Trips with large families.

[BLKWDW]

I now have a family of 6 with our recent edition of our 4th child. So this has added an extra hassle to going away. I know have to seat six people in my car meaning adding an extra seat. i have a dx model gq patrol and as i recently found out i dont have the factory mounts to install a third row seat. I purchased a bench front seat and got rid of the centre console and single seat instead.

My issue is its very squashy in the front with our 7yr old for long trips. I've spoke to a place who can retrofit the third row seat into my car and sign it off but will need to take what i have over there for them to give me a rough rice on the cost. What i dont like about putting the rear seat in is losing all my load carrying space for  the day trips i do frequently go on. I know a roof rack would b ideal but having things like a fridge mounted up on a roof rack isn't ideal and would be a hassle getting to it. You could probably build a small tool box to sit behind the rear seat that went the width of the car to house a small tool box and recovery gear but thats bout all.

So my questions is really how do families with more the 5 ppl fitout/setup there cars for day or longer trips.

[Bird]

If you have no choice but to lose the cargo area, so be it. Roofrack and trailer are your only choices.


Oh and buy a new TV

[dazzler]

Oh and buy a new TV

Late night SBS was my trouble 

[BLKWDW]

If you have no choice but to lose the cargo area, so be it. Roofrack and trailer are your only choices.


Oh and buy a new TV

Got a camper trailer for the longer trips and my day trips are usually the harder ones where i dont want a trailer.

[Bird]

can you get a GU single rear seat fitted in cargo area?

Day trips you shouldnt need that much, but if you do you do...

[Hairs]

G'day BLKWDW,
Maybe a roof basket might work for you.
Just a thought.

[xcvator]

G'day BLKWDW,
Maybe a roof basket might work for you.
Just a thought.

For the kids or the gear ?

[Hairs]

For the kids or the gear ?

Kinda like why I put the cage in, to separate us 

[jimc1]

Sounds like a perfect excuse to buy a new tug. Just saw in the paper the other week a 7 seater range rover is about to be released!...or the 8 seater Lexus LX570....or not.

[GeoffA]

can you get a GU single rear seat fitted in cargo area?

+1

[kylarama]

Keep the wagon, buy a ute and take 2 cars on your trips.  Cargo in the back of the your ute and wife with 4 screaming kids in the wagon.
Everyones a winner!

By everyone I mean you

Seriously.  Most aftermarket 3rd row seats I've seen are split 50/50 and fold away to each side.  As others said, just get one fitted.

[BLKWDW]

Sounds like a perfect excuse to buy a new tug. Just saw in the paper the other week a 7 seater range rover is about to be released!...or the 8 seater Lexus LX570....or not.

Would love to update the wagon to a factory 7 seater gu with split fold seats but neat more of the folding stuff to do that and after just spending 4k on a 4inch lift plus other Shit i'm not to keen to sell it.

Keep the wagon, buy a ute and take 2 cars on your trips.  Cargo in the back of the your ute and wife with 4 screaming kids in the wagon.
Everyones a winner!

By everyone I mean you

Seriously.  Most aftermarket 3rd row seats I've seen are split 50/50 and fold away to each side.  As others said, just get one fitted.

I have thought of a second car being a ute and would solve a few other problems as well mainly being able to take the bikes away with us and not going to the trouble of finding a way to mount them on the trailer but with that comes double everything. Double fuel costs, double the chance of something breaking etc. Hmmmm.

can you get a GU single rear seat fitted in cargo area?

Day trips you shouldnt need that much, but if you do you do...

Dont know if the gu seat would fit but i do think i have read some of the later model gqs had a split fold rear seat i think but i cant confirm that yet. that would prob be the ideal way as i can still have a single draw setup on one side but finding one close enough thats not gona cost me an arm and a leg to buy and post will be the next issue..


I do have another 4wd if you can call it that a 2003 v8 ford explorer but unsure of how it would go with the touring type stuff and the fuel bill plus its still a bench third row seat anyways.

