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Keeping the spinifex seeds out of the radiator

Submitted: Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 22:22

Willem

Before

Seed screen
Seed screen


Spinifex chopper
Spinifex chopper


But then Murphy came along

Seed collector
Seed collector




Cheers

Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

ThreadID: 58311 Replies: 6
Views: 918 FollowUps: 6
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AnswerID: 307412   Submitted: Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 22:42

Topcat (WA) replied:

Hi Willem, I found using a roll of plastic fly screen wrapped in 4 layers covering the entire front grill of my vehicle worked very well when I did the CSR a few years back. I tucked the bottom of it in under the bottom radiator tank as well. I also had a fine steel mesh grill fitted on the Bull Bar in front of the radiator area - it helped too. Hope you didn't encounter any underbody spot fires. From the photo's of your trip it looked as though there was a quite a bit of spinifex around!!!! Cheers.
VKS737 Mobile 7243
www.havewheelswilltravel.iinet.net.au
Reply 1 of 6
FollowupID: 573300   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:59

Willem posted:

Topcat


I still have to find the right way to stop spinifex and othert seeds from clogging the radiator. At one stage I had open weave shadecloth doubled up over the bullbar and the same over the grille. But the temp guage went higher as the days wore on. The chain came next after a stick dislodged the alternator belt.(One participant in the trek has an 80 series shod with 315's and that did put it above some of the worst spinifex)

Driving 400km cross country and in the lead most of the time makes for quick thinking where to put the wheels. In places the spinifex clumps were up to a meter high. There were also vast areas of small trees and shrubs, mainly Holly Grevillea, which had to be negotiated.

Good fun but hard on the vehicle.

Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 307415   Submitted: Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 23:00

Member - extfilm (NSW) replied:

No wonder it was getting a little warm......... I just thought you needed an excuse to turn the air con on LOL
I love my life :)
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I intend to live forever........ So far so good
The best way to predict your future is create it.
Reply 2 of 6
FollowupID: 573305   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:07

Willem posted:

Arrr young fella! Have you checked your radiator yet? Probably not much there as most of the seeds were in my radiator...lol


Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 307433   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 00:45

Member - Dennis P (Scotland) replied:

Hi Willem,
Nothing caught underneath is there?
Only ask as I nearly lost my '93 GQ in '01 between Patjarr and Warburton.
Used to regularly check underneath but missed a heap jammed between the exhaust and gearbox.
Was driving at night, luckily, and could not work out why both sides of the road were lighting up, thought something was hanging in front of my driving lights.
Stopped and it was alight, quickest I ever got an extinguisher going, had to push it out with my hand in the end.
Bloody extinguisher blew a heap over the other side of the box.
Took me 2 hours to drive to Warburton with my blistered hand hanging out the window and get it treated at the clinic.

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Aussie, moved to Scotland in '02, coming home to retire one day.
Reply 3 of 6
FollowupID: 573298   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:48

Willem posted:

Dennis

I checked underneath several times a day. I have removed all bash plates from the underbody and my GQ's exhaust has a shroud which keeps the emission system a tad cooler. As I was at the front most of the time I had to make the track. Had a few twigs and shrubs and sticks caught up in the chassis from time to time


Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 307434   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 00:46

Richard Kovac replied:

What's the chain for knocking the tops off the spinifex?
Camped under Mt Leisler
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Still Getting There
Reply 4 of 6
FollowupID: 573286   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 01:30

Richard Kovac posted:

dill din't read under the photo... Sorry
Camped under Mt Leisler
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Still Getting There
FollowUp 1 of 2
FollowupID: 573301   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:00

Willem posted:

G'day Richard

Yes and also to break smaller shrubs so that they do not prick up into the engine bay. It did ework to a certain extent.


Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 2 of 2
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AnswerID: 307438   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 01:05

Willb replied:

Hi Willem, have been following your latest trip thru the forum.
I can see how the "cow catcher" spinifex knock downerer should work.
You say that good ol Murphy came along, was there a fault with the "Spinifex Chopper" not working, or did something else go wrong.
Cheers,
Willb
Reply 5 of 6
FollowupID: 573303   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:05

Willem posted:

Willb

The chopper worked to a certain extent but as the fan is sucking air in all the time one cannot get away from the seeds being sucked in.The chopper was also there to break small saplings and other shrubs

As I said above, maybe if the vehicle was raised a tad it would help. I will be looking at 8.25 tyres when I need to replace my current 7.50 crossplies.


Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 307483   Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 10:27

MintabiePete (NSW) replied:

Yeah Willem , doesnt look like much has changed in this department since my bullcatching days , when shade cloth come out it was the best thing since sliced bread and helped a lot with spinifex and any other types of grasses . A lot of times we burnt before we into an area , helped a lot and you could see the gully's , not to suggest you could have done that lol

Looks like you all had a great time tho :)
Hoping to find some colour
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Greetings from the Silver City
Reply 6 of 6

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