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Andrew and Sally

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Posts posted by Andrew and Sally

  1. Solar Controller

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Rick. I don't have a Plasmatronic but when my Xantrex monitor was doing all the things you've described the problem was it's fuse had shaken loose near the battery. Might be worth a check. Once I reseated the fuse no more probs. 

  2. Preferred Hitch

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    On ‎1‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 11:09 AM, Webby said:

    I can't speak for the McHitch as I have never owned one, although I have heard others speak both good and bad about it.  I guess that is the same with every product. Some love it, and others not so much. 

     

    We have a DO-35 and are very happy with it.  We would not hesitate to continue using it on future vans. We have an ATV2 and find it very easy to hitch and unhitch.  Later models have a dust cap which would be great if you are doing a lot of dirt roads. 

     

     

    We've recently replaced our D0-35 with the newer mark2 model (with the dust cap). The original model was great and served us well . We decided to stay with the Hitchmaster as it was an easy swapover using the same footprint and hole pattern. The new model is greatly improved in addition to the dust cap. It has a bush that bears the downweight around the pin rather than just the greased metal on metal system of the older model. It also has an improved latching arrangement that a is easier and simpler to use. The service from Vehicle Components was great when we had to replace the hitch while on the road. The VC agent at Winton took my call on ANZAC Day and had the new hitch delivered to meet us at Mt Isa a few days later. Note: VC technician confirmed to me that the old D0-35 requires good greasing on the weight bearing surfaces  whereas the Mark2 only needs a smear due to the new design with the bush bearing.

    • Like 4

  3. Landcruiser 200 Series or Silverado

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, Steve and Kez said:

    Interesting  comment from Andrew and Sally.

    I wonder if they have ever driven a "BIG HEAVY YANK TANK"????????????? As most people who have the ........... "less positive" comments about things they have never had anything to do with the subject.

    From all the outback, off road places we have travelled with our van and our "BIG HEAVY YANK TANK" compared to the places we have travelled with our 200 series (when we had it), I can genuinely say with hand on heart, the big heavy yank tank flogs the under powered, under performing, thirsty  200 series.

    I have been astounded by the offroad capabilities of my big heavy yank tank and I can assure you it has been extensively tested.

    I am happy to concede that an empty, unhooked 200 series would maneuver better ............... but who has an empty vehicle when travelling?

    Enjoy what you have no matter what that is, but don't put something down if you have never tried it.

     

    Just expressing my view. Apparently you guys are allowed yours but not anyone who may have a different point of view. The topic title would suggest views on either vehicle are relevant.

     

     

     

     

  4. Landcruiser 200 Series or Silverado

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Neville and Kay said:

    Have you driven a Yank Tank off road, at least one is totally legal regarding the weight which one is towing with a Yank Tank, where there is no way you can be with a Landcruiser, so this leads to a happier & stress free travelling.

    Neville

    Nonsense!

  6. Landcruiser 200 Series or Silverado

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    1 hour ago, TonyH said:

    Hi Andrew & Sally,

    Its been a long time between drinks, I trust you are both well & happy.

    I see on FB you have been entertaining Jane, Penny & Nev.....we are looking forward to catching up with them also in then next couple of weeks.

    Reading your post above, I appreciate your comments and concerns, you say you have weighbridge tickets & 'acceptance' from Ken Tame....... I understand & truely believe that you have your van serviced regularly & it is subject to yearly rego inspections & it is 'roadworthy'..... noting that there has been no direct discussion about roadworthiness.

    But, I'm a little 'miffed' that .... if you where stopped/or directed to pull over by RMS or another eqivilent authority ....you would produce a weighbridge ticket stating your weight ...DATED ???

    My understanding ( and I will stand corrected) is that a weighbridge ticket only has a 'life' for a certain time (hours) and distance from the issuing point. (please understand I'm not suggesting that you're towing overweight)

    Cheers & hugs for Sally 

     

    Tony & Annie

    Hi Tony

    Yes, its been a great week with our visitors and we're looking forward to getting down to the Bendeela gathering on Saturday.

    The weighbridge tickets give me an upper limit I can work from when loading the van. As you say, they won't themselves prove anything, except that I know the weight of the van when fully loaded. For example, we very rarely travel with the generator AND three full water tanks AND the second fridge etc etc in the van. The tickets just show that if we do, we're still within our allowed weights, both for the van and the Landcruiser.

