MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => Previous Member Trips => Trips, Tracks, Touring and Reports => 2012 Cape York Members Trip => Topic started by: Symon on July 06, 2012, 05:09:23 PM
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Following on from last years thread I thought it would be a good idea to post up what got damaged this year. Compared to past years I did pretty well I thought -
1 x drivers side side step bent (Palm Creek)
1 x bent tray (Palm Creek)
1 x leaking transfer seal (mud)
1 x vent control linkage
1 x broken GME antenna (low tree branch)
3000 x bush pinstripes
2 x lost D-shackles
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Following on from last years thread I thought it would be a good idea to post up what got damaged this year. Compared to past years I did pretty well I thought -
1 x drivers side side step bent (Palm Creek)
1 x bent tray (Palm Creek)
1 x leaking transfer seal (mud)
1 x vent control linkage
1 x broken GME antenna (low tree branch)
3000 x bush pinstripes
2 x lost D-shackles
:worthles:
pics or it didnt happen....lol
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1 cracked aluminium rack
pin striping
diesel pump
severe corrugation tremors for pete
1 shoulder ligaments torn for jayne
we got off lightly!
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few badge of honors on the camper
tore of the gas regulator at Palm creek
damaged gas bottle
flattened the exhaust tail pipe at cockatoo
tore of the electric brakes on the way home on the pdr
no longer have cruise control ???
3001 x bush pinstripes
bit of water in car at Logans Creek
and allegedly, we did collect one door off bjf :angel:
but we're still on tour and have been harrassed by a rouge cassowary at South Mission Beach......
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Ok to start with the car
Small crack in the back window replacement going in tomorrow
Broken a few clips on the trim front L/H guard
Pushed rear bumper out a bit
Will add photos when I can
Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis (http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
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Just 2 blown tyres, damaged rear guards, 4 broken u bolts, a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank, cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis
must have been a bad bit of road :-[
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Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis
Struth!! What a mess! :o
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Ok to start with the car
Small crack in the back window replacement going in tomorrow
Broken a few clips on the trim front L/H guard
Pushed rear bumper out a bit
Will add photos when I can
Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis (http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
OK so nothing much then 8)
yogi
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Following on from last years thread I thought it would be a good idea to post up what got damaged this year. Compared to past years I did pretty well I thought -
1 x drivers side side step bent (Palm Creek)
1 x bent tray (Palm Creek)
1 x leaking transfer seal (mud)
1 x vent control linkage
1 x broken GME antenna (low tree branch)
3000 x bush pinstripes
2 x lost D-shackles
I must confess this one has me baffled.
Explanation please???
Bill
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Ok to start with the car
Small crack in the back window replacement going in tomorrow
Broken a few clips on the trim front L/H guard
Pushed rear bumper out a bit
Will add photos when I can
Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis (http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
Nice camper :)
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Think i would move the axle forward more, will help to balance the load. ;D
BHG
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Ok to start with the car
Small crack in the back window replacement going in tomorrow
Broken a few clips on the trim front L/H guard
Pushed rear bumper out a bit
Will add photos when I can
Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis (http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
RELAX - it'll buff out . . . . .
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I assume the U bolts broke and the rest was flow on from that?
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This is also what happened to Tim....
Before
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b06317-5ea5-df45.jpg)
After
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b06317-5ec6-ff9e.jpg)
Plus this
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b06317-5edc-4ed5.jpg)
and he never complained.
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I assume the U bolts broke and the rest was flow on from that?
You are correct sir.
must have been a bad bit of road :-[
The road was actually in the best condition I've ever seen it. Still plenty of corrugations though.
I must confess this one has me baffled.
Explanation please???
Bill
One of the vent control linkages has broken off (assuming due to corrugations), so my AC now continually blows onto the windscreen.
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My damage....
Side steps on one side courtesy of Palm Creek
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b061f5-bbb9-1ad5.jpg)
Right hand side of the camper courtesy of Palm Creek which had me stuck
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b061f5-bbe5-e568.jpg)
Left hand side of the camper. It's great to have matching sides. The drop down legs are shot on both sides which I knew would be sacrificed to the OTL gods.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b061f5-bc7c-b9e3.jpg)
The brakes on the left hand side are destroyed.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b061f5-bcaf-255a.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/31b061f5-bcc2-4b9e.jpg)
All up I escaped pretty easy. Very little bush pin stripping , must be my driving.
