Nov302011

Compliance Plate for your Winterhoff 3000 Coupling on a Geist or other Trailer

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL GEIST OWNERS IN AUSTRALIA

It has come to the attention of www.geistowners.com that the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 coupling used predominately on the Geist caravan in Australia has not had the correct compliance.  ADR 62/02 calls for such components to meet Australian Standard AS 4177.3-2004 “Coupling Bodies for Ball Couplings.” The standard requires for the coupling to display correctly the approved towing capacity of the coupling that meets the ADR’s (Australian Design Rules). For this type of coupling 2000kgs is the maximum permissible. The BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer coupling states an incorrect rating of 2800-3000kgs and an ambiguous rating of 3000kgs under the handle.

 

To correct this issue full testing was carried out under controlled conditions at Department of Infrastructure Test Facility No: T2857. As a result the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer Coupling met the requirements of ADR 62/02.

 

To correct the incorrect stamping of the coupling all BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer couplings or derivatives of this model MUST have attached in the correct manner, an approved identification plate ensuring correct towing capacity of the coupling. In addition the VIN number of the applied trailer/caravan and batch or serial number of the coupling is to be shown on this plate. It is important an approval number also be registered on the plate that will identify back with the original testing.

 

www.geistowners.com commissioned the testing of the BPW/Winterhoff 3000 Caravan/ Trailer coupling and will issue an identification plate on a fee per plate basis. A database of known caravan/trailer VIN numbers will be made available to the Department of Transport and Roads for distribution to State Transport Authorities.

Failure to place an appropriate identification plate may lead to corrective compliance being requested by State Transport authorities at great cost and risk of insurance defaulting on any accident that may occur.

A summary of the testing report is sent with the identification plate to verify the testing procedure to any appropriate authority.

 

Mr Treasure said,”A big thank you to the www.geistowners.com members who pre-ordered their id plates to enable the commissioning of this compliance test to occur. Without our members none of this could have occurred and it would have meant every user of this coupling would have had to replace their coupling with a new one of lesser quality at an estimated price of $900-$1300 including fitment. Unfortunately there is still a cost to fix this issue but it guarantees some certainty in the coupling that as users, we believe to be one of the best in the world”.

 

A link to order the corrective id plate and approval number can be found on the www.geistowners.com website.

 

The full test report along with photos is being sent to the federal body, Department of Infrastructure and Transport for full approval.

Oct062011

Relaunch of Classifieds

The Classifieds section of the website has been down for some time until I could repair it. I am happy to say that it is now operational and members and Geist Owners may now access it. There is also a section for non Geist owners to put their vans into this classified area. We have many interested Geist owners and potential owners visiting this site daily so feel free to advertise your part or van here.

Catch you on the track

Geistrunner

Apr122011

Update for you all

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the Eden GG was a fabulous success and the next one will be at Tanunda, SA in Feb 2011. With around 47 Geist owners turning up it was a fantastic support group for all the new owners as well as a great catch up for the existing owners. Harry from Gosford was on hand to check everyone’s van. From what I have heard he has been flat out ever since doing services mainly which is a great credit to the van and it’s durability.

www.geistowners.com members will now be aware of the new van about to come into Australia. There has been a great amount of interest from you all and I look forward to catching up with those interested as I travel around the country in June/July. All the www.geistowners.com service agents in QLD, NSW, VIC and WA have jumped on board straight away to support the new vans. We anticipate one in SA and TAS soon.

Don’t forget to check your emails for an itinerary of where I will be in the coming months. The new Geist manual is not far away and the mudflaps are just a few days away.

The latest Geist newsletter was delivered via your email address this month due to the exclusivity of the new van launch. Just check to make sure you are receiving my emails, if not let me know as Rachel is doing a clean up of the database. Nothing like a good clean up occasionally.

All exciting times at the moment. The new website should also launch in June/July. Don’t forget to look out for the May emails for the Tanunda,SA Geist Gathering registration.

Catch you on the track.

Geistrunner

Jan252011

Garden of Eden awaits

Just a short couple of weeks await us all meeting up again for the latest GG. With 50 vans attending we will again break the world record for privately owned Geist caravans in one gathering. We have fishing trips, tennis, treasure hunts, garden talks, boat cruises, entertainment, seminars and more over the week. Without our wonderful volunteers we would never been able to get this GG happening. This member only event is again subsidised by www.geistowners.com and aims to bring even more Geist owners together.

Catch you on the track.

Geist Runner

Jan252011

Geistowners.com members involved in the Queensland floods

I have had some www.geistowners.com members familys have been caught up in the horrific floods in Queensland. Some very dear friends of mine have relayed some very close call stories to me that happened in Toowoomba too.

Diane & Murray McGee forwarded this account of the floods to me just recently.

We have not had much sleep this week with a phone call on Tuesday morning at 3.30am from our daughter Vanessa, she lives alone in her lovely home at Bellbowrie. She was frightened as the alarms were going off over at the Coles Supermarket. She walked out the front of her home and saw the water 100 mtrs down the street slowly coming her way. About 4.30 the SES knocked on her door and told her to evacuate, the day before she had started to put some things in plastic containers but because she is 1.8 above the street line with a besser block retaining wall in front we never anticipated it would go beyond that. She took a few things and headed for a friends place up in an adjoining street on higher level.
As the water crept up and up and then beyond her retaining wall, she was a little hysterical. Out on the footpath ringing us and crying neighbours further up the cul de sac asked if she needed help, 20 people then descended on her house with tools and utes and started to take her furniture apart, within a few hours her whole household furniture was relocated to a spare garage up the end of the street She was just so grateful and overwhelmed by these neighbours she didn’t even know.
At her friends place she had no vehicle access to her home, so they put ladders up and climbed over fences to get a look at her place.
When she saw it was inside her home and knee deep in water she really dispaired, they told her if would most likely go up to the gutters like the ones down the street.

