What spares to take

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 18:34
ThreadID: 100930 Views:3178 Replies:7 FollowUps:13
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When travelling in remote locations - but not necessarily too far 'off road' apart from ensuring sufficuent fuel and water what spares would it be wise to carry? I thinking more of camper trailering to major locations like Flinders Ranges but then doing relatively short excursions off road to experience and see some more of the vistas.

When I get my Prado in September it will carry extra fuel, UHF and EPIRB, recovery gear, water, first aid kit (which I have had for years when flying remotely).

I am starting to get together checklists.

Look forward to some good advice.
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Reply By: Rockape - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 19:07

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 19:07
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.
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Follow Up By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:08

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:08
Black double pluggers I hope Rockape.
Cheers
Allan

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Follow Up By: rocco2010 - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:10

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:10
"Also I carry a spare pair of double pluggers."

That is nearly the best advice i have seen on here. I will be off to get a spare pair tomorrow ... black of course!

Cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 20:55

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 20:55
RA

The dried arrangement and I were up around Port hedland and surrounding areas for a while last year and noted that thongs appeared to be considered dress shoes for miners in restuarants.

I presume it was the 12 hrs in steel caps that did the trick. LOL

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Follow Up By: Rockape - Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 16:42

Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 16:42
Boo Boo,
you are observant and what you say is correct. The only little thing to look out for is the the style and designer of those pluggers.

You will find they are not your ordinary lawn mowing, welding or even mountain climbing pluggers. They are proper designer pluggers especially formulated for stepping out on the town.

One thing to be careful of though is their capability in the desert. They just will not hold water when you compare them with your average stepping out gumboot.

12 hours a day in gummies and you gain a lot of respect for how much sweat they hold before they overflow.

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Reply By: Idler Chris - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 19:24

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 19:24
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.
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Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:37

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 20:37
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


Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Member - MUZBRY(Vic) - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 21:09

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 21:09
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.....

Muzbry
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Follow Up By: kev.h - Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 22:58

Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013 at 22:58
The one thing that should be in every area toolkit is Rapid-fix it will fix almost anything check out the web site
Kev

http://www.rapidfixaustralia.com.au/
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Follow Up By: Member - MUZBRY(Vic) - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 06:32

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 06:32
Kev .h
Rapid fix won't fix geographicly challenged travellers...

Muzbry
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Follow Up By: SDG - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 16:53

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 16:53
Looks very similar to QBond.
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Follow Up By: kev.h - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 18:31

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 18:31
Hey Muzbry
You may be right "Rapid fix won't fix geographicly challenged travelers..." but I don't think you have thought it through, if applied properly I think I could help you just glue them to something familiar then they can't get lost
Kev
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Follow Up By: Member - Terry W4 - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 19:53

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 19:53
Muzbry - always carry on our onroad trips UNO; Scrabble; Pictionary; Chess.

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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 07:56

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 07:56
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.
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Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 09:05

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 09:05
I agree, especially about the 'fan' belt. My Kia Sorento has a 'serpentine' flat belt and when I asked the Kia mechanic how to replace it he said "I don't know, I've never seen one replaced". I have since found out it is a major task and probably beyond an 'owner task'.
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Follow Up By: Lyn W3 - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 09:08

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 09:08
Given that the "new generation" 4WD's are computer controlled I would think that a good recovery policy is paramount as well as a good communication system to notify them.

The days of makeshift repairs on the side of the road are fast disappearing.

Only extra things I would include are a set of wheel studs and wheel nuts. We also carry a couple of 90cm tyre irons, great for levering things around.
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Follow Up By: Member - Terry W4 - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 19:55

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 19:55
Phil - Prado will not be new. Will be a 2007-2008 120. Couldn't justify that given I need to keep as much money as possible in super funds.

Getting some very good avice from you guys. Back to my departure checklist to make some changes.
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Reply By: 489 - Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 20:44

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013 at 20:44
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
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Reply By: anglepole - Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 16:17

Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 16:17
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
AnswerID: 506348

Follow Up By: Member - Terry W4 - Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 18:37

Friday, Mar 08, 2013 at 18:37
I know that is important re first aid kit. Clear it regularly and check use by dates. Only just put new antispetic lotion in during last trip to the coast in January.

It is a semi-professional kit and I have added some (to me important) stuff such as a compass; signal mirror; thermometer; matches; gas lighter.

When I flew aircraft the thing which seemed to get used the most was panadol!!!!!
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