Mark
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You know what i like about these post's,,,, No one is crying about the damage.. :cup: they all new the risk and went with the flow...
Well done to all concerned :cheers:
BHG
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You know what i like about these post's,,,, No one is crying about the damage.. :cup: they all new the risk and went with the flow...
Well done to all concerned :cheers:
BHG
I love that
On the car forums im on if a bird even looks like it might drop one on a car they start sooking!
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Right hand slider ( Lh also bent, but it was bent bore we started), aircon light doesn't work ( but aircon seems ok), battery charger on CT died (picked up a replacement from Jetcrew on the track). I am sure there are a few more bits and pieces but I am still on the road (Weipa) so haven't taken stock yet :)
Mal
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Well in one day
oil preasure gauge on dash not working
temp gauge on dash playing up
dented front l/h shock
flatend both rear springs
not to bad all over with in one day
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I don' know how you did all that, when we did the cape, just before all you guys, i GOT NOTHING, and i mean nothing, well pin stripes but that is nothing anyhow. The trailer had red duct everywhere but that is all.
DANG
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Now the trailer
Just 2 blown tyres damaged rear guards 4 broken u bolts a few holes in the side of the trailer water tank cracked 2 battery's and a few cracks in the chassis (http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
[/quote]
looks ready to strap a 44" tyre under it & put it on eBay....ouch hope the trip memories ease the pain
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I don' know how you did all that, when we did the cape, just before all you guys, i GOT NOTHING, and i mean nothing, well pin stripes but that is nothing anyhow. The trailer had red duct everywhere but that is all.
DANG
Hi Wogs did you do the OTL?
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I love that
On the car forums im on if a bird even looks like it might drop one on a car they start sooking!
What do you do if a bird sh!ts on your car???
Don't take her out again!
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I don' know how you did all that, when we did the cape, just before all you guys, i GOT NOTHING, and i mean nothing, well pin stripes but that is nothing anyhow. The trailer had red duct everywhere but that is all.
DANG
Hi wogs did you post photos of your trip?
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I don' know how you did all that, when we did the cape, just before all you guys, i GOT NOTHING, and i mean nothing, well pin stripes but that is nothing anyhow. The trailer had red duct everywhere but that is all.
DANG
Just the law of averages. We had 25 vehicles in our group, so the probability of problems increases with the amount of people. You aren't comparing apples with apples if you are only talking about one vehicle.
We had people in our convoy that didn't suffer any damage either.
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Damage report so far after sitting in Weipa for 3 days- broken lock on the cupboard in the kitchen, broken spotlight, broken winch control box bracket my winch control is now duct taped to my bullbar. Major pinstriping on car and trailer and bent stabilizer legs. We still have 2 weeks to go but the hardest part is over tomorrow when we get out of weipa and head for the bituman. :cheers:
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We had people in our convoy that didn't suffer any damage either.
What would you put the lack of damage down to, with those that had no damage ? ?
Just asking as I expect to do a trip to the Cape in the future and it would be good advice to know how to avoid the carnage seen in the photo's
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The Cape is just like any other trip you take, it has it's risks. You can go there thinking you have everything spare covered and either not need any or break the 1 part you don't have. You could drive there & back with no issues or many. It comes down to good vehicle prep, knowing your car & driver ability, knowing when your in over your head and should take an easier option. I've seen $3000 Suzuki's do it with ease yet $100,000+ get carnage. At the end of the day it's an ultimate adventure that we can really enjoy but must treat with respect.....IMO
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What would you put the lack of damage down to, with those that had no damage ? ?
Just asking as I expect to do a trip to the Cape in the future and it would be good advice to know how to avoid the carnage seen in the photo's
That’s the million dollar question, but unfortunately there is no real answer. What I do know is the more flash your 4WD is, then there more chance of the luxury items playing up.
Some brands of 4WD’s are more prone to the same parts coming loose, so reseach is key.
