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Post by jonathan on Oct 5, 2016 17:01:50 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 5, 2016 17:13:19 GMT 10
Hey Firefighter,
Tell me what you think in regard to this Roadhaven. It has quite a low serial number (54), but the windows and the cladding suggest a bit later than 1956 to me (but then I'm not the expert on Roadhavens - you and Dave01 are!). Do you have a list of serial numbers and when the vans were produced?
Looks like a really nice van though, but then I haven't seen a Roadhaven that isn't!
Don Ricardo
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Post by jonathan on Oct 5, 2016 18:27:47 GMT 10
Hey Don,
I'm the owner (but not a Roadhaven expert: I know' Firefighter and others are), but I can vouch for the age.
I didn't upload a shot to Gumtree, but I have the original numberplate: G56 226 (Vic).
Cheers,
Jono
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 5, 2016 21:29:47 GMT 10
Hi Jonathan, Thanks for that information. I'm glad you've let us know on the forum that your van is on the market. There are a lot of people here that know that a Roadhaven is a quality van and may be interested.. I apologise if my previous post sounded as if I was questioning your bona fides - I wasn't meaning to do that by any means. I am just intrigued about a couple of aspects. I'm not sure if you've seen the Roadhaven thread in the Down History Lane section? If not, click here. If you look at that thread you'll see that photos of your van were posted back in 2009 when it was being sold on Ebuy. Maybe that's when you acquired it? That DHL thread also tells us that a serial number plate with the number 76 on it came off a van from 1958, so that fits with your van number 54 being from 1956. Apparently Pruser built ten to twelve vans a year. However, three things intrigue me. First, according to the description given by the previous seller, the van is bondwood, but was ordered with an aluminium shell. However, to the best of my knowledge (and I have built up some knowledge about it over time), the profile (ie the raised ribs) of the aluminium cladding wasn't available in 1956. That type of profile didn't come into vogue until the middle 60's. In addition, it looks to me like the cladding originally had a white acrylic coating which wasn't really introduced until 1967, although Pruser was sometimes ahead of the times, so he may have introduced acrylic coated cladding a year or two before. The second intriguing thing is the windows. Up until 1955 Roadhavens had wooden framed windows. In 1956 Roadhaven began to advertise vans with aluminium framed windows, but the vans had wrap around, three-piece windows at the front with much thicker frames than on your van, which of course doesn't have wrap around windows. There are some Roadhavens with side windows similar to yours on the DHL thread, but they were built in the mid to late 60's. In addition the 1956 and later vans had front windows that were set proud of the front of the van, whereas your van has windows that are flush with the front wall. The third intriguing thing is the chrome Roadhaven badge on the front of your van. Looking back through Roadhaven adverts, the chrome badge wasn't introduced until sometime between 1958 and 1960. So what all that suggests to me is that at some time in the mid-60's or a later, your 1956 van was taken back to Herbert Pruser to be updated with the cladding and the aluminium windows. The quality of the cladding and the way it has been put on looks very "Pruser" to me, so I personally have no doubt that he could have done the work. Anyway that's my theory. I will be interested in what Firefighter thinks about my suggestion. Please understand that none of this is in any way a criticism of your van, or you. I just have an interest in caravan history, and how styles and design features have changed over time, so it is interesting to me when a van has features that don't seem to quite fit the era in which it was built. None of what I have suggested makes your van any less valuable. It just makes the history of the van all the more interesting, particularly if it was indeed updated by Herbert Pruser. As I said in my earlier post, Roadhaven vans are very highly regarded because of the quality of the design, fittings and workmanship, and your van looks like a very nice example. So, the best of luck with the sale. Oh, by the way, regarding the Victorian registration plate you have for the van, registration for caravans in Victoria was introduced in 1965 or 1966 and then became compulsory in 1967. Before that, the caravan just had to have the registration number of the tow vehicle on the rear. So the plate you have would date from 1967 or the year before. Our van - which is a 1949 model - was only registered in 1967 and its plate starts with 'G65', so your plate is just a bit before that. (The first two digits don't relate to the year, the plates were just issued sequentially in order as they are now.) Don Ricardo |
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Post by jonathan on Oct 6, 2016 7:33:11 GMT 10
Hi Don,
Thanks heaps for the extra info, I'd made a couple of assumptions re the cladding (and licence plate) that sound like they're probably not quite right based on your advice.
Cheers,
Jono
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dave01
Full Member
MR ROADHAVEN
Posts: 234
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Post by dave01 on Oct 6, 2016 21:14:02 GMT 10
Hi Don, this van appears to have been ''modernised'' in the late 60s, the cladding and the ''enlarged''' windows differ from earlier Roadhavens.The scroll on the front was dropped from 62 and replaced with a less ornate design.The serial number plaque moved from outside the van,usually above the number plate,to inside the van,but only for a short time, then back outside. Only Herbie or Ray his son would know why. 198 were actually built,though plaque number 200 exists. cheers Dave.
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