Roger's RRC: An update

[davew]

I only need one, if you could bring it this weekend that would be great - one of mine got a bit warm on the way back from the coast to coast trip and is now a strange shape.

[TwoSheds]

As some of you will know - I slightly ripped the top off my snorkel last time out so I have been poncing around topless for a while now. When parked up I have been preventing water (rain) ingress by plugging the end with a tennis ball...

need I say more?

[TwoSheds]

I have at last finished modifying my old trailer to NATO standards



In spite of worries that the spring/damper in the NATO ring hitch would be so strong that it would never operate the trailer-brakes (with the trailer being quite light) I tried it today and the brakes work fine. It's a bit 'Forth Bridge' stylee in it's construction (the spacers being made from 100x50 by 3mm wall box section and all held together with 10mm HT bolts) but better safe than sorry!

It tows great and my only fear is that I will forget it's there

[TwoSheds]

A bit of skip diving netted a nice bedframe that is now being recycled as a rear-screen guard after some dodgy moments with a lump of steel moving and resting against the glass a couple of days ago...

Currently held in place with a ratchet strap since my tools have already gone North...

[TwoSheds]

When calculating fuel consumption I had failed to take into account the effect of the big tyres.

Since putting them on I had noticed that the speedo (measured by satnav) is now more or less accurate (rather than over-reading) and I had assumed that the odometer would be the same - but that is not the case... Assuming the satnav's distance calculations are correct then the odo is now under reading by about 10% - ie a satnav distance of 245 miles translated as 220 on the odometer.

This means of course, that (since I believe the satnav more than the odometer) I am actually going further than I thought per unit fuel

So I checked on the trip back from scotland recently and got about 18.3 satnav miles per gallon (of LPG) - and since I generally buy it at less than 70p that is the cost-equivalent of over 36mpg* in a diesel.

To say I am pleased is an understatement

*Cruising unloaded at 55-60 mpg

[TwoSheds]

I reconstructed the whole of the front end of the trailer and the hitch on the Range Rover, and when I drop the tailgate there is about 8mm clearance.
Some might see this as evidence of intelligent design, but I know that it is sheer dumb-ass luck

[TwoSheds]

Update on the fuel ( and other things):

Towing an unladen trailer at 55-60mph the consumption is down to 30mpg equivalent diesel. Laden about 25...

The tyres - which started out so impressively quiet, are now droning away nicely and causing an annoying sympathy rattle behind my head - coincidentally at 55-60mph. I put this down to them running on the oddly spaced and shaped centre blocks to start with and now (after 3000 motorway miles in a month) the outer blocks are touching too. Still damn good tyres though and controllable in a skid. I am not proud of it but twice on the way home from the interview on Tuesday, I had it sideways on bends and both times it was perfectly behaved. Reminded me of when I were a lad in me rear wheel drive Escort...

The engine seems more than happy with all this cruising and is now noticeably smoother and more powerful than before. The annoying noise (a bit like a tappet) which I put down to a missing manifold stud, is getting worse.

Overall, to say I am pleased with the way that what is essentially an off-roader, has coped with miles and miles of motorway cruising, would be an understatement. It has done me proud, and I guess that I must have got it mostly right when I put it together eh?

TTFN
Roger

[TwoSheds]

Well I am now all set up and working/living in Scotland. I have a 66mile commute (each way) over some of the best country roads and I am doing it in my Skoda Octavia RSV Estate (thanks Matthew!) which is brilliant... Apart from slightly scruffy interior, near the limit front tyres and being in need of an oil change (now done), I am delighted with it.

So the RRC pickup has entered a new phase of semi-retirement... A well earned rest one might say... And I am thinking of what it needs next...

It's exhaust has started blowing and I think I may save up a bit and get a stainless 'sporty' one. There is no cat on mine and I would want a bespoke back-end to it, so bearing that in mind, does anyone have any suggestions?

[davew]

You could always build one from scratch using parts from Jetex... a bit of work but you can choose whatever diameter you want...

I'd probably get the headers "off the shelf" though as they would be a lot of work. I've run the Janspeed headers on mine and Pam's RV8s for as long as I can remember. Seem to last OK (Janspeed use mild steel for the headers and stainless for the Y piece, something to do with the bending and heat properties of mild steel being better.

Good to hear you've settled in, we're planning a small trip up your way later in the year if the mods to Pam's 90 go as planned.

[Matthews]

Turn off the TC and have some fun .
Matthew

[TwoSheds]

Good to hear you've settled in, we're planning a small trip up your way later in the year if the mods to Pam's 90 go as planned.

Would love to see you - I could probably supply a bed for the night if you want too...

Matthew - it's pretty much as much fun as I can handle with TC on... Last night I was driving 'smartly' (eg fuel consumption <35mpg>41mpg this morning) and some lads in a hatch caught me up. Well around here if someone catches you up then they are obviously faster, so it is only fair to let them past - but they were only a bit faster than me so I 'pushed' them a bit until they finally pulled away on a straight. Ten miles later they were in a dry stone wall on a bend that has nearly caught me out a couple of times and I was feeling guilty but happy that it wasn't me. I decided that I still don't know the route well enough so I have decided to ease it down a bit for a while...

[pamw]

Would love to see you - I could probably supply a bed for the night if you want too...

Thanks for the offer of the bed but we will be bringing our own - ie. Howling Moon Roof Tent - so if you could just supply a suitable patch of grass/gravel to pitch on that would be perfect !

(The Scotland trip will be 'practice' for Australia!!)

[TwoSheds]

Would love to see you - I could probably supply a bed for the night if you want too...

Thanks for the offer of the bed but we will be bringing our own - ie. Howling Moon Roof Tent - so if you could just supply a suitable patch of grass/gravel to pitch on that would be perfect !

(The Scotland trip will be 'practice' for Australia!!)

Yep - a patch of ground is no problem... Do you know yet roughly when you will be coming up?

[pamw]

At the moment looking like end of May - probably the week including the 23rd May, as it is our 25th Wedding Anniversary!

(Hoping to find a reasonably secluded romantic spot somewhere for that night, suitably close to a pub/restaurant with good food and ale so I don't have to cook !)

[bandiflip]

Better get some stabilisers on the Landy then !!!