Thread: from Melbourne to Cape York on 2015 D4

Originally Posted by TerryO

It's not until you need that extra height when something goes wrong or you need to get through a sticky situation that you really appreciate it.

This happened the other week to me, using a bit of gentle off roading to get my son to sleep, and came to a point that was past the point of no return, where I was could hear my belly bushing the ground at with OR height selected and I needed more height to get out. Turned Llams up, rock crawl on and walked up and out. Didn't even wake the child!

Originally Posted by LRD414

Also, Llams or some other height control (eg rods) is not essential for the Cape.
Everywhere up there I can think of that requires the extra height would be below 40kph speed.

Just to clarify, by "not essential" I meant unlikely to be required on a trip to the Cape going directly there by the main roads without significant offroading on harder side tracks etc, which is all you could do in such a short itinerary. This is what I meant by "everywhere" on the proposed trip.

However, I agree 100% with Terry and Graeme and have Llams myself for reasons including what they've mention.

Originally Posted by TerryO

Off road height is good in the vast majority of cases, having nearly double that by the turn of a knob is much better without having to get stuck first. It's not until you need that extra height when something goes wrong or you need to get through a sticky situation that you really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Graeme

Not that it happens often but if a stick catches a front ABS sensor wire then not having to travel everywhere at access height because the vehicle is fitted with rods or Llams would be very appreciated. However a broken sensor wire can often be repaired providing you have a way to get the wheel off whilst at access height.

Cheers,
Scott

I agree. You could easily go to the Cape York without LLAMS. However, if I was considering accessories/improvements it would be somewhere in the top 2 or 3 for my list. Being able to conveniently increase the vehicle height at or near HW speed on well formed gravel roads is a good to have. Being a new car I would buy LLAMS before an BT iidtool.

I bought an iidtool as I have an older vehicle, which allows me to read/clear faults and adjust the EAS. However, LLAMS is still on my wish list.

As mentioned earlier, look at the GOE site and you will see under body protection and other stuff that would be more beneficial for this trip than a long range tank/wheel carrier.

Thanks all for your opinions, I will get my checklist ready soon and seeking further advice. I have 4 kids from 4, 10, 12, 14, and might left miss behind since she is not big fan of 4WD; would a 4 yrs girl enjoy such trip much even though she was excited? We went to beachport for 5 days camping, she loved it. 3 weeks camping and driving could be unbearable for her if any home sickness happen. I will fly them from Melbourne to Cairn and save sometime, then I can extend my trip beyond 3 weeks. Although we will have 3-5 vehicles coming together, is Winch must have item? Then I will need to fit a bull bar with winch. I presumed September is dry season, do not expect much deep water crossing. How to prevent the rust if it does happen?

Cheers,

Gary

I have to agree one of Gordan's compressor guards is just as important to have as a fault clearing tool or Llams as neither are of any use if you smash the compressor bracket and it rips a couple of the airlines out and your in the middle of no where and from experience that is a very easy thing to do and quite common.

If your in a decent size convoy even in much rougher country than where your going then you won't need a winch as long as you all have good recovery gear.. As for a number of young children only you can make that choice based on what your children are like and how supportive they are of each other. Good luck on that front.

Forget the winch. Pack ear plugs. I think meeting them in Cairns is a good idea.

We allowed a week Brisbane-Cairns return i.e. 3 days each way with a rest day.
Then we allowed 3 weeks to the Tip and back. The distances are not huge, but the roads are bad so travel is slow. Allow time to look around and relax.
You'll need a minimum of 600kms or so of fuel. We didn't have a winch or extra fuel tank.
Priority is tyres, suspension and a thorough service. The corrugations vibrate loose things until they snap, so go nuts with cable ties to secure everything before you go. Take spare air, oil and fuel filters plus some oil top ups. We had two flat tyres on the same day, but were able to get 2 new tyres brought in from Cairns.
Check out Cooktown. Relax at Weipa, Chilli Beach, Loyalty Beach. Elliott Falls is a must for a happy family - stay 2 nights.
Weipa has the last reasonable food prices. Beyond that it comes in by boat and is expensive.
Don't feel obligated to tackle any stupid obstacles for bragging rights.
Save the phone number for the Weipa rescue truck before you go in case you do have a problem.
Carry cash in addition to ATM cards.
Relax, slow down and don't rush madly about.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

Whilst looking at Gordons GOE website,order his handbook.The information in there is GOLD for any new owner.
It covers EVERYTHING about the vehicle.
Andrew