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barramundi

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Everything posted by barramundi

  1. Very sorry to hear this. We wish you both all the very best and pray the treatment is very successful! Lis and Doug
  2. Finally had success. After booking the fridge whisperer to check out the 215 I decided to do a bit more looking. Found out that the condenser fan was not working all the time. Replaced it and now have -17 in the freezer and 4 in the fridge on setting 3. Also the power load has reduced from almost 9 amps to 6 amps. Fridge whisperer was not happy when I cancelled the appointment. Glad that I can now think of something else except the van fridge. Doug
  3. We are also having trouble again with our 215. Apparently the RPD 218 is still available. Question that I have is the Vitrofrigo 2600 is about the same size and is also available. Would that be a better option than the 218. Does anyone have one of these fitted and has it been satisfactory. I believe this is the fridge fitted to the new Top Enders. thanks Doug
  4. Hi all, Since my last post,which received some negative feedback, we have travelled around 15k with our Silverado/ATV combination. The shocker hitch which we have been using has had some refinements, also the airbag pressure. Mainly though is a set of Bilstein shockers on the rear. Current configuration is 15 psi in the truck airbags, 40 psi in the shocker hitch. Our normal speed is 95 kph both uphill and downdale on cruise control. Last trip to north Queensland was around 7000 kms and averaged 16 lts per 100 k's, with the boat on top. The shocker hitch takes all the bounce out of the ride and smooths everything out. With the bigger fuel tank we travelled from Camooweal to Katharine without fuelling up. Fitted a Leer canopy in Brisbane and had some modifications done in Darwin to use the boat loader off the LC. All works well and there is a lot more room to fill up with firewood and other things. PS our new choofer works a treat,( Especially when using gidgee from the road to Gregory downs) For those of you who are worried about the size of the Yank Trucks, we spent around 3 months on the sunshine coast earlier this year. We had no issues with parking, however you do need to think a bit about where you are going. The parking attendant at the Stamford hotel in Brisbane only had one comment. I will not park it in the underground carpark. Our van has been re-rated to 3900 kgs and we now know we are all good with the insurance company and the law. I guess I will need to upgrade the profile picture. All in all we are more than happy with the Chev. We came down the range from We have gained around 5 lts per 100 over the LC and it is a much more comfortable rig to handle. Van has now done close to 35k and still no issues. LC is now the shopping trolley. One think that we have noticed with the 300 odd ks up through Lawn Hill across to Normanton was that the dirt/gravel roads do not affect the towing nearly as much as the sealed roads with a lot of bounce in them. Mainly because you are not travelling as fast. Worst roads we have travelled to cause the bounce was from Charters Towers to Cloncurry and the Newel highway. One thing that the LC 's do not have is the exhaust break. We came down off the Atherton tableland to Mossman in tow haul mode with the exhaust brake and used the main brakes about three times only. Also took a wrong turn and went up the Gilles highway. Auto oil got to 89 degrees and gave me a bit of a fright but did not get any higher. 19 kms of steep and winding road is a good test for any vehicle. Anyway, we are more than happy with our Yank Truck and will have it for some time yet. thanks Doug and Lis
  5. I guess it all boils down to whether you want to be legal or not. Insurance could be a problem if something serious happened. By the way the hitch is rated to 5500 kgs and ball weight of 545 kgs. End of the day we love the Chev and what it does for us. Lets face it if we all liked the same thing it would be a boring old world. The good thing about Aus (at the moment) is we do have a choice. Doug and Lis
  6. Hi all, Had the van in for a service where they replaced the floor covering that had moved. Had a chat to Dave and Graham while we were waiting. Have now purchased a shocker hitch connection for the back of the Chev. As I mentioned we found the truck seemed to bounce a bit more than was comfortable. By the way the Chev has airbags and we have put 20 psi in them to help. Did not make much difference. Both of them mentioned that the stiff suspension tended to mask the extra bounce with the stiff suspension from the Chev. As you have seen here there has been at least one cracked chassis with these vehicles. The guy we bought the hitch off pointed out that the robustness of the Chev springs transfers a lot of the pitching onto the van. He even uses them on his goosenecks. By the way he swears by them and would not tow with stiff suspension without them. Do any of the chev/GMC/Ford owners use one of these. Will attach a picture of the hitch for reference. Apart from this the Chev is still an awesome vehicle. Currently at the Sunshine Coast and with a bit of forward planning we have not had any problems with parking. Even managed a spot at Aldi the other day. Love the chev. Doug and lis
