Why are there no American trailers and motorhomes in Europe?

A subscriber to the “Dom v Dorogu’’ channel, a resident of one of the European countries, contacted our company with a request to select and deliver an American trailer to him in Europe. At first glance, the task is simple. I paid, took it to the port, a couple of weeks later I received a trailer in the port of Zeebrugge or Bremen, and took it to the customer. He paid European VAT within a month and that’s it. Ride for yourself, travel. But intuitively we suspected that not everything was so simple. After all, in Europe there are no American trailers at all. The explanation of this phenomenon by the fact that in the old world there were few vehicle with a powerful chassis for towing trailers did not look entirely convincing. We tried to find at least some company in Europe that sells American trailers. This one was found. One for the entire European Union. Located in Belgium. But it only sells used American trailers and nothing else. The strange thing was that she was not anyone's dealer. At our request to supply us with a new American RV, we received a categorical refusal. Without explaning the reason. Moreover, having heard a request for the supply of a new new trailer, they hung up on the other end without even bothering to talk to us. At the same time, European customs brokers, whom we asked to help us with the clearance of an American trailer that had arrived in Europe, informed us that they could only help with its removal from the port, warning us that further problems would begin for us. They did not explain which ones exactly. In general, a mystery, shrouded in darkness, intrigue, the plot of a Hollywood thriller. Next, we started calling all European dealers selling motor homes with a request to bring an American trailer through them in the hope that at least someone would just want to make money on this, taking their percentage of the deal, but hearing the word “American trailer ” end any negotiations on this topic is over. And so, on the third day of searching, we found a manager of one of the European companies who agreed, on condition of anonymity, to tell us one very interesting story.

At the end of the 2000s, the first American trailers and motorhomes began to appear in Europe. Back then it was really very easy to bring them to the European Union. I transferred money to the USA, arrived at the port 21 days later, received my motor home, paid VAT within a month, adapted it to 220 V and that’s it.

American trailers and motorhomes instantly became popular in Europe. Well, really, who will be indifferent to the differences between American RVs and European ones.

On a European motorhome, the awning needs to be installed by two people for 15 minutes, twisting something, tying it and driving it into the ground,

in American 10 seconds by pressing one button.

American motorhome awnings are equipped with vibration sensors that sense increased wind and automatically retract the awning, thereby preserving it.

European motorhomes do not have this.

On a European trailer, the awning may break if it is not removed before the rain,

The American one has an automatic rainwater drainage system. If it picks up water, the system of levers under the weight of this water will work itself and drain it.

If a strong wind blows, the awning will parachute and break, so before going to bed or when wind appears, it must be removed,

European awning takes 15 minutes to clean together,

whereas the American one is 10 seconds by simply pressing a button.

On a European trailer, every day you have to empty the toilet cassette, and every other time you get dirty with it all.

In an American RV , the tanks need to be drained once a week, but the drain itself occurs cleanly, without unpleasant odors or leaks. That is, the owner of an American trailer does not think about it at all during his vacation,

whereas the owner of a European trailer, while on vacation, has a constant dominant thought in his head that this most unpleasant procedure will happen again at night.

When storing a European trailer at home, it is impossible to connect it to the home sewer, so it is difficult to consider it as another separate living space, since you constantly have to think about the cassette; it has to be drained literally after every visit to the toilet, otherwise the biological fluids can stagnate and begin to emit very unpleasant odors ,

whereas the American RV is easily connected to the sewer system and the toilet in the residential module can be used in the same way as at home. Biofluids are discharged into the sewer instead of flushing the toilet after each visit.

In a European trailer there is no pressure in the plumbing system. Water begins to flow only when the pump is running, and it turns on only when the tap is opened. This does not allow installing a modern washing machine or dishwasher in a European motorhome, as they require pressure. In addition, due to constant turning on and off of the pump, it breaks down and needs to be replaced as a consumable.

In an American motorhome, everything is exactly the same as in your home. There is city connection water always pressure in the plumbing system of an RV; if it drops, the pump pumps it up, which makes it possible to install a washing machine and dishwasher in an American motorhome.

In a European motorhome, fresh drinking water can only be filled by overflow, much like you fill a gas tank with fuel.

In American RV’s parking areas, homes where there is running water, the piping system can be connected to city water. This is very convenient, since there is no need to add water, since it is always available, and in an American motorhome there is always good pressure.

European trailers do not have a slider - a retractable wall.

Almost all American trailers have a slider. The fact is that the space in the house is formed not by the area of the room as such, but by the correct proportion of length and width. If a motorhome is long but narrow, it looks more like a carriage, which is why American motorhomes are equipped with sliders - retractable walls, so that exactly the right living space is formed.

The walls of all European trailers are made of aluminum, and simple, not corrugated.

Whereas the walls of American trailers are made of composite materials. They are stronger, not subject to thermal expansion and contraction, that is, they do not crack over time. They are lighter, conduct less noise and heat. Over time they do not change color and do not age. Even if the walls of an American mobile home are made of aluminum, it is always corrugated, which avoids cracks due to seasonal temperature fluctuations.

In European trailers, the walls are made of simple aluminum.

The roof of American RV has a rubberized coating. This is necessary to reduce the noise of rain inside,

whereas in European motorhomes this is not the case.

All furniture in European motorhomes is made of lightweight wood substitutes,

whereas American RV furniture is made from natural wood, making it stronger and more durable.

