Thread: preparing for the big lap

It sounds like you’ve got it pretty well sorted anyway as far as general “touring” goes.
If your going to be on dirt roads, you may want to consider an air compressor,, ie; if it’s wet, you may want a little more traction by lowering tyre pressures, or it might be really rough or rocky, also good to lower, and of course, sand.
Have a gander at some of the build threads regarding D3/4’s and see what they do with their machines,, this will give you a good idea of how people have set up their rigs etc.

You’d best be getting some experience in too Just sayin’ Should organise a couple of trips with others on here. It’s an extremely capable car out of the box, but there’s nothing like doing a couple of trips with others to instil full confidence
As for the motor,,, if it’s all been done properly through the right channels etc, I wouldn’t stress about it at all.

Hope this helps.

We took our family in a D2 with no mods towing a jayco swan. It was fantastic. if you were to have trouble there are people on the forum who will help and it is part of the adventure. A car breakdown will not ruin a 12 month holiday. Much to the disappointment of my toyota loving friends we got around fine. Did some maintenance in alice with a local forum member.

The d3 is a magnificent touring car, with 3 kids I wouldn’t fill the back with stuff so you can use the 3rd row. Just my thoughts.

Before getting drawers and other heavy stuff check the D3 weight on a weighbridge and add the caravan draw bar weight. With three kids and their stuff you may be over weight without even adding a roof rack and drawers. You need to travel as light as possible and you don't need a lot of stuff at all. Make sure everything you take is actually essential or don't take it!

Confidence can be elusive but with good preparation there's no reason not to go for it.
You seem well setup already but one thing I'd recommend is reading other threads on here where people have prep'd for similar trips.
I've linked to a few that I found useful below.

I would get the lightest van you feel comfortable living in and with.
My view is the less weight you tow the less stress on the vehicle and less fuel consumed.
Less stress on the vehicle should reduce the likelihood of failures.

The suspension would be worth making sure is in good condition given the vehicle age.

Cheers,
Scott

Thread Links:
Setting up a D4 for a 2.5t Caravan
Help me build up my D4 for touring!
Advice wanted - D3 mods for trip around Aus
Who's taken their d4 to the cape? What mods are must have/ should have?

Originally Posted by LRD414

Confidence can be elusive but with good preparation there's no reason not to go for it.
You seem well setup already but one thing I'd recommend is reading other threads on here where people have prep'd for similar trips.
I've linked to a few that I found useful below.

I would get the lightest van you feel comfortable living in and with.
My view is the less weight you tow the less stress on the vehicle and less fuel consumed.
Less stress on the vehicle should reduce the likelihood of failures.

The suspension would be worth making sure is in good condition given the vehicle age.

Cheers,
Scott

Thread Links:
Setting up a D4 for a 2.5t Caravan
Help me build up my D4 for touring!
Advice wanted - D3 mods for trip around Aus
Who's taken their d4 to the cape? What mods are must have/ should have?

Also good to replace wheel bearings if they are old. They are not easy to replace away from a capital city and wheel bearing failure has ruined several people's trips from what I have heard talking to D4 owners in the outback. Never had an issue with mine in multi tens of thousands of km of outback rough road touring but have replaced one in Perth occasionally in the 275000km my D4 has done.

Yeah, as others have said, keep it light and prepare with thorough maintenance before you go.
For example, fit new hoses and belts and carry some of the old ones as spares.
Suspension, brakes, tyres and the cooling system are essentials.
Replace all fluids before you leave.
Get bearings done.
Bushes should be inspected and replaced if worn.
You don't need a monster truck, just a well-prepared vehicle.
D3s are excellent vehicles, if maintained.
No matter what vehicle we own, if a major part fails no dealer is likely to have it in stock, so it will have to be flown in. That includes Toyota's, so don't swallow the Toyota propaganda. LRs can be very reliable.
Finally, don't rush. Stop and poke around. Enjoy.

Most importantly get yourself a code reader of some kind. There are a few options but you will be able to clear faults if / when they arise and even if you don't know how to fix them it will give others on this forum a good idea what the fault is to help out.

You will find it 1 of the most important tools you can carry , proberly the most important tool with these cars.

there is a Essential Spares thread in the Stickys at the top of the D3/D4 home page , have a read thru that and then apply it to your trip.

Cheers Ean

New tyres with enough spares.
Load what you can in the van. All your clothes and food will be in there so drawers may not be necessary. Tie down the fridge in the back if you do take it on day trips. Make sure you have a reliable connector for the fridge in the back. See recent posts about this.
Don't put anything on the roof if you can help it, including awning (I assume your van will have some sort of one). Find a tree.
If you're going off road by yourselves, then sat phone or similar.
Have fun and take you time in each place.