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take the approach of letting people decide exactly what they want and then building lt for them, "We sell it on paper and then build it to sult," Ntck says, Cut Loose RV Gold Coast-based Cut Loose busuress, the is all about producing frflhfirst thmg that .r-il,^o yOU iS wheelers large enough to live and travel in continually but still that this isn't light enough to be able to be any ordrrary sales office. pulted by a $40K ute straight off From the small sales area You the showroom floor, have an uninterrupted view of The interestingly named the factory floor and can see 'lnvestigator RK' is the model we lifth wheelers being born, are looking at and it's different This proximity lo the business from other Cut Loose models end ofRV construction is no by having the kitchen situated at accident, Cut Loose Manager Nick Oliver says this transparency the rear, The door is toward the back of is at the core of his philosophy of the rrg with direct access to the making Cut Loose fifth-wheelers. htchen with its dining nook, "lt's different to having a factory and a dealer's yard where complete with fold-dornm table to create a singie bed, salesmen are paid to sell the RV Opposite this is the internallY and whether the customer thinks supported slide-out with it's perfect or not is secondary convertibie sofa/'honeymoon' as the dealer rs there to sell it," double bed. Nlck says, The four-burner stove top Nick isn't ilterested in separate (three gas, one electric) and grill sides to the busrress and likes to alking into the shed that comprises the factory and offices ofthe

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r.-e on an L-shaped bench r,vith a

.-:oe pot drawer under the griil, The cookrng area isn L mossir,e

'

-. olovidcs a good space to '.'-:rk between the single sink,

:rc<{op and l9OLWaeco

'-

12v

-igelfreezer

'":rld

-:.,'.-ards the

lne location

of the pantry middle of the lay'out

be the only chanqe to

. -.rgest but the slide-out racks

"- :-in are useful. lu::board space is supplied ,r- above and below and is . -:::uate for a normal amount of
-llLll-Hlts ts

:,ither

up, the two-way door :.e b.rhroom/bedroom Is

=-: lrivacy feature because .: '.:-l as glving a feeling of -. - . ,,: rtion between the bedroom ,,- . :-: lounge/kitchen you can, - =.,:.mp1e, be watching TV in - : Jge wlthout annoying : rcupanrs enjoying a quie. -,, : :- re bedroom. - -. . .::caration is also great '. - ir: iravelling with children r -.-:: l,ou can (try to) get a bit

, ==::-in.

Another great featur-e of the Investigator is the separate shower and toilet Having these elements olthe fifth wheeler separated gr,zes a greater sense of space rn tvro areas that can often feel closed in These features are desrgned to reflect a normal house and the full-lenglh shower and fuil-flush toilet give a little bit of 'home' comlolt out on the road, To the bedroom, and lvhile cab-over motorhome otvners will apprecrate the extra space around and above the queensized bed. rhere is no gerr.ng avray lrom the fact that this elevated position would take a little getting used to for most caravan and motorhome oltmets. The two large steps at the base ol rne bed. ho*ever'. m ,ke gerring into Lhe becL "n easy rea'. they also provide storage underneath and v,rould be the ideal place for a saf-^ Storage space is also available in the nose of the RV behind the bed-head Walking around the outside of

JI *

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77

the Investigator it is easy to see the 6-mch steel chassls ald'Equaflex' leaf spring susPension that give the rig a sturdy ride, even on unsealed roads, Nrck is only rrterested in malcrtg a product that is safe and surted to Australian conditions and his customer's expectatlons. " TYaditionally fi ft h-wheelers were seen as a prestigiious product for the affluent oniY and that doesn't seem right to me because there are a lot of ordlnary people, 1ke myself, out there towinq caravans who wollld probably be safer if they were towing a fifth-wheeler." This idea of fifth-wheelers being more stable than caravans comes back to the fact that a qreater amount of weight is set over the rear axle-line of the tow vehicle, rather than at the towbar' ' The reason we do fifthwheelers, and nothrrg but iifthwheelers, is safety" Nick saYs.

Cut Loose design all of their fifth-wheelers to suit Australian conditions and only use iocal appliances in their vans, so the brand can be relied upon if aftersales service is required. Added to thrs is the benefit of Cut Loose's 24-hour Phone assistance service, wherebY a customer can call the team at any time if they exPerience a problem with any part of their

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frfth-wheeler. \fti]rile we were at the Cut Loose facrory one such call came tn from a customer on the road with

problem, It was edifying to see the Cut Loose team handle the matter ln
a

an expedient way bY cailing the manufacturer of the Probiematic appliance and making Plans to have a new part shipped to the customer that day The ushering in of 20 I I models sees a raft of changes over the 2010 designs,

2011 AUSTMLIAN CAMVAN+RV

V
-?

TOP Dining table folds down to create o single bed. ABOVE Stove top incorporates three gas burners and one electric burner. BELOW Full-length shower provides a bit of comfort away from home.