  7. Hi All, Well after a while the Chev has spent some time in front of the ATV. Fitted the UHF under the dash with the remote handpiece on the console. Removed the drifta drawers and fridge slide from the 200 series and invested in a new national lunar fridge for the slide. (The Engel is almost 30 years old) The Hayman Reece weight distribution hitch was a bit low, so we got a direct hitch from towbars Australia which is a whisker high but OK. Hooked up the van and headed south from Darwin to Brisbane. Rolled along quite OK at mostly 95 kms/hr for a few thousand k's. Fuel worked out at 15.5 lts per 100ks. (200 averaged 21/100ks) Cruise control works a treat except in hilly country. Down the Drummond range near Alpha with the exhaust brake and tow haul mode I did not touch the brakes. Tow mode is also great in the city with traffic lights and dumb drivers. Only issue we had was the rig seemed to do a bit more diving than the 200 series. One of the solutions suggested was to use an air-hitch on the truck. Has anyone used one of these and do you think they are worth it. Overall the Chev is quite a bit better than the LC to tow with. Currently in Brisbane at the Samford Plaza while the van is being attended to. The Chev got the Concierge scratching his head as to where he was going to park it. Only issue we have now is we need to sell our 2012 Hilux as we now no longer need it. Two vehicles is enough at one time. Doug and Lis
  8. Our apologies for that. The number is 0432435494. thanks Doug
  9. Friends of ours need a caretaker on a 5acre block in Baldivis WA. It is a beautiful rural location with all amenities and close to shopping etcetera. They run an earthmoving business and need someone to watch over their valuable machinery when away. There is plenty of room for a big van. If anyone is interested or knows someone who is please please give Julie a call on +61432435435494
  10. Hi Merv, I may chase you up later for the tyres and rims from the US. Ours have done 50 k and still OK at the moment. I do like the practicality of the Telstra canopy but it makes it look like a delivery truck. I think it spoils the look of them. We will not be doing too many of the dusty tracks with it as we have done them in a tent. If we did not need to put the boat on the top we would keep the hard lid on it. Just too difficult to modify it and still work. May end up selling the hard lid. thanks Doug
  11. Hi Merv, Thanks for that. I will check it all out. Also debating whether it is necessary/essential to change the wheels to 18 inch. Canopy type is still a subject of discussion and debate. thanks Doug and Lis
  12. Hi All, Well we have joined the bowtie brigade. Picked up our 2012 model and drove it back to Darwin from Townsville. In a word WOW. Drove like a dream and only used 9.8 lts per 100 kms. Average speed around 110. Better economy than our hilux. A little bit bigger when amongst traffic but I am sure we will get used to it. Will not be able to hitch up the ATV for a few months as it is currently in Geraldton with the LC. It has a hard lid on it and we are trying to figure out how we can install the boat on top without removing or destroying it. I guess the main option is to install a canopy on it. Don't want to install a Telstra type canopy on it. The other thing is where do you all fit the UHF. In the LC we have installed behind the dash with the full remote hand piece only outside. thanks Doug and Lis
  13. Thanks to the many Kedron Owners who have provided us with all the information we needed in choosing and setting up our new ATV. Your imput has been very valuable to us.. We couldn't be happier with our new Kedron which we towed back from Qld about a month ago. We are packing up and hope to be travelling West from Darwin next week. We would love to meet other Koggers along the way so keep an eye out for us.. Many thanks to all. Lis and Doug in Darwin
  14. We have found that a good coat of car polish on the shower walls and the glass forms a nice glaze and protectant. the water beads off. We use this method at home as well and have found it very successful over the years. Any car polish works well but our preferred is the Amway Silicone Glaze.. A quick wipe over after showering keeps it looking good..and eliminates the need for harsh cleaners.
