Gary and Kaye

Hi Folks, I was reading through the 'Campfire' section and came across a Thread I personally referred to many times when putting together my ATV2. Havago created the original Thread on the 14 January 2009. The interest generated was impressive, and went on to be a Hot Topic. It generated 23 replies, and 4401 views. Not wanting to plagiarise, but in the interest to those who are building their new van and to share information with other Kedron Van enthusiasts: May I put it out there and ask; What would you add or change to your van today? Cheers Gary & Kaye

Hi Richard & Celeste, Just thought I would bring you up to date on the Landcruiser, just incase you drift off into that vehicle direction. I went back to ARB (not to buy shares) had the Tunit Chip, with the Beau Dessert 3in exhaust fitted, and the 160ltr long range fuel tank. Total capacity 250ltrs. Got rid of the Mail Box on the snorkle and replaced it with a Safari Head, to help ram that air in. The difference in vehicle performance is remarkable, I'm very glad I did the upgrade. I'm hoping that fuel economy will be kind to me when I have something heavy to tow. I have no fuel stats for you at this point, but power is amazing in all gears and rpm. It's a different truck, and I still have two power settings to use, but I don't need to use them. Power setting 7 is all I need. Hope all goes well with your travels Cheers

Hi Richard, We have the Toyota Landcruiser V8 Diesel, GXL, D4D (March 2010) with a Fibreglass canopy on the back. The vehicle has been to ARB had the suspension replaced with OME Sports Nitro Shocks, heavy duty coils springs, Dakar leaf springs and OME Steering damper. Suspension is rated at 450kgs for towing. We have the heavy duty ARB Bull bar with 9000lb winch. Extreme Driving lights. Under the fibreglass canopy is a 60ltr water tank. Engine bay has the Dual battery system, & air compressor. Rear end has a ARB Air Locker. Inside the fibreglass canopy is a Black Widow Draw System, Engel Fridge Freezer, Honda 2.0 KVA generator, 2 x full size mountain bikes. Recovery gear. etc etc. On the Rhino bars are 2 x 4.2 mtr open water Perception Kayaks. Plus stuff in the draws. We towed an Ultimate Offroad Camper fully laiden (1300kgs) through the Outback of QLD, over to the Gulf Country, and up to Cape York, fuel consumption was not a problem. It was as good if not better than the Toyota advertised blurb. Didn't even know the Ulti was on the back. The suspension upgrade is in prep for the ATV2 coming July, 2011. Tomorrow I go back to ARB for the Tunit Engine Chip, 3in Beaudesert exhaust system & 160ltr long range fuel tank. I'm getting rid of the 'Mail Box' and putting on the Safari Snorkle Head to ram some clean air into the engine. Our total fuel capacity will be 250ltrs, that should see me through most situations. ARB just Love me!! Should have bought shares in the company. I'm very happy with the vehicle. The turbo makes quiet a difference. I stepted out of a Landrover Discovery V8 petrol with some mods & cons, and in doing that I had twice the performance to a litre of fuel. Sounds good even though we are talking diesel v's petrol. I'm hoping for more performance in both torque / horsepower with a bit of fuel economy. Sounds like a contradiction of terms to me! I mention all the above (garb) to give some realistic term to load being carried, and performance of vehicle. Anyway, we will see what I have after tomorrow, and again after we stick 3.4 tonnes on the back of the old girl. :shades: Hope this helps you. Safe travels

Hi Trish & Carl, We use a Garmin Nuvi760. Most probably old technology now, but it has never given us grief. Garmin make a great product. It's loaded with mapping that covers all of Australia & NZ. There is a huge amount of information both in map detail, & general area infrastucture. All this loaded onto a 2Gb sd card. There are periodic updates. You can have all the POI's of Camps 6 downloaded, for those free camp / gold coin donation o/nite stays. The GPS has voice direction to assist in navigation. GPoZ are about to release there new version (V3.0) of software, with updated maps and ancillary data. We have been using this Hardware/Software for almost 3yrs, most of which has been Outback travel. Wouldn't leave home without it. By know means have I covered all the functional points of the GPoZ product. Mapsource is a great trip planner. That's part of OzTopo Versions. (Garmin) Powered by WhereIs. It also loads onto you home PC or Laptop. Hope this helps Cheers

Hi Russ, Would you include me in on the wiring diagram please. E-mail is good. Safe travels Gary

Hi Folks, Thank you for the replys. All food for thought. Like the idea of the alarms. Need to find out about securing those 2 x spares on the back of the van. Perhaps there is a product similar to locking wheel nuts. Cheers

