Rod and Mavis

Greeting again friends. Water is the biggest issue in free camping unless there is no sun grin. Our 80 liter drinking water is only used for drinking and cooking and will last us for 3/4 weeks or more.You always top up the drinking water when you find good water,shower water does not matter too much so bore water can be used or river/creek is ok. The longevity of the 3, 80 liter shower tanks depend on your requirements. We have found that you can shower without hair wash with 10 liters of water, with hair 15 liters of water. We adjust the shower wet down and shut the water off. Soap/shampoo then rinse. If you are away from a supply of water you adjust your ablution requirements accordingly, maybe a rinse off with a basin will suite your requirements, your own personal choice! The solar absolutely depends on the amount of sun available. We have had situations where we were running short of batteries and have to use the generator to top them up. Thus our generator is to be sold with the rig as an essential inclusion. Our power usage is a little higher than most as Mavis uses a CPAP machine which requires that we use the inverter all night, as a result we needed more power than most hence the 5 solar panels fitted to our van. Having explained all that, Kedron are now producing the XC3 which is a light weight van designed for Prado's , Pajero's and 3 liter patrols. The inclusions are not up to the bigger machines but still acceptable for free camping depending on requirements. Please do your home work as to your requirements before purchasing anything as it is easy to spend heaps and find that the result is not quite what you wanted. Ask heaps of questions and hopefully you will arrive at the right choice for you both. Regards and good luck. Rod & Mavis.

Greetings all. The manufacturer of our new van dropped a bomb shell on us at the Brisbane show just finished yesterday. He informed us that the propeller /chequer plate aluminium on the side and back of the vans is anodized with a clear finish. This could explain why I spent nearly two weeks trying to polish our old van with alloy polishes like Purple and others and wondered why it took so long to achieve a gloss finish. His suggestion is to only use microfiber cloths to wash the plate and also to rub a gloss back onto it if minutely scratched by use of the wrong cloths. To all of us that have polished the plate so sad aint it, once you do polish it ya gotta do it forever for a good look Would it not be nice to be told these very important points when we pick up our vans????? . Best regards to all.

Greetings Boopstas. We have a 2005 model 16'6" shower van XC that unfortunately was delivered to us new with an ATV chassis fitted. The Tare was plated as 2340kg's with 2900kg's stamped for the ATM ex factory. We have had the ATM increased to 3500 by an engineer to give a bit more lee way for loading but run well within this figure. Our van is extensively modified from original. We have installed 3 shower tanks + 1 drinking water, hence the need for higher ATM.+ 5 solar panels, inverter 3 AGM's and a complete rewire job. It will be on the market shortly. If you would like more details drop us a PM and we can flick you more info. Regards. Oh forgot we are in Brisbane

Hi Brian. We have been using the lockable pin supplied by Joe McInnes with the McHitch for the last 20,000 kms with no problems at all. Have a look on his web site./>http://mchitch.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12 $30 from him but I am sure it is available elsewhere.

Greetings all. Like Mr & Mrs Havago, (greetings Greg & Judy) we have opted for as many drawers as we can fit including a pot drawer, getting rid of unusable cupboard space. The diesel heater has gone digital in control no more dial (Webasto) with timer set. Contemplated the Truma Gas jobby but stuck with the diesel due to diesel availability in the scrub. The diesel is definitely much noisier but we love it. Remote digital radio can turn it on from the bed (Slack aint we). Fully electric Saturn TV aerial with Next G incorporated for the phone plus Marine swivel base mounted Next G aerial for the internet. Electric auto extend radio aerial (rubbers do not work well well so we hear, some rubbers don't grin). The oven we can not do without for bread, cold country roasts and scones grin. Our hot water system is 240v plus gas. Current one is only gas, the exhaust vent is modified from that supplied and the exhaust is not allowing the hot air from the heater to be sucked in to the fridge vent which invariably is just above it. Fantastic hatch is rain sensing (thanks again Greg & Judy). Bedside tables extended to allow bigger drawers. Electric hydraulic disc brakes (ease of maintenance and superior operation). Independent coil suspension with dual shocks the axles have been moved as far forward as legally allowed to lift some weight off the tow bar (McHitch is fitted). No decals all striping and logo's painted on van to avoid the dreaded bubbles,cracks and red dirt storage behind same. Waeco 215L fridge (Jury is our waiting for result but it looks more robust than Vitrifrigo and the motor and compressor(identical to Vitrifrigo) are on the top of the fridge concequently the heat should be dispersed more efficiently). Full LED lighting. Our toilet has been raised to a comfortable height for grey nomads that have not so good knees or legs and an assist handle situated near same. Assist handle outside the door and also inside the entry door. We are having the mandatory front bra but a fuel saver cone is on the drawing board improving laminar air flow down the side of the van thus no more being sucked in and spat out by passing trucks and there are documented fuel saving benefits. 4 135w solar panels to give us 40amps charge on a good day. 70a battery charger to boost batteries quickly on the generator after bad weather. Pressure water fill system, It is much easier to fill the tanks and fool proof if the vents are in sight. The other advantage is that there is no mass of piping in the cupboards for the fill system. Grey water holding tank. After just returning from Tassie where a lot of free camps require self containment this is a must. Probably forgot a few items but above are some of our inclusions. Regards to all. Rod & Mavis.