    The only point I was making in my prior post was that the assertion that I'd need to drive a Chevvy to be legal and/or insured is false.

    Hope all goes well with the house and we can catch up again soon.

    Love to you both and from Sally also.

    Andrew

    • Like 1

  7. Landcruiser 200 Series or Silverado

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, Tolley said:

    I have a Silverado which I love but I am now and have been for decades a great fan of the Landcruiser.  I acknowledge the comment by Andrew about discussion of apparent complications with the American trucks such as the Silverado.  That is to be expected as they are relatively new in the caravan tug stakes here in Oz.  In a couple of years all these complications will be sorted as more people buy them and use them towing caravans.  The Landcruiser has been in that role for decades and as a result the add on's and operating techniques are well settled.

     

    BTW, I started this thread about 18 months ago and it has had 10,500 "views" so there is obviously a lot of curiosity about these yank tanks!

    Regards to all,

    Colin

    I was just joking. Of course we'd love to be in a position to "upgrade" but living in the Sydney metro area its not an option. The 100 Series is as big as we can go and eventually we'll be downsizing the van rather than upsizing the car. In the meantime the Cruiser does a fabulous job, both as a family car and when puling the Kedron.

  8. Landcruiser 200 Series or Silverado

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    11 hours ago, barramundi said:

    I guess it all boils down to whether you want to be legal or not.

    Insurance could be a problem if something serious happened.

    By the way the hitch is rated to 5500 kgs and ball weight of 545 kgs.

    End of the day we love the Chev and what it does for us.

    Lets face it if we all liked the same thing it would be a boring old world.

    The good thing about Aus (at the moment)  is we do have a choice.

    Doug and Lis 

    Don't worry, I'm legal and have the weighbridge tickets to prove it.  Being registered in NSW it also gets an annual full heavy vehicle inspection so we know everything's roadworthy and legal. Ken Tame has all the details and has paid past claims, so no problems with insurance. As you say, it comes down to choice, not legalities.

    Andrew

    • Like 1

  11. TPMS

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    17 hours ago, Danny and Sue said:

    Hello Andrew..

    hawksheads are still going well..i have not found an aussie distributor but have no probs getting them from usa..

    setting up for the first time was a bit fiddly but a lot easier now ..i really never have to change the settings.

     

    one of issues i have had is that the plastic caps tend to crack after a couple of years.. i had 8 sent out a while ago & also got a couple of spare sensors at the same time. they are still working very well & have saved a few tires both on the ute & van.

    the model i have is HD.

    when i rotate the tyres i just take the sensor off & put it on the ground then back on the right tyre  so sensor is in the same spot..

    one small trick is....I run 40 psi in the front,60 in the back & 40 in the van cold pressure..if you set your pressure to the same you will get lights flashing telling you that your tyres are over pressure.i always set mine about  3 psi over cold tyre pressure & have no problem.

    yes i would recommend them & find them very reliable..

    regards Danny [just arrived in Tamworth]

    Thanks Danny, that's great info. Safe travels, Andrew

  12. TPMS

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Hi Danny. Could you update me on your experiences with the HawksHead unit you're using? Specifically:
    1. Did you ever find a local distributor or are you still buying from their USA site?

    2. What model did you buy? Was it the Talon 22 (which seems to be the smaller configuration for RVs)?

    3. How difficult was it to set them up on your rig, and to maintain them (e.g. when you change or rotate wheels)?

    4. After using them for a few years, have you found them effective and reliable? Would you recommend them based on your experience?

    Thanks for your advice.

    Regards, Andrew

  13. To buy or what to buy that is the question

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Hi Rocket

    In 2005 the 100 series turbo diesel was the tow vehicle of choice for Kedron vans. I'm still driving a 2005 100 series TD with our 19'6" internal TE and it does a great job. I would suggest you consider upgrading with a snorkel, a good quality DP chip (such as Steinbauer or Taipan) and a 3 inch mandrel bent exhaust. These together will give you around 25% more towing power at around the same fuel consumption. I also personally prefer an automatic transmission, always towing in 4th gear, but many others have towed successfully with manuals. We've never had a breakdown with our Toyota and their service network in outback areas is second to none. Enjoy your TE. Kedron and Toyota are a great combination.

