 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Water in Lake Eyre and Cooper Creek - Gota see it.................... August 30, 2010 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
Difficulty Level:
This Trip Departs:
Jol at Direct 4WD knows the desert like his own back
yard, and treat it accordingly…A great trip!
|
Jol Fleming’s 2010 Simpson Desert Special.
INFORMATION
CAMPING ALCOHOL
- Permitted on all 4x4 tours but consumption to be in moderation. No drinking is
permitted whilst travelling. BACKPACKS
- It is advisable to bring a small backpack for all tours. BILLY
–
There will be a 15 litre billy on the fire most evenings, water permitting. CAMPING
EQUIPMENT
– You need to bring a suitable tent, bedding, chairs, folding table, fridge,
cutlery, plates, bowls, tea towels, and cup. See Camping List. http://www.direct4wd.com.au/tours/Camping.pdf CLOTHES
– Suitable bush clothing is recommended. Temperatures can range from 0C –
35C. One set of casual clothes is recommended. Remember the desert can get cold
winter nights, and hot days. CROCKERY
& CUTLERY
- BYO. EXTRA
SUPPLIES
– It is advisable to carry extra supplies of food in the remote areas. A
ration pack is a good idea. Usually tinned and dehydrated food securely packed
sufficient for at least 4 days. This is IN CASE of unplanned delays, due to
inclement weather or vehicle problems. Dry food is recommended along with tinned
food so one can hydrate the other. Water in 10 litre casks is good for back up
supply. FIREARMS
– FLY
NETS
- We recommend that everyone should carry a hat fly net in their day bag. FOOTWEAR
-
Sneakers, leather boots in spinifex areas, and an old pair of shoes. Sock
savers or gaiters are recommended. FLYING
DOCTOR RADIO
- All tour leader vehicles are equipped with Royal Flying Doctor radios and or
satellite phone. No matter where we are in FIRST
AID KIT
- A personal first aid kit is recommended, and should include Band-Aids,
aspirin, panadol, murine eyedrops, insect bite cream, tweezers, throat lozenges,
and lipeze. It is also recommended that your tetanus injections be current and
that you check with your doctor should you require antibiotics. GET YOUR
TEETH CHECKED as it is difficult to hold your head still and remove a tooth
with a pair of multi grips. I would not want to use all the rum just on one
tooth. FUEL
FUNNEL
- With a strainer is essential, especially filling from jerry cans, either water
or scale can be trapped in these. FUEL
TANKS AFTER MARKET
- Inspect / replace fuel hoses and filters as necessary. GENERATORS
-
To enjoy the tranquillity of the outback wilderness generators are not generally
used.. When necessary the trip leader has a quiet generator. GLOVES
- Two pairs are required, one for handling firewood, loading and unloading the
vehicle, changeing a tyre and the other for keeping hands warm. HEALTH
REQUIREMENTS
- Participants travelling to remote regions in MAPS
-
Are provided at pre trip briefing along with relevant tour information. MEDICAL
-
All medical needs should be purchased in major centres before departure. OVERALLS
– A
good pair of cotton overalls is a good idea for packing or un packing and a pair
of disposable overalls for the ladies are great, at less than $20.00 per pair. SUNGLASSES
-
It is recommended that 1 good pair and 1 spare pair of sunglasses are taken. SECURING
LUGGAGE - Luggage,
portable fridges, spare wheels, fuel, water, and any other equipment must be
roped or tied into place with solid straps (elastic straps not suitable). We
suggest securing rings or hooks bolted into the floor with backing plates. Any
fuel carried in the vehicle MUST be secure. SLEEPING
BAGS - Good
quality and warm. We encounter temperatures to below 0 degrees. TORCH
-
Remember to bring a torch, spare batteries & globes. 12V fluorescent light,
a head lamp (torch on your head, not the car) and a good strong hand torch is
recommended. INFORMATION
- VEHICLES AERIALS
- Get
the best quality aerials for UHF Radio. Bull bar mounts tend to vibrate and
break; roof rack mounts are better but are susceptible to damage from trees.
Please get them checked by qualified radio technicians.
BATTERIES
-
Should
be in excellent condition. Outback roads can shake old batteries to pieces. Use
heaviest duty batteries available, securely mounted. Dual batteries are
recommended if you wish to run a fridge or winch. BREAKDOWN
-
Your
trip leader usually has enough mechanical knowledge to keep your vehicle going.