Hi Colin & Gayleen I keep the male part on the hose lubed with Lanox or any good lube that will not worry the seal in the socket. We had the same trouble until this fix. Regards to the four of you

No problem showing the pics. Cheers

Den & Col So sorry for the late reply but we were waiting for the aerial to be installed on the new van. Please see the attached pics. It is mounted in the rear L/H overhead cupboard near the entry door.The drain runs down inside the rear wall and drops out below the chassis. There will be a rubber marine self bailing/sealing cap on the end of this and the overboard drain for the Waeco fridge eliminating dust ingestion. It looks a million bucks and extends as the radio is turned on. Aerial is from Auto Pro ($99.99 Aerpro AP10 Universal and VB-VL Commodore Replaceable Mast with four heads) The 4 heads allow selection to accommodate the outside part of the aerial to be neatly fixed on curved or flat surfaces.

Well done team thumbs up from us.

Hi Phil & Darlene. I do not believe that it would be appropriate to start a discussion on an opposition van in this forum. Suffice to say that we have gone a little bigger and are getting a highly customised and innovative van of our choice. We will not discuss this any further on this site. Best regards to all. Rod & Mavis.

Greetings all. Having changed many a wheel and bearing assemblies on aircraft, It is imperative to tighten the bearing nut while rotating the hub. Without a torque wrench tighten hard, then back off all the way, this seats the bearings all the way on the axle. Then tighten with a slight load, never ever loose. Our bearings on our XC have done 70,000kms, Well three sets have the other was changed after losing a wheel in Kakadu about 50,000kms ago. That is story for another time :confused:

Hi David and Jane It has been too long since we saw you both. Our new baby is a Spinifex due for delivery at the end of this month. The Waeco that we saw in Bob and Graces new Kedron a couple of weeks ago looked to be a much more robust unit. The hinges and latches were a much better construction than the Vit and the running gear is the same in both. The Waeco also has a drain line which means no more drain tray to empty when defrosting. Purely a personal choice. Our only gripe with the Vitrifrigo was the scuffing of the facia panels near the latches,the fridge has done us proud for nearly six years of constant running. We did have the option of the Vitrifrigo. As a matter of fact we could have had what ever we wanted. Please say hi to Jane for both of us. :thumbsup:

Right on Kingy Bob and Grace demanded that kedron remove the Engels due to the fact that they ran constantly and were very noisy. The Waeco looks good and we have opted for it in our new van as well. Vitrifrigo's are still available on the market but the Waeco looks more robust, both use the Danfoss compressors. It is hard to see any benefits of the Engels, who on earth wants a 90L freezer and only a 90L fridge. :confused:

There was never any sealant used in the original installation apart from where the wiring passes through the skin. Yes there are great amounts red dust/mud/sticks/leaves that comes out from behind the assemblies when the van is washed. We can live with that. When I changed the lamps there was a dirt build up but it washed off ok. As a matter of fact the washed out dirt from the lights was less than that washed out from behind the cracked and bubbled stickers on the van.

Hi all. Twice as previously stated I have changed these less than acceptable lamp assemblies. Both times I have seen no need to use silicon or Sikaflex. These lamps have an adequate locking mechanism in their mounting surrounds. Having replaced a few none have ever fallen out nor have they ever leaked again and we do a lot of off road touring and they have been exposed to lotsa vibration. ? why glue them in???????????