The standard load on the towbar ball of a European tractor does not exceed 140 kg. That is why European trailer manufacturers are forced to place the axles in the middle, so as not to exceed the load with which the trailer presses on the ball of the European car. You cannot put pressure on the towba ball of a European car above 140 kg, since they are not frame-mounted. It is because of this that European trailers are susceptible to swinging while moving, that is, a dangerous pendulum phenomenon that occurs when a trailer is impacted by a car overtaking it at high speed. You cannot drive above 90 km/h with a European trailer.

In an American trailer, the axles are shifted back. That is why it does not have a pendulum effect while moving and the movement becomes safer and faster.

In addition, due to the fact that in an American trailer the axles are shifted back, it becomes possible to load the rear part of the trailer, namely, to place an on-board generator at the rear without compromising the occurrence of sway. Installing a generator in an American trailer also makes it possible to install a bumper or tow bar mounted at the rear.

In a European trailer, installing an on-board generator is impossible for two reasons: loads installed at the rear of the trailer, which has axles in the middle, provoke rocking while driving. The European trailer does not have a bumper or towbar at the back to install a platform for an on-board generator. And without it, traveling becomes less comfortable.

The steel of the European trailer frame is ... mm thick, and is assembled from component parts, essentially twisted with bolts and nuts. This is necessary because it was cheaper to transport it from China, since its production there is cheaper.

Because of this, the frame of a European trailer takes on the appearance of a rocker arm and the furniture installed on it inside the trailer has a pot-shaped appearance. Firstly, this is unsightly, and secondly, it is impossible to set the trailer to zero in rest areas. As a result, if the front bed of a European trailer is installed parallel to the ground, then the rear bed will always have a slope and vice versa.

In American trailers the frame is solid, the steel of which has a thickness of ... mm. It will always be level and will never have a rocker shape

Shock absorbers for European trailers are made of rubber bands. They are not repairable and must be replaced every 2 years. Otherwise, the trailer's ground clearance becomes less.

Most American trailers have springs, which makes the trailer's ground clearance constant. It does not decrease over time.

All European trailers do not have electric motors for parking feet. They have to be installed manually using a twister.

Almost all American trailers have electrified mounting feet. To install them, just press a button.

In European trailers, all water fillers are located outside,

whereas in American ones they are inside and hidden from the frost.

In European motorhomes, options such as an awning, microwave, kitchen hood, oven, heated floors, and air conditioning are additional and are paid separately.

In American motorhomes, all of these options are included in the original package. The final cost of an American RV always includes all of these options.

In European trailers, the floor is heated using electricity, so in winter, to keep the floor warm, you must have either city electricity or a generator.

In an American trailer, the floor is heated using corrugated hoses laid under the floor, which simultaneously heat the gray and black water tanks so that they do not freeze.

American motorhomes always have an on-board generator, while no European motorhome can boast of this

Thanks to the on-board generator, the microclimate is always maintained in an American motorhome in the heat of summer, thanks to the working air conditioners of the residential module.

In a European motorhome, everything is different. When driving in the heat in the summer, only the air conditioner of the vehicle in front works, which cannot cool the entire residential module and is turned on at full power. Thus, when driving in the summer, very cold air blows onto the stomach of the driver and the passenger sitting next to him, and the rear back is always hot, which is not very good for health. This is not the case with American motorhomes.

European motorhomes do not have a load distribution system. As a rule, all things are stored in bulk in the so-called garage at the back, whereas in American motorhomes all luggage compartments are distributed around the perimeter of the motorhome.

A European motorhome always has gas cylinders installed inside, which makes it difficult to fill it with gas at branded gas stations,

whereas an American motorhome has a safe external gas tank that can be refilled at any gas station.

Of course, such a number of advantages of American trailers over European ones did not take long to appear. Information about them spread throughout the European Union very quickly. The first owners of American motorhomes, traveling through Europe, literally infected European caravanners. Companies emerged that began supplying American RVs. In the first year, more than 1,000 units of equipment were imported from the United States and sales grew almost exponentially.

And so, the information reached the top managers of European motorhome manufacturers. They simply saw a drop in sales of their products. Having learned the reason for what was happening, the first thing they did was force their dealers to sign an additional agreement that if they concluded a dealer agreement with an American manufacturer, they would deprive them of dealership with a European one, but this did not help.

The information reached the owners of the factories and,

in particular to Mr.... In his circles in Europe he is affectionately called grandfather. In 1967, he founded the Hobby factory and now lives on his yacht in the Mediterranean Sea, flying once a year on his business jet to an exhibition in Dusseldorf.

This time he had to break his calm rhythm and fly to Germany to complain about what was happening to Angela Merkel

As a result, a Law appears in the European Union, which states that all motorhomes imported into the European Union must be certified not as a whole, but in individual units.

What does this mean, let’s say a private person from the EU bought himself an American motorhome and paid VAT. Everything is fine. But in order for this motorhome to be allowed to drive on European roads, it is necessary to obtain a separate certificate for all parts and components of the residential module of the motorhome, which is practically impossible.

And if a European dealer of some European plant where the body starts advertising American RVs, he will immediately be deprived of his dealership.

This is how grandpa defended European trailer manufacturers.

Now there is only one Belgian company left in Europe that sells, as it says itself, American trailers that were miraculously brought to Europe.

Konstantin Shchelbanin

Shchelbanin@gmail.com

+1 786 651 86 68

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