Luckily this morning things were looking better as it stayed at the knee deep height, because the river didn’t rise as high as first thought. By 2pm this afternoon the water had receeded and she was able to get in and have a good look around.
Insurance Allianz wont cover anything, so hopefully the gyprock walls will be ok when dried out, Vanessa had porcelain tiles throughout except for 2 back bedrooms, so that is good, just worried about Kitchen cupboards. If they are damaged she will just have to live with it for awhile as she is like many people affected, not earning any money, if she isn’t working she is not earning.

We can’t get down to her as the Blackbutt Range has a landslide issue and then Toogoolawah, Esk and Fernvale are all cut, PLUS all roads to Bellbowrie are cut, the Coles supermarket went right under and no food supplies are getting in, its a big young family area and lots of babies and small children with a sprinkling of older ones, including a fellow Geistowner member.
On the news they said the Army were going to do a food drop at some stage. Tomorrow she is going in with a stack of volunteers to clean walls and floors, people she had never met. What a great neighbourhood.. We feel so helpless at not being able to get down to her.

Vanessa had a really tough 2010 , and we were hoping 2011 would be a better year for her, but we are all very grateful and blessed that a flooded house is all we had to deal with….

Thanks to Diane for sending this through. We are all thinking of you and your family at this time.

Catch you on the track.

Geist Runner.

Sep142010

GG in Maleny- The Biggest!!!

We had 39 vans at the GG in Maleny. It was a terrific time as you will see in the newsletter. The next GG will be announced in the next few days when I get back from a Farm Soil Tour in North East Victoria. We have booked a place but the dates are the 9th to the 16th of February. I’ll send an email out to all members in just a few days.

We have the Happy Camper Gourmet meals being showcased at the Food Expo in the Melbourne Convention Centre at present. Rachel and I will be there Thursday morning to answer the questions of the retailers. We hope you can try it out if you haven’t already. Go to www.happycampergourmet.com.au for more details.

Catch you on the track.

Geist Runner

Aug262010

GG in Maleny

We arrived on Tuesday and found 4 other Geist vans here. It was great to catch up and now two days later we have 18 Geist vans here. Tomorrow we have another 21 vans coming in giving us a total of 39 Geist caravans plus one ring in Aussie van. This is turning into the best get together to be held with Geist caravans in the world!!. Having just chatted to Geist UK, we seem to be on the money with this.

For those that couldn’t make it this time, we hope to do it again next year.

If you’re not a member though,  you are really missing out as we keep getting great reports of new friendships, loads of fun being had and just great mateship.

We’ll have a new announcement on Saturday about where Geist UK come in to the mix with helping out Aussie Geist owners.

We’ll have the next newsletter out after this GG.

Catch you on the track.

Peter Treasure (Geist Runner)

Aug132010

Launch of new Food

Are you a happy camper when you go on your caravaning trip? Well we’re about to make it a whole lot happier with the launch of a very special, easy cook food for when you get to your free camp spot and just want to relax and have a drink or a cuppa. It is an all Australian product with a variety of scrumptious recipes for you to choose from. It will be available FIRST at the GG at Maleny and will be available to all www.geistowners.com members at generous discounts before hitting the open market. Rachel and I have worked hard to get this product ready for all at Maleny and yes, we are going to cut it fine with the FIRST pellet arriving on Thursday from the factory ready for us to take with us on Saturday on our trip north. With no artificial preservatives or additives, no added MSG and all Australian meat, we aim to support our Australian Farmers. We can’t wait to unveil it to you all.

See you at the GG

Peter Treasure (AKA Geist Runner)

Aug092010

Count down to the BIGGEST GG Ever!!

In just 18 days there will be the largest privately owned gathering of Geist Caravans ever to gather together anywhere I know of in the world. This may seem a bit of an overstatement to some but to achieve this in Australia is unique since their is no importer of Geist or management of Geist products within its borders. www.GeistOwners.com has opened the flood gates to what appears to be a stand up and be heard mentality within the Geist community. A member only event, it is subsidised in part by www.geistowners.com so that true members benefit again for their loyalty to the group. We will be having some big announcements at this event as well as one or two very special guests. The bus tour is nearly booked out and the Saturday night BBQ is going to be 70 strong (still need a couple of more cooks). The golfers will be gob smacked by the awesome trophy we have this GG.

It will be a great GG and I just can’t wait!!

Catch you at the GG.

GR

May232010

GG upcoming for Maleny

It is great to be a Geist owner when people flock to get on board. We have had a great response for the next GG in Maleny with over 15 vans confirming already they will come along from the 27th – 30th of August. If you didn’t read the email or missed it and would like to go then let me know and I will send you the details. Rachel and I will be arriving the day before and heading out the day after, if you want to extend your stay you can. We are subsidising some of the costs associated with this GG but it is still a $30 per van cost to members for the four days.

We are also planning the annual FREE GG at Lindenow South for 2011 and hope to have some further good news on that event. Dates for that will be around the 18th – 21st of March 2011.

Don’t forget to order your caps and shirts, we still have some from the last GG.

Catch you on the track.

Geistrunner