Rear Wheel Carrier or Lift

I have an 80 series with 267/75 X16 on 7" rims on the road and a 235/85 X 16 as a spare. They have the same rolling diameter but the spare does not hang down like dogs b*lls. I also have a 70 mm lift and Polyairs not to carry the extra weight but to maintain the height when loaded. I don't leave divots in the tracks with this set up. Some will rightly say the tyres on the axle should be the same size but with BFG A/T's you rarely have to change a tyre anyway.

Footy trust you to think of fuel tank protection.

That underbopdy spare wheel is really the dumbest thing both Toyota and Nissan ever came up with. I ripped the whole thing out of the MQ taking a little used back road into Boggy Hole, some years back. It went on to the Roofrack after that.

Willem, came across an 80 series with a holed rear tank on the old Quilpie road once, dunno how he managed it. The guy had the spare on the roofrack.
I've suffered that "feature" for years. Now I have the carrier on the back and a spare under the rear. Hopefully will never need to use the one underneath *Oi ! Mr Murphy, are you listening ? * :))))))

Hi Jim

I am interested in your comment " to reduce the dynamic force on the front when you are braking and pitch into the odd sand mogul". Were you doing a great speed?

Also you mention punctures along the Anne Beadell. I have also heard that from another source. What is the problem on the AB? Would like to know as we will be along there in 10 days time.

Cheers

Hi Willem,

No great speed, probably less than 30 kms/hr, but on very corrugated roads shockers get very hot and spongy and are less resistant to any force. When you load a vehicle everything is sitting on the suspension in a static mode nicely balanced etc., until you move then not just the weight but also the height of the weight comes into play particularly when you hit the brakes. The momentum is transferred very rapidly forward onto the front suspension. On the ABH we were using OME Nitrochargers, but they had done about 5000kms of very hard stuff, plus a lot of highway work, so they were getting on. The participants in the "Outback Challenges" will tell you that most shockers will be suspect after about 5000 of very hard stuff, so this time we are giving the bigger ones a go. By putting the second spare on the back we have taken 44 kgs off the roof rack and put it behind the rear axle, which has a doubled effect of removing weight from the front axle.

With respect to the puntures, these old Len Beadell tracks went through a lot of Mulga and so there are heaps of 2-3 inch mulga spikes along the tracks. He used to average 3 puntures a day when he was only covering 15 kms or so at a time. We had five puntures between 9 vehicles so relatively speaking we were way better off. WE had one in as a tyre plug for 2 days until we actually fixed it - did not lose any pressure!

On the ABH the worst corrugations are on the section from Coober Peby to Emu so steady as she goes. Tyre pressures about 25 psi on the front and 35 on the back depending on how you are loaded. This will take some of the shock off the shockers. Speed between 30 to 40, but this varies according to the vehicle. In our group we had a variety of vehicles and different speeds suited different rigs (few arguments with the lead vehicle from the unknowing). Some stretches were best at idle in first gear, but these were few, mainly between Emu and the Dog Fence.

Have fun

Jim

Thanks Jim

I will have to watch my step.....LOL

My OME Nitro's have around 25000 on them and they still seem OK although one has a very slight leak and will probably be u/s by the time the trip is over. I carry spare shocks. I gave them an extra workout a month or so ago in the Simpson. You can read about it at www.kempen.id.au click on 4x4 and then A Hard Trek into the Desert.

I agree with the spare tyre off the roof. Too much weight up there. The last trip resulted in a broken roofrack which has since been repaired.

I tend to run my tyres down at between 15 and 20 on severe corru's and down to 10 on the trailer. I will see what I need when I get to the AB.

Cheers

Hi Willem

The leak is the problem. It is a sign the seals are going which I am sure you already know. Unlike the Simpson, the ABH corrugations get the shocker temperatures up very high, simply because there are so many of them and that's what softens the rubber seals and eventually one unexpected pitch into a soft patch and the result is an explosive discharge of oil. This then leads to a five minute tea break while you change the shocker. I found on the LC that the 12 volt impact tool was invaluable in undoing the bottom bolt.

Happy travelling.