Simpson in a III- Spare Tyre Carriage

I used 6mm x 15mm machine screws with nylok nuts to secure the spare holder to the bonnet. The holes had to be reamed out slightly to take these bolts. It hasn't been put to the test yet as I've had to undergo a few repairs myself and can't lift anything heavy for a while.
The rest of the assembly was riveted together with ally rivets 5mm wide by 10mm long (including the round head). These were just long enough for the job. And yes, you need to go to specialty suppliers for these- or your local friendly aviation mechanic.

Coop

Hi Folks,

Here's the final result. Thanks so much for all your help and advice. It all went together quite easily, with just a little fiddling with the bonnet latch to get it to line up with the new bonnet.

Regards

Coop
Attachment 45618 Attachment 45619

coop if you have painted your land rover where did you get you paint from I am thinking of painting mine this winter

Hi Pezman,

The paint I used is normal household exterior enamel. In the course of fitting an auxiliary fuel tank I cut a hole in the side for the new filler neck. I took this piece of metal (which was painted) to a local Solver paint dealer . He used a computer system to get an initial "match" but then tweaked it by adding small amounts of various tints to get it even closer to the original colour. I was impressed with his skill, dunno if you can find someone in your area that can do a similar job. Its a bit of an art form.
You may want to use automotive paints too, dunno how you go doing a match with those.
Good luck,

Coop

Coop, while you may need to take two or even more tyres, do you really need to take 1 wheel rim for every tyre you are taking?
if you are able to change a tyre in the field, then why take the extra weight of the wheels?
You might get anywhere from 0 - 10 punctures on a trip like that, there are a lot of variables from the type of tyre you're running to your driving skill and style that are going to have an impact on the amount of tyre damage you suffer.
a group of 6 crossing the simpson in 2002, all but one suffered no punctures in 7000km, that one copped 10, all on the back wheels in the middle of the tread. All were BFG mud terrains, his were of a lower load rating and could not handle the weight he had on board, most of it rearward of the rear seat.

just a thought (OR TWO)

G'Day Barney,

Thanks for the tips. I've got five tyres with an 8-ply rating (light truck) so I'm hoping that they will resist punctures reasonably well. We also carry a puncture repair kit which we can use if the hole isn't too big. A set of tyre levers and a spare tube will complete the kit we will be carrying. We will also be travelling fairly light as with our 2.25 petrol engine we have limited power.
I'll consider carrying another spare tyre (sans rim) given your comments.
We are following the Rig Road for half of the trip so hopefully won't risk too many punctures there.
Cheers,

Coop

go get a couple more items, stack them inside the spare carcass

at least one more spare tube (I carry up to 5 depending on what Im doing)
A decent tube repair kit
A dozen tubless tyre patches (the kind you put on from the inside)
A good long stroke double acting bike pump. (you'll be amazed at how many uses you can find for it) and some adaptors for it.
A 1kg tub of talcum powder
about half a dozen tubeless valve stems (2 of each primary size+2 to cover the size of your rims valve hole.

Its a lot easier to just whip off a bead, pop in a replacement tube and fix the punctured one somewhere comfortable.

If you're planning on playing in sand prefit the tyres with tube liners, they will help reduce the number of abrasion punctures and pinches you get from the beads walking and sand getting between the rim and the tube.

The tyres I'm running (Olympic Steeltrek) are steel belted radials with a 10 ply rating (thought they were 8, but that's just the bonnet spare which is a different make). They all have tubes. Carrying a couple spare tubes isn't a bad idea.
Did I forget to mention the vulcanizing kit for the tubes? Had one of them for years! But thanks for the reminder- I need to check how many patches I've got left.
Tubeless tyre patches seem like a good idea- Dad used to call them "gaiters", so I guess these do the same job.
We have a good quality electric tyre pump, and a long-stroke hand pump if the battery gives out, so I think I'll give the double-acting bike pump a miss.
Would I bother with tubeless valve stems if all my tyres have tubes?
Thanks for the tips Blknight, will rework the repair kit. Even if we don't use them this time, there will be plenty of more opportunities...

Coop

Quote:

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Originally Posted by C00P

Not a bad idea- except that with my weight and strength I'd have to have tyre irons 8' long.... :)

Coop

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Don't forget your irons!

i'm pretty sure gaiters are like a big flat strip that runs around the inside of the rim to protect the tube from any protuberances on the inside of the rim. some of the older splits had rivets and stuff on the inside.