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Yabbietol

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Everything posted by Yabbietol

  1. Fitted the Clearviews today that Tony arranged for me. Thanks Tony for great service, good price and quick delivery.
  2. Just did 1800km towing the 2.5t ATM Kedron around central NSW - Gloucester (for fitting of draws and ½ Cargo barrier by Drifta), Dubbo and Goulburn. It towed very nicely behind the LC200. The air bags (Firestone with Kevlar sleeves) worked well have tried various pressures, so far 14 psi seems to work the best. Towed on some rough flood damaged bitumen roads and a few dirt roads in National Parks. Still not convinced about the OEM suspension, it may be a bit soft. However, the air bags certainly improved the ride. The height of the Toyota off road hitch with an auto McHitch seems right. If we get any suspension work we will not look at any lift, we will try to stick to standard height suspension. No WDH was used on the whole trip, and we felt it unnecessary for our setup, which towed smoothly in a variety of road conditions, including some very strong winds yesterday. We are also getting some Clearview mirrors from Tony, the passenger clip on mirror fell off 1½ times and they seem to vibrate more on the Toyota than they did on the Pajero. So we have decided to give our new LC200 ugly big ears to go with the ugly GX air intake. Drift Draws and and ½ Cargo Barrier, needs to be packed properly. Note, gear just thrown in to get home.
  3. I think I have solved the problem. I went to the local Canberra Toyota dealer in southern Canberra, they were really helpful. We measured and on-road hitch and top of tow ball was 575mm, it seemed a bit low. I then bought an off-road hitch with the arrangement if it was too high I could exchange for on-road. Backed up to Kedron in garage at home and using trail mate jack and the old Pajero hitch for reference got the van 10mm down at front unhitched and it was level with the centre of the ball, this was ~620mm. once hooked up there will be a small drop so it looks like the off-road Toyota hitch suits, will confirm this when I removed tow ball and replace with auto McHitch coupling. I did speak to Kedron Service and the info I got is "all Kedron vans couplings are different heights". However, one bit of useful advice from Kedron was the van should be close to level as possible and slightly down at the front. I think this is how ours will sit once I get the McHitch coupling fitted (air bags to be fitted Wednesday). This was a problem I did not anticipate, but at least I have learned a lot from this experience.
  4. Hello Tony and Neville Thanks for the responses, I already have the tow tongue from my Pajero, which unfortunately is quite long. So therefore, it sticks out the back of the LC200 a fair bit. On the Pajero it is not too bad as the spare on the back door also sticks out a fair way as well; hence the Pajero hitch tongue does not stick out so far on the Pajero. We also have a variable height Eaz lift (also fitted with a auto McHitch), which we got for the Pajero. So we do not want to buy another WDH. We have not tried the Eaz lift on the LC200 yet, but as Tony suggested above we would like to try towing without the WDH. If the van does not behave we can always go back to the Eaz lift WDH, hopefully we should not need the WDH. We have towed the 2.5 tonne ATM single axel van for a short distance behind the Pajero without the WDH both on road and off road and it felt fine, so with luck should be OK with LC200 without the WDH. The MY16 LC200 also has as standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC), my research shows the TSC helps the Dexter Sway Control (DSC), so "belts and braces". We also have a tow ball scale and are very careful with van weights. Toyota seems ambivalent about if we need a WDH, so it would be nice not to have to bother with the WDH. So hence our need for the Toyota tow tongue, they are significantly shorter than the Mitsubishi Pajero tongue. I am off to the local Toyota dealer tomorrow with tape measure and the Pajero tongue fitted with our McHitch auto coupler. Toyota do not seem to be able to tell me the height of either of their tow tongues. With luck I will be able to work it out for myself tomorrow, but if someone does know, which of the two Toyota hitches works best with Kedrons and LC200, please let me know. Thanks Terry
  5. A question for all the very knowledgable LC200 owners with Kedrons. We are trying to find out which tow bar insert to get from Toyota for our new LC200 GX, we have an Auto McHitch. Toyota supply two different tow bar inserts one is off-road the other is on-road. I would have thought the off-road tow bar insert, but it appears it might be too high. The height measured on our Pajero to the locking pin in the McHitch on level ground was 600mm, with no van hooked up. Do Kedron owners have the on-road or off-road Toyota insert on their LC200? Thanks Terry
  6. Picked up LC200 GX today and fitted AT2 Toyo tyres. Much more to do, but it drives nice and in about 1000km I will be able to tow the Kedron. Quick trip to Gloucester to get draws and ½ cargo barrier fitted by Drifta planed in a few weeks.
  7. Hello Tony and Annie

    Hope you are all settled at Maryborough in your new house and doing some fun travels with your new American truck towing your Kedron.

