morribm

Hi Merv, I did say 'enough' (drop) but I actually meant 'too much'. In other words too close to the ground. I have a max of about 500mm between the bottom of the guard and the ground on my set up. Cheers Brian

Hi Merv, Correct me if I'm wrong, but that means the bottom of the flap will be about 100mm of the ground. Is that enough? I did have concerns about the flap flapping back in the breeze but I was thinking a 300mm drop would in and of itself generate a certain amount of rigidity. Brian

Thanks Doyley, Timely response. I'm now on the road, in Townsville and spent the day sourcing material to manufacture mud flaps as you have done. Couple of questions please. How far do your flaps extend below the stone guard? I'm thinking 300mm but am aware that if they are too low, they can act as stone/rock throwers as well. Also, what material did you use for the flaps? I've identified some 6mm rubber with internal reinforcing and although I am aware that others have used conveyer belt which is very strong but also very heavy. Appreciate your input. Cheers Brian

Thanks Sue, I contacted Ken and although he wasn't able to fabricate anything for me in the timeframe I'm stuck with, he was very generous with his time and explanation of design and construction methods. Pity I didn't get my act together sooner... Cheers Brian

Thanks Webby, Sorry about the delay in responding. My Kedron website crashed and when up, my log in details wouldn't be accepted. Your stone guard arrangement will do nicely for my needs but time isn't on my side. Please forward the details of your man and I'll see what we can do. You may prefer to PM me but perhaps posting on this site may be of help to others in the same boat. Cheers Brian

Hi Nev, Oh, I like it! That's just what I need. It appears to me that your stone guard will deflect the gremlins downwards thus protecting the back of your tug and the back window and the mats are so designed as to deflect debris outwards and away from the van. Excellent. I'm leaving on our trip next Thursday so if I head down to Brisbane in the next day or so, could you knock one up for me please? I wish. If you could, I would appreciate seeing some more detail of just how the mat is attached to the guard and perhaps a close-up of that bracket on the van and the other attachments both to the guard and the van. Is the mat easy enough to remove for when it's not needed? Raising the jerry cans as you have done is a great idea but do you find they interfere even more with access to the front boots? I take it you're handy with welding gear? Classy job! Cheers Brian

Thanks for all the input. This doesn't appear to be a 'black or white' subject. Graeme, I received a copy of the first image in your posting from Christian. It wasn't clear from the picture whether or not there were cut outs for the jerry can holders but on direct questioning of Christian, he informs me they they don't do cut outs for that purpose and dragging the mat underneath the holders will undoubtedly result in it abrading and tearing. Tony, you refer to fixing the mat just in front of the jerry cans which on my van is not a lot further back than the stone guard but even so IMO, this would still leave the front of the van unprotected. Actually, at the end of the day, those jerry can holders although essential, are really a PITA regarding their location - particularly the off side one which obstructs access to the front boot. In fact, I remove the off side one when we are not planning to travel the outback. Nev, I would really like to see what you have done but unfortunately, I don't have access to the forum you mentioned. I let my membership lapse some time ago and have never hooked up again. A couple of years ago, just before traversing the Great Central Road I fabricated a guard to cover the diesel heater tank outlet (below the tank) and was very pleased I had judging by the large ding it received while on that route that would undoubtedly have done a significant damage to the outlet had the guard not been fixed. I think I did post images on this forum somewhere. Hence the need to ensure that that area is well protected. So, at the end of the day, I've decided not to pursue the SS option. Which is all a bit disappointing because I'd sort of made up my mind to go down that pathway. I get that the shorter mat will offer some protection but my Obie's screen protects the back window of the 'Cruiser and I consider the front mat only to be 'half-a-job'. I know others have fitted thick rubber mats to the lower edge of the stone guard and I think this has some merit - they would certainly go some way to protect the front of the van. I'd like to see this setup first hand so I can get my head around how the arrangement is fixed to the stone guard. Finally, Nev's point about the size and orientation of the factory stone guard is on the money. Too narrow and too vertical. I'm going to attempt to either bend the guard forwards to reduce the forward angle and failing this, I will consider fabricating some wedges to sit under the mounting bracket to tilt the whole thing forwards. Hopefully there'll be enough of the bracket sitting below the top of the A frame to allow the fitting bolts to bite. Cheers Brian

