Australia 2008

[Bittersweet]

I suppose it would be sensible and prudent at this stage to say thank you to Barbara for being my PA, my IT consultant, part time navvy and a better cook then Jon. She also ensured that my affairs run reasonably smothly back in the UK whilst I enjoyed my short holiday

Learning wisdom at last eh Brew! You might be advised to pick up a Chrissie pressie on the way home too, I know how you hate shopping at the best of times.

B

[leeds]

Learning wisdom at last eh Brew! You might be advised to pick up a Chrissie pressie on the way home too, I know how you hate shopping at the best of times.

B

Is that some form of subtle hint?

How do you know I have not already got one????

Anyway back to gear. A trip like the one just undertaken does test all sorts of kit to the limit and you find out how useful bits of kit can be.

Compressors
Airing down can make driving a lot simpler but probably is getting them back up to pressure again. Staun tyre deflators are useful for airing down once you got them set right

The lack of a decent compressor means a lot of people don't air down at the appropriate moment and then wonder why they get stuck etc. To save space in the back I had an Aussie engine compressor fitted which fed into a 9 litre air tank. The air hose and gauge was readily accessible on the cargo barrier. It was great all four tyres from 18 psi to 40 psi in less then 8 minutes start to finish! Great bit of kit.

Unfortunately had a grease fire inside the compressor, so it was changed for a 6 pot oil lubricated one. As a back up I bought a middle of the road cheapish compressor as I did not want to be miles from nowhere without any means of reflating tyres. What a piece of junk. Do NOT buy cheap compressors, I should have know better! (Anyone wants to buy a cheap compressor??? )

The corrugations out here can kill anything given time! The on off switch and pressure relief valve is a pull up switch. Hit the corrugations and after a few days i was switching itself on. By time I realised (driving on corrugations is rather noisy) the relief valve was blowing off. Stopped switched it off. Happened again. Damm how do I prevent this and third time I pulled the switching wire off the terminal. What I did not realise at the time it had also blown one of the pipes.

So one of the jobs in England is to get a seperate rocker switch so that it can not happen again. Then it will be a great system


Bought an ARB compressor as a second back up. Cost more $, comes in a plastic tool box. Good compressor, not as fast as the engine one but is let down by having no gauge intragal with it.

Buy cheap pay twice over is moral of story and I should have known better


Water Storage
Travelling long distances in hot dry climates you need lots of water. I had a 70 litre stainless tank made by WVA Holdings which sits in the rear foot well. Since was mainly travelling solo this tank was not really used. Would have invaluable otherwise.

The Swiss army water bladders are very tough and useful, but they can not cope with a B double running over them. A good buy.

Store rigid water containers with the tap at the top unless you want a wet storage area. The collopasable water containers have a tendenancy to leak as well. We managed to lose one somewhere, not sure how but think drove off with it on the front wing.


Communications
Out here in Oz, mobile phones cover 95% of population but only 10% of the land area. So big black holes exist. 3g, phones are apparently better but still have black holes.

UHF radios are good for up to 20 miles and were good for local communications and getting info from passing drivers etc, but they are still short range communication.

Had a HF radio fitted which was good for communicating across Australia but no good for short range work, i.e. less then 100 miles. This was my insurance policy IF anything went seriously tits up when I was solo in the outback. At times went days without seeing another vehicle. Not cheap but was worthwhile as insurance.

Sat phones I hear different stories about how good they are and costs/plans etc. When prices come down they might become invaluable as means of emergency communications

Jon brought out a tracking device with him. Only draw back is that it needs a mobile phone signal to transmit data on. Signal needed is much less then for a phone but it still has black holes. Fitted with a satalite sim card it could be useful as an emergency tool.

Internet in the outback? Unless you have a satallite sim card net access is limited. The Aussie state governments funds telecentres in post office/libraries etc in the small outback towns. A great idea


Will probably witter on more about gear used later

Regards


Brendan

[Bittersweet]

Out here in Oz, mobile phones cover 95% of population but only 90% of the land area. So big black holes exist. 3g, phones are apparently better but still have black holes.

Is this a typo Bren, cos if it isn't the 10% of the land area not covered must have been where I was in the summer, cos I don't think I have ever been as long without signal.