    We have ordered a new Landcrusier GX and hopefully it will be delivered mid Oct. We have many things we want to fit like draws, cargo barrier and Bullbar and of course they all cost $ so we are working out our budget. 

    We are thinking about a set of Clearviews, we do not want to order them till we get the LC200 just to make sure of what type we need for a GX, at this stage we think they will be black with no turn signal indicator.

    So could you please give us an indicative price for a black pair with no turn signal, for delivery to us at home at postcode 2620. 

    Also once we place an order typically how long for delivery?

    Regards

      Terry and Ellie

     

    PS Tried your old dodo email address and it bounced.

  8. We are looking forward to delivery of our new LC200 GX on October 18th. It will be very nice to tow our 16'XC3 Kedron with a diesel V8, the previous tow, the NW Pajero worked really well, but we decided that it was time for a new 4WD and to get our planned long term tow. We sold the Pajero yesterday and now have a wait of a few weeks, including the Toyota recommend 1000km no tow period. Then we will be off to do a very short trip via the Blue Mountains some nice back roads from home (SE NSW) to Gloucester NSW to get a half cargo barrier and a set of Drifta draws fitted. Terry PS We are using the Toyota order tracking system which is really good, suggest if you buy a Toyota and have to wait for delivery get the dealer to get you a login. The system now shows the LC200 has been built and is on the ship in transit. The tracking system also gives us the VIN and engine number, and now has a build date of Sep 2106 and a Compliance plate of Oct 2016. The Pajero and Kedron at Bulga Free Camp in the Hunter Valley NSW
  9. This article may be of interest it is a couple of years old, but still makes sense. I am sure it will get some people excited, but I think it is very interesting and makes some good points about tyres for LC200s. However, it is still just someones opinion and just about everyone has an opinion on tyres. So please treat this as information that may be of interest, it is not having a go at your tyre choice. Just about whatever tyre you choose in Australia will still go around on your wheel and work, some better than others for particular tasks. http://adventure4wd.com.au/4wd-tips/tyre-dramas-200-series-landcruiser/ Have a good read Regards Terry
  10. Have arranged to have Toyo AT 2 fitted to LC200 after trading OEM tyres next month. They come highly recommended I have usually had BFG which are good, but have been told the AT 2 really suit the LC200. They are used by SA Gov for their fleet LC200, which is a good test for any tyre. Toyo AT2 are also cheaper than the BFG.
  11. I am very surprised that any one would even think of hitching or unhitching any van with any hitch without handbrake on and front and back chocks in place. Natural selection in action. It is important to get the height right with the Mchitch auto, if tight to undo pin height between van and tow is almost certainly not correct. Similarly if a lot of force needed to hitch the Mchitch, the tow is usually too high and you are lifting the van. This is easily visually checked by looking at last stage of hitching up and height adjusted with jocky wheel or trail mate jack or just tilting the hitch coupling. If height ok, hitching and unhitching is very smooth, if height not ok more force is needed and it not surprising chocks and handbrake come into play. It also pays to wipe the coupling pin and inside hitch with a paper towel in dusty confitions, Mchitch also suggest PTFE lubricant if needed.
  12. We like the Mchitch auto, it works really well. Very easy to hitch and unhitch. Joe at Lithgow is very approachable and helpful with any questions. A good Australian made product that works well.
  13. Last September we picked up our new Kedron XC 3 single axel 16'. Which is a great van we did two weeks travelling around SE Qld and then got our first service done by Kedron after 1200km. They fixed a couple of minor problems, concerned with leaky taps, noisy fan, ice around freezer door all ok except still getting a bit of ice around freezer. We travelled as far as Chinchilla and liked Murgon and Kilcoy. Stayed at Lawton Showground (Pine Rivers) and if you ask they will accomodate you without unhitching. When we got back to Kedron we also got them to fit 2nd spare and wire up rear view caravan camera in our tow, so our free service cost us for the extra bits. Strongly suggest you spend a couple of weeks travelling around SE Qld and then go back for first service, it was very reasuring to get the minor problems fixed. We have since done our 10K service at Kedron and got some more minor fixes and a 2nd gas outlet fitted, plus another Fantasic Fan fitted, so now we only have them in the van ( a good option). Kilcoy showground has lots of space and is easy to park in hitched up, the main Kilcoy free camp can be a bit tight, the other free camp has more space as well. Toolgoolawa also has a nice showground not too far from Kedron where you can stay hitched up. To practise backing and other useful skills strongly suggest you both do a Tow-ed type course. Well worth it. Good luck Terry and Ellie
