Thread: Preparation for alpine driving

1. A travelling horse statement (else you may get done if you get pulled over)
2. Decent fresh coolant in your cooling system (because I have known of more than one person who has frozen the straight water in their system)
3. When you get to the snow fill up on Alpine diesel so it doesn't wax up if it snows overnight
4. Decent tyres on both float and disco
5. Organise an Etag so you can get through Sydney quickly (if you go that way)Decent CD's for the bloody long tow

Most of the Mobil servos in the higher / snow areas should have Alpine Diesel. It's usually marked as such at the pump, but if not, ask. Even if you top it up with half a tank of AD will help.
And make sure your starting battery is in good condition - I've seen many that work OK in the city, just pack it up in the cold.
If you can possibly park the car undercover - do it whenever you can. Saves a lot of work de-icing when you leave the next morning.

Dobb- What's a travelling horse statement - does the horse talk ?

Originally Posted by dobbo

1. A travelling horse statement (else you may get done if you get pulled over)
2. Decent fresh coolant in your cooling system (because I have known of more than one person who has frozen the straight water in their system)
3. When you get to the snow fill up on Alpine diesel so it doesn't wax up if it snows overnight
4. Decent tyres on both float and disco
5. Organise an Etag so you can get through Sydney quickly (if you go that way)Decent CD's for the bloody long tow

I endorse all of these measures - and put a fresh set of wiper blades on too.

Since you're towing, you might like to think about at least carrying a set of chains. NPWS don't force 4WDs to put them on but with the extra weight behind, you may get stuck on more slippery bits or if there is ice in any car parks.

300Tdi from the book ---> start as per normal using glow plugs fully. If below -5, press accelerator to floor whilst cranking and release when engine starts.

Go to Ray's Outdoors and buy a 4L can of Kerosene. This will be enough to alpinify a standard Disco tank of diesel if need be.

The cruiser never used to idle smoothly in the snow from cold and needed to be set at a fast idle on the knob - Disco don't have one so I assume its not needed.

When you park up overnight

Pull your windscreen wipers up off the screen, and put a high % of windscreen washer stuff in maybe as much as 30%

The washer fluid reduces the risk of the washer bottle freezing

Where in the Vic H/C are you travelling to ??

Originally Posted by waynep

Dobb- What's a travelling horse statement - does the horse talk ?

an absolute pain in the **** thats what they are. Every time you float, ride or move a horse now you need to complete a travelling horse statement for the DPI, send one to them online and keep a copy for yourself, think of it like a passport or a log book. They brought it in after the equine influensa last year. Need to know the exact route travelled, microchip number medical history of the horse etc..... It means I had to buy a lawnmower instead of floating one of the horses up to my place and letting it eat the lawn for a day or two.

With such a trip Treads may need multiple statements for different states. It does kill the spontanious lets take the horse for a ride today routine.

Big fine if you don't have one.

IF you have the chance to do a service before you go have a look at the servicing oils chart and switch over to the oil that handles the lowest temperature spectrum but still coves up to 35 degrees ambient.

If you get the chance to always park as close to a power point as you can manage as if needed putting the wifes hair drier in the engine compartment pointed towards the battery on a low setting can give your battery that extra help if it wont crank over properly...

If you get to the vehicle and it doesnt want to start after the 3rd 10 second crank with glow plugs in between DONt keep going do the hair drier thing, then run the temp up on the hair drier to medium for a while before giving it another go.

If used to carry a small 12v heater and run it off of the aux battery if I was desperate for a start .(my aux battery was deep cycle and not wirable for starting before anyone points that out)