Anyone for Espresso .....

Whoa! Who does that rig and machine belong to? Details on the machine please!! Java gonna be served on TGINTLer's Hedonistic Land Yacht! Cheers, tgintl/jay

Would everyone who owns a BT "except the owner of this rig" take a step back to reveal a true "Caffeine Commander" !! Come on fess up !!!! [arabicaSmile] Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

Wow.... talk about bells and whistles. And I thought you
guys were just dreaming. Where do you get one and the vital question how
much is that cup of coffee worth??? Helen

Oops - did I blunder by calling a BT a "rig" Tell us more about the "Caffeine Commander", Please Thanks, tgintl

Mea Cuppa, Mea Cuppa OK, I'll fess up. Its all my fault. Happy that BT18 spilt the coffee beans. Saved me the embaressment. Bean out of touch this week - got lost the other day on my way to Baghdad, Tasmania. I think the Sat Nav malfunctioned. Had to strap some logs to the side of the tracker a couple of times to ford some deep rivers (Pt Moresby and Signapore were quite cosmopolitan, don't you think?). Anyway, when I finally got there, I saw something in my rear-view mirror that suggested that maybe I wasn't where i should be. See attached. Only got out of there safely because the locals liked my coffee. Machine is an obscenely-priced Kleenmaid (I negotiated my socks off to get it down to merely obscene!) Chin chin Griff

Griff Do you think that what you saw in the mirror might only have bean (sic) after a cup of coffee?????? I presume the only reason you may have been in Pt Moresby was to stock up on coffee beans. (Did you get even heavier duty suspension to cope with those bags?????) Enjoy and regards Jeff

Nah mate, the only reason I was in Moresby was to get to Baghdad - told you the Sat Nav had me going North instead of South! Silly girl. (I eventually figured out what went wrong) Griff the Directionally Challenged

Well, I can see that the gauntlet has been thrown down by Griff. Looks like we will have to re-design our whole layout to get the cappucino maker, the breadmaker, the electronic whizz, the sewing machine, the washing machine and dryer, and the yoghurt maker and dehydrator all into the picture. Err... better tell Steve I will need a few more power points than the 22 in there already. But seriously folks, Griff, that picture gives us a hint of the interesting specs that have been alluded to in your new van. What else have you got up that mysterious sleeve of yours? C'mon fess up. Angie

Griff, My partner for one has fallen in love with the look of "the machine"! She prays to coffee machines each morning for a good cuppa. Could you please provide some specs or model number so I too can rob Peter to pay Paul? What next? Cheers, Jay

To answer your question, its a Kleenmaid 01X (they only have one built-in model, so the model number isn't critical to know). Its a 10 amp job and pulls 1750w at full bore with grinder, coffee water heater, steam heater and electronics all running simultaneously. This is not a prob, however, as on turn on I switch off the steam heater, allow the coffee water to heat, then turn the steam heater on, then, when that's finished, do the grind. That way, keeps it under 1000w. My power system monitor tells me I can run the water heater on full power (the biggest draw) for 5 hours continuously on my (4) fully charged batteries. Must try it some time. Regs Griff on a Caffeine High

Griff, since you have already installed the unit a question about whether you thought it would shake to pieces on server corrugated roads is "after the fact"; therefore, let me as the question differently: what steps are you going to take to keep it from coming apart during a rough trip? Thanks for the upcoming advice; we too like our java tgintl

Griff, thanks for posting a copy of your layout and the other specs. Now that you have had a little time to assess the investment, is there anything that you would do differently or did all that research pay off. I guess people like myself and tgintl are hoping that is the case. I think ours would have to be the most researched van in history. LOL. Angie

Pour out the water; remove and clean drip tray and replace; remove the coffee handle (maybe); and attach bungee cord. That's all the prep I take. I had extensive conversations with the techs and service guys re current draw, installation & reliability in the installation prior to purchase. The end decision, however, was the domestic 6 month money back warranty and 5 year guarantee were to be honoured in this installation, so not much at risk. I felt that as the cabinet was securely fitted, any internal component failures due to vibration and high-g shock would be the same for a domestic or commercial bench-top unit. (Absolutely DO NOT tell anyone this, but I am playing with the notion of shock absorbers on the tandem axel rig. Blasphemy, I know, but what else is new? I am arranging for some accelerometer tests in the Beast and the Truck to try and get a comparative handle on the actual conditions inside under way. I hope to be pleasantly surprised at the dampening capabilities of the rig as she are now. On the other hand, if everything is doing the Mambo in there, Steps Will Be Taken.) Only received floor to Annex last week, fridge was installed on Friday and I installed the stainless fronts I had made tonight, together with the replacement DVD and new mother board for the Jaton. Going over to Webasto tomorrow for some fine tuning, so still a couple of things to do before I can really get back to you with my personal list of Bouquets and Brick Bats. Still have to devise bunk ladder and safety rail (for some twisted-logic reason BT feels their liability is less if they take absolutely no steps to provide a safe, useable solution than if they provide something to Aussie Standards for Bunks. Yes, RV's and boats are exempt from meeting the standard, but if my 3 and 6 year old kids got up there and fell as it now stands, I suspect my insurer's lawyers would be sniffing blood). Back to you with pics & report in the next week or so. Griff

Griff
Dometic have released a "safety net" for kids high level bunks.
May suit your purpose.
Or;
You could attach a bungee cord to the ankle biter.
Might still fall out of bed but would be immediatly returned.
Turist.