Beejay

Thanks Eric & Jody, this has also been our expeience in previous vans. I overlooked mentioning the interference occurs irrespective of whether the TV is powered from the 12v or 240v source. All very strange

We have been on the road since end February in our 3rd Kedron - a new 20ft ATV. An annoying issue with this van is bad interference with the TV whenever we use the microwave. We have the TEAC high definition TV supplied with the van and a Sharp Carousel microwave. We carry pay TV and sat dish with us and the interference occurs irrespective of whether we are hooked into the sat dish or the Winegard aerial. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Beejay

Hi Rod & Mavis, Good to hear that you are enjoying yourself. We are booked to depart on 5 April, returning on 29 May after that who knows as long as we make it home by Early October. We are looking forward to the Tassie leg of the trip and if you are still around we may bump into you. Brian & Dawn

The reference to weights in this thread needs to be considered in line with Mayzee's requirements of the tow vehicle. Weight is a special topic that seems to be overlooked by caravanners. I know that many threads have references to various aspects of weights but as Jaygee states "the ground is very unstable underfoot". Personally I would like to see the introduction of a special licence for towing caravans/trailers over a specific size and the issue on weight would then be included as part of the licence requirements. Jaygee in reference to Kerb Mass the ADR definition can be found at the following link: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/legislatio...scomp3FINAL.pdf. These define Kerb Mass as "the mass of the vehicle in running order unoccupied and unladen with all fluid reservoirs filled to nominal capacity and with all standard equipment." I contacted Toyota to obtain their understanding of Kerb Mass and how it is applied. Their response stated "the Kerb or unladen mass is the mass of an empty vehicle, without cargo, driver, passengers, but including maximum amounts of fuel, oil, coolant, standard equipment, factory options (sunroof etc), spare tyre and tools. It does not include accessories (eg, bull bar, towbar, dual battery carrier, etc.)." The payload of the tow vehicle which the ADR's term "load capacity" is arrived at by deducting the Kerb Mass from the GVM. My 100 series has a Kerb Mass of 2655kg and a GVM of 3260kg giving a payload of 605kg. This has been confirmed by Toyota. Jaygee I suggest your tare of 2623kg includes full tanks and is the vehicles rated Kerb Mass. The upgraded GVM of 3800kg will give a wopping big payload of 1177kg. The point on which I haven't been able to get precise confirmation is the weight that can be legally towed after the GVM upgrade bearing in mind that I have been verbally advised by both ARB and Qld Transport that any increase in GVM is deducted from the towing capacity which I find to be in conflict with the following written advice from Qld Transport: "If the manufacturer has specified GVM but not the GCM rating for a towing vehicle, then it can be loaded up to its GVM (including any vertical load on the coupling joint) and it can tow a trailer loaded equal to or less than the towing vehicle's Rated Towing Capacity which is also specified by the vehicle manufacturer" To my knowledge Landcruisers have no specified GCM and this has been confirmed by Toyota. If this is correct then the advice from Qld Transport clearly indicates that the vehicles towing capacity is considered quite separately from the GVM and this suggests that the tow vehicle can tow a trailer up to its rated towing capacity irrespective of the upgraded GVM. The trailer can have an ATM up to but not exceeding the tow vehicles rated towing capacity. In the case of a 100/200 series landcruiser that is 3500kg. Based on the advice of Qld Transport it appears that the matter of GCM isn't relevant in any vehicle except a category NC (heavy goods vehicle). This would be good news for Jaygee but should be checked out in WA. Apart from the load rating of tyres other factors that must be considered in this complex subject are the axle load ratings on both the caravan and the tow vehicle. I hope this has assisted in lifting the fog on some of this complex subject but suggest that those interested in ensuring they comply with their legal responsibility should check it out for themselves and visit a public weighbridge. Have fun and safe travelling Brian

