Mayzee

Hi Laurie, Couldn't agree more! Regards John

G'Day John, I pretty much agree with your tyre pressures. We did the Gibb River Road in 2011 with 28Lbs front and 35Lbs rear and 28Lbs for the van that weighed at or just above 3,500Kg. Our Landcruiser 200 had the original Dunlop Grand Treks with about 35,000Km on them and we had no tyre problems. Like it seems most, we have also been caught out by not reducing tyre pressure on relatively short trips over severe corrugations. In 2010 while visiting Kakadu we didn't reduce the van tyre pressures from 45Lbs for a quick trip into Gunlom Falls. On arrival the top drawer and cutlery were spread over the floor. Amazing the difference tyre pressure makes. Regards John

Hi Sue & Ian, Thirteen vans are due to arrive at Leonora 16th June via the Outback Way. That will be the completion of our convoy so everyone will decide where they want to go from there. Check out the post on that subject. Regards John

Hi Chris, Not sure the Megapulse would solve your problem. I heard about it a couple of years ago and asked Springers Brisbane (12V specialists used by many Koggers) about it. They said our 3 stage float charger does the same thing. Our original batteries only lasted 2 years before packing it in and we were very careful not to let them drop below about 12.4 volts. While at home we turn everything off including the fridge and leave the van under a cover with 3 clear Plastic? covers, one over each solar panel. We noticed that when we then connected to mains power charging commenced immediately. Was that a factor in reducing battery life? I don't know but with our new batteries we now leave mains power connected all the time we are home. We have found that it is difficult to find someone really competent with 12V systems. Because of problems with the fridge at night we visited two battery specialists in WA during our 2011 trip, both (one of which was Battery World)checked them and said they were OK. When Springers Brisbane checked them they advised us to replace them and sure enough that fixed the problem. I'm not having a cheap shot at the WA guys as I'm sure there are plenty of good 12V people there,just highlighting how difficult it seems to be to get really good advice for 12V systems.

Hi Chris Like Russ I can't see how you have a sulphation problem with AGM batteries. With wet cells you.can fix the problem with a product called Batrolyte Regards John

Hi Colin, Now that you're talking our speed (150-200km) per day we would love to join your trip. We would plan to link up with you at Winton. As others say it's a bit early to commit 100% but unless something untoward happens we'll definitely be there. Congratulations on your decision to invite others to join your trip to WA via the short cut!

How good is it to see your new van hooked on behind you. We've had ours for 3 1/2 years now and the feeling is still as good as when we first took delivery

Hi Bill & Wendy We have a 200 series towing a 21 Ft ATV2. Our vehicle has the KDS suspension which no doubt helps a bit but with 340kg on the tow ball we have spent 3 years travelling this great country including the GRR last year with no problems...just a slight nose down on the van. We have recently had Poly air bags fitted and now even with only 10lbs pressure in them the van is slightly nose up. No need to have anything more done to the suspension. When we bought the van in 2009 we had a 100 series GXL that was really soft in the back end. We had stronger springs and shocks fitted and also air bags. The end result was unstable steering with the vehicle jumping sideways when taking off from traffic lights, particularly when heading up hill. Before everyone asks....yes we have a Hayman Reese WDH and we tried various angles and tensions. Anyway what I am suggesting is take it one step at a time...fit air bags and see how you go before other upgrades.

Hi Russ and John The suspension on our ATV was described on the Kedron leaflet at time of ordering in 2008 as "Cruisemaster independent suspension, military style leaf springs with shock absorbers". We are definitely able to easily level the van using one ramp and like Russ I also use a spirit level. Regards John

Hi there Rob and congratulations on your soon to be delivered TE. We initially used the smallish Fiamma levellers but found that they often used to sink into the ground if conditions were wet. We also found we had to allow for the roll back as Russ said. While in Perth last year we bought a pair of the larger Fiamma stepped ramps but unlike others we only use one and it works perfectly. I am also very fussy and always level the van if even slightly out. I can't stand the fridge or ensuite doors not staying put. We also use a small set of 4 of the yellow wheel chocks we initially had for our camper trailer. Regards John

Hi again Richard, Since you are heading for Broome I guess you know about the stairway to the moon that occurs about 3 nights during the months of July etc. Enjoy your WA experience. We certainly did. Don't miss the wreath flowers at Pindar, We have never seen anything like them before or since.

Hi there Richard, We travel in a 200 Series and 21ft ATV, lucky to weigh in below 3,500 Kg. 2nd August 2011 we left Kununurra and pulled into a rest area at the junction of the Wyndham and Gibb River road and let all tyres down to 28psi. We then crossed the Pentecost river, only 700mm deep so a piece of cake. After an overnight stop at Home Valley Station and a fantastic meal at the Dusty Bar & Grill we continued down the GRR. As others have said, drive to the conditions, generally we sat on about 80kph but on many occasions we dropped back to 60 and all the time I watched out for and dodged sharp looking rocks on the road. By doing so we had no problems or flat tyres. At a Van Park on Eyre Penninsula another Vanner asked how many flats we had on the GRR and when I said none his reaction was amazing and he couldn't believe it...his mate had done 8 tyres during the trip. I guess that says it all. We were passed by lots of vehicles along the way and one bloke even abused me at a fuel stop for travelling too slow and holding him up!