Thanks Terry, I have been in contact with Christian and he is indeed very helpful. It was he who indicated that when fitting the Stone Stomper to Kedrons, the mat usually extends as far as the factory stone guard only but he did also attach an image of a Kedron with a mat extending all the way to the van cross beam as well. That's my dilemma. I'm not sure just how long the mat should be to offer the best protection. I think you are correct in assuming the protection the shorter mat will provide but considering the pitting that has occurred on my van on the gravel road trips I have travelled to date, I'm not at all sure the shorter mat will protect the van as much as I would like. The major concern I have with the longer mat is whether or not it will survive the abrasion and friction it may experience from the the low-set jerry can holders. Cheers Brian

I'm looking for a system that will protect both the van and the back of the tug when off road and throwing rocks around. The factory stone guard is helpful but I think mine is too vertical and tends to bounce some debris onto the back of the tug with some peppering evident on the paintwork. The rear window is protected by an Obies guard which works very well. Question: In order to adjust the angle of the stone guard, does muscle power alone suffice to bend the frame of the stone guard slightly so that it will direct debris downwards, or is this a much bigger job? In regard to additional protection I'm looking at Stone Stompers in preference to the other products in this category but my contact with the SS company indicates that their 'trampoline mat' when used on Kedrons, normally extends only as far as the factory stone guard because the low placement of the jerrycans holders behind this is a problem. I would very much appreciate some feedback from any other Kedron owner who has fitted Stone Stompers and firstly, just how are they fitted and, secondly, if they extend back only to the stone guard, is the front of the van sufficiently protected? Cheers Brian

We footloose and fancy-free travellers don't always necessarily know where we are going to want to spend the night or next few days and nights. For those of us with a bit of a wildlife bent, National Parks are supposed to be the sites that some wise panel have judged to represent the best, and perhaps the most important ecologically speaking our Australia can offer. These are the places where many of us wish to visit. Those of us who worked hard for years and paid our taxes have actually paid for the preservation and perhaps even the upkeep (of our share) of the said parks so there could even be a question as to why we have to pay again for what we may well have paid for already! The old honour-system worked for us i.e. fill in your details, submit money, cheque or credit card details and drop in the 'secure' shute. Job done. Now, it didn't work for everyone because there were bound to be many who never paid but I venture that many more nowadays don't pay for staying in a NP and to make matters worse, one has not only prepay when pre-booking but often a specific site (unseen - as in Russ' case. A true reflection of site-unseen http://www.kedronownersgroup.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif ) has to be booked and when you arrive at your favourite pre-booked, pre-paid site what do you find? Yep - some squatter has set up camp on your spot together with the rest of his unrepentant mates! Recently I rang QPS to find out what I could arrange since I was heading to a park and rain was threatening and I was reluctant to stay if I was going to be washed out. I was happy to pay up front but I queried whether or not I could get a refund if I elected not to stay. "We don't do refunds" I was informed. I explained I was happy to stay there and pay when I left since there was no way I could contact them from the Park as is almost always the case. He explained that QPS is at times prepared to accept post-payment if their system has been down and pre-payment was not possible and despite this being a bit of an 'iffy' arrangement that's what we did. At the end of our stay, I called QPS to dutifully pay for our stay - talk about curve balls! The 'supervisor' needed to be consulted several times with the result I was left on hold at various times for a total of about 15 mins and should have done what most sensible people would have - hung up! Anyway, the system is rubbish!! And Russ, you are quite correct in that it's all well and good booking a specific site but access to the site is not guaranteed and so often the information on site access is given by someone who has never driven anything larger than a Vespa scooter and even Google Earth won't show you the crumbling bridge or cavernous pot hole that wasn't there when GE did their survey in 1998. Spleen vented!

