HYMER CARAVANS & MOTORHOMES

Hymer Caravans & Motorhomes are engineered and built in Southern Germany (Bad Waldsee to be exact). Hymer built their first caravan in the 1930's and their first Motorhomes in 1972. Hymer has held the coveted ISO 9001 Quality Certification since 1985 for all facets of the company. Matter of fact, as the leading RV manufacturer in Germany, Hymer is in many ways the German RV equivalent of Holden.

Hymer vans have a great attention to detail in both the functionality and appeal of the living space but in construction methods and technologies.

Style & Livability

What all the European RV manufacturers have in common is a level of attention to useability that puts them at the top of the industry (and now widely copied). Hymer is no exception here. Hymer employs a team of designers that live and breathe inside the caravans and motorhomes that they design. As a result the attention to form and function is superb. What this means for you is quite simply a better place to holiday or live.

Hymer vans feature Curving Lines (nature rarely makes straight ones), Rich Honey Blonde Woodgrains, and the addition of details like Entry Handles and Storage Pockets as well as tasteful reading lamps. The Nova range of caravans feature subtle concealed 'rope' lighting for a warm evening feel.

Take a quick look around and you will soon feel the quality of the Hymer product, it's like it oozes from the walls (not in a bad horror movie kind of way though). Cupboards and fittings are Glued, Screwed and Dowelled for extra strength and durability and overall the finish is just lovely.

You can see Hymer's experience in designing and building vans from the details.

PUAL Construction

Hymer caravans and motorhomes are built using Hymer's patented PUAL Construction method. The central component of PUAL is PU Foam or PolyUrethane and the outer walls are ALuminium - so PUAL.

Working from the outside in:

a) Outside walls are single-sheet Stove Enamelled Aluminium which creates a sleek, shiny exterior with no gaps, lower wind resistance and greater strength with reduced weight.

b) The meat in the sandwich is the aforementioned closed-pore PU Foam that is impervious to water and resistant to decay, making the main structure of the van effectively rot-proof! The PU Foam also makes a very effective insulation.

c) At strategic points there is a 2nd layer of Marine Ply to act as reinforcement

d) The internal skin of the van is Marine Ply which is resistant to water and therefore longlasting.

The sandwich is created in a special machine that injects the PU Foam at a high temperature and as the foam expands the mould is compressed. Air is forced from the foam making it denser and the pressure and heat creates a chemical bond with the outer skins. Each wall, roof and floor is constructed as a single unit with this sandwich construction. The panels are then elastic-bonded to each other and to the chassis which allows greater flexibility and resiliance, or simply longer trouble-free product life.

The final walls are 35mm thick which means high strength, low weight and a level of insulation equivalent to 8000mm of brickwork! As a matter of interest, the sections cut from the sides for windows etc are sold back to employees who value the offcuts as a lightweight insulation for their own homes.

You may have noticed that there is no internal wooden frame in the Hymer van walls. This is correct, the strength created by the PU Construction method means that a frame is un-necessary. The positives are lighter overall weights, greater overall strength, no gaps for leakage and no frame to rot or decay.

Chassis

Like most European vans Hymer use a Punched C-Section chassis with rolled edges. The "C" shape saves weight over the older Box Section. Punching further reduces weight. Rolling the edges keeps strength. This method of frame/chassis construction has been common in aeroplanes for decades. The chassis works in conjunction with the floor and walls to create the overall caravan strength.  Hymer sources their Chassis from chassis giants ALKO.

The chassis construction thickness for Australia is increased by about 1.5mm which in structural terms results in an increase of 3-4 times the strength of the same van in England or Europe. Hymer recognise that Australian roads are not always perfect ; European vans are travelling over unsealed Aussie roads very well.

Hymer Caravans feature the ALKO Stabiliser Hitch with Breakaway System. The Stabiliser Hitch is a real revolution in towing because it completely removes the need for load levellers, anti-sway bars etc. (saves you money and time too). The Hitch locks onto your towball and then a set of brake sensors "feel" the ball and adjust the van immediately to completely stop that dreaded "swaying".

The Breakaway System is still a little uncommon in Australia but it is very smart. If your caravan comes un-hitched from your tow vehicle (unlikely with this hitch) then the cable will apply the handbrake and snap allowing your car to remove itself from an errant van. The van will fall onto the jockey wheel and coast to a stop on the side of the road. Chains are unnecessary with this system.