Andrew and Sally
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Posts posted by Andrew and Sally
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Hang in there Colin. We had the same runaround with NSW Transport when we brought our TE down from Qld. Different answers every time we phoned. We also got screwed over by the heavy vehicle inspection company with a whole lot of unnecessary rubbish during the inspection (put us through the same process as a B-Double - took half a day including weighbridge time).
Ours was resolved very quickly and easily when we finally visited the motor registry on arrival in Sydney. They told us never to use the call centre as most of the staff there have never worked in a Registry and have no idea! I'm sure you're close to finding the truth. Better to get it correctly sorted now than be unsure or caught out later.
Best regards, Andrew.
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Wait till you move to NSW, the forward-looking state that will win future State of Origins and AFL finals! The threshold here is 2,500kg.
Regards, Andrew
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Hello Koggers,
Today had my first tow of the TE with the Silverado. I know it is a horrible word but the experience was awesome! The driving power and stopping power are very impressive and allows me to be very relaxed behind the wheel.
The rig is one meter longer than it was with a LC up front. That does make a difference in backing and turning into park places etc. Also, as the Silverado has a much longer wheelbase than the LC the former has a bigger turning circle.
The standard built in functions are great. As soon as you insert the 7 pin plug the instrument panel flashed "Trailer Connected". When you start up and hit the hauling button it automatically adjusts gears etc for towing and a trailer icon appears in the instruments. Hit the exhaust brake button and drive off. The panel tells you the brake input setting and the brake gain whenever you touch the footbrake. The break controller comes standard and works well. Turn down the heated seat, adjust the music from the Bose speakers and relax......you are on your way carried by 400 HP and 1000 NM of torque!
OK, enough of the BS. On Tuesday we are off for a month with the van and I will provide an honest, warts and all, summary on my return.
Regards to all
Colin
Col: "Gunna need a bigger van"...
Andrew
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Colin: Wheels or tracks?
Great choice. Envious.
Andrew
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Hi Ann
Ours is 10 years old too but low mileage. We added Taipan exhaust and matched chip and it pulls like a bullock! Also recently renovated the suspension with new shocks, front wheel bearings, drive shaft/cvs and replaced all rubber bushes. Drives like new again do we're right for another few years at least. What are you thinking of doing for replacement? The Chevvy works for me, if only!
Best regards. Andrew
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For those interested here is a thread on the Chevvy Silverado on the Caravaners Forum -
Hold the line Ann, not many of us 100 Series left. Looks like the Chevvy's becoming the new Kedron tug of choice but we're staying true to the Toyo!
Best regards, Andrew
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Hi Bob
Sorry to hear of your problem. I have to say I've not heard of any Kedrons experiencing broken springs. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but I've not heard of it nor found other posts on this topic.
Like you, we bought our van used. We've had no problems at all with the suspension despite taking it on the Central Aust outback roads, including recently Strzelecki, Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks with a bunch of other Kedrons operating at similar speed and tyre pressures that you've quoted.
If you haven't yet done so I'd strongly suggest you discuss this with Tom and the Kedron service guys at Brendale. They'll be able to find out what's causing the problem, whether its faulty components or something wrong with your setup. They've been really helpful when we've had service issues or needed advice even though we didn't buy our van directly from them.
While I'm no expert in this area, it certainly seems strange that you've had multiple spring failures. Again, I've not heard of others with this problem, but Tom and the boys will know better. Let us know how you get on.
Regards, Andrew
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Hi Steve & Kez
Purely out of interest, could I ask what factors caused you to decide on the BT during your comparison: "We then flew to Brisbane and did the factory tours at Kedron and then Bushtracker and decided Bushtracker was the van for us." Having checked out both products and factories, what was it about the BT product you liked over the Kedron?
For our part, we preferred the Kedron from the start. Both are great vans, we just liked the Kedron design and friendly staff we spoke to at the caravan shows. Ours is stored next to a BT and every time I see them both together I'm glad we bought the Kedron. Like all the other happy customers, we've had great service from all at Kedron even though we didn't buy our van new from them.
Regards, Andrew
When we started researching for caravan to suits our needs we really struggled as we had never owned a van or really knew much about them, which made it difficult.
We had done an extensive amount of outback travel and were aware of the conditions we needed the van to survive in.
Not previously owning a van made us research a lot more diligently and we annoyed a lot of people with many question, but the hardest thing was to sorting out the real off-roaders to the pretend off-roaders. I do have a personal motto being "Poor people can't afford to buy shit". Having said that we formed a short list of Bushtracker, Pheonix, Trackmaster and Kedron.
We then decided that a metal frame suited us better, which halved our list to two, being Bushtracker and Kedron. We then flew to Brisbane and did the factory tours at Kedron and then Bushtracker and decided Bushtracker was the van for us. We sat down and crunched the requirements and the numbers and was about 5 minutes away from paying the deposit .................... then in walked Steve ........ the owner and gave some poor new customer a mouthful of abuse at the counter, claiming that any issues he has with his 2 week old van was his (Customers) fault because nothing ever goes wrong with his vans.
