Alan and Liz Jones

Hi Ian, When our van is stored (which is under cover) I connect it to a small 20w solar panel on the roof of the shed and also connect to 240v through a time switch which is programmed to turn on once a week for 2 hours so that the on board charger turns on and does it's stuff if needed. Batteries are now 6 years old and still in good condition. Cheers Alan

Hi All I have just had my van serviced by TOWFIX here in Sydney (owner Peter Chamberlin) and I am very happy with the service he supplies. He will come to you at home or where ever your van maybe. He checked all the electrics, brakes, wheel bearings, greased suspension, checks and tightens any loose nuts or bolts on the suspension. The cost is $320 plus parts. He said it normally takes about 3 hours but mine took 4.5 hours and he didn't charge any extra. If you are interested his number is 0423 607 949 Cheers Alan

Hi Zolle, I have a Yamaha 2400 generator and we have just spent a couple of days at Noccundra with temps 40-45 and the Yamaha ran the Cormorant keeping the van at 23-24 deg with no trouble at all. Cheers Alan

Hi Everyone, Great news the Noccundra Pub has new owners Neil & Margaret Turner and their hospitality is great news for this great pub. They will go out of their way to help you unlike the previous owner. Food is back on, we had a great steak from the BBQ. We stayed there for four days last week and enjoyed the new happy atmosphere of the old pub. Cheers Alan

Hi Rick, I will give you a call when it arrives. Cheers Alan

Hi Rick, Have a look on ebay, I found this one the other day and have ordered one (not delivered yet) and I think it just might do the trick. I will be mounting it to the left of center so Liz can operate it and it will not obstruct the radio,air vents switches etc. My car is a Range Rover as I think you will remember. Exogear Exomount Tablet Super Car Mount Holder iPad 1/2/3 Galaxy Tab Playbook ( 130725422046 ) If you want to wait until mine arrives, then you are welcome to come and have look to see if it will suit your car. Cheers Alan Jones

Hi Russ, I haven't done a full test on the ball weight with the box installed as yet because I only installed it last week. I was very surprised when I got the scales and checked the ball weight with the van loaded (except for clothes) and the water tanks full (no box on rear at this stage), it weighed 423kgs. As my tow vehicle is a Range Rover with air bag suspension and self levelling (same as your Discovery) you don't realise the amount of weight. I did some testing before I had the box made by moving the rear bar out by 400mm and filled up jerry cans of water and put them in the space to make sure my theory would work. It did and the weight came down to around 300kgs. I took notes on the weights which I have left in the van which is stored about 10kms from here , so next time I'm out there I will bring them home and send them to you. I tested it loaded but with empty water tanks, then filled each tank starting from the back and weighing it between filling each tank (4x80lt), leaving the very front tank empty makes a big difference. So when we are going to travel to areas where we need all tanks full the front one will be the one we use first. When I do a proper test with the box now fitted I will let you know the results of that. Cheers Alan

Hi Rod & Mavis, Thanks for the advice, I have now found what I was doing wrong. Cheers Alan

Sorry Nev, I just realised that the photo is too small to see it properly. Try this one. Cheers Alan

Hi Russ, I had to get some weight off the tow ball also so I have extended the rear bar and added a box. See attached photo. I have also bought a set of Hayman Reece Ball Weight Scales, a bit pricey but worth the peace of mind when loading the van. Cheers Alan

Sorry folks pushed the wrong button!!!!!!!!! The photos are of the pull out slide I have made for the Yamaha 2400i. I bought the slides on ebay for $89 delivered, they are 700mm long and will hold 100kg. This is the link for the slides http://www.ebay.com....984.m1497.l2648 The aluminium I bought from Bunnings. There is just enough clearance to slide the Genny in and out, I've put a piece of aluminium up at the back of the tray so that anything behind the Genny doesn't fall off. Total cost about $200 and about half a days labour. Cheers Alan

Hi Nev, Here is the photo I was trying to post. It's of the front two tanks other two are done in a similar way. Cheers Alan

Hi All, Can someone explain to me how to attach photos to a post. I tried but photos didn't show up only the attachment file number. Cheers Alan

Hi Nev, Tried to attach photos but didn't seem to work. Alan

Hi Nev, I have fitted isolating valves and draining taps in the existing lines so I can use and/or drain the tanks individually. I have also plumbed the drinking water tank into shower water pump via an isolating valve. This means I can use water from any one of the four tanks at a time, therefore on short trips I only have to fill the tank/s I need. Also I drain off excess water for the trip home or to the next reliable water supply, saving weight to be towed. Taps and valves are available in the garden section of any hardware store.

Hi Shane Yes it did reach a proper temp and yes turning the thermostat did not did nothing. If the copper pipe is frosting up just where the coupling is about 30cm up from the compressor then your unit will most likely be over gassed. To release some gas you will see a short piece of copper pipe coming out of the compressor with a cap on it, all you do is remove the cap and there is a valve there which is the same as a car tyre valve,push the valve in and count to ten and this should fix the problem. Importantdo this before you switch the fridge on.

Hi Geoff, I had a problem with the Vitrifrigo fridge on my boat but it was the opposite to yours in that my fridge would run continuously. I found a company in Liverpool (Sydney)who deal in fridges for boats, caravans, campers etc, and the guy was very helpful and diagnosed the problem as being over gassed. He explained how I could release some gas which should fix it, so I did and it now works perfectly.So maybe you could call him and have a chat about your problem. The company is MOOREBANK MARINE REFRIGERATION P/L ,his name is Bruce Lee 0438 184 129 or 9602 9571 Cheers Alan

Hi John We have just done a car rally for the Royal Flying Doctor and we traveled from Cameron Corner across to the Strzeleki Track and down to Lyndhurst and the track is in very good condition. We did the trip in our Peugeot 504. A great spot to spend a night or two would be at the Strzeleki Creek crossing or at Montecollina Bore. Cheers Alan

Steve and Lyn Thank you very much for the reply. Sounds like we will be buying the 2.8kva Yamaha. Cheers Alan and Liz

Hi Steve & Lyn, Could you please let me know how the Yamaha handles the job as I am having the same problem with my new Cormorant. I tested it with the Honda today and it kept on overloading even with a 2.5m heavy duty lead. Cheers Alan.

Hi All, I fitted the new Air Command air conditioner about a week ago and have been running it for the past few days in the hot and humid weather here in Sydney and it is fantastic, so much better than the Dometic. It brought the temp in the van down from 39c to 22c in about 20mins. I would recommend the change to anyone who has trouble with their Dometic. Cheers Alan

Thanks for the quick reply Greg. Looks like that's the way to go. I have just checked with Caravans Plus and I can get one for $1442 plus $122 freight. Cheers Alan

Hi All, Our Dometic air conditioner has ceased to function on the cooling cycle after one days use and as it is out of the warranty period Dometic will not cover the repairs. The van is two years old but we haven't needed to use it up untill this Christmas while in Parkes for the Elvis Festival with temps around 30 - 40c. The Dometic service guy said that it is most likely out of gas and as it is a sealed unit the whole unit would need to be replaced. So I have spoken to Tom at Kedron and he recommends the Air Command Cormorant that they are now fitting into the new vans. Can anyone tell me how they are finding the the Air Command as I'm thinking of installing this one instead of the Dometic. Cheers Alan

Hi Tony, No, this is just a one off policy. I just made a few phone calls to the different insurers. I was with AAMI for the first two years but have now changed to GIO as AAMI premium went from $847 to $904. Cheers Alan