Jon brought out a tracking device with him. Only draw back is that it needs a mobile phone signal to transmit data on. Signal needed is much less then for a phone but it still has black holes.

This is what he tells me, but he doesn't fool me I reckon they were just parked up outside the pub for a long tme.

B

[leeds]

What typo????

Judicial use of edit button.

90-95% 0f population has mobile coverage, mainly on east coast, but only 5-10 of land area is covered so there are big black holes in Oz


Can I help it if you park anywhere in an Aussie town you are within 50 metres of a pub? There again seeing some of their pubs there is no way I am going in some of them.

Regards

Brendan

[leeds]

Well after some 25,000 miles in some 7 months and less then a week before the 110 I have managed to get stopped by the Aussie boys in blue.

I had made the 110 a bit obvious by accidentally switching on the roof lights when I put the sat nav on the windscreen. (Mud console and a tidy up of switches radios etc are oon the list back in UK) Anyway passed a mobile RBT wagon (Random Breath Trst) who quickly pulled me over as they had just finished with their last customer.

Being midafternoon the two glasses of wine I had the previous night was out of my system. A UK licence and number plate confused them. Was asked for my rego so told him tax disc was in windscreen. Had to get out and point out the tax disc then explain the proceedure for temporary importing a vehicle and about need to be legal in country of registration. He was slightly bemused but as I had a negative breath reading he went on his merry way.

RBT are a good idea especially at this time of the year.

Regards


Brendan

[leeds]

Would you believe it?

Spent 7 months running around the Australia outback. Apart from loosing a filling have had no problems. Today prepping the 110 for shipping back to UK I twisted my knee. It is sore! No idea how I did it!


Regards

Brendan

[davew]

Spent 7 months running around the Australia outback. Apart from loosing a fill have had no problems. Today prepping the 110 for shipping back to UK I twisted my knee. It is sore! No idea how I did it!

Sounds like a Psychosomatic problem to me... it's your mind/body trying to give you an excuse to stay there !

[Bittersweet]

Spent 7 months running around the Australia outback. Apart from loosing a fill have had no problems. Today prepping the 110 for shipping back to UK I twisted my knee. It is sore! No idea how I did it!

Sounds like a Psychosomatic problem to me... it's your mind/body trying to give you an excuse to stay there !

Either that or he is working on his excuses for not doing all the little jobs lined up waiting for him

Barbara

[leeds]

Spent 7 months running around the Australia outback. Apart from loosing a fill have had no problems. Today prepping the 110 for shipping back to UK I twisted my knee. It is sore! No idea how I did it!

Sounds like a Psychosomatic problem to me... it's your mind/body trying to give you an excuse to stay there !

Either that or he is working on his excuses for not doing all the little jobs lined up waiting for him

Barbara

You could be right there Dave but really I am not in a position to comment upon it!


Excuses?? Who needs excuses??


Today I have had my fleece jacket on as the temperature dropped to about 21C! Also having typical English weather as it is raining, raining, raining. All I need is some mountains and mud and I could blieve I was back in Norway. The rain is slowing up the prepping of the 110 back to the UK and with the cold and wet starting to make the arthritis flare up. Me thinks it might be time for somewhere hot and dry. Now where is my atlas



Regards


Brendan

[Bittersweet]

Spoke to him last night at some ungodly hour and the 110 was safely tucked up at the docks ready to come home. Bren is now in Singapore and should be home soon. It will be good to be in the same time zone and not have sleep disrupted.
As for the wish for somewhere hot and dry, I think with the exchange rate being at it is at the moment, I reckon the best bet for hot and dry is a diy sauna in the garden.
Hopefully we might make the Christmas driving day, but it might be the Disco that gets an outing rather than the Hybrid as I have been very lax in my duties in that respect, anybody's guess whether the Beast will decide to start or not.
Barbara

[leeds]

As B says I am now relaxing in a rather comfortable hotel (Royal Plaza) in Singapore. The 110 was left it its tidest state for quite a while at Sydney docks yesterday. Must admit I handed the keys over with some sadness and some aprehension. Not happy that other people will be 'looking' after it for the next couple of months. Not keen that other people have control over it. Will be glad when it is back safe in the UK.

