Traveling advice
Submitted: Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 21:14
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azp777
Hi everyone, my wife and i are setting out on a 6 month holiday with the two kids (12&7) traveling from
Melbourne to
Cairns over 6 months. We just bought a brand new Rodeo RA 07 3LT Variable Common Rail Turbo Diesel Duel Cab with all the extras. I had it raised and
suspension strengthend to cope with heavy loads and towing, i am also considering installing a power chip to boost the power to 140kw/440nq. We are looking at getting a 21" Full Size Viscount 1989 Caravan, Tare 1600kg, that is in excellent condition with shower/
toilet, hot
water sys, large 2way fridge, Air Con, double gas bottles, 2x120
water tanks, annex etc etc. My first question is do you think that my Rodeo will be good enough for the job. My second question is do you think that the RV i am thinking of getting will be good enough to do as much
Free Camping as i can. My third question is what extra thing should i get that is non negotiable for what i am about to do with the family. Thanks for all and any advice, Tony & Sharon.
Reply By: Member - David P (VIC) - Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 22:08
Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 22:08
I would prefer to get 10k on the clock particularly to run-in the diff, but maybe I am a bit old fashioned.....silverback
AnswerID:
296498
Follow Up By: azp777 - Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:53
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:53
Thanks, I will have done about 10,000ks before we set out mid may. T&S
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - eerfree(QLD) - Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 23:05
Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 23:05
azp777
First thing I would do Before buying the van is to have the seller provide an up to date weighbridge certificate, IMHO a van that size with that sort of fitout would more than likely come in at a lot more than 1600kg.
Even so I feel sure the Rodeo will handle that van but---we do not want any little surprises - do we ???
Bob
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: azp777 - Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:54
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:54
The dealer said he has a certificate or a plate stating Tare Wieght 1800KGs, thanks T&S.
FollowupID:
562814
Reply By: kym111 - Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 01:34
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 01:34
What's the GCM of your vehicle, and towball weight? Most vans, fully loaded will probably come in at around 2000kg (give or take), so you need to make sure your vehicle is rated to tow that (and it will probably be loaded as
well).
Sounds like you've got it covered for features. Invest in some books that list
Free Camping sites for the areas you'll be visiting, and a decent road map/atlas. Oh, and don't forget an EPIRB.
Talk with your wife about what she requires for the interior - bench space is the top of my list! What can you not live without at home? Can you take it on your travels or is their a travel version?
Other than that, I would go for extra
water storage especially if you're going to use the shower lots (or get a little 12v portable shower unit and recycle the
water!), and look at solar panels. Less use of the genset means less fuel to carry.
Good luck and may we see you down the track!
AnswerID:
296537
Follow Up By: azp777 - Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:58
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 23:58
Yes the Rodeo is rated
well above all van specs, and we are getting a 12v
water pump installed as
well as level riders HR, a generator and the car electricals to run a 12v wire to do what ever it needs to do to power the van on the move and stopped. Thanks T&S.
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Reply By: Moose - Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 14:42
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 at 14:42
Gday Tony & Sharon
At least you have the maths down pat - a 6 month holiday over 6 months :-).
What route do you intend to follow? This will influence answers to 3.
Don't get too concerned with all this power stuff - just take it easy - it's not a race. So what if you have to get down to first on some hills?
Re 3 - something to keep the kids happy i.e. electronic stuff like DVD player, IPods etc etc. Probably computer with internet capability too.
Know nothing about caravans so will leave that to others.
Oh yeah - re Rodeo - what are the rear seats like? Kids may not be too happy if they are too small, hard etc.
Cheers from the Moose
AnswerID:
296636
Follow Up By: azp777 - Saturday, Apr 05, 2008 at 00:05
Saturday, Apr 05, 2008 at 00:05
We have decided to set out from
Orange to
Hay to
Mildura to
Port Augusta to Cober Peedy to Alis Springs to
Darwin to
Cairns then down to
Melbourne via the coast. We decided that because our starting date was near winter that this would be a great time to do the inland route and by the time we get to
cairns we could do a lot of coastal stuff. We also thought that it would be a good start to learn caravaning by avoiding all the east caost traffic to start with. Thanks T&S.
PS. The kids will be loaded up with every gadget we can think of.
PPs The rear seats in the rodeo are great not like older duel cabs, quite cumphy even for adults to a point.
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