Hi Rob Be aware that the rig will consume heaps of power when turned on. We will have one in our new van but it is something that can not be left on. On only if you are expecting coms. A marine swivel mount as per the Next G aerial installations will be the easiest and can be lowered while travelling & raised for use.

Greetings all. Just back from Tassie and have missed all this healthy and civil debate about hitches. It must be my turn for in put. I/we are not related to Joe McGinnes or in any way related to his great product other than by having used it for the past 40000 kms on our weighty Cross Country home. Unlike Havago we did drop in to meet him at Lithgo on our way to Melbourne before catching the ferry to Tassie. What a great bloke and a lovely town that should not be missed if you are also on the road. The reason for choosing the McHitch for us was the physical usage of our van. We do a fair bit of stressful off road work with our baby. We have seen lots of problems with our old factory fitted hitch on vans that do not experience the stress levels that our van has. After upgrading the weight of our van the original hitch was not acceptable for continued operational use as we required. A 3.5 ton rated hitch is not acceptable on a 3.5 ton weighted van that is used in off road situations full stop underlined. The loadings excerpted on the van and hitch WILL far excede the ratings. It was with out doubt proved to me that the ADR testing done on the McHitch made it the only hitch available at the time and the 6.0 ton rating in a package as compact as the McHitch gave me the warm and fuzzies at the time. It did weigh 5 kg's more that the original,. not bad for the increased capacity. The design principal was sound and the philosophy engineering wise indesputable. ( if you would like to challenge this statement PM me and I can expand on it) We do not use the "Weight distribution System" on our rig as we have managed to move 100kg's off the draw bar and now tow safely and confidently without ill effects ( plenty of weight on the front wheels and handling is great ( for a 100 series IFS!). Hooking up is now a pleasure. At first it was not farmilliar and was a little difficult. Now as Havago said a little weight on the screw top and it falls in what ever angle you are on. I also found that once you were over the pin that with the vehicle out of gear ( if possible) and weight applied, the hitch will fall into place. I love it as the only acceptable alternative for us at a time when we were feeling uncomfortable with the factory supplied hitch.

Greetings all We have had to replace the Led Technologies big square tail lights on our 5 year old van three times. First time by Kedron in the first week two were replaced. The next was about a year later. after contacting Led Technologies and explaining the problem ( water ingestion in 3) they referred us to a company in Brendale where the lights were replaced ( Rod fitted them). The last time about six months ago we had another one full of water and they wanted us to take it off and send it to them for evaluation, can you believe that. Kedron charged me $50 to replace it. It is not a good reflection on this particular lighting module and I am sad to see that they are still installing them on some model new vans. As for led's in general we would not use anything else they are great.

A big NO WAY guys. The road is narrow in the extreme. Only good for cars without trailers of any sort.

Hi all. We opted for the Thermos shuttle Chef see http://www.thermalcookware.com/ our reason was for the quality of the pots. We now use the pots not only for the shuttle chef but for every day use in the van. Ours is the 6 liter unit with two 3 liter internal pots. It is a great way to cook not only energy efficient but the results are superb. Lots cost but a great bit of kit!

Hi all Try a retrofit of an auto extend electric aerial available from Repco auto pro etc. It extends when you Make sure you get one with a water drain. They are the best and reception is great :thumbsup: If fitting is beyond you have it done , you will not look back.

Greetings all We are just home today from two months in tassie. What a wonderful place! We have decided that we will go back in November 2012 for a 6 to 7 month stay. This deicion was a joint one due to the fact that our two months although great was totally inadequate to explore this great place. Come on 2012 :thumbsup: P.S. my choice was for 12 months but the boss will not spend a winter there :confused:

Greetings all The rubber aerials that are currently fitted are rubbish, fitted for cost and convenience to the installer stick to the old metal jobbies. if you can get someone to retro fit up an auto extend (electric) one ( repco , auto pro please go for it they are the best for reception. :thumbsup:

We are with you mate :thumbsup:

We do have some white missing on the front of our van mainly due to the lack of big time flaps on the car or van. My comments on the color vans originated from one friend with a brown Kedron van without front bra buying touch up paint to cover road damage and another with Brown (not Kedron) having to do the same. Color looks good but our individual preference is for white. Are we all not different ???? Life has to be good for us it is the only one that we have :biggrin: