Kimberley KARAVAN 2021, Installation, Maintenance & Operating Manual

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113 ©2021 Kimberley Kampers Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Wheel Bearings
Item Position Cup Cone Bearing Seal
Disc Brakes
Inner 25520 25580
2-Tonne marine Seal for Standard discs—
NAK 9262
Outer LM67010 LM67048
Note: Bearing Seals
The wheel bearing seals used are a two-piece seal with 85mm O.D. and 50mm I.D.
Suspension Bearings
Item Position Cup Cone Bearing Seal
Independant
Swing arm
Inner 25520 25580
2-Tonne marine Seal for Standard discs—
NAK 9262
Outer LM67010 LM67048
The normal bearings used in the Karavan are 2000kg rated, tapered roller bearings and 85mm dia seals.
IMPORTANT : Take Care of your Bearings
Your bearings are working in the outback under extreme conditions.
Please check regularly (minimum 5000km and no more than 10000km).
Clean and replace bearings with high quality marine grease or similar.
Always inspect for dust infi ltration. The grease will look brown if dust has infi ltrated.
If you are doubtful about the bearings, change them.
How to Grease your Suspension Bearings
The Trailing Arm Brackets have two greasing points on each arm. Carry a grease gun and lubricate regularly;
this will stop blockages occurring in the grease channels.
When to Grease your Suspension Bearings
Apply grease approximately every 10,000km for normal conditions or 5,000km for severe conditions, or every
six months if not in use.
When to Grease your TREG Hitch
Grease two grease points on front hitch approximately every
2,500 kms, or every six months.
Bearings & Seals
Shock absorbers can be the most vulnerable part on your Kimberley to wear and tear. They are also critical to
the ease of towing. The shock absorbers stabilise the ride of the Kimberley in traditional road conditions. The
serviceability varies depending on the road condition and most importantly the load on the Kimberley and the
speed of the vehicle. To put these factors in perspective, here is a simple chart
Indicative Load Factor on Shock Absorbers
for the Purpose of Illustrating the effect of speed and load
Speed 80km/h
ATM 1250kg
Speed 100km/h
ATM 1250kg
Speed 80km/h
ATM 1600kg
Speed 100km/h
ATM 1600kg
30mm rise in
corrugations with
inconsistent centres
Factor 1 Factor 1.6 Factor 1.3 Factor 2.1
50mm rise in
corrugations at
300mm centres
Factor 2 Factor 3.2 Factor 2.6 Factor 4.2
Speed has a more dramatic effect on the serviceability of the shock absorbers than load does and the effect of
speed is to the power of 2.
A shock absorber’s job is to primarily dampen the suspension, and keep the tires in contact with the road at all
times. Modern designs have Nitrogen gas in them. The gas helps prevent and eliminate aeration, (the foaming
and formation of bubbles inside), which causes the dampening ability of the unit to fade away. The better a
unit’s design can stop that from happening, the better performance and dampening ability it will tend to have.
M ono-tube High Pressure Gas Design
This shock absorber is a high pressure, mono tube design. These are a newer design and the Monotube
design allows them to operate at cooler temperatures. Monotubes’ are under high pressure, from around 200
psi (1379 kPa), to as high as 360 psi (2482kPa). The hydraulic oil and Nitrogen gas are in separate chambers,
separated by a fl oating piston. This allows the shock/strut to function without any aeration or foaming.
Monotube shocks usually have a stiff valving, and cost more to manufacture.
They are also able to withstand more punishment, and offer higher dampening ability. Most racing shocks,
including Formula One, are of a Monotube design. Accurate engineering is needed when manufacturing a
Monotube, and many have a very specifi c valving. This is years of racing technology adapted for street and off-
road use.
The Shock Absorbers
Note:
Kimberley sell a specialised shock absorber that has been designed for our application for our product to
survive Australia’s harshest environments. The sizing, valving and pressures have been carefully calculated
with years of experience manufacturing world class off road RV’s.
We encourage you to always endeavour to put genuine parts back onto your investment but understand this is
not always possible.
If you are not able to source a Kimberley genuine shock absorber for your Kamper then we recommend the
following shock absorber available in the USA for our Kimberley Kampers-:
Fox Shock - 985-24-003 (Kampers/Kruiser), 982-02-470 (Karavan)
Bilstein Shock - B460258 (Kampers/Kruisers), 24-065276 (Karavan)
(Note: Karavan Bilstein unit requires also requires a steel reducer sleeve from 16mm to 12mm).
Shock Absorbers