  14. Live long and prosper. We have had a 16' single axel XC3 since Sep 2015 we have done about 10,000 Km in that time towing with our 2013 NW Pajero. We were particular when ordering to keep the ATM below 2.5 tonne and the tow ball weight below 250kg. Kedron were pleased to help us achieve these weights. Typically before a trip our tow ball weight is about 200kg to 220Kg with full water tanks and fully loaded. The expensive 200AH Lithium battery option helped a lot with keeping overall weight and tow ball weight under control. The single axel 16' tows legally and tracks well behind the Pajero. We originally wanted Prado rims and tyres as they were the closest to the Pajero tyres in profile. However, due to the need to ensure a good safety margin on load for a single axel on Kedron's advice we were obliged to have Landcrusier size rims and tyres. We also started with one spare to see how the weights and handling worked out, after two weeks at the first service we got another tyre. So we now have two caravan spares, which also fit a Landcrusier. We have had no problems towing with the Pajero, both on road and off road. We are now both retired and plan to do a lot more travelling and intend to keep our great little van for many more years. However, have decided to upgrade our tow to a GX LC200 which we hope to pick up around October, we like the Pajero a lot and it towed the 2.5t very well including up steep long hills like Cunningham's Gap and Thuderbolts way.
  15. I feel a bit sad about the confrontational posts above, I did not join this group to put up with this type of nonsense. The above post was my first for some time and was posted in a way that I feel is the real purpose of this forum, which is to promote useful exchange of information for Kedron owners. Some months ago I posted some information about a water bladder I had fitted to my 4WD in a members only part of this forum and was disappointed in the negative comments; I did not bother replying to some of the inane negative comments. There is a bit too much of mine is bigger or better than yours above, how about limiting comments to be positive and constructive. Apologies are good, but are not necessary if you think before saying negative things about other members or their kit. We all can learn from each other so please refrain from making this forum an unpleasant place to visit.
  16. We have also bitten the bullet, in a different manner to many in this thread. We are replacing our NW 2013 Pajero which legally and safely tows our Kedron with a Series 200 GX Landcrusier. We have been very happy with how our Kedron XC3 single axel tows behind the Pajero. However, we are travelling a lot more now we are retired and we were looking at a new 4wd for the long term (10 years+). The LC 200 in the povery pack version after some tough negotiation was about $12K to $15K more than a new Pajero or Prado. So after some shopping around and much thinking we thought the change was worthwhile. There was a lot of pressure from sales people to sell us a GXL or VX, both which were beyond our budget and had lots of fancy bits we were not interested in; note, we are former hi lux and 110 Landrover owners and very use to a poverty pack 4wd. The GX LC 200 meets most of our requirements to tow our ATM 2.5 tonne Kedron economically and with safety. The GX has the 5 star NCAP, same engine, same gear box, similar body, simpler suspension (no KDSS) as the GXL, VX , Sahara models, but with 5 seats and vinyl floors, which are a plus for us. So with some modiications, costing about $5K, such as cargo barrier, Smartbar, Waterwatch, tow pro elite and side steps the LC200 should meet our travelling and towing needs for the next few years. We have placed our order and expecting the new tow in Sep/Oct.
  17. Last year we built a garage for our Kedron (16' XC3 compact with 17" wheels and cruise-master suspension). We were advised to make the entrance height at least 3.2m, we made it 3.3m just to be sure. The van fits comfortably with a safe clearance. The highest point of the van appears to be the top of the Air conditioner, closely followed by the TV aerial. Note: On measuring the Van max height it appears to be 3.1m, but measurement was done in a hurry and a bit roughly when we got the the van home, before putting it in the garage. If you make it 3.3m you should be OK, I am not sure what other Kedron model van heights are? Good Luck Terry
  18. Some past experience, we had an Avan Cruisliner which had a noisy water pump, which unfortunatly was located under the bed. So if one of us got up first and made a cuppa the other was woken up by the the noise of the pump under the bed. I embarkd on a noise reduction process, having worked on Naval vessels when younger, I tried home made vibration isolation mounts. Followed by foam insulation of the hoses and rubber closed cell foam under all the hose clamps, fiittings and brackets. The outcome was not really worth the effort, it certainly reduced the noise, unfortuantly the pump location was a major part of the problem. The next steps would have been relocation of the pump and possibly a noise insulated box taking care to allow enough air circulation around the pump. The actual siolution was we sold the Avan and got our Kedron, pumps still noisy but not under our bed. Good luck with your pump noise isolation project, I will follow your efforts with interest. Regards Terry
