Big Red

That Troopy looks familiar

Yeah sure looks good out front of my house eh??

Nice to catch up even if it was at 100 km/ph

Cheers

Hi John
Wish I had taken a copy for you. In the West last week there was a photo of your house - sorry to say, but while you have been away the wreckers have moved in - if you dont get back soon it will be a vacant block

Trekkie can't be mine, you must be mistaken I'm sitting in it right now.

P.S. Did I get a lot of money for it?

Don't skite Wayne, Most of us would love to be in your shoes. Maybe some day I'll be able to join you on one of those trips.
Andy

Yep 3 goes before I hit the bottom with enough speed to get up and over.
1st time just to slow.
2nd time backed of just short of the top so I would not take off and immediately lost to much momentum.
3rd time I think I hit the bottom at about 90 K/m hour and kept it going.
Bit of a heart pumper at those speeds.
Also good fun having to back down if you don't make it. LOL

Gee, don't you get scared doing this stuff out in the desert so far from anywhere. What about at night, must be pretty spooky.

John, Sound like your tyre pressures were to high.
< 15 psi

About 18 psi allround in a 3.5 tonne Troopy during January when no one else had been near the dune for weeks.
Sand was soft as hell, Pressure to high well always easy to speculate with hindsight.

Cheers

I towed a tandem trailer as back up for a Polaris 6 wheel drive across the Simpson back in September 2001 (do you remeber that Ruth, it was before I knew you?) When we applied for our permits they said you will never tow that across the desert so we went out to Big Red that afternoon to try because we certainly didn't want to get stuck or cause anyone any trouble. We were able to drive up the eastern side without any trouble but it took a few tries to work out a technique for the western side. We also had an extensively modified 3lt Nissan Patrol auto. 8" body lift on the chassis 40" Mickey Thomson tires 15" wide on custom wheels and same for trailer running at 12lb. Detroit locker front diff. We also were very well prepared, we built the trailer ourselves before we left Cairns and it still broke but we had generators, welders and heaps of spares with us and repaired it in the desert. We found more difficult dunes in the desert than Big Red some steep ones weave up and difficult to maintain momentum even more difficult to back a tandem trailer back down knowing if you made a mistake you couldn't go forward without momentum. It took six day to cross the desert the Polaris only had a range of 80 klms I was carrying all the spares and fuel so he had to wait till we caught up to refuel. Was a fantastic trip across to Mnt Dare then old Andando? to Alice back to Cairns. Cheers Rob

Yes, Rob, I do remember the Polaris coming through. Don't forget though it was September - after thousands had been over and knocked the tops off most of the dunes - it does make it much easier (not as much challenge though!!).

you'll have a blast Ian,

Really is that's what it's called Mt Doughboy. I've never heard it named before.

Big Red is higher and requires a longer run up.

It all depends on the conditions at the time.

Big Red changes every time I have been to it. First year it was a long run up with lots of speed to get over the top. Second year I couldn't get up after many attempts, even had troubles getting over Little Red. Third year you could start from the bottom of the dune and cruise up without a worry.

I still think Mt Doughboy (now that I know its name) is a tougher dune as the sand is deeper from further out, the track is thinner and has more twists and turns.

This is just my opinion.

Cheers

Glenn

Yeah some good points in there Glenn.
Your right about the twists and turns on Mt Doughboy.

Cheers

You need a turbo!!!

Evening William..
We'll be doing the Simpson early June in a GQ 4.2 efi Petrol, when you said the GQ didnt have enough oomph, what motor do you have. Just curious as to how our beast is going to perform.. (our first big trip..)

John

LOL

Boo

4.2 litre diesel non turbo. A ggody(as long as you are not in a hurry...lol)

Boo
In July 2005 our GQ 4.2 TD made it over first go.

Mrs Slave

I don't think its daunting, Its just different everytime you do it for one reason or another.

Oh i forgot to mention this was from the EO National gathering at Birdsville.

That old hilux brought back some memories.

Nice pics greybeard

You must have beed around Birdsville and Innamincka the same time as me I have some of the same photos

Richard

Picture taken at the top in 2004. Lower tyres to 16 and use low 3.

Peter