An off-road caravan is built to be used, not to stand still, and most imported units spend weeks or months on a yard between container arrivals. Storage is a condition problem rather than a parking problem: batteries, tyres, seals and tanks all change while nothing moves. Units that reach the customer in factory condition are the ones that sell at list price, and the difference is usually a routine.

What an unused caravan loses first

Batteries are where the loss is invisible. A caravan carries at least two banks — the house batteries that run appliances and the smaller battery that feeds the breakaway system — and both lose charge while the unit sits. A breakaway battery that has been flat for weeks is a safety function you discover at the wrong moment. Published specifications differ by model: LZM's 16ft hard-top range lists 2×100Ah AGM batteries with 300W of solar, while the 21ft off-road caravan with lithium batteries and solar is listed with 2×200Ah LiFePO4 and 875W. The two chemistries behave differently when idle, so the routine should match what is fitted.

Tyres come second. Mid-size export models are published with 265/75R16 mud-terrain tyres — a blocky tread chosen for grip on loose ground, not for standing loaded in one position for a season. Flat spots appear as vibration on the customer's first tow, and that argument ends in your workshop, not at the factory. Monthly pressure checks and moving a unit that has not sold are cheaper than a replacement set.

Water, seals and presentation need decisions rather than inspections. Tanks left full and unused are the usual source of the first taste-and-odour complaint, while tanks left dry are easier to manage if the pump and fittings are tested before the unit is sold. Door and window seals can fail quietly after months in the open. Decals and graphic panels also fade in strong sun, so a caravan that has stood through two summers no longer matches a container that arrived last month.

A storage routine that costs almost nothing

The routine is short, but it belongs in writing so that yard staff follow the same steps every week:

• Park every unit where the roof solar is unshaded, and move it as the sun angle changes.
• Sell the oldest stock first, because a caravan that spends two seasons unsold becomes a discount conversation.
• Check battery voltage and tyre pressures monthly and log both against the unit number.
• Ventilate rather than seal: closed-up caravans in humid weather are where mould starts.
• Photograph each unit as it is parked, so a delivery-day dispute can be answered with a date.

What to settle with the factory before the container ships

Storage gets easier when the order answers a few questions in advance. Confirm what the charging system does on the exact model when the caravan is parked and nothing is drawing power, and confirm whether the tanks are supplied drained. Ask whether a cover or open storage suits your climate, and get the tyre and wheel specification in writing so a later replacement matches what is fitted. Battery chemistry belongs in the same conversation, because it changes how much attention the bank needs on the yard.

The bottom line

A caravan that loses its first season on a yard is normally sold at a discount larger than the cost of any of this, and whoever buys it is buying a unit whose condition nobody recorded. LZM builds off-road caravans in China for export to Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and the published range for off-road caravans for commercial buyers sets out battery, solar, tyre and tank data per model — the detail a stock plan should be written around.

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