What spares to take on the CSR???

How're your shocks? There are 100,000,000,000,000,000 corrugations and if you hammer it you'll pay for it.

300 k's has been graded hasnt it?

We did CSR two years ago. Landcruiser and 3 Patrols. Several punctures only and no one had any problems. Apart from its remoteness, the CSR is not really too difficult if you take youir time. Corrigations on Cape York are worse than CSR.

Most important thing is to ensure spinifex is cleaned out frequently. I would suggest you have several days at Derba Springs to rest up - its a truly beautiful spot.

fuel hóse both half a meter of supply and return pluss male - male joiners and hose clamps, a must for cross country driving maybe not neccessary for csr I understand

Dune driving can place a load on your radiator and clutch. Also have you had the front and rear bearings done recently ? Got the CSR "Bible" (Travellers Guide) so you don't end up in one of the "glue pits " ? UHF radio and sand flag ?

Apparently those in the know have some way of putting out a spinifex fire underneath - extinguisher not good enough - apparently a pump style garden sprayer with 6 L of water and the metal wand is the way to go - the fire can be right up under in hard to get spots. A front and rear shocker seems wise - even careful folks I know have trashed shockers and cracked diffs........

Tony, the one spare part you need most likely is not packed, its the way murphy plans it.
A spare thermostat perhaps, and a waterpump rebuilt kit unless you checked it recently.
Maybe spare wheel nuts & studs, spare oil plugs and other vital little things like that which would stop you should they come loose and fall off.

Consider also how you would fix a broken spring - I have met a troopie on the CSR which had brand new springs and one was broken already. Also consider how you would fix a broken steering damper, my troopie is undrivable (above 10kmh) without a good damper.

I hope to travel the CSR again sometime, its nearly 15 years since I went up the full legth of it. Thinking about that, we had to detour the last two wells due to flooding and I wish I had a GPS (they were not common then) or the paper charts for the area we had to traverse to get out. Laptop computers with nav software and GPS would make such a task far less worrying than it was back then. All we had was a mud map and the faint track of a traveller who came the other way to follow.

Have a good trip, if you are stopping for a break at Durba springs a solar shower bag might be useful as the water we found in pools up the gorge was icy cold.
Klaus

Tony J

Consider a clutch slave cylinder kit, when we did our trip in 1999 we had no punctures between 2 vehicles and campers, we broke nothing more than a driving light bracket, we had to use the clutch kit and we had one battery fail out of six.

Have a good trip, it seems you have most things sussed, take your time as it is easier on you, your passengers and your vehicle.
You can go days without getting out of 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears.

Regards,
Jim

One of the best little gadgets you can have is a Clampit, should be in every kit. Small. Light. Can make pipe clamps of any size from fuel lines to exhaust brackets. and fix all sorts of things; tent poles, axe handles. You just wind wire around the items, then use the Clampit to to tighten it up and lock it. Have even seen one used to fasten the springs together when a U bolt went

Tony you haven't mentioned it, you may have it, but I would think that a epirb would be on the top of the list. It is self contained so if all else fails push the button and wait for rescue. Barnray

If your fencing wire was around 8.8 metres it could double as emergency aerial for hf would give you 8022 commonly used channel,just a thought,but would be best to check with vks737 to get exact wire length and also to see if fencing wire is suitable or if it needs to be copper wire.have a great trip.

I'd second V8 troopies comments, been 13 years since we traversed the CSR in a troopy. Suspension and cooling sytems are the most critical and will cop the biggest hammering. At least carry one front and one rear shock as coil sprung vehicles really give them a workout, it won't stop you but will make it more comfortable/controllable. You seem to have most items covered, take your time and have a safe trip.

Thanks all, Some good suggestions in there, especially that 'clampit' gizzmo if I can find one! Only three weeks 5 days 17 hours to go - but who's counting!!! Iv'e got most things, we have done some very interesting trips over the last 7 or 8 years. I think I'm a bit paranoid this trip for some reason. In all the travels we've done, only had 1 major hiccup - that was when the turbo oil return line broke out of the sump at Captain Billys Landing! I suppose I must be thinking it must be my turn for trouble this trip.
Thanks again all
Tony J

Tony,

What about a air pump to fix the flat tyres.

I am also making a list and checking it twice, but every time I cross off one item I put two more on and I leve next Thursday.

Wayne

Hello Tony
We are leaving for the Canning on the 31st July and should be starting at Halls Creek on about the 6th Aug for approx 16 days
If you are in brisbane my e-mail is tecewebb@bigpond.net.au and I have a video of a friends trip he did sept 2003 which you might want to have a look at.
A couple of things
there trip was a tag along
They broke
1. Front Shocky top mounts on IFS Cruisers.
2. Rear shocks on Ford Explorer.
3.U-bolts on springs on rear of ford explorer
Other than that they said to be prepared for a long trip that you must take your time.
4. things I am carrying that I couldnt see on your list
Take a couple of lengths of threaded rod metric and spare nuts and washers that you can get from the hardware or bolt place at least 12mm,10mm,6mm
This can then be bent into U bolts or cut to any length to make bolts.
Take a can of Aero Start if your car is diesel.
I carried an Exhaust Jack through the Simpson as it was easy to Jack Car up on sand and put grass etc under wheels to drive out of sand bogs
I also carry some 50mmX50mmX3mm sq mesh 300 wide and width of bullbar strapped to bullbar but can easily be used a bog Mat under wheels or just as pot rest over fire place. 2 pices easily strap to bullbar and also protect front from stones flying up a bit.

If you get back before 31st July could you e-mail us on what water and fuel situation was out on the track. Any thing else you want to know send me an E-mail How did you organise fuel.
Trev Webb

They may already be in your normal kit but just in case....

Spare headlight/driving light globes

Cable ties

Depends what you're camping in - spares/repairs for that.

For uncommon repairs, you may have the spare part but do you have the tools to fit it?

Support vehicle to carry all the stuff everyone's suggested!!

Have a great trip.

Adrian

Geess how do you guys carry all this weight. I take some gear but if you added up the weight of all the extras above it could be a couple of hundred kilos with second spare tyre, shocks, etc, etc, etc. I take a second spare wheel and the basics but just wonder how you do it, do you tow a trailer?

I'm with you Austravel!

I'm about to do the CSR in Aug 05 and I don't seem to get anything than horror stories!

I'll have all the basic (non-mechanic replace stuff - belts/hoses/blah blah) and will drive to the conditions and have a wonderful time!

Don't take this as unprepared - we have all vehicles up to scratch - all recovery and emergency equipment.

I think we all only hear of the "breakdowns of vehicle stuff" more than "Oh $hit - I did't take enough fuel"!

Tony, you seem extremely well prepared - have fun, take your time, and enjoy.

Hi Richard Kovac. When you get your Clampit, i'd be interested in heAring what you think og it. I keep finding new uses.
Cheers
Mike