Steve and Kez

************************** Due to the current financial situation, the Government has decided to implement a scheme to put workers of 50 years of age and above on early, mandatory retirement, thus creating jobs and reducing unemployment. This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire Aged People Early). Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to the Government to be considered for the SHAFT program (Special Help After Forced Termination). Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under theSCREW program (System Covering Retired-Early Workers). A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as the Government deems appropriate. Persons who have been RAPED could get AIDS (Additional Income for Dependents & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel Early Severance). Obviously persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED orSCREWED any further by the Government. Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on will receive as muchSHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible. The Government has always prided themselves on the amount of SHIT they give our citizens. Should you feel that you do not receive enough SHIT, please bring this to the attention of your MP, who has been trained to give you all theSHIT you can handle. Sincerely, The Committee for Economic Value of Individual Lives (E.V.I.L.) PS - Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas and oil, as well as current market conditions, The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off.

Hello Blueheeler. Mate I have no dougt that it would cost another fee to have the rating down graded to the original GVM. I dont really think that is an issue if you wish to sell the van Cheers

Hello Blueheeler, All that you have written is true. But what you should also know is that when I discussed the issues with David at Kedron, he is happy to re-rate your van back to 3500kg when you are ready to sell it, therefore I don't see any issues in being "Legal" for the time I have the van.

Hi Muz, Mate, Firstly I spoke to Tom and David together when we were in there to get the van serviced and David said it would not be a problem but the max he could go was 4ton. David said to ring Tom when I was ready and send up the old GVM plate (and the money of coarse) and they would sort out the paperwork and send me the new GVM plate . We do have a 21ft TE with the 6ton McHitch so he was happy to do so but we had to wait until we took delivery of the GMC otherwise we wouldn't be able to tow it with the Patrol. Mate if you need any more info give me a call or email

Thank you all for your information, We have enjoyed all the recommendation we could manage and are now in Perth getting the van and ute ready for storeage before we head off for our new employment.

Hello JK, We have not fitted airbags as yet because as you said, " it only drops about 1-2 inches. However I most likly will fit them because now we have a better tow capacity and more room, we seem to be filling it up ............... I bet no one else has this problem??????????? We also had our van re-rated to 4 Ton by Kedron and when we put it over the weigh bridge it went 3920kg in full travel mode ie: 3 full water tanks (300lts), 2 x gas bottles, 2 x 20lt full diesel jerry's, 1 x 20lt petrol jerry, 5lt 2 stroke jerry, genny, chain saw, full wood rack on back, etc, etc and it seems everything else you can imagine.

Hi Tony, We are starting new jobs with a company called Outback Stores who run the community stores in about 40 aboriginal communities. www.outbackstores.com.au We go to Darwin for a weeks induction and then onto Balgo for 3-6 months training. We are going to be doing relief management so we will be doing Fly in Fly out on the mail planes around all the communities. We will be in each community for 2-8 weeks at a time. We are really looking forward to learning some of the aboriginal culture and seeing some remarkable scenery that most people don't get to see as we move around. The only down side is that we have to store our car and van as we cant take it with us. Cheers

Thank you RodnSue, The temps up here have been a consistent 40-44 so we are looking forward to a sea breeze. We just had a week in Tassie for New Year and froze our butts off as it was only 20-25. We finish work here on Tues and we then head down as quick as we can. We are aware that it wont be a good time with the school hols but we dont have a choice as we start our new jobs on the 28 Jan in Balgo WA, just near Halls Creek (360kms away) in the Great Sandy Desert. Thanks for the info, it is much appreciated

Hello fellow Koggers We have the 6 ton McHitch and have been experimenting the WDB’s that Kedron supplied at the time of purchase and find it makes very little, if any difference at all using or not using them. So we now opt to leave them off all the time now. Cheers

Happy New Year fellow Koggers, Kerry and I will be heading from Alice to Perth next week and want to squeeze in a week at Esperance before we have to go to Perth then onto Darwin for work. We would like some recommendations on where to stay and what to see to make the most of the 1 week we will be there for. Your assistance will be appreciated

Tony, I think it is about time you found a job or started a hobby as i think you have far much to free time on your hands

Would have to disagree with you on the turning circle Chris. We have gone from a Patrol to the GMC with very little effort at all. My wife parks it no problem, but in saying that we have always "picked" our parking spot to try and avoid the usual car park damage. Believe all the stories you like, as most are only "stories". We are currently working in the Big 4 caravan park in Alice Springs and I would have to say that 60% of the people who come in shouldn’t be towing a van at all, so I have no doubt that people get themselves into trouble and then panic as some people seem to have their ambitions mixed up with their capabilities If you want a car for the city ……………… buy a buzz box. If you want a tow vehicle for a heavy van …………… Buy a GMC/Silverado Drive one before you make judgement