One of my final views of the 110




Got a message from Jon a bit back saying he missed lying in the mozzy tent looking at the stars before he went to sleep. Its not the same as a bed. I know what he means. I have not got my sleep pattern back after a week of sleeping in a bed. Yes it is more comfortable then a thermorest, yes you have more room, yes the bedrooms have had fully plumbedin ensuite showers/toilets, yes you dont have ants biting you or flies committing hari kari in your mouth or moths drwning themselves in your drinks. BUT it is not the same as falling asleep in a mesh tent after a well deserved beer and meal after a good day in the 110

Am I missing it? You bet I am. Yes there are certain advantages of the UK but I wonder how long it will be before I get the urge to travel again

The air con in the room is set at 23C and it feels blinking cold! Am not looking forward to temperature closer to 0C on my return to the UK

Whilst in Singapore have taken advantage of getting both Canon cameras serviced by Canon. They were not exactly impressed by the grubby state that they were in. When the 110 is back in the UK it will get a thorough overall and inspection. I am proud of how well the 110 has stood up to the way it gets used. In the last three years alone it has done over 50,000 miles out of the UK and an estimated 70% of those on non sealed roads. Then there is the normal road miles it does in the UK. Yes it has had the occassional hiccup, but nothing serious so am proud of it

Think I am wittering on a bit now, so will give my attention to the tiger beer and the deserts now.

Regards

Brendan

[leeds]

I suppose it would be sensible and prudent at this stage to say thank you to Barbara for being my PA, my IT consultant, part time navvy and a better cook then Jon. She also ensured that my affairs run reasonably smothly back in the UK whilst I enjoyed my short holiday

Learning wisdom at last eh Brew! You might be advised to pick up a Chrissie pressie on the way home too, I know how you hate shopping at the best of times.

B

One of the advantages of travelling abroad is the chance to pick up presents which are not commonly available in the UK. Being in Singapore just prior to Christmas meant I could get some purple gold jewellery which is not availabe outside Singapore. Think it was appreciated!

Catching up with some LR reading found a photo of the 110 in Poland in LRM in a report on LR in Poland. It was taken from a slightly different angle to this one by Simon who is an ex pat based in Poland




Most people think of Singapore as an extremely modern city (which it is) and take home visions of Singapore like this



The Singapore Merlion must have been fascinating when it was built without all the modern high rise behind it



In the CBD (Central Business District) they managed to keep the old shop houses on Boat Quay which are now a major tourist attraction and has been taken over by relatively expensive tourist restraunts.




I like the old shop houses but unfortunately they are being pulled down to make way for modern developments as this picture in Little Idia shows




I really like the old tiling in the 5ft/6ft ways



The old tiling is much better then its modern replacement. The covered ways are useful as an extension to the shops/workshops



Singapore is a multi cultural/religious/ethnic community and I like the way that the different parts coexists and you get say a buddhist street shrine in hindu dominated Little India




If you wander around the back streets you can find modern 'graffiti' street art. This was found in Chinatown



In China Town which one would expect to be Buddhist there are Hindu temples and Moslem mosques. All seems to live in harmony. Apparently in public housing the government insists that the population there mirrors the ethnic make up of the Singapore population.

You can probably guess that I like Singapore!


Anyway am waiting for the 110 to be safely returned to the UK now. Whilst waiting apprehensively am thinking of next trips

Regards

Brendan

[leeds]

Well the 110 is now back in the UK. Must admit it is good to have it back on the drive.






Could not resist a drive down the local white lane.






Started to unpack today and got reminded how dusty it is in back of the 110.




Over weekend carry on the unpacking etc in preparation for the TLC it richly deserves next week


Regards


Brendan

[davew]

Must be a relief to have it back in one piece, I know how glad i was to see mine out of the container again !

When we were cleaning mine out for the 2008 shipping there was still red dust secreted away in hidden areas of the motor from 2005. Not only does it get everywhere, it stays there !

[leeds]

Should have posted a post trip analysis of how the 110 stood up to the trip sooner, but better late then never! The 110 arrived back in the UK in February and has since then had a thorough service and has continued in its role as a general working/daily vehicle, taken part in green laning trips and club events. The lessons learnt will be used to improve the 110 as an overland vehicle and will be adopted into the new 110 utility wagon which we now have. An overland vehicle is definitely an ongoing evolving project.


