Touring Australia Towing a Caravan – Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 (MY13)

Just topping up comments, another plus for the "SA family produced" stone stomper.

Make sure the van has capacity for wheel alignment (my supposedly up there Royal Flair didn't. and cost me 2 half worn tyres getting from the Nullarbor to Whyalla for remedial action). I also concur that high lift suspension is of doubtful benefit in 99% of scenarios - just adds to your wind resistance.

One of our best mods was a strong positive air system to minimise dust ingress - needs to be included in the original build if possible.

I'm a bit ambivalent about the benefits of a snorkel, given the normal intake is up approaching near the level of the bottom of the drivers window (I would not take a rig through much more than LRs recommended water height). Would be interested in comments from others.

If available get a van layout/design with the fridge etc on the kerbside. We hit a very highly corrugated gravel section leaving Fitzgerald National Park, heading towards Albany, and exacerbated by the road camber, when we got onto the regular pavement the fridge and full stove were in the aisle, having broken from their lightly anchored fixings. At least if the heavy/bulky stuff is on the kerbside, its less likely to come adrift!

Roll on with the ideas and experiences.

For me, as a reference I have done top end, East coast, west coast, Nullarbor , west McDonald centre, Oodnaddata, Mt Dare, Flinders , Fraser Island all towing
AT tires are a must if venturing onto the dirt and good ones in good condition, a snorkel is a must for clean air, a Stone stomper is a must for protection and make it slightly wider than the car.
Air compressor for correct tire pressure to suit conditions, max trax if hitting sandy areas
Often forgotten which I think should be mandatory for people towing, UHF and use it to communicate with other road uses especially truck drivers, as a professional truck driver there would be nothing more infuriating than a caravan doing 90 and not communicating with the truck

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Originally Posted by discomatt69

Often forgotten which I think should be mandatory for people towing, UHF and use it to communicate with other road uses especially truck drivers, as a professional truck driver there would be nothing more infuriating than a caravan doing 90 and not communicating with the truck

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I have a $20 kids "walkie talkie" from The Reject Shop that takes 4 AA cells. It works just great for communicating with vehicles immediately ahead or behind on Channel 40.

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Originally Posted by BradC

I have a $20 kids "walkie talkie" from The Reject Shop that takes 4 AA cells. It works just great for communicating with vehicles immediately ahead or behind on Channel 40.

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Yep it doesn’t have to be anything flashy, I have a GME with changeable Aerials depending on location as I used to do a lot of 4wding in groups so communication is a must and in dusty conditions there could be up to a km between cars on outback trips

There are no trucks in WA, except around the mines, then there are a LOT! But they manage you...
Your main traffic concern, and this is common for the rest of OZ, is weekend warrior van owners..

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Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

There are no trucks in WA, except around the mines, then there are a LOT! But they manage you...
Your main traffic concern, and this is common for the rest of OZ, is weekend warrior van owners..

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Pedro, you know better than that.
We rely on trucks for the majority of our non mine transportation, its just that they are not as big. Tri-axle trucks and road trains are becoming more common on our roads as time moves on. Luckily, generally speaking our road surfaces are better than all of our neighbouring states.

I see plenty of triples in both directions between Perth and the Overlander. Being able to chat to the truckie "You can see better than me, when you want to pass, let me know and I'll move left and hit the anchors" makes it safer and faster for everyone.

WA has better dirt roads than Victorian main highways
Being able to communicate with trucks makes the roads safer for everyone whether they are passing you or you are passing them

My setup & 2c worth after 10 years with a D4 with 230k Km under the belt'

• MY15 TDV6 - purchased new, 19" factory wheels with Maxxis All Terrain tyres. No mods apart from Mitch style hitch & concealed winch. Sometimes 2 fridges on board the D4.
• Approx. 110k km towing a single axle, full height self built composite van fitted with Cruisemaster air suspension - all up 2900kg with 250kg on the ball.
• D4 serviced every 10k km at most. Air springs replaced at 150k Bushes in front lower control arms as required. Ally inlet manifolds as a precaution before the inevitable failure. Belts & coolant components also replaced timeously before failures. New front drive shaft.
• Fuel consumption 17 to 25 l/100km depending on the wind & the rush. I mostly travel at the speed limit as my rig feels safe & it doesn't annoy the trucks.

Personally, I wouldn't modify anything engine wise. LR know better. Air suspension on the van is a boon when levelling on site & when combined with the D4 air suspension makes life so easy. The van runs of 265/85R16 tyres & has never had a puncture or a blowout. I do renew the tyres every 3 years or so.

Good luck with the trip.

We walked, made things so much easier, who needs a D4, or a van for that matter, voodoo.