Neville and Kay
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Posts posted by Neville and Kay
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Thanks to all who replied to my post. Judging by those replies so far, they lean towards the Landcruiser, although the Jury's still out on the Jeep.
I think what concerns me more at the moment is the tare & agg weight of the TE, which is 2980kg & 3480kg. It looks like the previous owner
has fitted a 3kva generator to the drawbar. I don't know if that was standard from new(the van is a 2005 model) If it's not then would that change the
tare & agg weight? Another question that springs to mind is, does the agg weight include full water tanks? My main concern is being covered in the
unlikely event of an accident, & having the claim rejected because the van was over the 3500kg limit, 'cos we all know insurance companies will duck & weave if everything isn't 100% legal. I intend to have the van weighed anyway, & have sent an email to Dept of Transport to get their ruling on
tare & agg weights. However I would be interested in any feedback from you guys/girls. Sorry, if I've gone on a bit long with this subject, but it's a big decision for us both, & as we will be retiring soon, would like to get it right the first time.
Cheers,
Brad & Jan(BreadnJam)
Hi Brad & Jan.Look back to the post Increasing your Vehicle Towing Capicity January 25,you will see about Tare & GVM of Vans what it includes & does not.Put it over a registered weigh bridge then you know where you are for sure,most operators will let you drive on with just car on,Wt[1] wind jockey down on ground lift van gives draw bar wt[2] then pull van on to bridge total wt[3] drive car off bridge wind jockey wheel down on to bridge wt of van[4]. Regards Neville.
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Hi,
We are planning to visit the Dargo High Plains area in the next week or so. We have a Topender and wondered if anybody can tell us what the road is like to Dargo and any camping suggestions?
Thanks,
Neville and Kay
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Hi all again,Dave at Kedron upgraded our Topender from 3.5 to 4 Ton.for I think $300 including new Comp.plate.This has made us okay for Insurance as when on hook we are 3400kg & off the hook 3650kg,& I believe Insurance Co. will weight off hook if in accident.It is the reg. of van that I do not yet know if it will be more expensive. Neville.
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Hi all, if it costs a bit extra for Rego? it is still cheaper than if one has an accident & no Insurance not only Van cost but what costs when other Ins.comp.knows you were not legal.Regards Neville.
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Hi Neville,
Thanks for responding, I was hoping you would.
When I phoned QT yesterday I only got a very sketchy response with no details on how to tie up inspections if you were interstate at the time of reg renewal.
How much do QT rip you off for registering a 4000k van?
It is good to hear that you are still happy with your Hitch-Ezy now that you have been using it for quite a while - How does it handle bull dust ingression and red dirt ?
The last time I spoke with Tom at Kedron he told me that he had installed quite a few but had not yet received any feedback.
Laurie,
when speaking with QT yesterday they informed me that all vans over 3500k required the annual inspection; but I did not think to ask them if there was any cost benefit in regestering the van at 3900 rather than the 4000.
As you quite rightly point out it is better to keep the money in my pocket rather than give it to QT - my wallet has already been well depleted this week
.Regards,
JK.
Hi JK,Kedron sent papers off to QT & our Rego is due in May,so I can not say how much extra it is going to cost if any will let you know when we get our renewal.Kay was on the phone for 3 parts of an hour getting put from one person to another untill we found out about when you were out of the State what to do & then the girl asked where we lived & when Kay told her she said we would not have to do that.Tom might be able to tell you if it costs extra.Regards Neville.
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Hi all,in a prior forum I thought I saw where you were not to use Thermostat to turn the fridge off to Defrost,so what else can I do as there is no switch.Thanks Neville & Kay.
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After deciding to upgrade my tow tug (Silverado), I am trying to weigh up the pro's & con's of having the Kedrons GVM upgraded to 4000kg.
I would be very interested to hear from members who have already been down this road and in particular complications if any with Qld registration.
As part of the upgrade the tow hitch has to be upgraded and would like to hear opinions of the hitches. I am aware of previous discussions and the majority seem to be in favour of the 6T McHitch but has anyone fitted one of the new platinum series?
It would also be interesting to have some reports from those who have fitted the Hitch-Ezy.
There also seems to be opinions as to whether a weight distribution hitch should be used, so a consensus here would also be of great interest.
Thanks & regards, JK.
