DON'T LOCK AUSTRALIA UP

Everyone who goes offroad, in a car, on a bike, etc will do some damage.
Even the best offroaders will chew up the tracks sometimes. I won't say it's unavoidable but sometimes it's difficult not to.
If you tear around the bush, breaking everything in sight and turning everything into a mudhole, then fair enough. you're a tosser.
But, if you do as minimal damage as possible, and what damage you do you repair, either by attending working bees on the tracks, picking up your rubbish, etc, then you're fine in my books.
Personally i think it's an attitude problem above everything else.
Cheers
Muppet

Tank, can you please explain how a camper trailer is damaging the drains. I can't see it, if a car can drive over it and earth moving machinery can how is a trailer doing damage.

I am not trying to be smart here, just a little confused.

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Originally Posted by lambrover

Tank, can you please explain how a camper trailer is damaging the drains. I can't see it, if a car can drive over it and earth moving machinery can how is a trailer doing damage.

I am not trying to be smart here, just a little confused.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

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I might be wrong, I assume he's talking about open drains rather than buried pipes, but my take on it is Its not the trailer itself that causes the damage, but when your towing a trailer the track becomes so much more difficult.

A graded road is no issue but if your trying to pull a trailer on a 4wd track you really have to work the car to make any progress over what might otherwise be relatively easy sections & the track is the worst for wear.

I've seen damage camper trailers have done to the speed humps/eco drains on Bendetehra Fire Trail and on Merricumbene Fire Trail.

The towbars drag across the top of the mound that creates the drain. The groove they create is much deeper than you would expect. As well as that, there is evidence that some of them get quite a bit of wheelspin trying to drag the trailer over the hump. It also appears that parts are steep enough that the likelihood of wheelspin and track damage is much greater because of the extra effort required to drag the trailer up the slope.

I suppose an unsuitable vehicle with an extremely poor departure angle could produce the same damage. I also expect that it would be possible for a well set up tow vehicle with a very high towbar could get over without damage. However, that doesn't seem to be what some people insist on taking into Bendethera.

In theory, there should be vehicle/camper trailer combinations that could tackle the track without causing damage. I am just describing the damage actually done by the camper trailers that people have been taking in there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lambrover

Tank, can you please explain how a camper trailer is damaging the drains. I can't see it, if a car can drive over it and earth moving machinery can how is a trailer doing damage.

I am not trying to be smart here, just a little confused.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

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Lamb, the damage mainly occurs on the tracks between the eco drains because of the steepness of a lot of tracks around here, the extra weight causes the tow vehicle to spin the wheels and get stuck, requiring another vehicle to tow them which then has 2 vehicles spinning wheels cutting up the surface.
Also some camper trailers have ridicuosly long drawbars and I have seen many get hung up on the tops of the eco drains and then drag the front part of the chassis through the top of the drain. But the extra weight and the wheelspinning to get that weight up the hill is the culprit IMO.
On one occasion I had the misfortune to be behind 4 vehicles towing campervans up Deep Ck. FT to Mericumbene FT fron Dry Ck. camping area. This climb is steep and rough and usually takes 15 to 20 minutes, w/o a camper trailer, I waited 2 hours before I left. I then headed back towards Moruya and out Wambon FT to Oulia Ck FT and proceeded up to Mericumbene FT and headed to Deep ck. FT where it meets with Mericumbene FT and thes 4 vehicles with CT's had still not got to the top of Dry Ck. FT. This was 4 hours after I had been stuck behind them at the bottom.. There was noticable damage done to the Dry Ck. FT and I thought that NPWS would chuck a hissy fit, next time I was out there the posters were up asking 4WDrivers not to take CT's on Dry Ck, Mericumbene, Mongamulla, Dampier FT's.. If you would like to come down I will take you out there and show you what I'm talking about, Regards Frank.

The motto of most bush walkers is to take only photographs and leave only footprints. The unfortunate thing about 4WD mags is that the photos that sell subscriptions are the ones that show mud, water,rocks and sand being flung around all over the place. Now one wants to see photos or video of a 4wd driving sedately up and over an obstacle. When mud, sand, water and rocks are being displaced track damage follows, then mother nature plays her part with wind and water damage. To deliberately promote this sort of behaviour for financial gain is nothing more than vandalism.