    Andrew

     

  15. Location of Registration Plate

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    When we purchased our second hand van from Kedron in March we got 6 months QLD rego, which will run out soon , so we are looking to change it over to NSW Rego . It will be interesting to see if this is picked up as an issue when the van goes over the pits ..

    We did the same and went through this process in 2011. Happy to share our experience and tips if this helps - just PM me, It depends on the heavy vehicle inspector as to what they pick up or let through. Our inspection took over 2 hours but overlooked the NSW requirement for a remote Breaksafe battery monitor (since installed). As noted above I'm in the process of relocating the number plate to avoid any future hassles or fines.

    • Like 1

  16. Location of Registration Plate

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Thanks Pete, that's really helpful and confirms much of what I'm planning. Unfortunately getting up to Kedron isn't an option so I have to do it myself. Getting into the tail lights isn't easy so I'm looking at the side lamp nearest the rear, but even getting that out is proving a challenge. Still chasing Kedron for advice but no response yet.

    • Like 1

  18. Location of Registration Plate

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Hi Chris


    Sorry to hear you've been grounded with surgery. We hope all's good now and you're on the mend.


    Perhaps Gordon could let us know how Kedron relocate the plate as a number of us are trying to work out the best way to do it. I've emailed Kedron for advice but not received a reply.



    Regards


    Andrew


    • Like 1

  19. Location of Registration Plate

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Here's some more info from NSW RMS website. Note the fine is much higher than I noted previously - see "incorrectly fixed" plate



    http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/index.cgi?fuseaction=demeritpoints.browsehandler&category=Licence+%26+registration&offence=Number+plates




    The Road Transport (General) Regulation 2005 defines vehicle classes as follows:


    • Class A motor vehicle:
      • A motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) less than 4.5 tonnes, or
      • A motor vehicle and trailer combination with a Gross Combined Mass (GCM) less than 4.5 tonnes.

    • Class B motor vehicle:
      • A motor vehicle with a GVM more than 4.5 tonnes but less than 12 tonnes, or
      • A motor vehicle and trailer combination with a GCM more than 4.5 tonnes but less than 12 tonnes.

    • Class C motor vehicle:
      • A motor vehicle with a GVM more than 12 tonnes, or
      • A motor vehicle and trailer combination with a GCM more than 12 tonnes.



      • A motor vehicle and trailer combination with a GCM more than 12 tonnes.

    • Like 2

  20. Location of Registration Plate

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Hi Gordon & Chris



    As Rick notes, this was discussed extensively on another forum, including a letter from the regulatory authority - see:


    http://caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58145&p=819324&hilit=rego+plate+height#p819324 (Webby, apologies and please delete if this is inappropriate under forum rules).



    I understand its an old design rule that was not followed very much or enforced until now. Maybe its the new plate scanning technology that's requiring compliance?Like Rick, I've not heard of anyone actually being pulled up or fined, but the NSW penalty is over $200 plus 3 demerit points. I'm in the process of relocating mine to the rear bumper between the spare wheels and know of several other KOGGERS who've already moved theirs. The tricky bit is running wires for the number plate light. I'm waiting on advice from Kedron on the best way to do this, probably from one of the side running lights near the rear corner of the van.



    Hope this is helpful and we see you on the road before too long.



    Best regards


    Andrew.

    • Like 3

  21. Batteries: 120Ah v 130Ah

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    "you haven't got the best in your outdated AGM batteries"


    Really? Proven, reliable, widely used, cost-effective, safe, easily sourced...


    Time will tell whether the current Li technology and packaging stands up to extended periods of rough road treatment as well.


    • Like 1

  22. Cracked chassis on Top Ender

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    There are a lot of Kedrons out there and I've never heard of another "wearing" like this. Looks like unusual and accidental damage to me. Perhaps Kedron can support your claim showing statistically that this isn't normal wear for a TopEnder, which is purpose designed and built for rough road travel?



    Sorry to hear of your problem and hope you get a good outcome.


    Andrew


  24. What a winter wonderland

    in Public Forum

    Posted

    Great photos Dennis and Colleen. It was freezing overnight here as well. Cairns airport recorded only 14 degrees this morning. Not to worry, it is 26 degrees here now and sunny.

    Regards

    Colin

    Freezing in Cairns?? I don't think so. Wait till you get down near Canberra: 1 degree tonight if they're lucky. THAT'S freezing!

    We're expecting a few cms of snow tonight in Blackheath too.

    Andrew

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