Yes i did notice the state of some of the cars over here. Its hard to say what kind of driving we will be doing from what i have looked at so far, it will be a mix of tarmac, and unsealed roads, do RACQ cover the NT?
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Yes i did notice the state of some of the cars over here. Its hard to say what kind of driving we will be doing from what i have looked at so far, it will be a mix of tarmac, and unsealed roads, do RACQ cover the NT?
they do they just sub contract aant who sub contract the local recovery bloke. All you need is plenty of water, plenty of food a delux membership to racq/aant and a sat phone, then let the adventure begin. You can carry all the spares you want but most of the time what you havn't got is what will break.
Here I am on my overloaded trip vehicle soapbox again:D
As TREX has also mentioned among others, take as little as possible, and leave well prepared . A well serviced and cared for vehicle will go a long way to reducing the problems. ( Old falcons and holdens don't count, we all know they can run under extreme duress forever!:o)
BUT, my main beef is OVER preparation.
Book your 130 into Jenny Craig before you leave. Even a 130 can be overloaded, or unnecessarily loaded. Yes, being comfortable is important but ask yourself questions during loading 'Do we REALLY need this?'
Dave has also mentioned in his previous post that remote area travellers take sufficient water and non perishable foods for all including a buffer of a few days, All the while remember that whatever you take will have to go up every sand dune, through every boghole, through every bulldust and corrugated track, and the vehicle will have to be able to brake and corner safely during this time. The fuel use with a poorly and overloaded vehicle will be more, and If you do get stuck, winching or snatching can become an ordeal and maybe damage your or the recovery vehicle.
Overall Weight of the vehicle should be a major consideration next to supplies and water/ fuel loads etc.
And on a very relavent subject, suspension. 130's rarely need any additional spring upgrades in the back end, but top class shocks should be mandatory. DO NOT skimp in this area. Bilstein, Koni, Decarbon, KYB, Tokico, etc are preferred for their design and strength. They have superior control and therefore handling and lifespan. We even fit many 110's and 130's with 4 at the rear to control the back end better, fully loaded on corrugations and bulldust etc hour after hour in High ambient temps can fade single shocks in no time at all, making the vehicle hard to control , destroying bushes and springs by overworking them.
All in all, careful prep, thought, and advice from people who know about travelling the outback should be sought.
This forum is a very valuable resource, as many here have travelled extensively in all forms of vehicles and all sorts of conditions.
J (wish I was going too:()C
Whats a average price to pay for the shocks, and is it worth adding another fuel tank, for the kind of trip i will be doing, like you said i dont want to buy tons of stuff i may nver need.
shocks - standard landy ones are as cheap as $80 per corner, billies i think CraigE ordered some for the states at around $180 per corner....umm maybe a few dollars more but can be up around $240 a cornerQuote:
Originally Posted by juddy
additional fuel tank - i carried 160L for my simpson trip and used from memory 78L, unless you are doing more remote than this i suggest just your standard tank + jerries (jerries can be filled for when you need them and drained when you are just cruising the hi-ways)
after i refuelled at mt dare a couple of other travellers said i was crazy as i could have driven on and saved 5-10c per litre as i still had 70-80L on board.......i would have saved $7.00 whoopi do, but as there was a bit of rain around i was more than happy to take on the eatra fuel so that i could take on a big detour and have the fuel to do it and what happen when you get to that cheap fuel that rain has not stopped the fuel truck from re-suppling the servo. also with full tanks you can afford to detour to unplanned touristy things
i have only done one extended remote outback trip along but my rule to myself was refuel at the end of each days driving regardless of cost or km driven, if i was not overnighting in a town i would work out the best town either side of my overnighter
much like yourself i research my trip to death as i was travelling solo but in the end it was not much different to a long weekend away as you still need a well prepared car and pretty much the same cooking, sleeping etc bits and pieces. if i was to head out again tomorrow i would have off loaded some gear
I suppose its like going on holiday you always pack too much, and never use half of it, from what advice i have had so far it looks as if i will not have to spend shed loads on equiping the Defender, but it is very interesting to hear peoples views as to what they do/dont take with them, and like i said before it would depend on what kind of trip you are going to undertake. I think investing in some decent shocks is very good advice, and so is leaving the long range tank out, i think for me, once i have researched the route i will have a better idea of fuel stops. Moving on to tyres, i was thinking of getting ( if ones around ) a rear spare wheel mount, i do like the idea of a bonnet mounted one, but its not that practical, and as i will be kitting out the rear to my own spec, i may need the extra space.
type of tyre will open a can of worms
i fitted bfg at's before i left, no flats however i did have a little bit of chipping, they worked well for me.......
what year is your defender, i have a 300tdi with a bonnet mount, works well but can be a pain off road as it cuts down on your vision, touring no so bad
you will read that bonet mounts are not avaialble for td5's but i noticed a home made jobie on kookynet's rig, not real pretty but looked like it has with stood their round the world travels
at the moment i am still considering what to buy either new or used, new would be nice as could get one in dark gray, but after kitting a new out it will cost a fair bit.