Why don't you just buy a GMC/Silverado?? The GMC has similar specs the Sahara and will be around the same money, if not cheaper. You will have power to burn and you will have better fuel economy. You can tow in any gear you wish and you can drive it as a manual if your heart desires. The comfort is 2nd to none and it tows my 4 ton TE as if it wasn't there. At 110kms it idles along at 1500rpm and when you put your foot down to overtake a road train the beast comes alive effortlessly and gets the job done as if you were not towing at all (my wife says it does it too easy as it will hit 150kpm very quickly before you realise). It solves all the weight issues of the heavy van and makes towing relaxing and a pleasure to do so knowing the vehicle is doing it easy as opposed to stressing about being on the vehicles being on its weight limits and power limits The exhaust brakes(standard feature) are very effective and also saves on wear and tear of the vehicle and van brakes Before you decide, do your homework as the GMC, while is certainly longer(6M), it is only about 50 mm wider than most of the larger 4wds(unlike the F250). The GMC is a born tow vehicle and you owe it to your self to at least drive one before you decide. If you wish to know more, just ask as I was like you ……… unsure which way to go. I am certainly glad I went the way I have. Cheers

The McHitch certainly gets my vote. Very easy operation and has a double lock on system to ensure it stays where it should

Well, Well, Well Tony, I thought it was just with your wife where the depth just varies, but it seems like it can happen on line too .................. go figure P.S. I liked your joke too

Guys, Just go the TE and buy a GMC/Chev and all your troubles will be gone............................... its no good being the richest guys in the cemetry. If your not living on the edge ................ your taking up too much room

Why don't you register the tow vehicle in Qld also???? Thats what we did

Hello Rick and Lea, Do those extra 2 bars serve alcohol? Knowing you guy, I am guessing they do

you can also get it in white

Hi Beejay, We too had the same issue with our TE when we purchased it in Dec 2010. Tom allowed us to use a local guy to repair it as we were in Pt Stephens (NSW) at the time and he used a grey silicon(as our van is silver) and we are very happy with the result to the point it looks much better than the original job. Cheers

We would have to agree. The aerial is pathetic. Unfortunatly we didn't find out how bad it is until we got into the outback. It will be the first thing I will be changing when we get back to a larger town ................. god knows when that will be. I will try the coat hanger trick in the mean time

Hi all, Well we would have to agree with you all as well. We too have had a couple of very small teething issues with our TE when we fist purchased it and Tom and the crew went out of their way to help out and get any issues sorted out. They have also helped me with a couple of issues well after the warranty has run out ..... all at no charge. Makes us feel proud to be a Kedron owner

Hi Guys, All I can say is "Just Do It". We travelled with our best mate Rex (a red cattle dog) up until he passed away at aged 17. We miss him very much and would gladly swap any of the (minor) inconveniences there were to have with us still. He was a better travel companion then a lot of the people we know. Start a travel passport for him and get all the caravan parks you stay in to stamp it if they were happy with his behaviour. You can then use it to persuade the "not so pet friendly" parks into letting him in. It proved to be a very handy tool for us. Better to try and fail then suffer the regret of not trying at all Good luck with your travels

Hello all, I just wanted to clear up a matter concerning the Victorian dealers. there is actually 2 dealers/importers in Traralgon and they are almost across the road from each other. One is Victorian American Importors and the other is American Car Sales. Both seem very good at what they do and it was hard for us to decide, however Victorian American Importers has been doining it for over 16 years and came highly recommended as the other guy has only been doning it for a couple of years which made me a bit uncertain. in saying that, their workmanship far exceeded Performax. The other guy in Rowville does all his conversions in India to keep the costs down. I geuss it is all personal choice really. cheers

Hello All, Well we have finally sorted our van weight problem ....... we ordered our new 2012 GMC Denali 2500 yesterday and it we should have it in about 8-9 weeks. After much research about the suppliers (Performax in Qld and American Car Sales & Victorian American Imports both from Vic) we decided to go through Victorian American Imports as He seemed by far the most professional and has been around for over 15 years. The workmanship and look of both Vic companies left Performax for dead plus I have a very trusted friend who has purchased 4 vehs through Vic imports over the last 6 years and recommended them highly. They are re-rating the GVM down 45kg at no charge also to bring it under the MR reqirements. After driving the veh, there was no question it is the best way to go as it is a remarkable veh to drive and is only 36mm wider than the Patrol and is actually the same with as the tray on the Patrol which I couldnt beleive and had to measure it a few times to make sure it was right. I was also amazed at the turning circle of it which i had doughts about. I cant wait now for delivery Cheers