gavinwibrow
5th August 2019, 02:24 AM
I have just completed the approx 1000 km gravel section Great Central Road from Laverton to Uluru, towing my caravan.
The road was in excellent condition overall and I drove to mitigate the poorer conditions either side of Docker River. Pulling a 3.5T brick with a just acquired 2.7L D4 doesn't leave many options anyway, and I like to look after my vehicles.
Prior to this trip we recently had a very slow horror 40 km gravel/corrugations drive between Hopetoun and Jerramungup in the Fitzgerald National Park between Esperance and Albany, which did cause some internal caravan damage such as stove falling out (held in only by 2 screws into chipboard on one side only) and fridge moving (not even bolted to the floor).
Apart from this, the less than 10,000 km in total since new was undertaken on good bitumen roads in WA, towed by my D2a TD5 at a max of 80 kmph.
I have been told by several that I normally drive like a nanna, plus in my youth I spent several years working in the bush in ag research, mineral exploration and surveying without incident.
Last week, at Alice Springs, on following up on a coil that had mysteriously partly escaped its upper cone, it transpired that all 4 shock absorbers had broken from their mounts and had to be replaced forthwith. I'd also like to put it down to my gentle driving style that I didn't realise how bad the situation had become - although I did wonder at the occasional caravan wandering in bitumen off camber situations!!
I find it hard to believe that possibly apart from arising from the Fitzgerald trip, such a breakdown of vital suspension equipment could occur so quickly/in so few km? Was I expecting too much from my equipment, and having kept the least damaged shock absorber, is there any way to follow up on my concerns?
I deliberately have not named the suspension, shockies or make of van in this thread, but needless to say will be a very much more cautious consumer in future!!
The road was in excellent condition overall and I drove to mitigate the poorer conditions either side of Docker River. Pulling a 3.5T brick with a just acquired 2.7L D4 doesn't leave many options anyway, and I like to look after my vehicles.
Prior to this trip we recently had a very slow horror 40 km gravel/corrugations drive between Hopetoun and Jerramungup in the Fitzgerald National Park between Esperance and Albany, which did cause some internal caravan damage such as stove falling out (held in only by 2 screws into chipboard on one side only) and fridge moving (not even bolted to the floor).
Apart from this, the less than 10,000 km in total since new was undertaken on good bitumen roads in WA, towed by my D2a TD5 at a max of 80 kmph.
I have been told by several that I normally drive like a nanna, plus in my youth I spent several years working in the bush in ag research, mineral exploration and surveying without incident.
Last week, at Alice Springs, on following up on a coil that had mysteriously partly escaped its upper cone, it transpired that all 4 shock absorbers had broken from their mounts and had to be replaced forthwith. I'd also like to put it down to my gentle driving style that I didn't realise how bad the situation had become - although I did wonder at the occasional caravan wandering in bitumen off camber situations!!
I find it hard to believe that possibly apart from arising from the Fitzgerald trip, such a breakdown of vital suspension equipment could occur so quickly/in so few km? Was I expecting too much from my equipment, and having kept the least damaged shock absorber, is there any way to follow up on my concerns?
I deliberately have not named the suspension, shockies or make of van in this thread, but needless to say will be a very much more cautious consumer in future!!