Hi All, Just wondering if there is something new about the Snap-On water filter replacement cartridges? As you know, the replacement filter cartridges are unreasonably expensive and in to all intents and purposes, available only from Kedron. Sure, they offer to post them anywhere but at about $100+ (incl postage) that's a far cry from the much more friendly pricing for just about any other filter cartridge on the market. I've been using a B.E.S.T external filter as well when filling the drinking water tank but sooner or later the filter cartridge is going to need replacing. I have considered replacing the filter in its entirety i.e. new housing and new cartridge (and probably new plumbing) but in the longer term, this may well be more financially reasonable than the very unreasonable cost for the Snap-On filter cartridge. Cheers Brian

Hi, About to head off north after removing the Heki hatch, getting rid of the old (non-adherent) silicone and then prepping the surfaces and replacing the structure after using the new 'you beaut' adhesive/sealer Tom sent us in the mail - no charge - geez, they're good like that, aren't they? Of all caravan jobs, that really is a PITA. And then noticed the green winking LED on the Xantrex C35 solar controller wasn't blinking!! Man, we've had Murphy wreaking havoc with us. Call to Tom who referred me onto Enerdrive who are the agents for the controller which was just as well because the Instruction Booklet that comes with the controller was of no help at all. Tried depressing the little Reset button on the side of the unit but with no result. In the meantime, I had found a local dealer who had a Plasmatronic controller which is what Kedron used to use and is what we had in our first van and was, by all accounts a very good bit of kit. They couldn't fit it and although I would have given it a go I was warned against doing this because 'those units are really tricky' and I don't have sufficient 12V knowledge to ensure that I wouldn't blow the $460 investment. I found a caravan repairer who had a sparky who was capable of replacing such a unit and they 'could fit me in' later in the week. So, that was my backup all in place. Back to the Enerdrive service man. He advised to remove the cover and to check the voltages at the terminals both from the PV panels and to the batteries. Clearly, there was no output at all from the unit with the terminal to the batteries reading the same as the batteries as per the battery monitor in the van whereas the output from the panels was 19V. I assumed the output voltage should have been more in keeping with the PV input rather than registering the static voltage of the batteries. He decided the unit had died but as a last ditch test, he advised that I remove the negative connections at the terminals both from the PV panels and from the batteries to see if that would 'do a DC reset'. Left them disconnected for about 15min while I arranged to go and pick up the Plasmatronic model but when I then went back to reconnect the wires...the little green LED started blinking again and the unit output to the batteries was much more consistent with a charging function! Perhaps if the little reset button on the side is depressed and held depressed for minutes rather than seconds one could have the same result? Anyway, it's working now but of course the big question is - why did it stop working in the first place? I had the generator hooked up the day before just testing it and the battery charger but since there is no direct link between the two systems how could that have affected the charge controller? Also, after giving the batteries a bit of a jolt from the generator, and after a suitable time after disconnecting the gennie, I synchronised the system because it was shouting at me to do so. Can't see how this could have caused the controller to have a big sulk. Incidentally, none of this requires a university degree in electronics. The printed circuit board inside the unit is well labelled and the terminals in question are all right at the bottom. So, before discarding your seemingly dead solar (charge) controller, disconnect the negative wires, leave for 15min or so and anticipate the same pleasant surprise I received. Or not. Cheers Brian

Hi, I've changed the anode on several previous occasions so I'm not new to the process. However, our van has been parked for about six or seven months but we're about to head north for a few weeks and I considered an anode inspection was in order. It's amazing that some things that are second nature when on the road need one to consider a refresher course before embarking on the next journey! Using a socket spanner, I was just about to remove the anode when there was a startling 'explosion' accompanied by a blast of water filled with the white gunk that one usually sees when the anode is removed. I was enveloped in this volcanic blast and ended up looking a bit like frosty the snowman but with a heart rate of 185 beats per minute! Now here's the disturbing part. The socket spanner was ripped from my grasp and ended up in the gutter on the other side of the road and the anode was rocketed onto our neighbour's driveway across the road! The force was so great that the anode rod snapped just where it joins the nut. I can't imagine what would have happened if any part of my body was in the path of that projectile but no doubt I could have sustained a very significant injury. So the take home message is: Don't forget to bleed off the pressure in the tank by opening a hot water outlet in the van or even flipping up the lever on the pressure relief valve before removing the anode. Cheers Brian