Ground clearance is your friend and sometimes sh#t just happens. Maybe you took the wrong line or maybe the car is front moved a rock or made a hole just a little bit bigger. Sometimes these things work in your favour and sometimes it doesn’t. But if your still able to drive home under your own steam then it was a successful trip.
After 12 months it all becomes a good talking point.
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If you take Tim's example where the U-bolts broke - how the hell can you prepare for that? You can check and recheck them as much as you like, but there is no way you can prevent against it.
Just a bit of bad luck.
I also agree that when taking on tracks like that you are at risk of damage. If you want to be totally risk free stay on the black top.
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afae-a754-5dc6.jpg)
I don't care what anyone says, I reckon anyman that pulled up after hearing a 'noise' from the trailer and saw that would cry...
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Years of travelling the Cape I have seen alot of vehicles sustain damage from minor to severe roll overs.
As mentioned you can make the trip as easy or hard as you like depending on what tracks you tackle. At every stop I would look at the springs and U bolts on the camper and also under the car. The OTL is the tuffest track to tackle and you can drive it as slow as you can and not sustain any damage but one mistake or lack of concentration and you can do some damage.
The currugations on the by pass roads can also play havoc with suspension but at the end of the day it is like all dirt roads drive to conditions and speed that you are comfortable with. Also it is the other drivers that can do the damage to your car as Mauri copped a stone chipping his windscreen while I had an idiot over take me in the dust and sprayed me with rocks.
What people dont hear is the amount of deaths that occur at the Cape from rollovers, head ons etc. The Thursday before we arrived a vehicle rolled before the Jardine river and was killed.
Mark
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What people dont hear is the amount of deaths that occur at the Cape from rollovers, head ons etc. The Thursday before we arrived a vehicle rolled before the Jardine river and was killed.
Mark
We were waiting at the ferry when the ambulance tore in looking for that accident. Very sad.
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All I got this year was more pin stripping.
I also had a jerry can with about 12 litres of petrol in it stolen at seisa. The idiots burnt the strap off.
Had to replace the windscreen after 2 chips were so close together.
Bert
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There are some things that you can't prevent as has been said, personally I did not find the cape that challanging, I think it's a place that hands it to the unprepared or the un-educated but good prep and sound decisons will see you through any trip without giving your car a bigger wash than you intened.
Treat your car like it's your life support, every day ask yourself
"can i drive this how many % chance have I got"
Then
" Will it damage my car, what % is the chance of damage"
Then I factor the 2 together
if I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 90% chance of damage then I bypass it.
If I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 30% chance of damage the odds are getting better.
The odds of damage must always take preceedence over the old "have a go mate you'll be right" Thats fools gold IMHO..
Have a plan , have a back-up plan and never drive into anything without a cleary laid out exit stratagey.
Or just rip tear bust and keep evreyone entertained ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Jet :D
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There are some things that you can't prevent as has been said, personally I did not find the cape that challanging, I think it's a place that hands it to the unprepared or the un-educated but good prep and sound decisons will see you through any trip without giving your car a bigger wash than you intened.
Treat your car like it's your life support, every day ask yourself
"can i drive this how many % chance have I got"
Then
" Will it damage my car, what % is the chance of damage"
Then I factor the 2 together
if I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 90% chance of damage then I bypass it.
If I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 30% chance of damage the odds are getting better.
The odds of damage must always take preceedence over the old "have a go mate you'll be right" Thats fools gold IMHO..
Have a plan , have a back-up plan and never drive into anything without a cleary laid out exit stratagey.
Or just rip tear bust and keep evreyone entertained ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Jet :D
Hey mate, that sounds like you have completed risk assessment course ;D ;D ;D
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Hey mate, that sounds like you have completed risk assessment course ;D ;D ;D
Ha Ha , It was free and they threw in the common sense modules for free as well ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Jet :D
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There are some things that you can't prevent as has been said, personally I did not find the cape that challanging, I think it's a place that hands it to the unprepared or the un-educated but good prep and sound decisons will see you through any trip without giving your car a bigger wash than you intened.
Treat your car like it's your life support, every day ask yourself
"can i drive this how many % chance have I got"
Then
" Will it damage my car, what % is the chance of damage"
Then I factor the 2 together
if I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 90% chance of damage then I bypass it.