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As a guideline for keeping my loading weights down I stripped the van out and weighed all of the necessities that we need to carry on an average trip.
I committed the weights to a spread sheet which allowed me to get a running load as I proceeded. Finally I came up with a list that will allow my loading to come within the prescribed GVM, provided that the Tare was done accuratley at time of delivery.
Caravan Loading Schedule
Tare 2905....... GVM 3500
Load 552...... Allowable 595....... (available for allocation 43)]
water in HWS 20
water (2 part tanks) 150
gas 40
jerricans 10
fuel 0
deisel in heater 5
Front Boot
ant flap kit 12
hoses 5
BBQ 9
gas bottle 10
ext leads 7
water pump 6
Side boot
Honda generator 21
chainsaw 10
LH Side boot
chairs 10
sullage 5
table 8
camp oven 6
LH shovel 2
buckets etc 8
mt jerricans 9
Under Bed
jack 17
shade panels 16
floor panels 10
wine 11
TV dish 12
Kitchen
pots/pans 6
sundries 10
pantry 12
tin food 14
draw contents 30
Clothing
JK 30
PK 30
linen/bedding 25
bathroom 20
Fridge
(contents will have to come within the 43kg spare)
It would be interesting to see how my loading compares with others.
Regards, JK.
JK.where is your spare 43 kg your total adds to 596kg.Like you said at the beginning as long as your Tare was wright, our van was bought May 2007 17ft6inch internal Topender & we were no where near the Tare. The only way to be sure is to strip it down to Delivery & put it over a Bridge,I believe there is one just north of Kedron.It can be a costly exercise,like we did to our Tug or big Chevy.Regards Neville.
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John,
The option of the Silverado while it would be nice doesn't always allow you to get everywhere off road once you leave the van behind unless you want plenty of panel damage on some of the narrow tracks up north. Don't get me wrong I would love one it's just the additional width when you go 4WDing without the van.
We put our 19'6" TE (external)over the weighbridge yesterday set up the way we had it for our trip to Darwin last year and it came in at 3780, so I took it to another weighbridge and it came in at 3760. I am somewhat confused at some of the weights being quoted for vans in some previous topics and discussions considering they are larger vans than ours. We don't have a generator or anything additional hanging off the van.
I have taken everything out of the van today and weighed it and came up with 180kg inside, 250 kg outside this is allowing a 20% increase on what I weighed for scale error. The tare listed on the van is 2835 but I am missing between 195 and 215 kg that I cannot find hidden in the van between the tare weight and loosing the 300kg water, 250 kg outside and 180 kg inside. Even allowing that the tare may have been calculated without the 2 spares (80kg) no gas (18kg) I still cannot account for a significant figure around 100kg ?
I have reduced 52 kg worth of gear from the outside that I can transfer into the car but we are not carrying anything inside that would be considered luxury or not a necessity if you were going for a trip around the block.
Guess I will have to keep looking for options to increase the tow capcity of the cruiser and in the meantime lower water levels while travelling.
cheers
Hi Laurie & Helen,our van had a tare of 2730 kg & to get to this wt.they told me that all of the following are on the ground & are not included[ 2gas bottles,2spares,gen set,no water including cassett,matress's & seat cushions]I also asked if the 3 deep cycle batteries were included & they would not comment.So Iwould say your missing KGs are some where here.Regards Neville
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Hi Russ,
I haven't done a full test on the ball weight with the box installed as yet because I only installed it last week. I was very surprised when I got the scales and checked the ball weight with the van loaded (except for clothes) and the water tanks full (no box on rear at this stage), it weighed 423kgs. As my tow vehicle is a Range Rover with air bag suspension and self levelling (same as your Discovery) you don't realise the amount of weight. I did some testing before I had the box made by moving the rear bar out by 400mm and filled up jerry cans of water and put them in the space to make sure my theory would work. It did and the weight came down to around 300kgs. I took notes on the weights which I have left in the van which is stored about 10kms from here , so next time I'm out there I will bring them home and send them to you.
I tested it loaded but with empty water tanks, then filled each tank starting from the back and weighing it between filling each tank (4x80lt), leaving the very front tank empty makes a big difference. So when we are going to travel to areas where we need all tanks full the front one will be the one we use first.
When I do a proper test with the box now fitted I will let you know the results of that.