  19. That is correct Colin, we often don't use Air Conditioning, even when on 240v, as mostly we prefer to sit outside in the shade. Also we have discovered that cooking on our Cheapo Induction hotplate outside is possible on Li battery power for quick items in hot weather and saves the cooking heating up the van. Boiling water for a cuppa etc. outside by induction is a bit more bush camping like than cooking inside and keeps the van cooler and works fine on Total Fire Ban days. Cooking bigger items outside we use our Marine BBQ. Back on topic, if we used Air Conditioning we certainly would need a generator or a larger battery than 200Ah. Regards Terry PS Spent last two days in Cowra NSW Van park on powered site. 37 deg and despite temp we did not use Air conditioning, we preferred to sit in shade of trees near river and catch the breeze
  20. Very happy with our Enedrive 200 AH Lithium battery system fitted by Kedron. We were going to buy a generator, but so far have not needed one, the DC to DC converter works well at charging the battery if we are moving. The 300W of solar on roof also keeps the battery topped up if in the sun. So far in 6 months of part time use we are very happy with the Enedrive set up. Time will tell if we need a generator, if we do, it most likely will only need to be a 1kW for battery charging. Also tested our cheapo $50 inverter hotplate at 1800W on the 1800W Xantrac inverter today and it works well, it did not trip the overload on the inverter. Boils water, makes Bialetti coffee fast, cooks omelettes nicely easier than gas.
  21. To answer your above question. We moved from an Avan Cruiseliner (1.2t) which is a small A frame pop top with no shower and toilet. After we did a 6 week trip in our Avan to WA a couple of years ago we liked it a lot and decided we would now really like a bed that had good access, on board shower and toilet. The 16'XC met all these criteria, plus was well made and Kedron allow you to option the van the way you like it. Compressor fridge , auto McHitch Lithium Battery, Inverter, etc. and very solid build quality. We looked at some other brands single axel vans and did not like how marginal the tyres and suspension were for the weight they had to carry; when you do the sums Kedron seem to have very good margins for the load required in a single axel. Dual axel vans were more expensive and heavier than what we bought, although I believe with the our expensive options our comfortable single axel is now more expensive than the base model dual axel XC3, but it is still lighter. XC3's are lighter and cheaper than other models of Kedron, but seem to have the same build quality. We also wanted a van to last for 10 years plus without too many worries and comfortably go off road into Nat Parks etc, it appears Kedron's do this quite well and less weight means less fuel and easier towing. We moved from 1.2t ATM to 2.5t ATM and so far are very happy with the move to Kedron. I think single axel vs dual is a very personal choice and we were very use to towing a small single axel van. Single axel met our needs and less weight, tyre pressure monitoring and Dexter Sway Control make single axel vans safe and easy to tow. I should add Kedron vans tow well without DSC, we fitted ours after the first service, not to correct any towing issues, but just to improve our safety. Good van hunting, it can take a while, but when you find the right van it is worth it. Regards Terry
  22. Hello Cargo5 I agree with Tony one of the smaller Kedrons may suit, we picked up our 16' XC3 single axel last September and really are enjoying it. It has a full ensuite, double bed and cafe seating, it is really comfortable and your ute would easily tow it. For more info have a look at our postings in the layout thread of this forum. Our van has an ATM of 2500Kg, payload just under 400Kg and a tow ball weight of <230K. I just measured the tow ball weight of the fully loaded van and got 210Kg yesterday. The single axel tows really well behind our 2013 NW Pajero and the auto McHitch makes life easy. We also fitted the and Sansa brand inside rim tyre pressure monitoring system (From Hannibal Safari in Brisbane) Dexter Sway Control (DSC - from Vehicle Components). I can recommend both these aftermarket options for peace of mind when towing. Make sure you do the factory tour, it is what sold us on Kedron. Regards Terry
  23. Kedron will only register a new van in Qld. Our recent experience last September was we used a Qld address to get it registered and while we were in Qld no problem, and when we returned to NSW we had 3 months to transfer the rego, which we did. In NSW you are required to have a "Breaksafe" Battery monitor fitted that is visible to the driver I do not think this applies in any other state. So we pruchased the monitor from Caravans Plus online and fitted it when we returned home. Despite the van being brand new and registered in Qld we were required to get a NSW Blue Slip (inspection for new vehicle - $80) and then pay the rego (about $500) in NSW and we got a refund of the unused portion of the Qld rego of $129. We were advised the only legal alternative we had was to not get it registered in Qld get a permit to drive back to NSW and get a blue slip at the first authorised inspection place and then pay the rego and all supposedly within one day. This option was not really workable as if the van failed inspection we would be stuck until problems solved. In summary it was a real pain and cost a lot of dollars and time, but now we are legal and fully insured in our home state. It is real shame we do not have a national rego system or even a national rego permit system that would allow a month or two to transfer rego without the need for an inspection. Maybe just get rid of the internal borders between states and save all of us a lot of money and bother.
  24. Hello Graham

