Keeping the spinifex seeds out of the radiator
Submitted: Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 22:22
ThreadID:
58311
Views:
4216
Replies:
6
FollowUps:
6
This Thread has been Archived
Willem
Before
Image Could Not Be Found
Image Could Not Be Found
But then Murphy came along
Image Could Not Be Found
Cheers
Reply By: Topcat (WA) - Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 22:42
Monday, Jun 02, 2008 at 22:42
Hi Willem, I found using a roll of plastic fly screen wrapped in 4 layers covering the entire front grill of my vehicle worked very
well when I did the CSR a few years back. I tucked the bottom of it in under the bottom radiator tank as
well. I also had a fine steel mesh grill fitted on the Bull Bar in front of the radiator area - it helped too. Hope you didn't encounter any underbody spot fires. From the photo's of your trip it looked as though there was a quite a bit of spinifex around!!!! Cheers.
AnswerID:
307412
Follow Up By: Willem - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:59
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:59
Topcat
I still have to find the right way to stop spinifex and othert seeds from clogging the radiator. At one stage I had open weave shadecloth doubled up over the bullbar and the same over the grille. But the temp guage went higher as the days wore on. The chain came next after a stick dislodged the alternator belt.(One participant in the trek has an 80 series shod with 315's and that did put it above some of the worst spinifex)
Driving 400km cross country and in the lead most of the time makes for quick thinking where to put the wheels. In
places the spinifex clumps were up to a meter high. There were also vast areas of small trees and shrubs, mainly Holly Grevillea, which had to be negotiated.
Good fun but hard on the vehicle.
Cheers
FollowupID:
573300
Reply By: Member - Dennis P (Scotland) - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 00:45
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 00:45
Hi Willem,
Nothing caught underneath is there?
Only ask as I nearly lost my '93 GQ in '01 between Patjarr and
Warburton.
Used to regularly
check underneath but missed a heap jammed between the exhaust and gearbox.
Was driving at night, luckily, and could not work out why both sides of the road were lighting up, thought something was hanging in front of my
driving lights.
Stopped and it was alight, quickest I ever got an extinguisher going, had to push it out with my hand in the end.
Bloody extinguisher blew a heap over the other side of the box.
Took me 2 hours to drive to
Warburton with my blistered hand hanging out the window and get it treated at the clinic.
AnswerID:
307433
Follow Up By: Willem - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:48
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:48
Dennis
I checked underneath several times a day. I have removed all bash plates from the underbody and my GQ's exhaust has a shroud which keeps the emission system a tad cooler. As I was at the front most of the time I had to make the track. Had a few twigs and shrubs and sticks caught up in the chassis from time to time
Cheers
FollowupID:
573298
Reply By: Willb - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 01:05
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 01:05
Hi Willem, have been following your latest trip thru the
forum.
I can see how the "cow catcher" spinifex knock downerer should work.
You say that good ol Murphy came along, was there a fault with the "Spinifex Chopper" not working, or did something else go wrong.
Cheers,
Willb
AnswerID:
307438
Follow Up By: Willem - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:05
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:05
Willb
The chopper worked to a certain extent but as the fan is sucking air in all the time one cannot get away from the seeds being sucked in.The chopper was also there to break small saplings and other shrubs
As I said above, maybe if the vehicle was raised a tad it would help. I will be looking at 8.25 tyres when I need to replace my current 7.50 crossplies.
Cheers
FollowupID:
573303
Reply By: MintabiePete (NSW) - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 10:27
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 10:27
Yeah Willem , doesnt look like much has changed in this department since my bullcatching days , when shade cloth come out it was the best thing since sliced bread and helped a lot with spinifex and any other types of grasses . A lot of times we burnt before we into an area , helped a lot and you could see the gully's , not to suggest you could have done that lol
Looks like you all had a great time tho :)
AnswerID:
307483