  15. Thanks for your reply Colin. We don't have a firm date for delivery of our baby as yet, but hope it will be towards the end of March, which will see us getting down to Brisbane to collect weather permitting! Land Council control a lot of roads up here, and we think it is rather good as it keeps the multitides and convoys out!! A lot of it works on a ballot system which reduces numbers and makes the experience more enjoyable.. there are many places in Arnhem land which would be comparable to Nhulunbuy. Have you been to Coburg Peninsular, many white sandy beaches like gove, excellent fishing, dogs permitted on application. Wamurani Bay in East Arnemland is a beaut spot. The Owners Tracy and Ralph and Family have a great set up and can organize permits with not too much trouble. it is just opposite Goldbourn Island.. There are ways around most things if you know some of the traditional owners. Best wishes.. Lis and Doug
  16. Hello Tolley! We have travelled about the roads in East Arnhem Land quite a bit and it is usually necessary to have a permit to travel on the roads and hours of travel can sometime be restricted and often closed for ceremonies. Most likely the best place to find the correct information would be the Northern lands Council.. If you have someone you know who lives in Nhulunbuy it makes things much easier! Lis and Doug (Soon to be Kedron Owners) Darwin..
  17. Hi there, We have ordered a 21 foot ATV for delivery in March next year. After some discussion with another owner while at the factory we decided on a slightly modified version of layout # 16. I have attached the drawing. We have extended the pantry to the front of the fridge to give us a bit better storage height. Is there anyone out there with this design and is there anything you would change. One thing we are a little bit concerned about is access to the short end of the L shaped lounge. Luckily I have been too busy at work to be too eager to pick it up and head off. We are really looking forward to being a bit more comfortable than in a tent. Anything any one can add will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Doug and Lis.
  18. Have not made final decision as yet. Will have a good talk to their installer before doing anything. Cost is not as important as getting it right the first time. A lot easier to fix/set up in the factory than on a remote beach in WA. An extra portable panel may be a better option as I should be able to use it to charge the second battery in the LC. From the information I have so far if I can get it set up properly the lifepo battery system are way better than AGM. Any more feedback on the air suspension from owners that have it installed would be greatly appreciated as well. thanks Doug and Lis
  19. We haven't got to many details as yet, however I have done quite a bit of research on other forums. Best value batteries are Winston. 90 AH 12 volt for a bit over $500 each. Charging system and monitoring system needs to be quite a bit different for them. At this stage we are sticking with 3 panels and 3 x 90 AH batteries. Apparently they have a man in Brisbane that is doing most of the installation for them. I plan to have a good chat to him before I make any decisions. Saving almost 90 kgs is worth looking at. thanks Doug and Lis
  20. Thanks for the info. We will be towing with a 200 series with very little load so weight should not be an issue. Have quite a few things to sort out before the final order. Also looking at the lithium option. Have done quite a bit of homework on them already. Lots of mis-information about them around the web. Its a good time to be buying as they have come up with a lot of new designs and innovations. The new TE sounds like it will be a bit of an eye opener. Doug and Lis.
  21. Thanks for the feedback on the suspension. We will be heading down to Brisbane next month to order our new van. Looks like it will end up with the air suspension. Do not have a cost yet but should also make it a bit lighter as well. With the new layouts and finishes soon to be available it is even more exciting. thanks Doug and Lis.
  22. We are heading to Brisbane in June to order our Kedron. They actually have a line of new vans with all new colour schemes and different finishes which will be ready for the show! Cannot wait!!! Doug and Lis in Darwin.
  23. Hi all, We are in the process of ordering a 20 foot ATV shortly. Have any of the owners that have had air suspension fitted had any issues. Do you think it performs much/any better than the standard suspension. I have looked here and other forums and have not been able to get much feedback on caravan air suspension. Any thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks DOug
  24. Russ, We are also looking at the lithium batteries and would be interested in hearing how they are performing. I understand the charging equipment is different and would be better to set up in the build stage. However the price we were quoted was quite substantial. Are you satisfied with the performance and value for money. Lis & Doug
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