In the case of non repairable damage, arrangements will be made to get your
vehicle to the nearest point where it can be repaired. All costs incurred in
recovery of this nature are the driver’s responsibility. Regrettably, this may
necessitate you departing from the trip. BULL
BAR -
Not essential but strongly recommended CARGO
BARRIER is
not essential, however from a safety perspective it is highly recommended. CREDIT
CARDS -
Please note that some remote fuel points will only take cash. Credit Cards are
acceptable at major centres. Cheques are usually not accepted. Cash only is
accepted at Jervois for fuel. FUEL
REQUIREMENTS This trip
there is no really big stages requiring excess fuel to be carried. 440km is the
longest hop.
For more info on this please ring Jol
Fleming at Direct Four W.D Awareness as stats are available for previous trips. INSPECTION
It is a requirement of Direct Four W.D. Awareness that a pre departure
inspection of your vehicle be carried out by a qualified specialist 4x4 garage
to ensure that your vehicle has no problems that would inhibit its ability to
undertake this trip. KEYS
- A spare key must be carried and attached securely under the vehicle in case of
loss of ignition keys. JACKS
- Make sure your original jack is in good working order. A 4000kg or 6000kg
hydraulic jack and a jacking plate 300mm X 300mm X 19mm ply wood or 6mm steel is
strongly recommended. RADIOS
– Inter-vehicle communication. Convoy / escort vehicles are equipped with High
performance "Ultra High Frequency Radios" (i.e. - UHF). UHF Radios are
not a 27Meg CB. All vehicles are required to be fitted with a 5 watt UHF 477Meg
Radio for communications. UHF is much clearer, has better range and less
interference than the lesser quality 27Meg C.B. Please ring for further
information. ROOF
RACKS
– Should never be overloaded. Check with the manufacturer to the maximum
weight allowed. A roof bag is a
useful item to keep the elements out. ROPES
- Ropes and locking straps are handy for tying down firewood, as a clothes line
and other uses. RECOVERY
POINTS - It
is essential that secure recovery points are fitted to the front and rear of
each vehicle. Shipping tie down points are not acceptable as recovery points. If
your vehicle is not fitted with a suitable point, RATED recovery hooks are
available from aftermarket outlets and should be fitted by a qualified person. A
good idea is to paint these points red, or have an arrow pointing to them. RECOVERY
-
Vehicles are required to carry a 9 metre, 8000kg Snatch um Strap “and two 3
1/4 ton minimum stamped "Bow" shackles. Vehicles MUST have suitable
recovery points fitted front and rear.
SUSPENSIONS
-
Suspensions on most vehicles will have to be heavy duty, with the vehicle
sitting at standard ride height with the vehicle loaded. Usually Heavy Duty
Shock Absorbers and at least heavier rated rear springs need to be fitted. This
can be accomplished with heavier springs or the addition of Air Bags. We
recommend the Original Shocks are carried as spares. TOOL
KIT - An
adequate tool kit should be carried at all times when travelling in outback
areas. See list. TRAILERS
/ CAMPER TRAILERS: See
separate article, or http://www.direct4wd.com.au/tours/trailers.htm
TYRES
–
Good tyres are essential, we recommend that at least ‘All Terrain’( AT )
tyres are fitted for this trip. A minimum recommendation of 75% tread on all
tyres is required. (see Wheels) WATER
The
general rule of thumb is to allow five litres of water per person per day.
We recommend you have a carrying capacity of no less than 80 litres per
vehicle. The opportunity to
replenish containers varies depending on the location and quality of water
available. It is
recommended that water be carried in 10, 15 or 20 litre heavy duty plastic
containers or fitted water tanks. Where water is suitable for utility purposes
only, it is recommended those containers you fill up are clearly marked
‘utility water only’. The size
of the water containers will be determined by storage location and your ability
to lift them. Water containers need to be firmly secured to prevent rupture from
vibration. For Drinking water the 10 litre casks of water are good, as the water
is good, the box the bladder come in can be burned when empty and the bladder
can be used to fill voids in the packing area when filled with air. I
personally use a three litre Camelback which hangs off the back of my seat. This
replaces water bottles that can roll around in the front of the car and become a
nuisance. WINCHES
-
Are not essential but can be a useful piece of equipment if one is already
fitted to the vehicle. WHEELS
-
All vehicles are required to carry 2 complete spare wheel and tyre assemblies. 2
spare tubes should be carried for tubed or tubeless tyres. WHEEL
BEARINGS / BRAKES –
Wheel Bearings are to be repacked and brakes checked before the trip. This can
be done during a major service which is recommended before departure. VEHICLE
SERVICEING – Servicing
a vehicle before a trip is very important. A Major Service should be carried out
before any outback trip. This should be done by a 4WD Specialist or a reputable
Service Centre and please explain the nature of your trip. Reliability of your
vehicle paramount. All wheel bearings, brakes, hoses, belts, filters, engine and
gearbox mounts, radiators (in older vehicles) batteries and universals should be
checked. The major service of the manufacturer should be carried out before
departure. Automatic vehicles should have the auto serviced, if towing a trailer
it is advised to fit a second oil cooler and an oil temperature gauge fitted for
the transmission. INFORMATION
PROCEDURES BRIEFINGS
-
A
detailed pre trip briefing is held two evenings
prior to departure. At this point your tour leader will run through the daily
routine and answer any question regarding your trip. If there are any last
minute adjustments to be made we can assist with them the day prior to
departure. In addition to this, each night a short talk will take place after
dinner to explain the following day’s activities. CONVOYS
PROCEDURE -
When the convoy arrives at an intersection it is your responsibility to ensure
the vehicle following acknowledges the change in direction by using the
vehicle’s indicators. When travelling through difficult terrain it is wise to
wait until the vehicle in front of you has negotiated the difficult section
before you proceed. DUST.