Hi Folks, I am interested in what people have found usefull in protecting there caravans and peripheral equipment against theft. To also, protecting the occupant whilst inside at night. What are some of the solutions currently used to secure spare tyres onto the rear of the van. What is being used as an audiable alarm to ward off intruders. I have read the post placed by Webby, and have taken this excellent information onboard. :thumbsup: Locks and other accessories only keep honest people out, but I would like to try make it somewhat difficult for the undesirable. :shades: I guess we all have an element of doubt when leaving the van to go off to explore, and yes, it comes down to location, location. Unfortunately we read far too often of travellers being broken into, ransacked and equipment stolen by opportunistic people. I won't let it rule my lifestyle, but at least I can put in a reasonable insurance claim. Appreciate your feedback on this subject. Safe travels

Hi Lyn & John, I found this pdf file, it has some usefull info on the fridge, and service agents. www.caravansplus.com.au/pdf/.../Warranty_Service_Guide_2007.pdf Safe travels Gary & Kaye

Hi Phil, We went through the exercise of mattresses and ended up with two options: 1. Lisa at Kedron gave us the supplier/manufacturer's name & address for us to choose our mattress for the van. Originally we did not want the ordinary mattress due to comfort level requirement. The mattress company were very helpfull, and have an extensive range. They also maunfacture to order, be it standard or luxury materials. Juvenator Sleep Systems (07) 38081611 5 Dan St, Slacks Creek info@juvenator.com.au 2. We also went to 'Pillow Talk', they had mattress toppers of varying thickness. Some washable others have to be dry cleaned. We opted for the Queen size 'Supreme,' washable. They were on Special for $89.00 down from $129.00 approx. Going with the mattress topper, it saved money, is very comfortable and gave a new lease of life to the house mattress. So much so, we went back to 'Pillow Talk' and bought a second one for the van. This allowed us to use the standard queen size option offered by Kedron. You also have the option to use the 'egg shell' underlay if needed. 'Pillow Talk' said it would fit. These mattress toppers have elasticated sides, not tie straps. Hey, works for us as Kaye has a shoulder and hip problem to. Hope this helps Cheers

Hi Rousosm, Would you give the KOG owners details on your tow vehicle. It is a very interesting topic weights and vans......too complicated for me :biggrin: Thanks

Hi Richard, Thought I would jump in on the 'Band Wagon' here, and ask the same question as you, about vehicles, towing and fuel economy. We are getting and ATV2 with a TopEnder chasis etc. Not sure what our vehicle will give performance wise (see signature for vehicle details) so, if there are any Koggers out there with the same configuration as us, I would be very interested in seeing the stats. When I towed the Ultimate Offroad Camper (full was about 1200kg) we were getting 100klm to 12 ltr's. approx. Not much of a yard stick to judge what's coming up. :shades: Thanks for the tag along Richard. Safe travels

Xmas Fruitcake Recipe 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 4 large eggs 2 cups dried fruit 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup brown sugar lemon juice nuts 1 gallon whisky Sample the whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again to be sure it is of the highest quality. Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer Beat 1cup butter in a large, fluffy bowl Add 1 tea spoon sugar and beat again. Make sure the whisky is still OK. Cry another tup Turn off mixer. Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whisky. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner Throw the bowl out of the window Check the whisky again. Go to bed Who the hell likes fruitcake anyway? :helpsmilie:

Sorry for the late update on this thread. A friend of mine brought his Kedron ATV2 up to Springbrook via the back road. I followed him up to see if there was a difficulty on corners etc. Not a problem, the Toyota Landcruiser 200 series, towed it very well. The driver was not at all perturbed, but did say going down was slow and steady. Thanks for the 'Heads Up Tony'. and thank you to all that replied to my question. :thumbsup: Cheers Have a safe & Merry Xmas Gary & Kaye

Hi To The Group, Not sure if this has been a previous topic of discussion about UHF Radio channels! Is there a pre-arranged channel that Koggers use to communicate when on the road. What channel is currently being used? I also notice that some Koggers have HF Radio’s. Would there be a benefit in establishing a ‘KOG Listing of Sellcall numbers’. Understandably, that only like Radio Club members can talk to each other, except in an emergency, or have dual membership to HF Radio Clubs but a listing on the web site of Kedron owners Sellcalls may be helpful. What are your thoughts. :question: Cheers

Hi Mayzee, I agree with Jaygee about suspension upgrades with the Toyota, especially when considering the performance levels required when 'off road' with the ATV2. Even though my vehicle is the current Toyota L/cruiser 70 series, cab/chas D4D GXL V8, I was concerned with it's (soft) suspension at the rear. I liased with Dave (Kedron) and there was that strong possibilty when I pick up the new ATV2 I may have problems with towing. So, with that I went to ARB, they accessed the vehicle, the end result being a replacement of all the suspension. Leaf & coil springs, shock absorbers and steering arm. They had my vehicles profile on there suspension data base, and with the information I could provide they did the upgrade. After completion of the upgrade, the vehicle was tested with 450kg, plus the load it permanently carry's, and the vehicles back end went nowhere. I have a great ride, with all the vehicle control I require. If I find that for some reason I dont have enough suspension to cover my towing load, I have the option of Polyairs to be installed at a later date. The Oldman Emu Nitro Shocks and Dakar Leaf Springs are great. I have used Koni and Bilstine in the past with my Landrover Discovery, but what I now have is excellent. I have been back to ARB for the final analysis and tightening (500Klms), and all is well. I also gained an additional 75mm lift. No cavitation in the drive line, no abnormal tyre wear. Breaking is on the mark. I just need a Kedron to tow, and I'm happy. :thumbsup: Hope this helps Regards Gary