If I have a 90% chance of driving it with a 30% chance of damage the odds are getting better.
The odds of damage must always take preceedence over the old "have a go mate you'll be right" Thats fools gold IMHO..
Have a plan , have a back-up plan and never drive into anything without a cleary laid out exit stratagey.
Or just rip tear bust and keep evreyone entertained ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Jet :D
X2
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Ha Ha , It was free and they threw in the common sense modules for free as well
are those "free" ones like the budget priced solar powered "modules" :cup:
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Just to let everyone know about my u bolts. They were less then 12 months old and they were the most heavy duty I could find bought from a reputable trailer parts supplier. Me being a mechanic I did check them at least once a day along with all my other checks. The nuts did not come lose it broke up the top of the u bolt. These sort of things you can't prepare for or check(unless you could xray)except to have good insurance. Just bad luck
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Just to let everyone know about my u bolts. They were less then 12 months old and they were the most heavy duty I could find bought from a reputable trailer parts supplier. Me being a mechanic I did check them at least once a day along with all my other checks. The nuts did not come lose it broke up the top of the u bolt. These sort of things you can't prepare for or check(unless you could xray)except to have good insurance. Just bad luck
Fully agree Tim there is nothing you or anyone else could have done to prevent that, you did a good job just keeping it the right way up. :cup:
Jet ;D ;D ;D
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Just to let everyone know about my u bolts. They were less then 12 months old and they were the most heavy duty I could find bought from a reputable trailer parts supplier. Me being a mechanic I did check them at least once a day along with all my other checks. The nuts did not come lose it broke up the top of the u bolt. These sort of things you can't prepare for or check(unless you could xray)except to have good insurance. Just bad luck
Yep, sometimes shyt just happens. Risk mitigation only goes so far........Glad to hear your insurance has come to the party....
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The good thing is no one got hurt, maimed or killed.
Cars and campers are just objects than can be replaced. People can't be.
1 question - Did you all have fun? Did you make some awesome memories?
A resounding YES!! Fantastic!!
Cheers
Becboo
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Just to let everyone know about my u bolts. They were less then 12 months old and they were the most heavy duty I could find bought from a reputable trailer parts supplier. Me being a mechanic I did check them at least once a day along with all my other checks. The nuts did not come lose it broke up the top of the u bolt. These sort of things you can't prepare for or check(unless you could xray)except to have good insurance. Just bad luck
In all my years of doing comps the one time I broke something in an event was the transfer case mounts in"Stairway to Heaven" at Nissan Trials. We drove to the 100 point finish, with the Transfer stick disappearing every time I took my foot of the accelerator but I only wanted to crawl the event. At the end we found all but 1 broke in half on the second step. I had only changed them that day as my sponsor had brought a few brand spankers with him in his kit and offered them to me. I replaced them with the 1's I removed and they remained in the car for years to follow.
It's a roll of the dice in the end, you could replace every bolt to be x10 stronger and that could then be a fault as well. It is all apart of your adventure. If the trip was just as safe as a Coles car park we wouldn't be so fascinated with it as it be full of undesirables.
OK Coles car park not that safe in some suburbs do to undesirables..... ;D
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I don't care what anyone says, I reckon anyman that pulled up after hearing a 'noise' from the trailer and saw that would cry...
Cry, or laugh, hysterically?
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Sounds like you guys have had a few dramas too. We've been stuck shuffling between accomms in Bamaga and Seisia for the past week waiting for an axle to be made for our camper and flown up.
It's a strange feeling watching your tyre roll past you down Bamaga Road. Jamie(hubby) has called in all sorts of favours, and the guys at Cape York Spares and Repairs have been fantastic. Also Sue at Bamaga Resort has bent over backwards to help us out. Amazing people up here. Hopefully Thursday we'll be back on the road and meet up in Weipa with the rest of our crew.
We've done some exploring up here in the meantime, but I would much rather have been down at Chili Beach. We've also missed doing the Frenchmans Track now too. Them's the breaks :-(
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Sounds like you guys have had a few dramas too. We've been stuck shuffling between accomms in Bamaga and Seisia for the past week waiting for an axle to be made for our camper and flown up.