In a journey of some 25,000 miles taking some 7 months with some 80% done on non sealed roads some hiccups are to be expected. Apart from standard items replaced when the 110 was serviced these are the hiccups that were experienced and the cause and solutions adopted. Also some items stood out as exceptional items to have fitted to an overland vehicle whilst some cheap items are definitely not worth having.

Bodywork

Self tapping screws are the spawn of the devil. Lost count how often had to replace those in the snorkel bracket and on window guard/chequer plate on rear door. Riv nuts will be replacing self tappers in the110. The riv nut tool from Mem Fast is a great bit of kit.

Got an extra battlescar when managed to reverse into a tree branch at roof level at rear of 110. Character enhancing!

Another reversing incident resulted in rear door window shattering. A piece of 2mm polycarbonate was used as a replacement. Wonder if door is soft/buckled now? Got a good rear door on hybrid so it might be swap time some time. This will have advantage on riv nuts also no wiper motor on it so can mount the MSS stove unit on door rather then off the spacer.

Windscreen got two stone chips and one of the IPF roof lights has a broken front glass from the machine gun like spray of gravel from passing road trains. The lower mounted Light Force lights with poly carb lenses survived the frequently machine gun gravel and numerous at times daily immersions in water.

Since got back the rear body work seems too have settled down and caused two creases either side of the rear door.

Wheels, Tyres and Steering
110 runs on black modulars with 255/85/R16 BFG MT carrying two spares.

On Fraser Island managed to buckle rear rim due to driver error. Got hold off a Disco wheel to replace it. OK different offset, but alright to use on rear

Had a total of four punctures. Two punctures caused by roofing screws in towns! Grrrrrr Both punctures just plugged

One tyre had two small splits high up on side wall and some blocks tearing away as a result of low tyre pressures for long periods on dirt roads. Took a week to get replacement tyre shipped from Adelaide to Darwin! Fortunately had a small side trip planned so no time lost, however it does show how difficult it can be to get replacement kit in a country as big as Australia.

Fourth puncture a small split very high on sidewall which was patched.

Powered steering pump had developed a minor leak. Did obtain some fluid which is supposed to swell seals and stop it leaking, not used it preferring to top it up with ATF. Replacement power steering pump fitted as part of the TLC programme.


Running Gear and Brakes
A rear UJ was replaced as part of a service in Cairns. Outsourced to a so called specialist. Replacement lasted less then 500 miles on bitumen. Fortunately I had a completed replacement prop as a spare. Covered 1500 miles before I could get the rear prop correctly repaired.

Had a new set of front brake pads fitted at a service. One of the pads rotated out as the retaining pin had not been secured properly! R pins solved that problem.

The X brake hand cable had become stretched over last 3 years and had run out of adjustment. Jon brought a replacement one out with him

Both rear brake stoneguards suffered from metal fatigue and were removed..

As part of the TLC treatment new pads and discs fitted.

All drive shafts were pulled and twist in shafts were observed so the half shafts were replaced. 500 miles later on a club green laning trip managed to break a rear half shaft. Murphy’s law at work?


Winches, Lockers & Protection
Not used often but managed to pull winch line out of the securing terminal onto the winch drum due to poor crimping technique by supplier! Problem solved in field by use of a timber hitch and a few overwraps

An ARB axle locker is fitted to the Salisbury axle. Well worth having one fitted as it paid for itself in the ability to get the 110 out of the gloopy stuff. Rains come earlier and heavier then normal which made some tracks entertaining. Realising the 110 was about to get bogged early enough, switch on rear locker and often could plough through the gloop or reverse out of it before getting bogged. A great bit of kit, highly recommended for the solo overland traveller

The 110 has reasonable protection underneath which meant that the road kill and occasional tree stump caused no problems. Again well worth every penny spent.


Electrical
The main light switch decided to go to Prince Lucas heaven in the middle of a series of hairpin bends. Scary! Got a replacement brought up from Melbourne via another LR owner

Have a charging issue with the yellow optimas and the split charging system. Not sure of the main cause here so this is a problem to be resolved in UK. On return to the UK the Optimas would only hold sufficient charge for 24-48 hours before being unable to start the 110. Now have two Odysseys 1700’s fitted across the front battery box. The Odyssey batteries have an expected service life of about 10 years and can stand being left fully charged for much longer time periods then other batteries. Hopefully a wise investment. A bit of a tight squeeze due to having split charger, auxillary fuse box, winch isolation switch etc fitted. Now have to relocated the secondary fuse box

Cooling System
The Kenlowe fan was replaced in Sydney on arrival due to wiring burning out, believed to be due to zealous use of high pressure water by the quarantine people. The replacement lasted about 20,000 miles before the corrugations completely killed it and the 12 blade fan become a five blade fan. The spare viscous fan was put on.