Apart from organised events, can you get away with that sort of behaviour at a privately run 4wd park? Of course not because somebody has to pay to repair the damage. The same is true in these remote areas except that it is the public who must foot the bill, the same people who don't get upset when the tracks are closed.

With regards to these remote tracks that are a challenge to your modified rigs, spare a thought to the poor bugger that has to travel that track to do their job in a stock standard vehicle.

Don't kid yourself if you go out driving and if you can see where you have been in the rear vision mirror you have done some form of damage.

If you enjoy what you do, think about how other people perceive your chosen hobby. It's easier to give them no reason to whinge than to try and fight them in courts and change government opinion.

woody

I was asked this week about legality of driving in the forest.the map calls it myal forrest.I wasnt aware there is an issue.maybe a permit.

the work mate was with a group on road regoed motor bikes and arrived at a fence with a NP landcruiser blocking the road.they stoped thinking it closed for baiting/rally/etc but asked to leave as they had bikes.another worker told the same story at the other end of the same road.

since national parks took over operationsof state forrest locally the word meaning erection is used.
i been to meeting with an organisation im a member to be informed about logistic 5 year planning and it was obvious thatthey had one agenda."To confuse people".
the beggining of one plan junior staff was moved in to run blocking from real questions to the point one gentleman produced a map with my house and village in the center of a national park--before i informed him by showing the correct map he insisted it was virgin wilderness and not few hundred homes and farms.

The only good thing recently is that some staff has been promoted and moved on.lots of money has been waisted fixing roads that was in good order when state forrest logged these virgin forrest-the trees have been removed that had been fell to block roads and camping areas built that used to be homes--at great expence--not that they got it right-one road the drain flows up hill flooding the road--im assuming this is to fill a clay depresion with 25 meters of water to give that ive been to the outback red mud look on the honda.

I recently went to a major fire that state forrest controlled-after the NPWS left the call went out to light it up and go home.for some reason the 3 day fire was finished in a few hours after they left.

if all else cant be "erected" find an under ground orchid.

marine park---my house is on a salt water river with lots of terrorist-I recieved a letter from NP about my use of the river-river bank and local amenitie for private and buisness use.1 day before the closure of the reply-- on a public hollidy--i thought it was a trouble making form to drum up hate untill i contacted members of the commitee.

it also asked income and personal information.
At the bottom of the form was that all information was available to general public under freedom of information.
I complained to 3 people i knew--the first told me i wasnt a stake holder in the planning as my income wasnt efected by the closure of the river and destruction of of all comercial activity...so it shouldnt be on the mailing list

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Originally Posted by Tank

Lamb, the damage mainly occurs on the tracks between the eco drains because of the steepness of a lot of tracks around here, the extra weight causes the tow vehicle to spin the wheels and get stuck, requiring another vehicle to tow them which then has 2 vehicles spinning wheels cutting up the surface.
Also some camper trailers have ridicuosly long drawbars and I have seen many get hung up on the tops of the eco drains and then drag the front part of the chassis through the top of the drain. But the extra weight and the wheelspinning to get that weight up the hill is the culprit IMO. SNIP

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Chatting to the ranger at Sundown NP here in Qld about the noticeable influx in camper trailers. He mentioned exactly what you have stated Tank, plus people try and drive it in 2wd. He also said NP's keep suggest no CT but they just keep coming. The bit of track in question takes 2 hours to reach in a 4x4, so that's a fair bit of money for a dozer before it even starts any repair work.

With all the recent gate closures it make me wonder. I really hope not, but perhaps one day Nth Sundown may be gated.

I would just like to say I agree with Stevo I saw Roothy at the 4wd show up here in Brisbane this year and he was talking about it up on the stage and I agreed, as did my mate, with what he had to say. Yes sometimes someone does something wrong on the tracks but should we punish the majority who are good because of the actions of the reckless minority?! ;)
When he was on stage he mentioned that one time he was off road and notice some rubbish and so he picked it up (is that so hard to do) and after finding some more found out the rubbish was left by some international tourists. So because of their carelessness in our beautiful Great South Land should we be punished?!
Also think of what they do at times on fire tracks, yes they cut down fallen trees over tracks and stuff, but what if there was a fire and the fireys had to gain access would it not be better for the track to be clear than for them to spend hours clearing it before they get there?![bighmmm]

Like previously mentioned take five minutes and look at the bigger picture.:D