Hi Rick, You won't regret the effort you have made to instal the kit. Since fitting it we have spent 6 months travelling NT and WA with mossies and midgies attacking in lots of places. Maureen is really sensitive to Midgies, comes out in large welts. We had absolutely no problems with any insects getting inside the van during the whole trip.

Hi Colin, Like most Koggers we will be heading up there one day and would appreciate details of your great camp spot. Maybe you could give details under the Owners Group or Owners Camp Sites. Will probably save you a lot of PM's. It will then only be available to the Kogger family as you want.

Hi There Brad, No idea what the Jeep is capable of but there are literally hundreds of 200 Cruisers out there towing heavy vans successfully so if you can I would definitely go with the flow. If the Jeep isn't capable to do the job easily it will be a very costly exercise to then change it for a Cruiser or Patrol.

Hi There Again Nev and Penny, Opinions vary, as they always do in our group but consider this, oxygen (air) and water equals algea, especially in our humid Queensland climate. It's virtually impossible to completely drain your tanks so algea will eventually visit. Fill the tanks and you eliminate the air part of the equation. Anyway this works for us and seems to be chemically sound. Mind you I am not a water quality scientist, just a simple Kogger. Enjoy your travels as we did. Cheers John & Maureen

Hi, In our 2 1/2 year old ATV we just keep it simple as per David Hunt. Turn the Vitro off at the thermostat and place towels in the doors to keep them slightly ajar to provide air flow. The light is then off.

Hi All! After a great Kogger gathering at Canungra we headed down to Springers at Brendale to sort out our 12 volt problems. Long time KOG member Rod suggested them as the people to see and he was right. Three Full River batteries later at a cost of about $1.200 we had the power again! Then on to Kedron who in their usual helpful manner organised for Opal to replace a problem area of our suspension (non critical) and also to make up a replacement Bra. Once again Kedron proved to be totally committed to customr service.

Oops Of course I meant 20.5 litres per 100 km

Hi Nev, Like most of the others we leave our water tanks full when not in use. We returned mid December from a 5 month trip from Qld across to NT then on to Kununurra, down the Gibb River road then throughout most of WA's National Parks etc. Finally we crossed the Nullarbor and made our way home. Lots of dirt roads as well as black top in the 21,200km trip. I drive our 200 series at the speed limit 100kph or 110 where legal. Our consumption varied of course along the way but over the complete trip our average was 20.5 Km/100 Litres. Regards John

Hi RodnSue, We are about to leave Mandurah for Bunbury where we will stay for a couple of days. We had the van serviced at "Town & Country Caravans" at Geraldton and can thoroughly recomend them...all wheel bearings replaced, brakes checked etc. Not cheap but they did a great job. Now we are ready for the next few thousand km.So far haven't wet a line but hope to somewhere in the great Australian Bight. Damm, haven't seen the Artists again...just my bad luck!

Hi Doris & Rob, You can approach this subject from all directions but we had only owned camper trailers before our ATV and bought top of the range Australian Offroad Odyssey campers, the last we bought in 2007 for $45,900 and sold it in 2009 for $46,000. We queried lots of people looking for vans in yards and asked "why are you changing from your current van". In almost every case the answer was because the wife wants a full ensuite. This convinced me to go that way with our ATV and I have to agree that although you only spend a small part of the day in it it's worth it. It depends on your lifestyle and if you are living in the van permanantly the combination may be the way to go. To me, what we have and the potential for resale is great.

Hi Rod & Mavis, We visited Pindar on Sunday to see the fantastic wreath flowers. Flowers are usually more Maureen's scene but I was gobsmacked by them and the others in among the scrub. On the way back to Geraldton we spent a night free camping at the Pioneer Well about 20km west of Mullewa...great spot, plenty of room and we had a camp fire and played some good music from our Ipod (or is it Ipad... anyway who cares what it's called) and I enjoyed a few...or maybe a few too many glasses of red and sang along with our Genius mixes from the 60's and 70's. We are now back in Geraldton for a Tug and Van service and to renew a few scripts to hopefully keep me going. Not sure where we are going from here but that's the great thing after a working life of living by agendas and schedules.

Hi there Sue, We have just returned to Geraldton to have maintenance done on the Tojo, Van, and John after a couple of months of tough travelling from Queensland. We went out to Mullewa to see the wreath flowers and fortunately a guy suggested we go on to Pindar (about another 20 Km}. We got to Pindar and they had a sign out saying follow the Station track for about 10km to see the wreath flowers. Well what a sight, people, vans, and cars all stopped on a bush track to photograph those truly amazing flowers. They are something not to be missed. We then free camped at the Pioneer Well and had a great camp fire before returning to Geraldton .

Hi RodnSue, Just wondering where you are. We are staying at Wagoe Chalet & Camping (20km south of Kalbarri) for a couple of days before heading to Geraldton for a few repairs and restocking of food and alcohol.