Merv and Di

Hi John There is not a problem with having jerry cans on the rear of a van or a motor vehicle the regs only apply to what you can have in them and petrol is not one of them. Cheers Merv

Hi Tony Diesel only on the rear. It is still a bit iffy in some States with their respective Dangerous Goods Regs. Cheers Merv

100 mm is about right. Just secure it with the cable kit it makes it a lot harder for it to grow legs and walk. Cheers Merv

Don't forget to keep a pack of "O" rings and washes from Aldi on hand in the van, they come in very handy at times. Cheers Merv

Hi Kakabarra X2, ours sits on the bar permanently up high and we use the cable kit to make sure it stays there. Cheers Merv

With a "long box". Put your spare car in the back... Merv

I have to agree with Den and Col on this one. A lot of us have seen just what can happen when one goes overboard with boxes on the draw bar. We normally carry two bikes and a ladder but after the last trip the bikes didn't get used so they will not be coming on the next one. Didn't Kedron offer a specifically made plastic box for the draw bar at one stage? Cheers Merv

Thanks Nev, loved the article. It is very interesting to see that these so called "experts" are finally coming to realise what most of us already know when it comes to towing vans of 3.5t+. Maybe wisdom does come with age or is it the other way around. Cheers Merv

Last year according to reports that it was extremely well attended and the only downside was the lack of ablutions blocks. A lot of people were complaining that you had to be very careful where you stood around the trees. I think some people just cannot get it into their heads that this event is being held 40ks outside Birdsville in a desert not in the next suburb with all facilities on tap. It will be an awesome concert once again, get there early and take extra water with you and don't forget the closest dump point is 40ks away. Some have said that the ticket price was on the extreme side but when you look at what you got no one was complaining. Cheers Merv

The unfortunate thing is Steve is that most people out there that are seeking or have had a GVM upgrade to their Land Cruiser to 3.9t have been given the incorrect information regarding what they can tow in relation to the weight and are simply putting their lives are other road users at risk towing an overweight van. After towing ours with a Disco 4 and having the van driving the car with all of my driving experience and qualifications it was a scary incident and I look back now after towing with the Chev and wonder at the misinformation we are fed. If I had have known back when we ordered the 21"er to what I know now we might have done things differently. Three to four hundred kilos over weight when towing with a vehicle with a tow capacity of 3.5t is nearly the equivalent of a semi being three to four tonne over. Not nice. Cheers Merv

Hi guys Airflow make a snorkel for the trucks 03 6234 6121 ( www.snorkels.ashop.com.au ) and I believe are available on order through Opposite Lock. I enquired down here at their Mitcham Office and a price of around $700 fitted. Fording depth varies, the air intake is just behind the off side head light inside the wheel arch shroud. Check out the manual and it will tell you the top of the wheel is about it. Cheers Merv

Hi Chris They are a big learning curve. We have the 6 and although a great unit I don't solely rely on it as we had a couple of instances that were intriguing, one up at the top of Cape York when it gave us the message that "due to our isolated location unable to verify current location". We had it on Street and had to switch over to 4x4 mode and another occasion over in S.A where it took us around a 70km block in the Barossa Valley. It nearly went out the window that time. A great tool but not all that infallible. Cheers Merv

Hi guys As a former wearer of the blue and specialising in traffic the weigh bridge ticket means nothing once you move off the bridge. If you are overweight it occurs at the time on the bridge, and that is what you are penalised for. Not some time down the track. I would be very surprised that any 21" TE fully loaded for an extended trip would not be considerable overweight particularly when I see 200 series with roof top boats. Someone someday is going to come a cropper. The issue of weight in vans is not going to go away, we just have to be careful and play within the rules. I spoke recently to a young guy with a nice big shinny new van with a tare of 3150 and he cannot fill his water tanks to travel along with his food ect. Unfortunately we are the problem, we require larger vans, air con, bigger fridges, full ensuits, solar panels ect and they come at a cost, WEIGHT. With this comes the fact the 99% of vehicles that tow these big vans in Australia only have a towing capacity of 3500kgs brakes. The manufacturers are only supplying what we want. Food for thought. Cheers Merv

Hi Geoff It sounds like the air bags are doing exactly what they are supposed to. Wdh actually transfer some of the vans weight to the front of the tow vehicle, air bags won't. Use which ever you feel comfortable with that gives you the best ride/handling. cheers Merv

Hi Doug I think that hitch is only rated for 3500kgs. You might need one with a little higher rating. You are not running enough pressure in the air bags, should be >30psi and the Chev suspension has nothing to do with cracked chassis particularly with the articulating hitch so you don't have a rigid connection so there is no shock being passed from the truck to the van. Any excuse is better than none to try to pass the buck when it comes to blame. I think the problems with the chassis was more a manufacturing one than the type of tug. cheers Merv

Welcome to the dark side Tony. It just takes a little longer for some to come across. Merv

Hi Doug A set of air bags under the rear running 30 psi should solve the diving problem. Airbag man is the one you need to get in contact with. cheers Merv

Hi ob1, we have used an Inmarsat service for the last 3 years without any problems in Oz and from overseas at very good rates through MGL Sat. Check them all out and see which is going to suit you best. cheers Merv

Hi to the Williamsgang and welcome. There is a simple answer to your question with a big van such as you have chosen and it is one of the American trucks. I think the most common with the Kedrons is the Chev Silverado 2500hd. You could also look at either the F250's or the Dodge Rams. This way you will not have to take into consideration the weight factor. Your van's compliance plate might state 3500kgs but when fully loaded you are going to be closer to 4t, this is what most of us that have TopEnders have found and have had the vans rerated closer to 4t and tow them with the trucks which they do extremely well and usually more economically. I think that you will find the most common length in the Top Ender is 21' but the choice is yours if you want to go bigger. The 21's total length is 9 meters because of the long draw bar, just another thing to consider. Good luck with your choices and hope to see you on the forum in the future as there is a wealth of knowledge here on Kedrons. Cheers Merv

It has always been far easier to blame the Grey Nomads than to consider the fact that some members of the local community are the culprits and don't care two hoots about their environment. It is happening all around Australia with the Whizz Banger brigade and their bush confetti etc being left behind for others to collect. Cheers Merv

Hi Guys If you have a friend that lives in QLD simply register the van at their address and have your residential address in WA as the mailing address for renewal. Take it home and from what I have read from the link above simply re-register it without inspection in WA as it has been previously registered. This exactly what we did with our van when purchased. Otherwise obtain permits from each State you will be travelling through to get it back to WA and then go through the inspection process over there. Cheers Merv

Hi Ben It sounds like your defrost heater element might be on the blink which causes the unit to freeze and not allow the cooler air to drop down to the fridge. Basically it clogs the fridge. A quick phone call to Kedron in the morning would be your best bet and take their advice of which way to go from there. A local fridge mechanic might be able to assist, we have had a couple of our home fridges come up with this problem over the years and it is a simple fix with a new heater element being installed. Good luck Merv

Hi Glen It looks great and if we could have got it back in 2012 my wife would have had it. I am very glad it wasn't, particularly how the front of the van looks now (sand blasted down low) after doing the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks and the Cape. I think it will depend where you want to take the van. At least with the silver some good elbow grease and a top polish helps it to keep looking good. Cheers Merv

I doubt if it would be a problem, let us know how you got on. Cheers Merv

Another for Ken Tame & Assoc. You will need to be a member of CMCA or join and insure both the tug and the van with them. Lots of other benefits as well. I also believe that you can have a post office box as your permanent address whilst travelling and have mail forwarded, just check first. Enjoy your trip. Cheers Merv