Mark Wilson replied:

Jeff, you've got most of the "must have's" pretty well covered. I'd like to see you include bead breakers or similar and some way of charging your batteries external to running your vehicle. Two Engels will quickly "drain" your auxilliary battery provisions. Look at either a solar panel or Les Christie's charger. A 50cc Honda 4 stroke mated to a 55 amp bosch alternator. Weighs in at 12 kg and has received rave reviews by range of groups and individuals. What abour communication equipment? Regards Mark Wilson

steve replied:

Reckon a good HF Transceiver would be a must to keep in contact with VKS 737 for road conditions and general communications...


steve

Phil Piesse replied:

G'day Jeff. At the risk of sounding like a worn old record, your tyres, with an increase in diameter of more than 15 mm over standard will render your Disco unroadworthy and, more importantly, void your comprehensive insurance in most Australian states. I've just about ground away both my diffs and would like nothing better than some 215/85's !
Have a great trip !

Gordon replied:

Jeff, consider 4 things, (i)tyres, (ii)comms, (iii)weight and (iv)range. TYRES: Tyres are the most vulnerable part of any 4WD. I would feel unprepared without spare tubes(3), puncture repair kit, bead breaker, tyre levers, rubber mallet and a compressor. In the outback it is not uncommon to get more than two punctures before you get to the next town (I've had 3 myself and once met a guy who had 4 in one day.) You will also need to reduce tyre pressures in soft sand but without a compressor you'll baulk at the idea. COMMS: If you have a problem you can't fix yourself and you're in a remote place then either HF radio and/or EPIRB is a potential life saver. HF is expensive but gives you access to RFDS and VKS 737 (Aus National 4WD Radio Netw). With VKS 737 you can regularly report your progress, get road reports, talk to others in the vicinity and get messages to and from loved ones. I would also recommend CB's (both UHF and 27 Meg) so you can team up and talk to others you meet along the way. WEIGHT: The down-side to taking lots of gear is the extra weight which will shorten your range and put extra stresses on everything especially tyres. Some sugestions: a)Replace the second spare wheel with a spare case only - know how to remove and re-fit a case if needed. Consider split rims, which are dead simple to fit, and 7.50R16 tyres, which are easy to get in the outback. b)Replace your Engel fridge with a good quality esky of the same capacity. With 4 large freezer blocks (2 in the esky, 2 in the freezer, swap daily) we have no problems keeping things cool and there is less weight and less drain on batteries. Remember your spare wheel carrier are made of steel and is very heavy. Leave it behind if at all possible - put the spare case on the roof. This also improves access to the tail gate. Have a guess how heavy is your vehicle fully laden - then weigh it - a mate did this and his L/C Tray Back went over 3.5 Tonnes compared with less than 2 tonnes curb weight? RANGE: 95 litres is not alot of fuel in outback conditions with a heavy vehicle. As a rule of thumb we carry 50% more fuel than needed to get to the next refuelling point. This means that we can get 3/4 of the way and if the road is impassible we can still get back to the previous refuelling point. This sounds a bit like a lecture but I know you'll take it in the spirit it is given - have a great trip.

Mal Try replied:

Jeff, the most important thing is a good woman. You must be compatable living that close together for that long. It's an idea to try some 6 to 8 week trips to make sure everything works. The next most important thing for safety and peace of mind is a HF radio. If something happens you can always raise someone. As everyone can hear radio transmissions (as opposed to sat-phone) there may be someone over the next hill who hears your call for help and can assist you in minutes. VKS 737 radio will know if there is anyone close and can ask them to assist you. Make sure that everyone in your party knows how to use the radio and everything else. If you have injured yourself and you get a flat everyone needs to know what to do. Anyway, it might be her turn! The other thing that people forget about is the boat trailer especially if you are going to be carrying gear in the boat. It should have the same wheels and tyres as your Disco and preferably springs and hangers off an old L/cruiser or Patrol with a few leaves removed. It may look funny but it will get you there. The drawbar and mudguards may also need reinforcing. I hope I havent been too simplistic-just trying to help. Have a great trip. Mal.

Mark replied:

Jeff,
Aside from the accesories required for this type of trip the condition of the vehicle is equally as important. If yours is a TDI make sure you have had the timing gear mod kit done and the belt has not exceeded 80,000k. Broken timing belts are a known problem on TDI 300's and mod's were carried out to the timing gears to stop the belt wondering off and rubbing against the timing cover. Some models may also require a new timing cover depending on the VIN number (I can dig them out of you need the VIN numbers of affected vehicles). A broken belt and at best bent pushrods could be a major inconvienience in the bush and put a big dent in your budget. How did you get 235/85 tyres to fit ?? did you get the tin snips out!
Cheers
Mark

jeff replied:

Thanks Mark.. Yes, not only tin snips but electic jigsaw. Took about 1" out of guard allround. Have a mate that's a bodybuilder, so he did most of the work whilst I opened the coldies. Disco is a 3.9 V8. serviced every 5000km by Robson Bro's over here in Perth.
Thanks for the feedback
Jeff