product is then very distinctive, and complements the caravan nicely.
It would be easy enough to replicate some more of them, given a supply of the necessaries from breaking a Safari, and of course the structural material is simply timber which can be readily sourced from normal channels. However if I were doing it again I would use rubber matting (or similar) rather than carpet for the top surface, in the interest of better grip when wet, and I would redesign the timbers below the base so that it would sit more securely when the ground is uneven. Those details apart, however, it is a distinctive and very useable accessory, albeit that it does add significantly to the weight!
Oliver
First Previous 2-4 of 4 Next Last
Reply
Recommend Message 2 of 4 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 16/08/2006 13:19
Hi Oliver
In the late 60's and early 70's Pearman Briggs fitted a retractable step as standard.
Don't know why it was discontinued, it was very useful, providing it was well lubricated.
Colin
Reply
Recommend Message 3 of 4 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 17/08/2006 00:28
In part I think you have hit the nail on the head, with your proviso about it being well lubricated. All too many of them weren't, and seized up, and they could then be the very devil to free off.
A second problem was that at least some of them were made of what appears to be mild steel with a plastic coating, and if any splits develop in the plastic then water can seep inside. What happens next is that the steel rusts, and the rust forces the plastic outwards, so effectively the plastic surface appears to have swollen; if this happens to be the inner part of one of the slides then again the system jams up, and no amount of lubrication will help. This tends to jam it very much more severely than mere lack of lubrication, and the only solution is to remove the plastic, then clean the rust back to bare metal; then use brute force to get the outer members of the slides onto the part of the track you have cleaned up, before applying similar treatment to the rusted and swollen region now newly exposed. Finally apply a suitable paint scheme (I used Hammerite on my one), and then plenty of lubricant, and it should work again! But it takes a very considerable amount of work.
I did in fact repair and the one on my 1978 'van, largely out of interest to give it a fair trial, and I then used it for one particular tour of the Highlands when my "showroom" Safari step was a potential problem. Space in the towcar was limited on that occasion, and payload limitations made it preferable not to carry such a heavy step in the caravan, so it was an excellent opportunity to try out the newly-repaired built-in fold-away step instead. It worked well, but with three important limitations:
1 If we happened to have had a lot of road dirt thrown up as we drove, the underfloor step arrived on site in a filthy condition, so unless one has a pair of old gloves to hand one gets filthy in pulling it out. This was quite a major disincentive to future use of it.
2 My companion on that holiday was my elderly father, within the last six months of his life (although we didn't of course know that at the time, mildly overweight, very heavy-footed, anything but agile, not very sure of his footing, and partially disabled, so we were both of us concerned that this step was a little small for him. Since a significant minority of other Safari owners when the 'vans were still in production were either elderly and partially disabled themselves or had relatives who were and who sometimes visited them on site and/or caravanned with them this is a problem that was presumably not confined to just my father. While the elderly and disabled were only a minority of caravanners, they were a minority that perhaps the company could ill afford to ignore, and particularly since an important section of their customer base was the affluent retired market.
3 Perhaps because Father was so heavy-footed, coupled with being a little overweight, I was very conscious how much the step flexed when he used it. I have no way of knowing whether this flexing was or was not within the design parameters, but visually it gave cause for slight concern.
That seems to be three good reasons for regarding the fold-away step as not universally a good solution, even though it does seem to be a good idea for some owners and in some situations.
Whether these are amongst the reasons for discontinuing it I don't pretend to know.
Oliver
Reply
Recommend Message 4 of 4 in Discussion
From: 2Diesels Sent: 17/08/2006 09:40
My Safari has a fold away step but it's more of a sprung loaded cantilever type of affair & it looks to have been there from new as it is attached with the same style of nuts & bolts as the legs. It's right what you say about it getting filthy on the road so I am going to fit mudlaps but I am going to use the hard plastic "hairy" spray suppression type off a wagon as opposed to soft rubber as they are much more effective.
Regards Colin