When
travelling on dusty roads you must leave sufficient gap between you and the car
in front to allow the dust to dissipate. If not you cant see very well and also
you inhibit the performance of your vehicle by filling the air cleaner with
unwanted dust. At times it may be necessary to leave a 5 minute gap between
vehicles. DRIVING
TECHNIQUES - Remote area
/ desert travel imposes unusual demands on both drivers and vehicles. For this
reason it is desirable to enrol in a specialist 4 wheel driving course before
undertaking a trip of this nature.
Not withstanding, participation in these adventures will improve your driving
skills and experienced guidance will be available to assist through any
potentially difficult areas. At times it may be necessary to prepare your
vehicle for an obstacle or fix the road to make it easier to negotiate,
lessening the chance of vehicle damage. A
TYPICAL DAY –
Leaving the camp site around
9.00am we will take a mid morning break, around 10.30am for morning tea, then
stop between 12.30pm - 1.30pm for
lunch, an afternoon break around 3pm, and arrive at camp approximately 4.30pm.
Happy half hour is between During the day vehicles in the convoy
will travel as close as is practical or prudent giving road conditions. For
example under dusty conditions one could expect the vehicles to be spread out
over several kilometres. UHF communications may not be possible between first
and last vehicles. The first and last cars in this situation will have HF
communications other wise a relay situation will be necessary. Four-wheel-drive expeditions are by
their nature, relaxed adventures with reasonable distances covered each day,
while still allowing time to stop to take photographs, enjoy views or just
stretch your legs. The only time, the convoy will go past
its DIRECT
FOUR W.D. AWARENESS
|
||||||||
August 30, 2010
|
TRAILERS
CAN "OFF ROAD" TRAILERS and CAMPER TRAILERS BE TOWED ON
"A
Tag Along Trip?"
With
the ever-growing popularity of ‘camper and off-road’ trailers a very common
question asked by most owners is " can I take my camper", the
question is usually answered, 'no'. Well I say ‘YES’. But like most
things there is a certain set of criteria to be adhered to. If you are going to
take a trailer 'Bush' here is a list I have prepared that has helped me in doing
so.
Firstly how much ‘stuff’ is going to put in the trailer - meaning how
heavy is it going to be???
Secondly what are you going to tow it with?
How much extra fuel is required for the trailer?
Thirdly I consider the weight distributed between the car and trailer,
better than having all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, with all the weight
in the car.
Well
I have successfully towed a camper trailer through the desert on numerous
occasions including mud, large and small sand hills, and even cross-country.
Here
is an example of some simple rules to adhere to which will make it possible for
you to be able to do it, as well.
·
Make sure your trailer is
an OFF ROAD trailer or off-road camper, not the
·
The A frame should be very
strong and made out of box section or RHS not angle iron.
·
If it has leaf springs
they should be with rear Shackles not slippers and if you arer really smart
you’ll use the Heavy Duty off road trailer springs from Industrials. They use
nylon bushes, this will cushion the ride better and absorb vibration. These can
be bought as weld on kits for your present trailer.
·
The bearings should be the
larger type and the axle at least 50mm, the parallel axles are better than the
tapered type (all Bearings are the same size)
·
If you wish to get any
other type of suspension get it from a reputable maker and make sure it is the
heavy-duty type, capable of carrying at least 1200kg.
·
Most trailers don't have
brakes. This is because they are rated to gross a maximum of 750kg. Even at this
weight brakes make a lot of sense. I prefer brakes; even the ‘Over Ride’
types are OK. An unladen heavy duty trailer with camper weighs in at around
500kg bare, and by the time you put your water and fuel food sundries etc.(STUFF)
it's going to be up around 800kg to 1000kg. Without brakes, in an emergency you
just don't stop in time.
