hi-lift hiring for trip

Wolf, you probably won't need a HiLift jack. An ordinary jack is lighter, safer, easier to use, and will deal with all likely situations. You will need an extra spare wheel (two in total) for the Gunbarrell Hwy (GBH). Ideally you would have a compressor and a puncture plugging kit. The puncture kit costs about $95, and a cheap compressor about $35. In December conditions will be terribly hot (45 degrees) - plenty of water, and reliable communications are essential. You may not see another vehicle on the GBH for more than a week at this time of year. A satphone would be your best bet, followed by HF radio and then, in desperation, and Epirb.

wolf
i agree with the above but as far as hire of 4wd gear that can be left in the alice i would contact the hire company & try & work a deal with them,because as far as i know noby has that sort of arangement set up. & if you are doing gunbarrel in december please let the police at both ends of the gunbarrel know when you enter & exit the track and be prepared for a type of heat you will never find else where in the world, also if youwant to make the trip more interestinggo to www.lenbeadel.com.au and read up on the surveyer who drove it through it has several books on his trecks into the out back adds a lot more insite into the track you will travel
Regards bruce

Wolf you should talk to us more on this site before you go. There are a lot of very experienced people here who know this country very well. I say this because what you are doing can be very dangerous at that time of the year.
We are talking about 45 degrees centigrade temperatures. This temperature not only kills cars it kills inexperienced people. But it can be done, not many Australians choose to do it at that time of the year though.

What kind of vehicle will you be driving ? Make and year model ?
Who are you hiring the car from?
How many of you are there and what ages ?
What driving experience have you had before in outback Australia ?

If you post the answers to these questions it will help us to assist you. Carpe Diem

Hi Wolf,

I come from Germany. If you are only behind a High Jack you can jump in any better car spare part shop in Australia. 100 - 130 bucks to settle the deal for a new one, which might be easier for foreigners than to spent a day looking around for a 30 buck deal.
Anyhow I have to repeat the warnings mentioned above. I travel every year in very remote areas within Australia. December is really not the big enjoy time to be in the outback, you have to check with Maui, most likely they will not allow you to bring the car on the GBH during that time.
If you decide to go anyhow with a hired car, the High Jack is only one out of many problems. As mentioned above you need another spare tyre and a repair kit - as well as being able to change the tyre (of and on the rim). You need tools, the tools onboard of a hired car may look nice but will not work (Nothing against Maui as it is not the prupose to provide those tools). You need plenty of water and - even though GBH is not the most remote area - take communication with you. ( link textoffers rental Satelite phones) Depending on conditoins you may also consider some basic recovery gear.

I know that all sounds strange. On many of my trips I did not need a single spare tyre. Thinking of this you may laugh, but I was stuck in December 1999 on Poeppel Corner in the Simpson Desert and the nerves are raw if you do so...good Luck we recovered ourself with all equipment we brought after half day hardest work.

I bought a car and equipped that fully. It is an old Toyota Landcruiser ex Ambulance (no luxury - but easy to fix) that has beds, fridge cooking and a dust-seald storage as well as 4 spares, many Jerry cans. It's technically completely overhauled. It brings us in every region - while remote Outback is our favorite. Contact me if you want more info on this, I may sell it out for an bargain due to family requirements late November.

Cheers Cepe

Hi Wolf
Sorry I did not get back to you sooner after I asked you some questions about your proposed trip across the Gunbarrel (GBH).
They call it a highway but it is a long, dusty, dry dirt track and very remote. This means that in the hot climate (December/January) you may not see another car for one week.
You need to know where you can get fuel and how far your vehicle will go on one tank of fuel. You must also allow for 25% extra fuel in case you get a little lost. You must also carry spare fuel in extra 20 litre drums. You must also carry lots of extra spare water. You need extra spare wheels as tyres blow up on some of the very hot tracks. As the previous writer said hire a satelite phone and know the phone numbers of someone to call in an emergency. Inform the police when you leave a town and let them know where you are going, then let them know when you have arrived.
If this all sounds very hard then believe me it is, what I am saying is the minimum requirements for what you want to do at that time.
The places you have been are all OK (even though it is hot) at the time of the year you are travelling, because you are mostly on main roads and highways.
The wet season occures only in the very north of Australia during the summer months. The roads in most of this area are closed by police during "the wet" because it is impossible to drive in the mud and many of the roads get cut by flodding rivers, the police don't like having to rescue dumb drivers.
There are many beautiful places and National Parks to visit in this wonderful country. When you have time try the Great Ocean Road along the south coast of Victoria, also see Tasmania its beautiful.
May I suggest when you are next here having a look at some 4x4 vehicles that are equipped for touring the outback, I mean Toyotas and Nissans. You will see people camping along the way, ask them if they would mind showing you what they have, radios, jacks, fridges, batteries etc
A really good way to learn is joining with what we call "tag along tours". This is when you go with a group all in your own vehicles with a tour guide, this is much safer.
Good luck. It will be interesting to hear what you decide to do.