It's a strange feeling watching your tyre roll past you down Bamaga Road. Jamie(hubby) has called in all sorts of favours, and the guys at Cape York Spares and Repairs have been fantastic. Also Sue at Bamaga Resort has bent over backwards to help us out. Amazing people up here. Hopefully Thursday we'll be back on the road and meet up in Weipa with the rest of our crew.
We've done some exploring up here in the meantime, but I would much rather have been down at Chili Beach. We've also missed doing the Frenchmans Track now too. Them's the breaks :-(
Good to see it's all getting sorted. You'll have to go back next year to do the Frenchman's (http://im.glogster.com/media/1/9/0/82/9008274.jpg)
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Gday all, new front diff lock, 2 new free wheeling hubs all done by TJM Toowoomba free of charge. Will be reinbursed the charges at Seisia next week.I could not be happier with TJM's service.Mick T
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Gday all, new front diff lock, 2 new free wheeling hubs all done by TJM Toowoomba free of charge. Will be reinbursed the charges at Seisia next week.I could not be happier with TJM's service.Mick T
Excellent news Mick......she'll be good as new, and $0 outlay.
I'd be happy, too.
Cheers,
Geoff
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Mick do they have a reason for it braking, duggie has not looked at his yet, so he does not know what has broken.
By the way welcome to myswag.
John
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Great news little buddy :cup: , that's what you call old fashion service. It's good to see a company backing their product all the way to the bank, it doesn't happen too often these days.
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That is great to hear Mick. Glad they came through for you
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Mick, fantastic to hear and welcome mate. I promise I wont do any short jokes ;D
Mark
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Hi Wogs did you do the OTL?
Pretty sure he didn't.
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We went and had a look but did not attempt anything with the trailer being on our own. We did fruit bat fall and twin falls, along with. But no not really the OTL, we were on our own and did our trip only after 2 days of the road being open.
I was more talking about the trailer, how did so much damage occur, what failed. I guess the road corrugations must have been way worse then we went through.
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They could not give me a reason but it has been sent away for an ortopsy. What no short jokes Migir. I'm still waiting to here one I've not herd before.
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They could not give me a reason but it has been sent away for an ortopsy. What no short jokes Migir. I'm still waiting to here one I've not herd before.
Come on Mick don't tempt us :cup: Glad it's all sorted and your not left short of any funds ;D
yogi
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Well I guess that I should add my bit to the list
lost 2 screws from the dash
windscreen cracked with central hole around 40mm at start of dirt road from Laura drove the
next 36oo km until 100km from Brisbane it cracked from top to bottom, replaced at Brissie.
Mauri.
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I was more talking about the trailer, how did so much damage occur, what failed. I guess the road corrugations must have been way worse then we went through.
The U-bolts broke - http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=23545.msg366009#msg366009 (http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=23545.msg366009#msg366009)
Tim's trailer did the OTL, it was on the way from the OTL to Seisia when the bolts broke. Who knows when they started to fatigue, it could have been on the blacktop up, it could have been half way on the OTL, it could have been on the Jardine Ferry - who knows really.
Well I guess that I should add my bit to the list
lost 2 screws from the dash
windscreen cracked with central hole around 40mm at start of dirt road from Laura drove the
next 36oo km until 100km from Brisbane it cracked from top to bottom, replaced at Brissie.
Mauri.
I also heard you lost half a loaf of bread at Seisia....
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makes me not want to ever go with all the damage that may happen.... ;D
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Just to let everyone know about my u bolts. They were less then 12 months old and they were the most heavy duty I could find bought from a reputable trailer parts supplier. Me being a mechanic I did check them at least once a day along with all my other checks. The nuts did not come lose it broke up the top of the u bolt. These sort of things you can't prepare for or check(unless you could xray)except to have good insurance. Just bad luck
U bolts are a weak link because of the way they are bent. I would be tempted to replace with four high tensile bolts and two pieces of 10mm plate if I had them. Has anyone done this or know of camper manufacturers who do it? Any reasons why it could not be done this way?
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I would have thought plate would flex, even thick plate.