     

    A mate of mine has just bought a 2nd hand Nova Terra 16' and looking to fit a diesel heater. Could I have your business contact details to pass onto him, if you don't mind.

     

    Regards

    Terry

    1. GraemeY

      GraemeY

      GRAEME Yost zero four one eight 130971 also the contact form on www.dieselheat.com.au ,thank you for the referral 

    2. Yabbietol

      Yabbietol

      Hello Graeme

      I will pass on you web site address to him, his name is Dave and just bought the van so not sure when he will get in touch, but I guess before winter.

       

      Regards

      Terry

    3. GraemeY

      GraemeY

      THANK YOU THE RECOMMENDATION IS MUCH APPRECIATED 

  25. We recently bought a XC3 16' and part of our decision process was which fridge. We previously in another brand of van had a 3 way Thetford 90l fridge it was a pain in the neck, it leaked fumes around the fridge when on gas, on two occasions in high winds when camped the flame went out, it could be a pain to light the flame for absorption mode. Also had to remember to turn from 12V to gas when stopping for the day or you got a flat van battery and it worked well in cold weather, but not so good in real hot weather. We have also heard the automatic turing on 3 way fridges sometimes don't turn on automatically and you have to manually start them. Also they have had a recall for one brand because they would light the gas randomly while on 12V, not good in a service station. Based on our previous experience with a 3 way we went for the Waco compressor fridge and Kedron wisely insisted we have an extra solar panel (150W) and at least 200Ah of battery (we got a Lithium battery). So far it has been great, no real bother, no fumes or naked flame, lots of space and really keeps everything cool, a little ice build up in the freezer, but this is manageable. We find overnight our fridge plus lights, TV etc uses about 10% of battery capacity with 300W of solar it is replaced usually by about mid to late morning, or if we move the DC to DC converter charges it to full in less than a couple of hours driving. Even on cloudy days we get some solar charging. We have considered buying a 1Kw Yamaha generator to charge caravan battery just in case . We have not come close to needing one and therefore have deferred generator purchase, maybe indefinitely. We are very pleased with the compressor fridge and would not go back to a 3 way. The Waco is quiet, reliable and safe. Kedron have the fridge wired on a seperate breaker which when travelling we leave on all the time and the rest of the caravan 12v load is turned off while driving at the adjoining breaker. The extra solar panel and larger battery is also a great bonus as the fridge load is more than compensated for by the extra panel and we have lots of power for most things we need. Maybe we will get an additional folding solar panel or eventually the generator, but so far no need.
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