[Memem284]

We had 5 kids to fit in our car etc, with a 12 yr age span (youngest is now 19, so longer an issue). We had a Ford wagon with a Take 3 seat in the back, and although camping trips could get squashy, we managed to fit it all in. We would camp for 2 weeks at South West Rocks every Christmas and would tow a Southern Cross camper trailer. Everyone managed to fit in, along with the Chrissie pressies! It just takes some organising.

[poidda]

Maybe buy an same vintage ST, put all the good parts on the new ST and flog the DX.  If you're in need of new tyres soon, it maybe worth the effort in tyres alone.

[Bird]

I do have another 4wd if you can call it that a 2003 v8 ford explorer but unsure of how it would go with the touring type stuff and the fuel bill plus its still a bench third row seat anyways.

mate of DDR and mine had an Exploder, and his fuel bill towing some large arse tandem caravan to Robe was no different to DDR's GU and his Trackmaster offroad caravan. Just the small fuel tank was a prick.

[BigJules]

Put the kids on notice: one of you will not be going away, so you'd all better behave  .

[Kalebjarrod]

Sell the youngest kid

They haven't been around long so how attached can you be?

[BLKWDW]

Maybe buy an same vintage ST, put all the good parts on the new ST and flog the DX.  If you're in need of new tyres soon, it maybe worth the effort in tyres alone.

Dont have the cash for that mate or id buy the body i got my third row seats out from originally for $500.

We had 5 kids to fit in our car etc, with a 12 yr age span (youngest is now 19, so longer an issue). We had a Ford wagon with a Take 3 seat in the back, and although camping trips could get squashy, we managed to fit it all in. We would camp for 2 weeks at South West Rocks every Christmas and would tow a Southern Cross camper trailer. Everyone managed to fit in, along with the Chrissie pressies! It just takes some organising.

The longer trips arnt the problem really we have a camper trailer to carry everything so have minimal stuff in the car. Its just those day trips were i need just my fridge tools recovery gear etc for the day

mate of DDR and mine had an Exploder, and his fuel bill towing some large arse tandem caravan to Robe was no different to DDR's GU and his Trackmaster offroad caravan. Just the small fuel tank was a prick.

Really maybe it wont be as bad as i thought as my diesel gq used a full tank towing the camper to the beach in the abercrombie river national park over easter and it was prop a round trip of 400 odd k's which i thought it would be alot better on fuel then that.

Put the kids on notice: one of you will not be going away, so you'd all better behave  .

I like your way of thinking

Sell the youngest kid

They haven't been around long so how attached can you be?

That would take some convincing of the wife.

[BLKWDW]

If only the explorer was worth more i'd sell it and buy a 99 or so model gu for the mrs daily.

Parts to modify the explorer are near none existent in oz

[Bird]

If only the explorer was worth more i'd sell it and buy a 99 or so model gu for the mrs daily.

Parts to modify the explorer are near none existent in oz

Luke had a custom exhaust made, that was LOUD.. I mean stupid loud, which didnt make Shit difference in the end.

he was looking at getting a custom fuel tank made up.. hes in to Rally cars so has some contacts for stuff.. but ended up flogging it for a 100 series V8.
Exploder was worth nothing

[BLKWDW]

Mine came with an exhaust. I like the car so prob wont sell it for anything and the mrs can cruise in luxury with the kids and it has given us no problems since we have owned it.

I've just gotta make the gq more comfortable seating wise for everyone. I would like an 80series as they come with the factory split fold seats but finding one with similar mods as mine and for a price that would be the same i could sell mine for isnt gona happen.

[Turbojohn]

Even though your car is a base model gq the provisions (captive nuts in the floor)  should still be there. The gq third row seat just unclips for removal only leaving the brackets on the floor. If you want one I have a couple of these floating around. Where are you located? 

[BLKWDW]

I have the rear seat already but there are no captive nuts for any of the bolts needed to bolt the seat to the floor or even mount the seat belts on the qtr panels. Only captive nuts i have found are in the wheel arch.

[Bird]

I have the rear seat already but there are no captive nuts for any of the bolts needed to bolt the seat to the floor or even mount the seat belts on the qtr panels. Only captive nuts i have found are in the wheel arch.

they are part of the seatbelt from mamories..

[Turbojohn]

Bugger !!!! No good