SPINNIFEX ON CSR

G'DAY VIV,
IT DEPENDS ON THE CONDITIONS. LOOK UNDERNEATH THE 4WD.

TEMP IT DEPENDS ON THE CONDITIONS. LOOK AT THE BOM SITES.

REGARDS

Every time you stop during the day and a big check at night, especially if you are on petrol. Spinifex was high early May. Temperatures mild day and night.(Not personal experience but friend who are here with us now and just back from 8 months touring.
cheers Mac

Hi Viv,

If you just stick to the CSR and don't go off-track across spinifex plains you are not going to have a heap of trouble in the winter when all the other traffic is on the track . I only pulled and prodded stuff out every few days and we were going off track a lot . However I did trail shade cloth underneath the front of the car and I do have a shade cloth cover over the bull bar - I guess it makes a bit of difference , but it does not stop the problem build up around the exhaust pipes .

It can get so compressed under there , that it is like fibre board , so the more you do it , the easier it is .

We found temperatures were below freezing or around freezing on many occasions at dawn and quickly warmed up to around 16 to 24 ( think ! ) .

Willie .

There is nothing like the smell of burning spinifex resin to prompt you to look often.

BTW just a little snippet I am sure most of you already know....

It isn't Spinifex at all. Spinifex grows on the coastal dunes only. Hummock grass is the name of the grass in the desert regions. There are about 20 species and I think Triodea pungens and T.basedowwi are the most common species in the desert regions.

Cheers
David

Does anybody know if it's possible to cut this stuff with a whipper snipper or brushcutter? Or is it too tough?

I have a good reason and I don't want to burn it either,,,,,,,

Bilbo

Hi Viv
We did it in early July last year.
Grass, or whatever it is, was still high even in the centre of the track. Driving into Godfreys Tank and similar spots grass was over window height. We also saw vehicles who had fitted shade cloth or similar to the front bumper/bar and were trailling it under the front of the vehicle.
We drive a petrol Paj, had a wire hook thingy made up to drag the grass out and checked everytime we stopped for a rest, snack or look. Fortunately we did not pick up any however I believe that a Prado burnt just south of the Community at about the time we were there. I do not know whether that was grass or some other reason.
Have fun.
Rusty

Viv,

A long steel rod with a small hook on the end, a tent peg , but a metre long, and a plastic pump spray bottle that can be filled with water should be hand at all times. The plastic bottle should be at least 2lt and/ or have more than one bottle. Putting them in the back of the vehicle, behind the camping gear could cost the few seconds that it takes a vehicle to catch on fire. The vehicle that you save might not be yours. A fire extinguisher will only last a short time and the pressure that the powder comes out could blow the flames onto unburnt grass.

The guards that are there to protect the sump and gear box are the thing that will collect the stuff. Tail shafts and in your case with the Prado the front half shafts can spin the grass in a nest around them selfs. It is the friction, caused by spinning shafts that can cause the grass to ignite.

At night we will take the guards off from under the vehicles to get into the places that are hard to reach. While you are under the vehicle a good look at the suspension and other moving parts is a good idea.

If you are in a convey, do what I do and have the larger diesel vehicles go first, they should knock the grass down and brush off any seed. Diesel are only slightly less at risk because they don't have a red hot exhaust pipe as found in a petrol.

Shade cloth is good but don't forget to clean it out as well. It could act as a wick under the vehicle.

May is the start of the trekking along the Canning and will go through until August. (Before I get yelled at, these are only approximate). The over night temperatures can get low, and during the day high 20 to low 30 can be expected.

If you go into Treks, which is the 3rd button on the right from the Forum button and have a look at Trek 108, it will have the Canning.These notes should be able to fill in the gaps that have not already been answered.

BTW. When do you plan to go and in what direction? June and south to north for me.

Have a great trip and I might see you there.

Wayne

B4 u go (SMS speak) check the state of CSR access around Bililuna / Lake Gregory (Wells 50, 51). With some 200mm of rain just reported at Tanami Station / Rabbit Flat it may still be a bit boggy at the top end of the CSR in May/June.

Hi Viv,
As for grasses. Check often. It takes a few minutes to check and is easier than fire fighting. That grass burns hotter than a fire lighter! Just put a bit of stiff wire and a small tarp in an easy place to get too and just have a quick look each time you stop. You will get a feel for how often to check your vehicle after a few days. The hieght of the grass varies from place to place and you may end up taking alternate routes where the grass is higher. Suggest you get a water spray bottle as a quick way of putting out small fires that can happen as you pull out the grass. There is ample evidence of what happens when you don't clear the grass. Some of the burnt out wreaks are even marked on the maps. What I have found is that the more clearence you have the less grass you collect. Petrol vehicles tended to collect more than diesel. Not sure why, it was just an observation. We went through in August and the lower vehicles still picked up a fair bit of grass. We have a 79 series and I think we got 4 or 5 stalks. Temperatures are all over place there is a tendency to cooler (that is a relative term) as you move south. We had days over 40, though the nights could be quite cold (7 or 8). It can be very windy at night.

Steve

If you haven't got a water sprayer thingy and things are getting hot, shake up a can of beer or Coke and then rip the top off it and point it,,,,,,,,,

Use the Coke first - obvously!

It works.

Bilbo