Simpson with a trailer

I also should have said that I normally get about 5 K/L. From memory we used about 180 litres but we had 250 with us. It is not a good place to run out of fuel for any reason. If you have done Central Station then you should find the SD ok, usual rules apply.

Kind regards

the same people will be on both. cu soon

G'day Ian

You can take a trailer anywhere if your trailer is well set up and if you know your trailer and tow vehicle.

The trouble is that many travellers across the desert either won't take advice, overload their trailers and vehicles, and won't reduce tyre pressures. Then they have breakages.

I ran my tyres 13psi cold on the GQ and 10psi cold on the trailer and drove from the French Line to the Geo Centre of the Simpson and back overe trackless country for around 200km. My trailer weight into the rough stuff would have been 800kg all up. Had no issues at all.

Coming out of the desert I was stopped by the last dune on the Rig Road. This was at the beginning of May this year. The sand drift was 5 metres over the normal road surface. I took an approach slightly to the left and bogged on top of the dune with the trailer hanging over the edge. I reduced the truck tyres to 9psi, put my rubber floor mats under the rear wheels and drove out.

It is all a matter of knowing your vehicle and how to drive on sand. That said I had to back down a few dunes in the Gibson Desert recently when the I ran out of puff at the wrong angle over the dune. No one is infallible....LOL

Cheers

Can't wait to see the trailer board

As Ian said, your usage will probably be 170 litres, but could be more. I would go for a minimum of 200 litres but don't take more than 250.

Hi Mike,

Totally agree about keeping trailers out of the Simpson, we hire out trailers and for every one driver like Willem who knows what their doing there are 20 others who have no idea. I have done the Simpson a few times, 2 years ago I could have pulled a 16foot Caravan across and hardly even had to use 4 wheel drive it was that compacted, 5 Years earlier a different member of the group were stuck every 10 k's or so. So conditions can be very varied as we all know. Last time over Desert Parks informed us that if the amount of Camper Trailers kept increasing the park may end up closing and only be available with tag along tours. "Lets all hope this doesn't happen"

Hi Mike
I have only driven a trailer on beach sand tracks like Fraser so am not familiar with the desert sand could you explain how a trailer stuffs up the tracks.
thanks

hr
I also would like hear how trailers stuff up the tracks.

If tyre pressures are down and drive to the conditions can't see the problem.

Cheers
Scoof.

Yes, trailers........lol

In the beginning......hmmm about 4 years ago, when this subject came up on the forum I was dead set against trailers going anywhere. But times change and I have succumbed to the trailer mania as well....lol again

My concern came to the fore when doing the Canning in 1994 where I encountered trailers being towed by inexperienced drivers. Their vehicles were chopping up the track and the dunes were being buggered up as drivers had to reverse down the dunes with the trailers twitching and turning in all directions.

The tow vehicles cause the track damage BUT after the next summer winds, the track gets restored. I cannot see why the 'Authorities' of the Simpson Desert would want to close the track because of damage. What damage? Damage only really occurs if people drive outside the track verges over 'virgin' country. Trailers just follow along and compact the track again.

Maybe the Simpson Trek should be One Way, say from Birdsville, with a Ranger(who has Driver Training qualifications) stationed at Little Red. Each and every person coming along can then fill in a quick questionaire and given a 5 minute lesson on desert travel. I know, its a hypothetical suggestion. But closing the desert off to all except those with Tag-along Tours sounds fishy to me. Maybe there is a hidden agenda.

Cheers

Hi Willem,

I agree with most of your points, even a ranger to make sure everyone has Sand-Flags and UHF would be the biggest blessing. As for your comment on the sand blowing back into the track holes, 5 years ago when about 10 percent of the travellers that now cross the desert I would have agreed, but now it doesn't get enough of a rest to compensate for the huge rise in traffic. As i mentioned above, 2 years ago when we went across and i admit we were about mid season after lots of campers and solo vehicles, even though the track was firm because of rains the whoops that the inexperienced drivers had made most of the hills was a mess, with not only tops but approaches having big wallowing holes, always as is the case with wheel spin caused holes at a car length apart and opposite corners. Now this may have filled in over the summer period, but everyone after us would have had to deal with the same conditions etc, including the rangers, who would then put in their reports. As I mentioned above, I hire out camper trailers but don't believe the deserts are the place for the 80% of inexperienced drivers who take them there. Example was the F250 that left in front of us from Delhousie with a Track Shack in tow, vehicle was lifted at least 6 inches by springs and another 3 by blocks, trailer had the draw bar extended and at most of the dune tops which have kicks in them he had to unhitch and winch the camper around and over.

Sorry to all for the long post.

Cheers

Hi Blaze

When I travelled the Simspon this year at the beginning of May there was a bit of wind around. I met some people at Purnie Bore who said that they had had trouble on a few dunes and that conditions were sandy. We camped along the track that night and then following day set off to the east. Some of the dunes had no wheel track marks over them and many had up to a metre of drift sand on the crests. I turned north at Erabena Airstrip and came back on to the French Line 4 days later near the Knolls Track. This area too was 'deserted'....ie no visible tracks.

Over a period of 20 years I have done all the Simpson Tracks except the K1 Line and frankly I see very little change apart from the fact that Big Red looks a lot less daunting than the first time I crossed it in a Suzuki...:-)

This past summer and winter, the desert has seen very little rain and there have been significant sand blows. In the NT part of the Simpson I found severe wind erosion around the base of shrubs and spinifex clumps and huge sand deposits on top of dune crests. It made for some interesting driving but we had no problems as we ran very low tyre pressures.

With the advent of thousands of additional campers being towed behind 4x4's it is only a matter of time before the rules will change. Unfortunately that is a fact of life.

Cheers

Great to hear your valued opinion Willem.

I with 2 other vehicles and trailers crossed the Simpson at the same time as you and your mates July 2005.
We were the lot that picked up your power steering cap and handed it to you at the gum tree.
Regards Scoof

Ahh scoof....I remember now...at Lone Gum .....thanks...lol

Yes I lost the bloody thing again and didn't bother replacing it.

I have done 6 Simpson treks over the years and will probably do one more back into the NT side next year. Still looking for a plaque I put there in 1987.

Regards