Tyres or Tubes?

Snap........I must have been typing at the same time as you

traveller2
I totally agree with you.

My trip in April last year resulted in only one puncture on both car & trailer.
The track is mainly corrugated sand base with occassional rocky & ironstone sections.

The main threat for punctures is the small cane like sticks left by the many thousands of camels who inhabit this area chew up & spit out the tips of this particular tree (see Westprints Anne Beadell map & its notes).
You will see there footprints on most of the track as it is the easist route for them. Once embedded (usually in the side wall of a rear tyre from debris made airborne by the front tyres) the air slowly leaks out through the hole in the centre of the stake. So it pays to check your tyres regularly (a stich in time saves nine).
Most people who drive fast get lots of punctures (slow & steady wins the race).
Reduce highway pressures by 20% - softens the corrugations as well.

Enjoy the journey

Lindsay & the polar bear

Thie photo below and another in member rigs & profile are both on the Anne Beadell

This may appear pretty dumb to many old hands - I know what patches for a tube are and how they are applied, but what is a TYRE patch? Is it what I've always known as a sleeve? If not, what are they and how are they fitted/applied in the bush?

Yes there are vulcanising patches for tyres, if you get a puncture you should patch the tyre even though there is a tube inside. Two reasons, to stop moisture penetrating the tyre casing leading to corrosion of any steel belts and eventually tyre failure and to provide a smooth surface on the inside to prevent further punctures.
Once the tube has been repaired or replaced, find the hole on both the outside and inside of the tyre, clean both areas with solvent or if none available use unleaded petrol. Put vulcanising fluid into the hole from bothe sides if possible and then apply the patch on the inside noting the correct orientation if using radial tyre patches on radials.
Allow to dry/cure then dust the patched area on the inside with talcum powder to stop the tyre sticking to and abrading the tube.

Me Too.

Yup- that's right. Has there been mention of split rims not using tubes??

Yes, you can get heavy duty tubes. Truck or tractor tubes are thicker and have longer valve stems. Some people say that the longer stems can get caught in debris and mud and be torn off but I have never seen it happen.

Hi Fizz ................

I also have the 75 Troopy.
Before I 're-modelled' my camping Trailer I had a set of 3 UNISTRUT RoofBars and appropriate UNISTRUT legs to suit. These gave a good high lift of a sufficiency to clear the roofline easily. In fact, so much clearance that I mounted a couple of PVC tube carriers under the roofbars.

No sure of costs but they are very good units ............ I now have them mounted on my trailer, doing exactly the same function, just lower down !!

You can see them on the Vrilya Point picture ........ !MPG:9!
[Cool .... didn't think I could do that !!!! ]

Ooooops !!

In the pic above the PVC tubes are mounted ABOVE the roofbars, for that trip.

The gold PVC tube is a 150mm x 3metre is a water carrier so is quite heavy, your spares would be pretty similar ........... I had no problems with the tube.

Of course, you will have the lifting and lowering to contend with ..............