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I would have thought plate would flex, even thick plate.
Maybe some heavy bar then, say 20x50?? Either way I reckon some flat plate flexing would be less likely to fatigue to the point of failure than 12mm rod bent using a press like the u bolts usually are.
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Would love to weigh in here
But not goin ta
:)
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Where do I start?
The 4WD:
Had to replace exhaust gasket in Cairns before starting(not to mention the steering pump connector,split turbo hose & breather hose on radiator in the week before leaving)
Lost a driver's side mirror(taped a replacement on in Laura)
Engine Management Light came on(dust clogged filter)
Bonnet wouldn't close
Air con died at Nolans(spent a month with the windows down breathing in the lovely Cape dust ;D)
UHF died at Nolans but we got it working again later
Mud flap came off
Lost power to dash, including lights, heading into Weipa at night
Lost bolts for sway bars
Found a hole in a DIP which locked the hazards on. The air con did work for 5mins afterwards though, so bonus :D
Lost dash accessories: radio/stereo and fan, which meant we couldn't use air con(turned out to be the ignition barrel was faulty)
Had to manually hold light switch on(replaced headlight switch stalk with one from a commodore...poor Monty)
A stick took out the brake line
Lost ABS and Traction Control(we had Christmas in July on the dash)
Diff seal leaking
Water in car at every crossing, so we left the carpet mats out(need to plug the drain holes)
Exhaust gasket on the way out, again
Monty had only been offroad once before this trip, so is now also sporting the latest Cape fashion pin striping too
I'm sure there's probably more. We'll find out soon as it's going in to our mechanic next week. Fingers crossed.
The CAMPERTRAILER:
Bearings collapsed? wheel came off, brakes destroyed and the axle dug into the ground(new axle made and flown up)
Jockey wheel destroyed skull dragging camper onto flatbed(they made us a new, better one)
Lost brakes LHS
After an altercation with a tree on a 50 point turn at Maytown, the lock on the door/steps jammed
Jockey wheel handle snapped off somewhere on Old Coach Rd
One tyre had a deep crack through the tread running half way around the tyre, and both tyres were completely stripped on the inside only. Anyone got ideas why this would happen only on the inside?
Back in Cairns, after washing under the 4WD so it would be clean to go in for a check over, hubby found a handful of odd bolts, nuts, screws and washers laying in the mud(haven't found a home for them yet).
The repair bill, including labour, came to $9,900. Over half of that is just for the ABS module replacement part :'(
As luck would have it, the Defender was out of warranty a week into our trip.
Add to that the $3000+ repair for the camper + accomms for a week. Hopefully our wonderful, gracious insurance company will help :angel:
We had a very expensive, but absolutely fantastic trip, and would still do it all again in a heartbeat!!!
We did, however, manage to carry a carton of eggs about 8000km from home, across millions of corrugations through Cape York, along the Old Telegraph Track, across the Old Coach Road and all the way home without breaking a single one.
Maybe we need a car made of egg shells and cardboard ;D
Cheers
Karen
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Hope I can get the satisfaction from TJM in Rocky with my sagging springs as you did Mick.
Bert
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One tyre had a deep crack through the tread running half way around the tyre, and both tyres were completely stripped on the inside only. Anyone got ideas why this would happen only on the inside?
Bent axle?
Sorry to see you have so much trouble Karen, but also pleased to see you being so upbeat about it!
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Where do I start?
The 4WD:
Had to replace exhaust gasket in Cairns before starting(not to mention the steering pump connector,split turbo hose & breather hose on radiator in the week before leaving)
Lost a driver's side mirror(taped a replacement on in Laura)
Engine Management Light came on(dust clogged filter)
Bonnet wouldn't close
Air con died at Nolans(spent a month with the windows down breathing in the lovely Cape dust ;D)
UHF died at Nolans but we got it working again later
Mud flap came off
Lost power to dash, including lights, heading into Weipa at night
Lost bolts for sway bars
Found a hole in a DIP which locked the hazards on. The air con did work for 5mins afterwards though, so bonus :D
Lost dash accessories: radio/stereo and fan, which meant we couldn't use air con(turned out to be the ignition barrel was faulty)
Had to manually hold light switch on(replaced headlight switch stalk with one from a commodore...poor Monty)
A stick took out the brake line
Lost ABS and Traction Control(we had Christmas in July on the dash)
Diff seal leaking
Water in car at every crossing, so we left the carpet mats out(need to plug the drain holes)
Exhaust gasket on the way out, again
Monty had only been offroad once before this trip, so is now also sporting the latest Cape fashion pin striping too
I'm sure there's probably more. We'll find out soon as it's going in to our mechanic next week. Fingers crossed.