·
You could argue about
shock absorbers on a trailer until the cows come home. Have you ever driven a
car without shock absorbers? It's not pleasant. I use shock absorbers on my
trailer.
·
Tyres and wheels should be
the same. The tyres should be at least the same size, the stud pattern of the
rims should be the same as the tow vehicle and the offset of the rims should be
the same as the Tow vehicle, making them interchangeable. The rims do not have
to be a fancy alloy rims the same as a vehicle but the offset has to match.
·
The track of the trailer
should be the same as the tow vehicle; this will help when towing in sand as the
wheels follow correctly in the footprints of the tow vehicle.
·
A
four-wheel-drive vehicle weighs anything between 1100kg & 1800kg per Axle
most are between 1100kg & 1300kg over the front axle and recommended tyre
pressures are between 30 and 40 PSI. A fully loaded camper should be around 900
kilograms. I run my trailer at 26PSI fully loaded and when on slow dirt, 20 PSI,
in the desert and sand hills down as low as 10 PSI. I also turn the brakes off
when in sand hills. Let's face it, all the wheels on a trailer do is hold a
trailer up, they don’t steer, drive or brake. (You can't back a trailer down a
sand hill with the brakes on.)
In
the sand the lower the tyre pressures the less rolling resistance, because of
the larger footprint on the ground and the weight of the trailers is spread over
a greater area. This stops the tyre from pushing into the sand therefore causing
resistance. The trailer tyres should be the first to be let down when in sand.
Every trailer that I have seen in the desert still has its tyres at normal road
pressure, they do not have shock absorbers. They have to go so fast to get over
anything. The trailer spent most of the time in the air. No wonder they fall to
bits. If the trailer is bouncing you are going too fast and the tyre pressures
are too tight.
TOW
BALLS ARE OUT
Tow
balls can cause more problems than they are worth.
The
movement allowed by the ball and coupling is not sufficient for off road travel.
Lateral movement is not too bad, but the up and down movement is limited, which
can cause the ball to bottom out on the coupling and break the tow bar, tow
ball, or coupling. What do you do? A 'Treg' coupling or 'Orac' are good. This
will allow a trailer to do a full turn with out any resistance, and the movement
up and down is ample. These couplings are better because they have either
urethane or rubber bushes that help to eliminate the shock between the vehicle
and trailer.
Check
the weight of the coupling or ball weight. On most good tow bars there is a
maximum weight for the coupling, try not to exceed this.
Selecting
a trailer
First
of all gather all the equipment together that you intend to put in your
potential trailer. Weigh it, and work out exactly how much room it takes up. A
camper needs to be easy to put up and pull down with out a fuss. You will need
some provisions for fuel and water either in or outside the trailer. Remember a
vehicle uses approximately 50% more fuel when towing a camper or trailer. A good
idea in selecting a trailer is to have a kitchen of some sort that either comes
as standard or you can bolt on. A caravan water tank with a tap is a good idea -
they hold around 60L. For the ladies having a kitchen is very useful and makes a
longer trip so much more pleasant. I have a camper trailer from 'Outback Canvas'
in Melbourne with a Treg coupling, hydraulic over rider brakes as options, two
Jerry can holders on the front and pull out kitchen. All up cost of this approx.
$8500 new to buy.
I
am available to help you if you wish. (jol@direct4wd.com.au
or 08 8952 3359)
LIST OF SUGGESTED
SPARES FOR YOUR TRAILER
TOW
BAR MUST BE HEAVY DUTY
[] Wheel Bearings
pins for Towbar
[] Coupling
[] Wheel Studs and
nuts [5 of them] for trailer
[] Coupling pins
[] Spare Wheel,
preferably same as the car
[] Canvas patch
[] Main leaf [if
leaf springs] steel for welding
[] Assorted
[] Two sets of
‘U’Bolts [Coils Spring Type]
[] Spare Shock
[] High Temp Wheel
bearing grease on the U bolts
[] An extra nut
[] Spare Globe
[] Trailer
electrical Coupling
08 8952 3359 or 0408 485 641, email jol@direct4wd.com.au
Close up at 17km up.
Lunch time
''From city slicker to desert rat in under a weeks. We had a great time and saw things that, up until then, we had only read about in off road magazines.''
|
Book your spot on this tour! |
Home | Training | Photos | Maps | NT Info | Site Index | Contact | Feedback |
||
|
|
|||