TI

Floor plans and models stay the same but the use of new materials and design features mark out the 2011 Cut Loose RV range. One of the most srgnrrficant changes is the switch from a timber veneer: in the floor and waIl panels to a composlte material that is both lighter and more ngid. This has advantages for fuel economy - as the RV is llghter - and aiso durability According to Cut Loose this new material is virtually impervious to water, a feature Cut Loose says "wiIl extend the life of the modei", Thls, coupled with 40mm insulation and a fu11y welded alumrnium frame (including the 'walk on'roof with aluminrum trusses and a lOmm marinegrade p1y), make the Investigator a strong unit. The redesigred nose cone on the front of the unit is now a lot more aerodl,:-ramic ally effi cient than the previously bluff face and is better suited to dual-cab tow rigs. \\trile this new design helps fuel economy - and looks quite stylish - it does impinge on space in the bedroom, which for those coming from a caravan or non-'cab over' motorhome is already a point of difference in a frfth-wheeler. Nick Oliver is keen to point out that only some cupboard space arolnd the queen size bed has been affected by the streamlined nose and that the bed area itself has remained as per previous models. Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and Gross Combination Mass (GCM) are weights that Nick

We are the oldest, most respected and an exclusive A'van Dealer.

We are fam y focused, friendLy and
CATAVANNETS

OUISE]VES,

We ofler a wide varety of quality

good value products, The peace of mind knowing

that we are an Avan accred ted repairer, Licensed Motor Deaer and a N/emirer of the relevant lndustry
ASSOC AtiONS,

'(i#:ff,

r,.".i"lc:.Lar':nanit .tcom.au 79

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ABOVE Pairing the fifth-wheeler with a suitable tow vehtcle

(like this lsuzu D-MAX)
is one way Cut Laose

aim to please their

customers.

Oliver takes very seriously and

ne will not even consider selling a fifth-wheeler to anyone who
or,r,ns

with

ute that doesn't meet

the necessary requirements. Cut Loose is aiways keen to

supply correct information to customers and has developed a database that calculates the ,.,arious G\/]\4 and GCM tota-]s of every combination in their range '.'nth every compatrble tow vehicle to grve reai world weights, This system also takes into account the amount of extra '.'reight that fuel, tools and general gear stored in the tow vehicie :rd fifth-wheeler contribute to ite two masses. In the case ofthe lnvestrgator nodel there are several tow i,ehicles that are capable of culhng the van. These include
::.e N'lazda 8T-50, Nissan Navara

fifth-wheeler itself

and Patrol models, Isuzu D-Max, Holden Colorado and Rodeo (with diesel engrre), as well as the Toyota LandCruiser, Cut Loose provides advice and can usually arrange a better price on your tow rig of choice. Cut Loose also give a weighbridge certlficate for the frfth-whee1er, along with engrneers' certificates for the ADR-compliant'Hrjacker' hitch - which Cut Loose fit in the customer's tow vehicle - and the Other options on the exhaustive Cut Loose list include solar panel

RIGHT Not quite

the famous prancing horse of l,,.4aranello

but close.

packs, generators, reversmg cameras and the ever-popular siide-out barbecue. Listening to Nick Oliver speak you can see he has a genuine affection for the people who walk in his door a:rd the products he is able to supply to them.
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:=TERNAI LENGTH: (p]n box to ::: .-=-.'.ree1) 8.33m (28ft Sin) :rxRNELwIDTn: 2 3m (7ft 7in) :TERNAL HEIGHT: (to top of air :.i-r:.ner) 3.24m (1Oft Bin)
}.TERNAII IJENGTH:

.::

(26ft Iin)

}.TERNALHEIGET: -:r (6ft 8in) li:MEPLETE TARE: 2B5Okg \--IMEPI,ATE ATM : 3 6 2 Okg TTNWEIGIIT: 40Okg

:RRME|Aluminium cE.{Ssls: Powdercoated steel sUSPENSION: Equa-trIex leaf :: I ng with shocks cooKTOP: Four-burner cooktop :.-ree gas one electric) and girill FHDGE:Waeco 190L

fIlcRowAvEr Panasonic 23L sEowER: Separate cubicle

ToIIJETT

Dometic fuil flush

LIGHTTNG: I 2V low energy/LED c/rs: 2 x gkg

FRESII \{TATER: I 65L tank DRINKINGWATER: I Zr- larr :

GREYV/ATER: 1 25L 1ANK BIJiCKWETER: 1 OsL TATTK

nnrcr:SI04,990p1us
:lt-road costs
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\ick
.

recor-rnts stories told to

:irn by customers in a way that

:.s you k'row he reajly does enjoy
.ue yarns and adventures his

r.rstomers experience. A fact not lost on this boss rs .rat with his busy schedule he ran only enjoy trips vicariously .:-rough his customers' stories.
a

#:ffJi*r, ??ily;;:t
croduction is
.eam at Cut
a passron

busuress'

for the

;
ABOVE AND
RIGHT Theres no
shart0ge of stor0ge space around the lnvestiqator.

Loose.lJ.

l:r

83