The CAMPERTRAILER:
Bearings collapsed? wheel came off, brakes destroyed and the axle dug into the ground(new axle made and flown up)
Jockey wheel destroyed skull dragging camper onto flatbed(they made us a new, better one)
Lost brakes LHS
After an altercation with a tree on a 50 point turn at Maytown, the lock on the door/steps jammed
Jockey wheel handle snapped off somewhere on Old Coach Rd
One tyre had a deep crack through the tread running half way around the tyre, and both tyres were completely stripped on the inside only. Anyone got ideas why this would happen only on the inside?
Back in Cairns, after washing under the 4WD so it would be clean to go in for a check over, hubby found a handful of odd bolts, nuts, screws and washers laying in the mud(haven't found a home for them yet).
The repair bill, including labour, came to $9,900. Over half of that is just for the ABS module replacement part :'(
As luck would have it, the Defender was out of warranty a week into our trip.
Add to that the $3000+ repair for the camper + accomms for a week. Hopefully our wonderful, gracious insurance company will help :angel:
We had a very expensive, but absolutely fantastic trip, and would still do it all again in a heartbeat!!!
We did, however, manage to carry a carton of eggs about 8000km from home, across millions of corrugations through Cape York, along the Old Telegraph Track, across the Old Coach Road and all the way home without breaking a single one.
Maybe we need a car made of egg shells and cardboard ;D
Cheers
Karen
What a fantastic attitude. :cup:
Sorry to hear of your troubles, but you had an adventure and it cost a few $.
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After the trip we ended up with the following - bent draglink
- broken driving light cover
- 3 missing bolts from roof rack
- bush pinstripping +++
- minor rear diff pinion seal leak
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Hi All,
I finally got around to having a look at the old girl yesterday, first chance since the cape trip. All in all the old girl done well on the trip, apart from no air-con and everything was covered in red dust including myself and brother john, jclures.
Lets see what the trip did to the old girl.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii547/dug59/Townsville20121458.jpg)
Broken cv joint sub axle.
This was one of the problems I had when I came into Nolans, the right hand front leg was broken. Only three wheel drive, causing me and the old girl to become a submarine and getting stuck in mid stream.
At this point I would like to thank all of those who were camped at Nolan's for the rescue/recovery of me and the old girl. :cup:
While sitting deep in the water the gear box filled with water, the rubber boot on the gear shift is buggered and allowed water to run in. The oil was drained and replaced with fresh oil. We lost one of our fridges, one inverter, solar regulator, several ac/dc adaptors, one phone, one camera and the cd player will never go again.
Would I do it again ? My oath I would.
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Atta boy Duggie, man after my own heart.
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Gday Dougie, when did you think you broke the axel? Since being home I have fixed the auto step (bad navi fault) $200, new windscreen $250. I would do it all again! Don't drive them if you don't want to break them! stay home and cuddle the cat.
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We did, however, manage to carry a carton of eggs about 8000km from home, across millions of corrugations through Cape York, along the Old Telegraph Track, across the Old Coach Road and all the way home without breaking a single one.
Karen,
You didn't have bacon and eggs even ONCE on the whole trip ??? ???
Mal
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Right hand slider ( Lh also bent, but it was bent bore we started), aircon light doesn't work ( but aircon seems ok), battery charger on CT died (picked up a replacement from Jetcrew on the track). I am sure there are a few more bits and pieces but I am still on the road (Weipa) so haven't taken stock yet
Well, we are home now so I have taken stock (sort of).
- As noted above both side steps are now bent (got quoted $600 EACH to replace, I guess I will live with them for a while).