Hi, Don't want to hijack this thread but in answer to Lea & Rick about the dust entering from around the door issue....I had this problem some time ago and eventually ended up sealing the entire door and vent with gaffer tape, sponge inserted in any and every crevice - took me about 30mins to access the van after - and eventually discovered that the dust was not entering from around the door at all! It was coming up from under the stairwell. I never did identify the specific spot but running a very generous bead of sealant around every possible join under the entry stair did it for me! Cheers Brian

Hi Andrew, I had a similar problem some time ago when I was unable to get the fluoro light to work in the bathroom after I had needed to fiddle with it for some reason. In our situation, I found much to my extreme embarrassment the we had a light switch on the door frame outside the bathroom and that had to be switched on before power was available to the switch on the internal light. I don't know why this was setup like this but I can tell you that I still cringe when I consider that I just about rewired the internal light completely and had asked a fellow Kedron owner who was also electrically savvy for help, before almost accidentally leaning on the external switch and found the light had come on!! Cheers Brian

Hi Ronnie, The other contributors have made good points. Our first van was a 21ft ATV cabin on a TE chassis. It had a Tare weight of 3140Kg. We towed it with a 100 series LC TD which had had a considerable suspension upgrade and I subsequently fitted a 3" exhaust. I was reluctant to chip it. The Tare weight was such that after loading for a trip, it was impossible to keep the weight legal or even, possibly of more importance, safe. The LC towed it well enough but it had to be 'driven' all the time and at the end of a day's towing I was fatigued to say the least. The 21 footer was a big van and, IMHO, too big for a touring van. May be different if you're living in it but then consideration must be given to getting a much bigger tug - GMC/Ford. We then downsized to a 19ft ATV (Tare 2840) and upgraded the tug to a 200 series LC. What a happy combination! Even so, we are extremely 'weight conscious' and careful with what we pack into the van. Somebody once told us that they never pack anything unless it has two uses... Works for us. Having said this, I have seen 21ft TEs on the road and have been amazed, no, REALLY amazed to find their Tare was in the 2800Kg region or even less, in one instance. Go figure. Cheers, Brian

Hi All, We travelled the GCR in May/June of last year - W to E - Laverton to Uluru. Acquiring the appropriate permits was a bit of a nuisance but interestingly, the aboriginal lady at the DIA in Perth explained that she too required a permit to travel that road because she was of a different mob. She also explained that although the permit requires that the journey be completed in three days, it could take longer if one had a 'breakdown' (wink,wink) but this would be more difficult if there were a whole convoy involved. Our permits were never checked... We camped at the roadhouses but have spoken to others who camped elsewhere and we're a bit sorry we weren't a bit more adventurous. We found the road to be well within the standard 'off road' road conditions expected but the more than 150 motor vehicle wrecks along the way indicate that there are pitfalls for the unwary. So, drive to the conditions as always. Passing the occasional roadtrain is always interesting. Only one puncture and that occurred when pulling into a roadhouse to top up with fuel and a wayward nail did the damage. Not all the dips are well signposted - one really surprised us! I suggest not relying on the lockable (only) pins used to retain the drawbar and always ensure you have one with an R clip as well! The 'desert' was in wonderful condition following the rains earlier in the season - the flowers, birds and wildlife in general were exceptional. Biggest camels I'd ever seen! The Giles Weather Station was a highlight not to be missed. Cheers Brian

We have been delighted with our 6T McHitch. Any issues or even points of discussion have been handled by Joe McGinnes (personally) in a most professional and very customer-service orientated manner. A concern I had with mine following an over-enthusiastic high pressure greasing of the hitch head resulted in Joe McGinnes sending me an entire new 6T hitch all the way to Cooktown because he wanted to inspect my hitch although the problem had resolved itself and was no longer an issue. His comment was that they had not heard of the problem previously and although my hitch was then perfectly safe and 'normal', he insisted that for 'research and development purposes' he would like to inspect my old hitch personally. Not only that but he then sent me a full report of his findings! Service, don't you think? Incidentally, hitching and unhitching are a delight - at any angle or orientation of the vehicle (within reason, of course). Cheers Brian