Hi Glen & Debbie, Yes, would love to have the 'Baby' for Xmas, but I don't think Santa can do it!! We are expecting our van Jul/Aug 2011. It seems an eternity away. :sad: Cheers Gary & Kaye

Hello To All, We would like to wish everybody a very 'Merry Xmas'. :thumbsup: Safe and happy travelling Cheers Gary & Kaye

Hi Mal & Kerry, What a great Xmas present, it would be pretty hard to beat that. :laugh: We would be interested to hear what you guys put into the vans interior exterior. Congrats, and all the best on your big day. Cheers :thumbsup:

Hello All, Your informative replies to our forum thread, has been fantastic, and we very much appreciated it. When you first look into the 'Wonderfull World of Caravaning' it can be rather daunting, trying to pick and choose the right product for the right job. We also want to avoid any financial mishaps and inferior products. This forum has helped us to sail a straight course from the advise and experiences of all you Koggers that have been generous enough to reply and advise. Thank you for the assist. Hope to see you on the road :biggrin: Gary & Kaye

Hi Everyone, We would like to thank all of you for your time in replying to this forum string. With all the information presented, we feel very comfortable knowing what the options are. Again, thank you for your replys. :thumbsup: Cheers

Hi Tony & Wendy, Very much appreciate the informative reply. As you can tell by all this correspondence we didn't look too much at hatches when investigating the Kedron Vans, except for the Heike hatch we saw when doing our tour through the factory. If nothing else we are creating a wealth of information for those who are embarking on creating there dream caravan of the future. It appears Xmas at the 'Heat Household' is going to be Cecil B De Milne production :shades: As they say "There's Always Room For One More". Will you be wearing your Santa Suit :clown: Kaye & I wish Wendy all the very best with the ongoing treatment, and may Xmas be full of happiness and good fortune for you both. Look forward to seeing you both in the not too distant future. Take care

Hi Laurie & Helen, Thank you for the reply. Of course it goes without saying we are now totally confused, especially after looking at the link Webby was kind enough to attach to a previous thread. :confused1: Did you see it by chance. How can so many people be that dissappointed? I'm still impressed with the design and benfits the Heike hatch has to offer. I just don't want dust or sagging solar blinds or water leaks. If the temperature is not a problem, (comment please) then thats great. I like openness and light. We are attempting to use lines, colour and design to trick the eye into thinking your in a bigger space, the Heike hatch (I think) would help to compliment that. Could you tell me, has there been a design change with the Heike thus making it a much better product now. Does Kedron have a better installation process. Is the Heike hatch you have the same model Kedron is installing today. We appreciate your replys. This is the best time to ask the questions and get it right the first time. Thanks to all who have participated, please keep the learned opinions coming. Cheers :thumbsup:

Hi Tony, How are you guys, appreciate you throwing your hat into the ring. I have also appreciated everyones replies and the wealth of information delivered. I'm still uncertain about putting in two Fantastic hatches, as I don't want to impeed air flow. Should I mix and match the Fantastic and Four Seasons hatches? Are the Fantastic hatches water proof? Can they be left in the open position in the rain, or is it just a hole with a fan in it? I will certainly give the Heike hatch a miss but will have that discussion with Kedron as advised. I hope all is well on the home front, and life is being good to you both. Won't be long before your van is back and looking like a new one. Have you and Wendy opened up the B&B again. Xmas is looking good, $$$$ Take care

Hi Webby, Well, that certainly gives me food for thought :shades: Do we have any new Kedron owners out there with the newer version of the Heike Hatch. If there is such. Have you guys had any dust problems with your Four Seasons hatches when going on dusty roads? I have read some negative threads on this subject. Have also read good results on the 'Fantastic' hatch. My original thoughts were to have 2 x Fantastic hatches. Primarily to create good convention air flow with one fan sucking and the other blowing, when in those hotter climates. The only thing I'm not sure about is wet weather and how the Fantastic hatch handles it, is there any associated problems. There's a question that maybe some one could answer for me. Thank you very much for the link. Cheers

Hi Folks, I would like to ask about 'Heike Hatches'. Are they able to keep out dust & water. Do they loose there tight seal after a few more corrigations and use. I have seen a van after installation at the Factory, and love the concept, but dust getting into the van doesn't make me warm and fuzzie. I read an old thread on this forum, about a seal that was required to stop dust entering. Was this a fix that Kedron had to do because of an oversite during installation, or a fix implemented by the owner. I'm considering a Heike Hatch over the bed, and 2 x Fantastic Hatches further along the van. I would be very gratefull for any replies on the above. Cheers