- Broke a GME UHF antenna - snapped near the base. I guess a few too many corrugations.
- Aircon light has worked fine for the past 3-4 weeks. I guess it was protesting about the dust.
- The right-hand end-cap from the sovereign bullbar fell off somewhere along the way. I have bought a replacement from Toyota ($53) , now I just have to fit it.
- The zip from the CT cover broke after the 2nd week, so I drove about 2000 kms in the dust with no zipper for the cover. The red colour on the canvas I guess is just about permanent.
- I popped a bead on one of the trailer tyres on the OTL. Fixed at Seisia ($20). No other tyres issues at all - go those BFG's.
- I have now fitted the new battery charger. It works well.
Setup and cleaned the camper this week, currently airing the mattress. Haven't found anything else at this stage. I guess that is a "well-done" for Prados and Clarkes Country Campers.
Mal
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Broke a GME UHF antenna - snapped near the base. I guess a few too many corrugations.
The guys at Mobile One (http://www.mobileone.com.au/) can repair your broken antenna & for a cheap price considering the replacement of some. I had mine repaired after only 1 year, its still working (I think possibly better) and it has no sign of a repair being performed and that was around 11 years ago.
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Only one drowned written off landrover discovery td5 with the works,
Only my self to blame but hey like Duggie says
Would I do it again ? My oath with you lot a big yes
Paulp
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That's the spirit Paul, your a champion, will be in touch for a BBQ some time soon,
Cheers
John K
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That's the spirit Paul, your a champion, will be in touch for a BBQ some time soon,
Cheers
John K
Thanks JK you guys are champions will catch up soon
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Gday Paul, are you coming down to the springs on the long weekend, if you are it will be great to catch up.
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Sounds good see if we can make it would be great to catch up
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Just replaced the rear axle on the Defender too. Apparently we also bent that during the trip ::)
Monty is back in great shape. Now to decide on the next trip. Vic High Country or Simpson Desert...or both ;D
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I've finally figured out how to post photos on here, so here are a few of our main mishap ::)
After watching our tyre roll past us, recovering the tyre, watching hubby spend hours digging and jacking, and sending our friends on numerous trips back the 30km into Bamaga searching for parts, we ended up having the camper taken back to Cape York Spares in Bamaga where the new axle we'd had made was flown up and fitted.
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We also lost the handle off the jockey wheel somewhere along the Old Coach Road, which was a nuisance, especially since the guys at Cape York Spares had just made us a brand new, super dooper jockey wheel to replace the one that was ripped clean off when the campertrailer was skull dragged up onto the flatbed truck earlier in the piece.
Sorry to drag up bad memories, but our camper also had fine company in the 'repair' yard. Look familiar?
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While sitting deep in the water the gear box filled with water, the rubber boot on the gear shift is buggered and allowed water to run in............
Hi Duggie,
That's how the water got into my gearbox, as well..........I found it yesterday.
Any issue fitting the new boot? Can it be fitted without removing the gear lever?
Cheers,
Geoff
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Hi Geoff,
I have not fixed mine yet but I would think you will have to pull out the gear stick as the rubber boot is very tight on the stick to remove,(tried removing one on another stick). I had some trouble trying to source the new rubber boot but I have got one coming from Patrolapart(- 03 9735 9099 for around $20.00) Hope to replace the boot early next week when the part arrives , I can give you an up date on the removal/fitting then.
cheers duggie
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Hi Duggie,
I've got one coming as well. Got it from Garry at Nizzbits for $20.
He supplies genuine parts only, and provides good prices and great service.
His contact is sales@nizzbits.com.au
Maybe we could compare notes......... ;D
Cheers,
Geoff
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Hi Geoff,
I have not fixed mine yet but I would think you will have to pull out the gear stick as the rubber boot is very tight on the stick to remove,(tried removing one on another stick). I had some trouble trying to source the new rubber boot but I have got one coming from Patrolapart(- 03 9735 9099 for around $20.00) Hope to replace the boot early next week when the part arrives , I can give you an up date on the removal/fitting then.
cheers duggie
On a good note the reason the old one's are hard to remove is they get stiffer/harden from the heat from the years of service they do.
Installing the new one will be a lot more flexible.