Cheers
Alan
Hi Alan & other concerned Kedron Owners my idea is to late for us,but I talked to Kedron after I had noticed this problem [ they say they customise your van]& said all they have to do is shift the axles forward & they looked at me blankely,this should not be too hard with the Engineering available today,as they do this when building boats.Our van is only 17.6 ft.internal with 2/80Lt,& 1/60 Lt.tank. We have looked at larger vans & had wondered how they got on with weights. Neville.
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Colin, We spent 2 months in the Hearts Range aera 3yrs ago going to different Gem fields & travelling through to the Alice & back across the Plenty Highway & then on to Bouila & Winton there is some great scenery between these two places,in one place on right, we drove Sahara & Topender up on top of lookout & had smoko.We did Gibb River Road last year & thought that it was the same as the Plenty. We also carry Sat Phone & a personal GME GPS Equipped Emergency Beacon which is registered to us giving Vehicle description,contact ph.numbers beside ours,as we travel to lot of out of the way places & mostly by ourselves.Which ever way you go we are sure you will really enjoy it as it is a great Country. Regards Neville.
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Hi Neville
You can get those computer fans at J car
Phil
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Well we solved the problem with our fridge at a total cost of $120 which was a great relief thanks to our very knowledgeabe Auto Electrician. He felt that it was a power problem and a possible overheating of the compressor unit.He first blew all the dust out of the small radiater unit on the side and also discovered that the cooling fan was not working so a fast build up of heat and the fridge cut out. Because the the fan is in a very awkward spot to get at he fixed a fan on the other side of the radiator or condenser (not sure which is the right name) but voilla and all is well. The fan was a 120mm x 120mm x25 and fitted the fixing holes on the unit exactly.It is an XX-2522 ball bearing unit 12v 60 m/a with a 106cfm air flow @ 3000 rpm.It is very quiet and the fridge temperature is better than its ever been. He did say that if for any reason we need to pull the fridge out that a replacement origonal fan would also be a good option as well. Hope this may be helpful info for consideration of maybe fitting an extra fan to better cool the unit.
Geoff
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Hi all if you are intrested you can buy the bladders from Whitworth Marine or other Marine suppliers they are a [Turtle brand]& come in all sizes we have carried a 200Lt one for 4yrs. used it while in the West & Central Aust,as we could leave the van & travel to where we could get water & fill the bladder layed out in the back of then L/C Saharah,when back at van just use in line pump to fill tanks.They are designed to carry either Diesel or Water [on Boats] & have heavy eylets in sides so they can be lashed down.I think they are on Goldcoast Qld.
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Thanks Neville,
Did you not experience any chipping on your ATRs? That was certainly some weight you were moving. Are your new Cooper tyres the AT3s? I can't locate a ply rating for the ATRs. The BFGs appear to get a good rap with many caravanners and interestingly, I've just had a quote comparing the 265/70/17 size tyres of both BFG and Cooper. BFG TA KO = $360 ea; Cooper AT3 = $430 ea.
morribm,
Sorry it took so long to reply to your questions but I flew home to Cooktown [& did not take laptop ] for a few weeks to build a car port & do some fishing got car port done but no fishing wind up to much.Ihad very little chipping on the ATR Coopers,if you can get hold of the booklet from a tyre store it will show the ply the 265/70R17 has a rating of 121R which is 10 ply [803mm dia] you can also get a 265/70R17 that has a rating of 115S WHICH IS 6ply [803mm dia]which was fitted to my vehicle in Frankston VIC that was not legal.Where did you get your prices from as if I am in the aera when I need tyres I would like to get a price as I will be up for at least 7 tyres next round.
Neville.
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Hi Brian.
With Tyres fitted to your Landcruiser as long as they are of the same Specs or greater than what is written on drivers side door pillar you are right.We had Cooper ATR fitted in VIC & they were not legal on our L/C but we got 60,000km. using 6 tyres [50,000]each,have now fitted a new set of Cooper Tyres 265/70R17 10Ply. With original Coopers we did Gibb River Rd,Gold fields north Kalgoolie,Plenty Hwy,Katheren Burketown Karumba across to Chillagoe to Mareeba & home to Cooktown towing Top Ender 3.7 T.& L/C Sahara 3.8T [bOTH C/Van & L/C now modified] & was happy with Coopers.When working in Cooktown I was working on Cape York & used BFGoodrich & was happy with them but when I priced them up against Cooper they were $35 a tyre dearer & I was not convinced the $-- Km was worth the difference.