Having witnessed that profound event, Kerry and I thanked the salesman for his time and made a quick exit out and headed back to Kedron.
We sat down with Stan and went through all the requirements and paid the deposit.
We believe that it was "meant to be" that we purchased our Kedron and now have an overwhelming feeling to buy the owner of Busthtracker a carton of beer every year to thank him for making our decision. We have never looked back or regretted it as we find the after sales service and support is 2nd to none.
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Thanks for this info Glen. We were considering a gas heater but will now look at Diesel instead.
Regards
Andrew
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Hi John
Yes, the sandhill crossing at Haddon was quite a highlight wasn't it. Best wishes for your upcoming surgery. We'll be thinking of you. No more excuses finding your way home when you get your new eyes!
Regards, Andrew & Sally
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My rule of thumb is to replace it every 2 years. We use our van 3 or 4 times a year, the rest of the time its in storage. As others have noted, its amazing how much white gunk comes out when you flush the tank. I find it needs quite a lot of flushing (6 or 7 times) to get it all out. The problem if you don't (apart from damaging the HWS) is the gunk can get into your water pumps and lines, thereby causing blockages and problems on the road. So, I change them every 2 years and flush well when doing so. As long as you remember to release the pressure (as noted) its pretty straightforward.
Regards, Andrew
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Hi Barry
For what its worth, I noticed the same filter cartridges used by Kedron at the local Reece plumbing store recently. No idea about price but possibly cheaper than from Kedron.
I also use a BEST filter when in remote areas and find it works fine. Regarding black discharge, I think this is normal on initial connection when it flushes any residual junk plus a bit of charcoal from the filter. I just run a few litres through it before connecting to the caravan.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards, Andrew
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Hi Chris
Last time we were at Nyah in Feb 2013 it was 42 degrees. Great campground behind the trotting track but after 2 nights we headed for somewhere cooler. We found the council caravan park at Murrayville fantastic - right in town, walk to the shops and pub, and in the heatwave while we were there, adjoining the council swimming pool. The park is excellent with almost new facilities and an honour payment system for just a few bucks per night for level, grassy and powered sites with water.
Hope you find some nice warm weather soon.
Safe travels
Andrew
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I don't have first-hand experience with the Waeco but understand from other owners that there have been a number of problems reported lately that have been traced to incorrect setup of the units for Australian conditions at the (Waeco) factory. I'm told Kedron is now on top of the issue. They should be able to advise whether this may be the cause of your problem and if so, how to rectify it
Suggest you give Tom or Ashley a call for the latest info. Again, I really don't know anything about the Waeco, just passing on what I've been told. We have the Vitro in our 3.5 year-old TE and have not had any problems. Like Colin's, ours has worked perfectly maintaining proper temperatures in all conditions.
Regards, Andrew
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I forgot to add that the sites at Pebbly Beach are shady with no power or water, and no generators (National Park). The road around the park is tight and I couldn't see how I would get the van in there IF there was enough room to park it.
A place we really enjoy down there is the Beachcomber park at Potato Point (http://www.beachcomberpark.com.au/) It has large, grassy level sites right on the beach, with a wood fire/bbq between each 2. There's no power or water on the sites, so the road vans and nomads avoid it. The facilities however are excellent - new and eco friendly with tank water available. The few times we've been there it was pretty empty giving us the beach and wildlife to ourselves (lots of roos and the occasional emu).
I've also heard good reports on the North Head campsite at Moruya that Jacky Jacky mentioned, but haven't yet been there to check it out.
Regards
Andrew
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No Reece. When we were there last year it only had very small tent or camper van sites and not suitable for caravans. We camped the kedrom at Pretty Beach which was fine but pretty basic (power but no water on the sites, but tank water at the amenities).
Regards
Andrew
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Hi Alan, thanks for this. We live at St Ives and have been taking our Topender to AGSR at Brookvale for servicing. While they have been good it would much more convenient to have someone come out to do the work at those times we can't get it back to Brendale.
Regards
Andrew
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We have May 2005 LC100 Sahara with 155,000km pulling a 21' Topender so will be very interested to learn any more about what happened and what we should check for. Ours is a TD and we've never had any trouble with it at all.
Thanks for letting us know and best wishes on getting it all sorted ASAP.
Andrew
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With Tom's help I resolved the problem by forcing a cold reset of the C40. To do this, remove the front cover, then disconnect the red and black leads that go to the battery and -ve van shunt respectively. Leave 10 minutes, then reconnect and wait for the unit to reset, at which time the charge light starts blinking again
Hope this is helpful to someone else in the future.
Many thanks to all who helped.
Regards, Andrew
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Hi Reece
Thanks for your help I did that to reset the P40 240v charger and it worked. Problem now is the C40 SOLAR charger. From the manual it has to be manually reset by pushing the button. This is a consequence of disconnecting it when I disconnected the P40. Let me know if you think I've got it wrong. Meanwhile I'll try Colin's advice and see what happens.
