Caravan furniture put through its paces

CARAVAN manufacturer Bailey has been putting the durability of its caravan furniture to the test.

The company has been working with furniture technology centre FIRA, which has examined a number of Bailey caravan components over the past 18 months, and the two have now joined forces to develop a new caravan quality standard.

FIRA’s examinations included the the fatigue testing of the upholstery cushions which after receiving a constant load pounding achieved a 'severe' rating.

Bailey says that this puts the cushions on a par with the materials used in private and commercial vehicle seats and the backrests and armrests in public transport and cinema seats.

Bailey also asked for the new floating fascia lockers and concealed latches to undergo a similar examination prior to installation in the Pageant Series 7 range. The components underwent an open/close fatigue test to 5000 cycles and a slam shut test to 50 cycles both of which it passed. 
 
Following this successful collaboration between the two organisations, Bailey has looked to expand the scope of FIRA operation and asked them to develop a quality standard to cover the entire caravan.
 
The resulting Product Certification Scheme for Leisure Accommodation Vehicles is the ultimate mark of product excellence from FIRA. Achieving it shows that a product has been completely evaluated for fitness for purpose, quality and workmanship.
 
Bailey says the models from the Ranger Series 6 and Ranger GT60 Series product ranges are the first UK caravans to receive this new Gold Award and the testing process has now begun on the other ranges in its portfolio.
 
In order to gain accreditation, the caravans have passed over 30 separate furniture industry tests relating to the following areas of construction: ergonomics, workmanship, structural strength, performance, installation procedures and moisture/humidity/temperature resistance.

News