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Phil
The job on the vehicle was done by Creative Conversions in Brendale just around the corner from Kedron Caravans. It is Blue Plated to Australian Standards and is legal in all states. Photo of finished product attached (hopefully!).
Russ
I used to own a Landrover Discovery with this suspension and got sick and tired of the little things going wrong with it. Living in Cooktown and having to drive 330 km to Cairns to get it fixed just got too much so I traded it in on a Landcruiser Troop Carrier after 8 months and had no more problems.
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We are on the road again after having our Sahara modified to a twin cab & lockable canopy with a GVM 4495 kg ,& the Topender also upgraded to 4 Ton by Kedron Caravans who installed a new 5 Ton Hitch-Ezy coupling which they had just received 2 of in the post. Glen was quite impressed as he & Tom had a good look at it. So now we are all up to scratch with weights & can really enjoy our tripping around. We are extremely happy with the Hitch-Ezy so far although it has only been on for 2 months for it is great when hooking up & disconnecting although with the new Air Bag suspension on the vehicle with the flick of a switch we can drop all air out of the rear suspension lowering the tow bar 150mm which helps on uneven sites, then flick the switch back & the compressor cuts in & pumps the suspension back to the preset height. We left Cooktown in August & are currently on the South Coast of NSW watching whales & seals most days & enjoying life.
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For those of you who have never met Eddie perhaps a little background may help. We have known Eddie for more than thirty years. He is a proud and honest man who has worked very hard in his lifetime and even now at his age still keeps on going. For Eddie and the Hopevale Community "Respect" is the keyword. This is their home, their backyard if you like and our world is a million miles away and totally uncomprehended. So just remember if Eddie was someone you didn't know and you wanted to stay in his backyard how would you go about it? Be polite, give him time, his world runs at a different pace. Ring before you go and have a chat to him and you will be rewarded by a sincere man who, if you want you can learn much from. So if you want the real deal aboriginal experience give it a try - if not go to a caravan park and take a tour!
Neville & Kay
Cooktown
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Hello Phil & Dralene, ours is a Dec.2006 100 series ,& we are having it turned into a twin cab & lazy axle & is being done by www.creativeconversions.com.au who are around the corner from Kedron Vans, We chose this lot because they remove existing rear suspension & set it all up on 4 air bags & has built in air compressor & tank so one can drop rear suspension approx 150mm then it self levels. It also self levels depending on load, this will then give us a GVW on finished Vehicle of 4500kg & Legistation in Qld (lagging behind other States) is about to change & we will be able to tow 4000kg to 4400 kg.We saw in a caravan book some time ago a 200 Series which had this done by same place.(Yoshy & Kerry) Kedron Top Ender who had a message in the forum back in I think about August last year. I looked with magnifing glass at Blue Plate which was under bonnett & he had a total capicity of 8900 kg GVM. Neville & Kay.
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John & Ann, I understand that the Sahara has a limit of 3500 kg in its standard form but I am talking about the actual Tow Bar itself as it has 3500kg stamped on it. We have it now in being made into a Dual Cab with a Lazy Axle this will increase Payload & towing capicity and we sure hope this solves all our problems as it is not a cheap exercise. Thanks Neville & Kay.
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Hello John & Ann, I now understand why one would change to 6 Ton hitch but do you still fit it to a 3500 kg Towbar or can one buy a Towbar greater than 3500 kg. Thanks Neville
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Why would you fit a 6 ton McHitch to your van when the Hayman Reece towbar on the tow vehicle is stamped 3,500kg and our Landcruiser Sahara can only tow 3,500kg? Our Top Ender does weigh more than this and we would love to know as we are currently having our Sahara made into a twincab with lazy axle in order to transfer weight from the van to the vehicle and be legal. Was there an easier way.
Split fuel tank
in Public Forum
Posted
We had the original small tank removed from Sahara in Feb.2007 & replaced it with a 150 Lt tank from TJM in Cairns & have had no problems at all.I might be wrong but I do not believe the chassie would twist enough to effect the tank I would guess faulty work? We have now done 140,000 km with Sahara.