Hi Rod, Do you have a photograph of your set up? I would like to see how you attached the flaps to the bottom of the stone guard. Cheers Brian

G'day Russ, On a practical note, if you're worried about the three AGM batteries you have in your front boot contributing to your extraordinary ball weight, why not just move those batteries to behind the axles as you are planning to do with the lithium, iron phosphate ones? Is it because you really love the technology and have the practical wherewithal to fiddle with all these electron generating devices? Cheers Brian

Hi John, Yes, of course! And you're absolutely correct about the 'specific needs' and the 'theoretical and practical' points you make. There's a considerable leap from the theoretical to practical knowledge side of things. Hope you guys are around when I next run into trouble. Cheers and many thanks, Brian

Thanks again Russ & John, So clearly explained and it all makes much more sense now! You are both great assets to these forums. Where do you blokes get your knowledge from? Are there any books available that you could recommend? My charger is the standard one fitted by Kedron and because my van is currently parked off-site I can't check the rating but I'm reasonably sure it's only 40 Amps. Having said this, if one does have a Mickey Mouse charger and the batteries need a decent charge from say, a generator, then the boost phase will require maximum Amps and the van load (all 12V?) will be sacrificed but this, in the main, will mean that the only thing that may not work will be the fridge - until absorption phase is reached. Is this deduction correct? If so, then considering that the battery charging is likely to take place during daylight, not having the fridge working for a while may not be a train smash; inconvenient but not a catastrophe. Is my reasoning reasonable? Cheers Brian

Thanks Russ & John, I have been in a situation when we ran out of sunlight. Three days in the rainforest at Washpool NP camped in the bush with dense overhead cloud for the duration. Used the generator with permission from other distant campers who reported not hearing it at all. But the gennie ran out of fuel and the spluttering that followed can, so I'm led to believe, (and perhaps, did) create mischief in the form of voltage spikes, which fried an element or two in the charger and it failed when next connected to an external 240VAC supply and needed to be replaced. Off the top of my head, I don't know what the Amp rating of my charger is but I also don't know what the downside is if one has a lower Amp rated charger and one has to use an external 240VAC supply to charge the batteries. Aren't these instruments supposed to be 'intelligent' and will use what they can to charge the batteries while still allowing the 12VDC load to be serviced? Quite possibly/probably a stupid question, I know. Cheers Brian

Pleased this topic (in general) is alive again. Our 240V/12V Power Supply ('transformer') died. Incidentally, in contradistinction to an earlier post regarding the purpose of this bit of electronic wizardry, I think all it does is supplies 12V DC from an external 240V AC input so that all (not the fridge) the 12V supply to the van is NOT from the batteries. I may be wrong but I deducted this from the fact that when plugged in to an external 240V supply, and with the switch in the 240V position, I had no 12V supply in the van at all (but had 240V) and when I flipped the switch to the centre position or in the off position, I still had 240V supply, and 12V but directly from the batteries (well, not directly, but you know what I mean). So, having removed this unit from the van - with the help of mirrors, strangely shaped screwdrivers and various anatomical contortions, Bainbridge Electronics is prepared to repair/replace the unit under warranty but I'm not sure I should refit it. If I don't because the van is still perfectly operational without it, what do I do with the dangling 12V wires? Simply wrap a bit of insulation tape around them and leave them? Do I have to do anything with them at all? And finally, it seems this bit of electronics is redundant anyway - should I bother replacing it at all? Cheers Brian

I haven't asked permission from the forum concerned but since it's open source, I suspect it will be OK. This is an excellent post relating to the Topic Title and will undoubtedly be of interest to most caravanners ... />http://www.bushtrackerownersgroup.asn.au/Forum/View.asp?ForumQID=7964&Page=%2FForum%2FDefault.asp%3FDisplaySet%3DActive%26PN%3D1