Thread: Who is planning a Simpson trip this season?

Originally Posted by Colmoore

Yeah, all remote recovery crews I know of ask for $ up front - fair enough but $14k
Do you know whether the $450 desert drive insurance policy would have covered the recovery from where you were?

$14k is obscene. Must be close to extortion.

If you get through unscathed, do you get your $450 refunded?

Well, if I am ever strapped for cash, I could start dragging cars out of desert here and there. Do a couple and I would have my big lap financed -g-

I'm not sure of course, but I would think one most always bodge a car up far enough that you can skulldrag it out of there? Sure it would mean wear on the person dragging you but for 14K you can afford some repairs on the other blokes car...

-P

Might sometimes need 2 tow vehicles.

Just finished an east to west crossing. I paid the $500 assurance to the Birdsville mob as I didn’t want the huge bill if something went wrong. They charge $450 an hour which I think is reasonable considering the cost of the vehicle, wear and tear and the remote location.
The group consisted of 2 x Rangers, 1 x 2011 Prado, 1 x 79 series dual cab and a 06 Troopy.
Both the Prado and 79 had alternator failures after the big salt pan near the NT border.
The Prado alternator 1 way bearing failed and the alternator was replaced ( he had a spare), we removed the rear cover on the 79’s and cleaned the brush holder which had jammed the brushes with mud. The orientation of the alternator and location make it susceptible to this problem. Two 79s in a group behind us suffered similar problems.
The PX3 Ranger was towing a Kimberly Karavan and the tow bar loosened, snapping the internally welded nuts. This caused some hammering to the rear chassis which I suspect is now bent.
The Troopy had a flat rear tire but it was an age related failure.
My next gen Ranger had no issues apart from the driver following the wrong track and getting caught in a bog hole on one of the clay pans.

The desert was quite wet and the sand was very firm, we had no trouble traversing the dunes and I think the east to west was probably easier as most of the wombat holes were on the western side.
Unfortunately we didn’t see much wildlife, just the odd Dingo and plenty of birds.
We did see a Iveco daily Earth Roamer near the end which had blown its transfer case. The had been there 13 days when we chatted to them and someone was bringing out a replacement in the next day or so.

Sounds like a good trip Thanks for that!

I am sure at birdsville they did the calculations and $500 insurance vs 1:10 that need to call on that insurance or even less? Not sure about the 450 per hour though. Sure you can wear a unimog or a man Kat.1 (I saw once that one of the hotels or something had one) out but it takes quite a bit more effort than your average 70 series or what not. Still, they drink fuel like nobody's business and the blokes running it need to make a living so eh. Life is just not cheap!

I really don't get the charm of towing though. The amount of damage and broken down stories I hear just because people are towing are insane...

Cheers,
-P

Originally Posted by prelude

Sounds like a good trip Thanks for that!

I am sure at birdsville they did the calculations and $500 insurance vs 1:10 that need to call on that insurance or even less? Not sure about the 450 per hour though. Sure you can wear a unimog or a man Kat.1 (I saw once that one of the hotels or something had one) out but it takes quite a bit more effort than your average 70 series or what not. Still, they drink fuel like nobody's business and the blokes running it need to make a living so eh. Life is just not cheap!

I really don't get the charm of towing though. The amount of damage and broken down stories I hear just because people are towing are insane...

Cheers,
-P

They were towing mainly because his wife had previously suffered from stage 4 bowel cancer and had a large resection. She often needs a toilet urgently.
The Kimberley Karavan was very impressive and handled everything. I think it would have been fine if the tow bar had been checked and tightened regularly.
Saying that I wouldn’t tow a trailer if at all possible either.

To revive this thread...we are planning a bit of a getaway, we had planned to go up to the Gregory NP, have been keeping an eye on the website and the southern tracks remain closed until at least Sep1 so no go. As an alternative, we are considering a Simpson Desert crossing. Have not been there. If we go, we will be going solo, as we do everywhere. Friends were in a 5 vehicle group trip last month, had been planning for the Simpson for 2 years and missed out due to the rain (they will be spewing if we do it impromptu).

What's the biggest challenge? Are the claypans likely to be a problem after the recent rain? Any tips or cautions? Should I buy a pair of those ridiculous green plastic surfboard things? (never yet been in a situation where I wanted them but, as I say, I have not been on the Simpson).

Vehicle, for those who don't know me, is a 2008 2.4tdci Defender 130, recent new motor, gearbox and transfer rebuilt, new CVs and new front & rear propshafts a couple of months ago, diff locks both ends, rear airbags. I put it on the hoist to do some trip prep this week and realised there was nothing to be done but a bit of grease! We carry a Trayon camper and go very close to GVM.

We were there the week leading up to the Big Red Bash (we came down the Hay River Track) and due to a few vehicle issues within the group & illnesses from within, our group separated once we hit the QAA Line. 3 of use decided to to travel the K1 line down to the Rig Rd Jct where we turned onto the Rig Rd and headed west, then north on the Knolls then east on the French and then back to the QAA Line. Unfortunately we didn't make it back to BV before the rain hit and the last day we were pushing through water/mud back into BV... My 2010 Puma went well w/o any issues and personally I do not think u will have any issues. Should u get some recovery boards ?? well that will depend on your vehicle weight and how much you are fast you are prepared to go to get over some of the dunes... Having lockers I don't think u will have any issues & thus not need any recovery boards plus it is well travelled and there is usually someone coming in the other direction to help u if needed.
Just make sure all your gear in the slide-on camper is well packed as it will get shaken around a fair bit...

Originally Posted by POD

To revive this thread...we are planning a bit of a getaway, we had planned to go up to the Gregory NP, have been keeping an eye on the website and the southern tracks remain closed until at least Sep1 so no go. As an alternative, we are considering a Simpson Desert crossing. Have not been there. If we go, we will be going solo, as we do everywhere. Friends were in a 5 vehicle group trip last month, had been planning for the Simpson for 2 years and missed out due to the rain (they will be spewing if we do it impromptu).

What's the biggest challenge? Are the claypans likely to be a problem after the recent rain? Any tips or cautions? Should I buy a pair of those ridiculous green plastic surfboard things? (never yet been in a situation where I wanted them but, as I say, I have not been on the Simpson).

Vehicle, for those who don't know me, is a 2008 2.4tdci Defender 130, recent new motor, gearbox and transfer rebuilt, new CVs and new front & rear propshafts a couple of months ago, diff locks both ends, rear airbags. I put it on the hoist to do some trip prep this week and realised there was nothing to be done but a bit of grease! We carry a Trayon camper and go very close to GVM.