Weights are a whole big issue in themselves. In August we were pulled up by the police and transport dept outside Cunnamulla and they were weighing all vans. I also understand they have been active in other states. They climbed all over the guy in front of us. The problem is not so much any fine for being overweight but if the caravanner is involved in an accident there is a strong possibility there will be no insurance cover. The boys at Kedron told me recently that two vans were brought in that had rolled over and the first action of the insurers was to weigh the vans. How would it be if a Double B was involved and lost all their load and the caravan is without insurance because they are overweight whether the caravanner is in the right or wrong would probably be irrelevant. I have had lengthy communication with the Qld transport dept, ARB and Toyota about weights. As I understand the ADR's the vehicle manufacturer is responsible for nominating the GCM and this is only mandatory on N category vehicles which are heavy transport. I know there is no requirement for a GCM to be specified on my 100 series and I would assume the same with the 200 series. If the manufacturer has specified GVM but not the GCM rating for a towing vehicle, then it can be loaded up to its GVM (including any vertical load on the coupling joint) and it can tow a trailer loaded equal to or less than the towing vehicle's Rated Towing Capacity which is also specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The total trailer mass (including any vertical load on the coupling joint) must not exceed the Rated Towing Capacity of the towing vehicle. In reality the interpretation of all this is that the GVM and the trailer Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) effectively sets the gross mass of the histched up unit. I was advised by ARB that any increase in the GVM rating is deducted from the towing capacity and they said this is reflected in the new compliance plate issues by the transport dept. I am still endeavouring to confirm this as it would mean that a Lovells upgrade of 500kg means that the rated towing capacity is reduced to 3000kg. I would be interested to hear if this was the case for Jaygee. Note that the 100 series cannot get a GVM upgrade. Another interesting point touched on in this thread is the treatment of the ball weight. My 100 series has a payload of 600kg which excludes fuel as this is included in the Kerb Mass. If I deduct a tow ball mass of say 340kg and two adults at say 150kg and then there's vehicle accessories inluding bull bar, tow bar and tools of say around 80kg that only leaves about 30kg so if I pack in a car fridge and a few drinks I will be overweight. Now if I put a heap of other gear in the back or a roof rack on top and a boat there is no way I can be legal. One way around all this is to change over to either a larger tow vehicle or alternatively a 70 series GXL ute which has a payload of about 1300kg without a tray but neither of these options is cheap. Have fun and safe travelling Brian

Thanks to all you good people for your advice. I have joined the washing machine to the sink as we will never use them both at the same time and when we use teh shower I will simply transfer the sullage hose. We are off in a few days for a trip out West them down to Northern NSW this will give us a chance to test out the new van and see how the re-arranged sullage system works. Regards Brian & Dawn

Hi Chris, In our knock down trip we intend to spend a couple of days at Somerset for the same reason as yourself and probably come home via Dalby/Kaimkillenbun/Kilcoy. Our next trip will be out through Cunnamulla then down through the Darling River country where I spent some of my younger days fishing across to Tullibigeal then to the MIA and across to Braidwood and Bungendore coming home through Canowindra/Dubbo/Hebel/Dirranbandi/StGeorge. We will be away about 6/7 weeks. Next year we will head off around Oz again. It's a terrible thing to be so busy but it should be lots of fun :laugh: . Brian & Dawn

Hi to all, I am a newcomer to the Kedron Owners Group but have owned a Kedron sinse early 2002. Since then we have travelled many outback roads and anyone who has travelled on our dusty outback roads is well aware of the dust that sneaks into the van through the external fridge vent. Many of us have used a number of different methods to stop the intrusion of this annoying nuisance such as taping over the vent. I understand that some of the Bushtracker owners have started to internally vent the fridges and then completely close off the external vent thereby completely eliminating dust intrusion from this souce. If this works then it could have some benefits. I have no idea how this works or the amount of work involved or even whether it is successful. Has anyone had any experience in this area ? Cheers, Brian & Dawn

Hi Danny & Sue, As a long time Kedron owner of more than 8 years I can only say that you have made the right choice and the fun after the wait will make it all worthwhile. Kingy and Rhonda were spot on with their assessment of the level of service you will get from the Gall boys. We are in the process of changing vans and were lucky enough to find one in stock that ticked most of the boxes so we only had a very short wait rather then sit about until next May. We pick our ATV up on Thursday and take off on the following Tuesday for a short knock down trip then the following week we head off for 6 weeks just to see how it really goes. We love to get out on the road and into the bush in a van that we know won't let us down. Happy Travelling Brian & Dawn

Thanks everyone for your input. We pick up our new ATV on 19 August so I will look at your suggestions. It is most unlikely that all three will be operating at the same time. I'm all for not carrying too many hoses. Regards Brian & Dawn

Hi to all, we are in the process of buying our second new Kedron swapping :laugh: our 2002 XC pop top for a new 21 ft (external) ATV and we are wondering how other Kedron ownere have attacked the problem of three sullage hose outlets with one in the rear and two in the front. Kedron have advised that joining the washing machine and the sink will cause the washing machine to backup into the sink when emptying.