An engine watchdog monitoring system was installed in Australia and this was a wise investment. The bolts holding the top radiator frame down managed to wear a small hole in the top of the radiator. Cost £4 to get it brazed up and pressure tested! Couple of washers lifted bolts away from top of radiator. The LR temp gauge had hardly moved before the engine watchdog started barking like mad. Highly recommended!


Engine Auxiliaries
Fuel lift pump needed replacing at a service, a spare one was in the 110. Carrying a reasonable selection of spares proved valuable. Gratefully I had a comprehensive set of spares on a sale or return basis from Four Plus 4 in Leeds.

Fuel stop solenoid failed on the Wolfe Creek Track causing engine to stop. This would have beaten me but Jon correctly diagnosed the problem and removed ball and plunger from it. Stopping the engine then meant stalling it until we could get it replaced in Alice Springs


Rear Suspension
Is now soft and the 110 can behave like a bucking bronco now! Not sure if it is springs or rear shockers which are shot. Solution was to replace rear suspension with standard springs and shocks as for next year will not be doing any major trick. This will give us time to decide what suspension system is best for our next major overland trip. On stripping down rear spring system which had X springs fitted the fixing brackets were found to be cracked presumably due to fatigue fractures. A quick email to Simon at X eng and he supplied a set of replacement ones even though this was not a warranty issue as they were about 3 years old. A mark of a top company.


Personal
Apart from loosing a filling, which resulted in tooth extraction in Singapore as time did not permit root canal filling only a couple of plasters have been used.

Jon managed to loose the bag with the clean shreddies in when we stopped at a roadhouse. He blames rather large ants for running off with our bag full of clean shreddies. A likely story me thinks! Luckily we were not entering in the best dressed man about town awards so it did not matter too much as we both landed up smelling as bad as each other.

Camera and Electronic Gear
Canon cameras was used by both Jon and myself. Managed to break one uv filter by catching lens on doorframe on Manley ferry. Shattered a polarsing filter when I stumbled towards the end of the walk around Kings Canyon. The glass in one of the uv filters is now loose due to corrugations.

Laptop has lost a hinge cover

Camping Gear
Do not buy the £5-10 cheap camping chairs! Spent a bit extra and get a more robust and comfortable tents

Had to buy new tents in Darwin as the existing tents were far too hot. Mozzy tents without flysheets were wonderful to sleep in. Seeing the moon and stars as you fell asleep was something special

Coleman stove a big thumbs up to but carry spare pump washers with it

Navigational Kit
Consisted of Hema maps/mapbook, Navman satnav and an Xplore tough book running Oziexplorer and Hema maps.

Paper maps are wonderful for an overall view on the journey and will never be fully replaced by electronic means in my view.
Sat nav is for the guidance of the wise and not the obedience of fools. Frequently have decided to ignore instructions from satnavs as what is on the ground is often different to the electronic maps stored on it. The Navman was extremely good at mistaking creeks for tracks in the outback. Corrugations got to it in the end and there were problems maintaining power connection

The Xplore and the moving map function was great, especially in the sand storm in the Simpson desert. Having maps of a decent scale meant it was possible to find some more interesting routes. Only drawback is to get the best out of it you need a navvy to operate it, or better IT skills then I have.


Overall
When you consider the length of the trip, the type of terrain cover the 110 and kit has stood up to the journey extremely well. Yes there were a few hiccups along the way but they were more of the unforeseen variety rather then due to lack of preparation on the 110.

So question I am asked now is where will the next trip be to. Not sure but am keen to return to Australia to carry on exploring that great country.

We now have a new 110 Utility wagon and we are slowly prepping it as a overland vehicle. The way it will be prepped will be based on the experience we have gained with our current overland vehicle

Hope people have found this thread useful

Brendan