Pete and Tracey

Hi Everyone, Been thinking of purchasing a 5t bottle jack to facilitate changing a flat if needed. What size jack does everone carry? I would of thought that a jack would of been supplied with the van, have not come accross one yet!!?? When jacking do you place the jack under the wheen axle of the trailing arm? Something Kedron did not go through when delivered. Greatfull for any comments.

Thanks for the response guys, I had a look last night and I can't seem to locate the drain plug that you are talking about. I have identified the little nicks in the framewrok of the hatch door to let the water drain but no plug in the boot as such. I can see a plug in the forward boot (where all the battries are) and is about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch drain hole. One thing I did notice is that the over center latches that lock the door were not adjusted, they were loose, so it was not locking the hatch door to the body with much preassure. So I adjusted them to see how they go. Thanks again for the replies.

Hi Everyone, Picked up the Top Ender the other week and we are stoked with the service and finnish we recieved from the Kedron Boys. The van has met all our expectations. I was just re-organising some gear in the boot on the left hand side of the van and found the chairs to have mould starting on them after just a couple of weeks. I then discovered that the boot was damp on the floor. Anyone else have any experience with water in any of the external hatches? Will it help to replace the seals on the doors as they only look to be a foam dust seal. Can you get a propper waterproof seal for these hatches? Any comments much appreciated. Cheers.

cvtripper, Thanks for the heads up, I would love to see how you have your's wired up. I think they have used battery cable ?? 12 MM? whay guage do you have? Yes it is a 1500 W. Any other comments from the wise out there? Thanks once again cvtripper I appreciate it. I will call Kedron tomorrow and ask.

Hey everyoneTracey and I went to the factory the other day to see how the van was getting on. Here is a picture of the inverter mounted in the boot. The boys at the factory really do a neat job at mounting this hardware. Attached is a picture of the inverter mounted. 2 weeks to go until we get the TE. Starting to get excited !!!!

Thanks for all the replies everyone. We have settled on a Cotek 1500W inverter with a remote control panel. Should do the job nicely! Well, just over a month now! First week in May is the due date of our Top Ender. Went to the factory the other day and can't believe how quick the time has gone. Once again.....thanks for all the knowledge. Cheers, Pete and Tracey

Thanks for the reply Laurie and Helen, Not too late at all. We are due to pick up the TE in May and want to get the inverter to the Kedron guys to include in the build. I will be using much the same gear as you are. Not too sure yet on how much to spend as the price varies considerably. We will most likely get a 1500-1800 KW and have double outlets in the van at the table and on the bench near the TV.

I would not see that we would use the inverter for any heavy applications ourselves, charging phone batteries, running 3G router, laptop etc when free camping. Anything else would dictate a genny if the environment dictated. I am surmising of corse as I have not travelled in a caravan before. Plenty of camping but no caravanning. :-) Not long now though. Cheers, Pete and Tracey

Hi Guys and Gals, Thanks for the replys. I think that the remote is a great idea. I will take that on board. Cheers.

Hi Everyone, Another question :-) Inverter in the van is a no brainer. So with this in mind, what brand have most people that have one installed? I am looking at anything between 1000 - 1800 W for the Top Ender ( due in May). Do kedron fit on if requested? Or do you need to supply. Cheers, Pete and Tracey

Hi dazmit, The car is a write off unfortunately. have the money in the bank and are going to start again with the build. Having a look at an 05 100 series 4.2 auto and 05 4.2 Patrol on Saturday. Really torn between the two as Tracey and I love going bush and the Patrol got us into some fantastic places to go camping. The IFS and front diffs are a concern to me with the 100 series, would love the engine though :-) Just wish I knew how the Patrol will tow the Top Ender so I could make a more informed decision, put my mid at ease either way.

Hi Mark n Deb, The house is fine, thank christ, no damage. We have been on tarp patrol for the neighbours though as thier roof leaked. Don't know what we would of done if the house was damaged! Ferny Grove, Keperra and The Gap look like a war zone. Haven't seen anything like it in my life.

Hey Guys and Gals, Due to the storms that wreaked havoc in South East Queensland on Sunday, our beloved 05 Patrol had a tree fall on it as we drove down Samford Road. Damage to the Patrol is irreparable I think. Luck escape for the wife and I as a branch ended up 12" from our heads. Pictures Attached. Tracey and I are gutted as we had just finished the build of the car having fitted Polly air Bags that day and were ready to take delivery of the Top Ender in May 09 and head off. If the insurance company decides to write the vehicle off, as I am sure they will, what is the preference for tug's out there?? Is it still the diesel or are petrol cars doing the job efficiently now days. Obviously I will be trying to choose between another Patrol or Cruiser, as I believe they are the only two that will do it with ease. What are peoples opinions? Putting aside the Cruiser, Patrol thing :-)

Hey Guys and gals, On this topic, does anyone polish thier van?? What do people use to protect thier van from the elements? Cheers, Pete and Tracey

Is there not a rumour around that Honda are bringing out a 2.5 KVA ?? Anyone heard of this? Hence the specials they have on the 2 KVA for the last year or so.

Hi Norm and Irene, We too are expecting our Top Ender May next year. I have been reading into what genny to get as well. The Yamaha is starting to put it's nose in front as many people have complained about the Honda pulling up short. A shame really as I would of liked the Honda genny. My question is, how well does it fit in the generator compartment of the van? Can you still use the slide? Anyone have any comments?? Cheers. Pete and Tracey

Sure is exciting. I thought that I could wait the 10 months but I don't know!! I too am thinking of all the "upgrades" I can do to make our trip more comfortable. CAN'T WAIT !!! Roll on May 09 :-)

Chris, As it happens, Stan emailed me yesterday. Everything in your email came to fruition, thanks for that. The wait continues. :-)

Hi Everyone, Quick question, Tracey and I ordered the TE over a month ago at the sales yard in Kedron. Jan was very helpful in sorting out our order and we paid the deposit. The van is due May 09. How long does it take to get the chassis number and the layout drawn up on the CAD drawing that so many of you have uploaded to show off your layouts? I have sent an email to the factory but have not heard back as of yet. Wouldn't mind periodically dropping into the factory to get a couple of picture during the progression of the build. Just trying to gage the time frames I guess.

Thanks for the response guys. I think we'll just have to see how the troll goes, I'm sure it will be fine. I can't wait for the van to arrive, as many people have said the waiting is the hard part. Thanks again.

Hi Neil and Julie, Sorry to hijack the thread but I cannot send you a private message nor to your private email. The forum won't let me. How do you find towing the Kedron with the 4.2 ?? I have noticed that the kedron community is also Cruiser country! We have an 05 4.2 ST ready to go (just need to add airbags in the rear to compliment the heavy duty springs) and have just ordered a TE due in MAY 09.

Hi, Well Ihave been lurking in the forum for a couple of months now and find the sight to be a great resource of information. I look forward to being an active participant in the forums. We live in Keperra, Brisbane and plan to work around Australia in 18 months to 2 years. Tracey is a Paralegal and I work in IT. We purchased our first Kedron a few weeks ago and ordered a Top Ender. We have never owned a caravan before and look forward to renting the house and heading off to explore the country. For how long? Who knows?? I have so many questions! I guess over time I will get them answered. My first concern is that not alot of people seem to using the Patrol as a tow vehicle. We have an 05 4.2 ST with 3" exhaust, turbo boost upped and dyno'd. Is there anything wrong with the Nissan?? I hope not! So many questions ! Well I will leave it at that for now. Cheers, Pete and Tracey