Many thanks, Andrew
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Thanks Colin. I've been itching to do that so will give it a go! Yes, I can see a new controller before long, hopefully when I can get the van up to Brendale - add it to the list.
Andrew
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Solar charger not charging. The green LED is blinking once per second, as it would normally when charging, but batteries not charging.
I suspect it needs resetting after I disconnected the batteries on Tom's advice to force a reset of the 240v charger last year (Xantrex P40). That worked fine and no further problems with the P40.
So, the C40 manual says to reset by pressing a button on the right side of the unit. Problem is the main 12V/240V switch/breaker has been mounted around 1cm to the right of the C40. I can squeeze a finger in and feel the hole but no way get any kind of probe in there to depress the switch.
Does anyone have any ideas
a. whether my diagnosis I likely to be correct and
b. how to reset the C40 given the space restriction? One possibility may be to remove the front cover and get to the switch from inside but I'm reluctant to go there - could cause more harm than good, especially to myself!
c. any Xantrex service providers in the Sydney area who I can get to check it out?
We're OK for now at a CP on 240v but I need this sorted ASAP before we start free camping again!
Thanks, Andrew
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Happy Christmas, and take care on your trip from Sally and myself. We're also looking forward to catching up with everyone again on our travels in 2014.
Best wishes, Andrew
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Company Memo
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director TO: All Employees
DATE: October 1, 2013
RE: Gala Christmas Party
I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the GrillHouse. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols... feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00 PM. Exchanges of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets. This gathering is only for employees!
Our CEO will make a special announcement at that time!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Patty
Company Memo FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: October 2, 2013
RE: Gala Holiday Party
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday, which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on, we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to any other employees who are not Christians and to those still celebrating Reconciliation Day. There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols will be sung. We will have other types of music for your enjoyment.
Happy now?
Happy Holidays to you and your family, Patty
CompanyMemo
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: October 3, 2013
RE: Holiday Party
Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table, you didn't sign your name..
I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA Only", you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this?
Somebody? And sorry, but forget about the gift exchange, no gifts are allowed since the union members feel that $10.00 is too much money and the executives believe $10.00 is a little chintzy.
REMEMBER: NO GIFTS EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED. Patty
CompanyMemo
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
To: All Employees
DATE: October 4, 2013
RE: Generic Holiday Party
What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20th begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon at this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party or else package everything for you to take it home in a little foil doggybaggy. Will that work?
Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthest fromthe dessert buffet, and pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with Gay men, each group will have their own table.
Yes, there will be flower arrangement for the Gay men's table.
To the person asking permission to cross dress, the Grill House asks that no cross-dressing be allowed, apparently because of concerns about confusion inthe restrooms. Sorry.
We will have booster seats for short people.
Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet.
I am sorry to report that we cannot control the amount of salt used in the food. The Grill House suggests that people with high blood pressure taste a bite first.
There will be fresh "low sugar" fruits as dessert for diabetics, but the restaurant cannot supply "no sugar" desserts. Sorry!
Did I miss anything?!?!?
Patty
Company Memo
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources DirectorTO: All F*%^ing Employees
DATE: October 5, 2013
RE: The F*%^ing Holiday Party
I've had it with you vegetarian pricks!!! We're going to keep this party at the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death," as you so quaintly put it,and you'll get your f*%^ing salad bar, including organic tomatoes. But you know, tomatoes have feelings, too. They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right NOW!
The rest of you f*%^ing wierdos can kiss my *ss. I hope you all have a rotten holiday!
Drive drunk and die,
The B*tch from H*ll!!!
Company Memo
FROM: Joan Bishop, Acting Human ResourcesDirector
DATE: October 6, 20-3
RE: Patty Lewis and Holiday Party
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patty Lewis a speedy recovery from her recent nervous breakdown and I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the asylum. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay.
Happy Whatever! Joan
Dust ingress
in Public Forum
Posted
Michael
I'd be wary covering the fridge vents in any way. If you have a Vitrifrigio (with the compressor at the bottom) as we do, the bottom external vent needs to be able to get rid of the heat 7/24, hence the openable external door when camped, especially in hot weather. If you have the Waeco, with vent only at the top (no bottom vent), you won't have much of a dust issue anyway as the vent's well above and out of the way of the dust coming off the van wheels.
We don't cover any of the fridge vents or the HWS vent, just the entry door vent with a piece of foam between the two doors. Like Tolley, we tap the dust off the tug aircleaner each day and brush out or vacuum inside the fridge and HWS vents when we can, and after each trip. IMO most of the (little) amount of dust we get inside the van comes in through the entry door seals as noted above, but mainly through the windows which tend to rattle on rough roads. Either way its not a problem for us. As Tony notes above, vans with the rear kitchen seem to suffer a bit more than those with less windows and vents in the rear wall - i.e. dust seems to be mostly sucked up the back of the van.
Enjoy your Kedron and the KOG community. They're a great bunch as you'll find when you meet them out on the road.
Regards, Andrew.