What spares to take

Terry,
this is what I always carry.
A bit of #8 fencing wire. Duct tape. 2 fuel filters. Kneadit for radiator repairs + enough water to fill the radiator. Cable ties. Spare fuses. Fan belts + enough tools to get me out of trouble without taking the workshop with me. I don't worry about radiator hoses anymore as they are extremely reliable. A compressor and tyre repair kit.

If you are not going to far off the beaten track then this should enough to get you out of trouble.

I have a huge tool roll from trucking days but I select just enough spanners that I think I need and leave the rest at home. I always carry vise grips as you can pinch of hoses with them.

Also I carry a spare pair of double pluggers, never know when I might be invited out to a fancy restaurant.

Repairs in the outback are expensive and disruptive to your journey. Also at times your very life can depend on your vehicle working properly. I value my life so I check my vehicle myself. I also have it checked by my Toyota dealer and my local 4 X 4 shop and I let them know what I intend doing. The idea is to go overboard replace any doubtful item and have a full service which includes pulling all the bearings out and repacking them assuming they do not need replacing. Costs lots of dollars but good insurance for a trouble free trip. If things a new you do not really need spares, but if something is say mid life you may like to buy the eventual replacement a bit early and carry it as a spare. You should take a good selection of tools, tapes, fuses, silicone spray etc. No two people will agree on what the etc is so you just need to look around your tool shed and think what maybe handy. As I have a Toyota and I save weight and only carry metric tools, but you will also need to consider your camper. Everybody should have a PLB (EIPERB) good to see you have one. Hope this helps.

Terry, almost anything on a vehicle can fail at any time but you can't carry a whole Spares Dept. Perhaps some parts are more likely to fail, wheel bearings for instance rather than gearbox bearings, so I carry wheel bearings. But that is about my top-end of spares. Of course I also carry the items Rockape listed plus welding gear & rods as we go rough and remote. Plus a good assortment of nuts & bolts.


My method is planned maintenance & replacement and carry minimum spares, although due to the rough tracks we travel I do carry a pair of spare shockers, and have needed them. They can fail unexpectedly.


Since way back people have insisted on belts & radiator hoses and maybe not a lot else. As Rockape said, these are pretty reliable these days and in any case heater hoses are often forgotten but they will lose your coolant just as easily. My method is to replace the belts & hoses on a regular basis and never expect to experience a failure. This includes fuel & brake hoses.


If you are not going rough & remote there is little need to overdo the spares. Mind you, some people carry more tools and spares than my 4WD service centre. I cultivate their friendship! LOL

Gday Terry
Don't forget to take a pack of cards in case you get lost. Just start a game of solitare, there is always someone that will come along and tell you to put the black six on the red seven.......then they can help you with directions.....

For where you are intending on going, and given you will have a brand new vehicle, you don't need much.
I'd take the same as Rockape, except I don't think you need the fan belt (can't remember how long it is since I've seen one fail on a recent vehicle, and they have auto tensioners). Wheel bearings are unnecessary on a Prado as they are sealed.
If it's not on your list, take a small bottle of Locktite 406 superglue and a tyre plug kit.

yep i carry a number of spares without going overboard otherwise you would need a trailer just to carry the spares. One thing you could carry that is not mentioned is one set of shocker bushesfront and rear. These will chop out rather quickly if the suspension is std with rough roadsand corragations. it may take a short time if the vechile is new, but the second or third trip beaware. Good trip preparation prior to each trip should alleviate most small problems. Put your vechile inyo a good x4 shop to get a pre-trip inspection and tell them your intensions. These guys live and breathe 4x4 and know better than your dealer. Ibought my 4x4 and apart from the first service from the dealer it has never been back. You can still get new vechile warranty from these guys at a hand book service. You must also remember that any modifications may not be covered by warranty

Hello Terry,

Lots of good advice above. About your first aid kit. We went through ours recently and found many items were past there use by date.
We replaced them and managed at the same time to get updated information on CPR and snake bite treatment.
There are plenty of fuel suppliers in the Flinders so you probably won't need to carry additional fuel.

Enjoy your travels