New D4 - now the expensive bit begins.

[GregMilner]

Well, our new D4 arrives from Sydney in the next couple of weeks. So I'm using that time to make my eyes water, with some research into the bits I'm going to have to hang off it to make it touring and towing ready. I fear the calculator won't have enough digits, but here's a start...inclusive of fitting & GST.

ARB colour coded Summit Bar $3139
Safari snorkel $740
6 X Maxxis AT tyres $1749
Outback Accessories 92 litre gravity fed LR tank $1692
Outback Accessories spare wheel carrier $1835
Tekonsha brake controller $200 (just for fitting, took the old one out of the L322 just sold)

Already have a spare battery, UHF, compressor and a few other bits and pieces.
Have I missed anything essential?

[Russrobe]

Well, our new D4 arrives from Sydney in the next couple of weeks. So I'm using that time to make my eyes water, with some research into the bits I'm going to have to hang off it to make it touring and towing ready. I fear the calculator won't have enough digits, but here's a start...inclusive of fitting & GST.

ARB colour coded Summit Bar $3139
Safari snorkel $740
6 X Maxxis AT tyres $1749
Outback Accessories 92 litre gravity fed LR tank $1692
Outback Accessories spare wheel carrier $1835
Tekonsha brake controller $200 (just for fitting, took the old one out of the L322 just sold)

Already have a spare battery, UHF, compressor and a few other bits and pieces.
Have I missed anything essential?

Greg if you ask Opposite Lock to do you a deal on a package you will get better pricing. That Summit Bar price is cheap though, i thought they were more like $3500

I think i paid $4000 for:

Safari Snorkel
OA tank 92l
OA Rwc
Front runner ladder

All fitted.

I went an Arb bull bar but mostly because I could get the older version which is much cheaper.

There's a front runner platform rack on gumtree atm for $1000... bit expensive but better than the $1500 new. Would be making sure it doesn't need any work for that price though.

[GregMilner]

Yeah I'm talking to Opposite Lock in Perth about it Russ, about the only thing I can't get from them is the Summit bar, but they're sending through some images of the bars they do, so I'll see how they look.

The price of the Summit bar from ARB was confirmed by them when I went into one of their shops yesterday. Their prices for snorkel, wheel carriers and LR tanks are a bit steep though, OL seems to be cheaper on a lot of things. I'm sure if I got OL to do most of the stuff I'd get a slightly sharper price, but with $10K to shell out I'll probably spread it over the next two or three months to ease the pain a bit. (On the wallet, and domestically:-)

I'll check out that roof rack, I'm actually trying to avoid having to fit one, hoping I can put most of that kind of stuff in or on the camper trailer.

[LRD414]

..... research into the bits I'm going to have to hang off it to make it touring and towing ready ....
Already have a spare battery, UHF, compressor and a few other bits and pieces.
Have I missed anything essential?

Greg, here's a few other things to consider that are not quite as eye watering but I would consider essential for touring, obviously subject to condition of roads/tracks where you'll be travelling.

Mitch Hitch - better towing height matched to drawbar height of the camper trailer (assuming drawbar height of ~500mm). Much better ground clearance compared to using the factory tow bar.

Llams - if touring on offroad tracks with rocks and/or high crowns at greater than 50kph and normal height is not sufficient.

Mud Flaps - rear wheel arch flares will get stone blasted from front wheels. The factory mud flaps are pretty hopeless.

Stone Stomper - protects D4 rear window from getting broken by flicked stones.

Traxide Kit - purpose built kit for connecting your aux battery and provides high power connection to camper for camper battery charging.

Cheers,
Scott

[Russrobe]

Yeah I'm talking to Opposite Lock in Perth about it Russ, about the only thing I can't get from them is the Summit bar, but they're sending through some images of the bars they do, so I'll see how they look.

The price of the Summit bar from ARB was confirmed by them when I went into one of their shops yesterday. Their prices for snorkel, wheel carriers and LR tanks are a bit steep though, OL seems to be cheaper on a lot of things. I'm sure if I got OL to do most of the stuff I'd get a slightly sharper price, but with $10K to shell out I'll probably spread it over the next two or three months to ease the pain a bit. (On the wallet, and domestically:-)

I'll check out that roof rack, I'm actually trying to avoid having to fit one, hoping I can put most of that kind of stuff in or on the camper trailer.

Ah yep, if you don't think you need a 2nd spare (mine is on the platform rack) you can probably get away without it. It is handy to be able to throw extra things up there though.

The only draw back is slight wind gush sound on very windy days.

[GregMilner]

Thanks Scott, I'd forgotten about the Mitch Hitch. Another $900. (And I thought boating was expensive. B.O.A.T = Bring Over Another Thousand.)

My car comes with side steps fitted, would that obviate the need for front mud flaps?

Not too concerned with Llams at this stage, I doubt whether we'll be doing much on high crowned tracks...although I haven't driven the GCR yet.

Stone stomper...yeah, probably a good idea. (Or, flattened beer cartons gaffer taped to the back of the car. Very aesthetic.)

Traxide kit...dunno, I've already got a spare Engel battery box. And I never had trouble charging the trailer batteries using the Anderson plug at the back of my L322. Am I missing something here?

[LRD414]

My car comes with side steps fitted, would that obviate the need for front mud flaps?

Stone stomper...yeah, probably a good idea. (Or, flattened beer cartons gaffer taped to the back of the car. Very aesthetic.)

Traxide kit...dunno, I've already got a spare Engel battery box. And I never had trouble charging the trailer batteries using the Anderson plug at the back of my L322. Am I missing something here?

Side Steps - yep should protect flares I think.

Flattened beer cartons - yep would work. I assumed you had more discerning taste coming from an L322

Anderson Plug - does not come standard in a D4, you have to fit it and the Traxide kit includes one. Your battery box would be just fine but still need to run a lead to the rear.

Cheers,
Scott

[LRD414]

Thanks Scott, I'd forgotten about the Mitch Hitch. Another $900.

There is cheaper ways, eg just use standard hitch and a raised tongue.
But that still leaves a clearance issue when ramping over things offroad.
Depends on where you go of course.

Scott

[GregMilner]

I never bothered with stone stompers (or flattened beer cartons for that matter:-) with the L322 as our Pioneer camper seems to deflect everything well down. A lot campers have a flexible stone deflector that acts more like a trampoline and bounces rocks straight back at the car, but the Pioneer has a hard front stone guard, so nothing seems to bounce up. Having said that, I know what's going to happen now...

It's a simple enough matter to fit an Anderson plug, I'll get my regular Auto Spark guys to do that when they fit the brake controller I've saved.

[Russrobe]

Outback Accessories just sent me a msg, they're looking for a car to develop a dual rwc next month but I'd say they would have to pry the keys from your hands to take it for a week.

Will be discounted and much cheaper than a Kaymar I'd say if anyone else is interested though.