Best way of keeping spinifex from under the vehicle
Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 07:13
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chris_s
I have heard (but not seen) people attempting to keep spinifex from under their vehicle. One method I've heard about is to put shade cloth stretched across chassis. How effective are such methods?
I'm planning to do the CSR next month.
Thanks
Chris
Reply By: Member - Chris R (NSW) - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:03
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:03
First reaction is that this might slow air flow and increase potential for fire. Doubt it would stop spinifex and would probably make difficulty in
clearing it - as I guess it would need
clearing for the stuff it stopped.
With regards travelling long distance with this - suspect it would couse great inconvenience as various obstacles and road conditions would soon be wanting to rip it.
Several layers across bullbar are recommended in some posts. I know from personal experience that flyscreen across the front is is completely ineffective
Found that occasional underbody
check is easy and makes for a break. As CSR will be
well travelled, most spinifex will be short. If you go into the long stuff, then
check ftrquently and discover where it collects
Cheers
Chris
AnswerID:
307454
Reply By: Willem - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:16
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:16
Chris
See post 58311 for my replies.
Shadecloth under the chassis will most likely be torn off if veturing off track or if you scrape the chassis over a
sand dune. The CSR should be relatively free of spinifex or grass seeds as other veheilces wqould have cleared the track by now.
I once saw a mining vehicle on the Kidson Track and it had a chain mesh screen attached to the chassis behind the engine to stop foliage from collecting in the chassis.
My thought now is to have bigger wheels and maybe a body lift.....but that all seems too hard for the occasional foray into the Never Never...lol
Cheers
AnswerID:
307456
Reply By: traveller2 - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:22
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:22
We always have flyscreen across the radiator, directly over any trans/aircon/coolers in front of it.
When in grass country we wrap the whole front of the vehicle outside the bullbar and back to the front wheels in shadecloth.
As has been said you will not stop it.
I recently removed the radiator after our Madigan crossing last year and it was approximately 10 -15 % blocked by seed heads despite the above.
This was after a/c condensor and oil/trans cooler!
As regards underneath good advice given in earlier post,
check often. In really bad conditions remove the bash plates so that it can't accumulate under the truck.
Also keep an eye on rear brake backing plates and wheels as late model vehicles with traction control seem to catch fire at the rear maybe due to brakes being very hot?
Spinifex in bad conditions will catch fire with the friction from rotating items like tail and halfshafts just rubbing on them.
If it is later in the season and on track you should have little problem as previous vehicles will have lopped it all off.
AnswerID:
307458
Follow Up By: Willem - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:51
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:51
Yep I have backing plates on rear wheel removed as
well.
I think that this was the cause of a burnt out Nissan on the
Gary Hwy or
Hunt Oil Road some years ago.
Cheers
FollowupID:
573318
Reply By: Member - Roger B (VIC) - Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 21:42
Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008 at 21:42
It wasMarch 2002, and we were in
Coffin Bay SA, about to head into the NP, when a couple of members of the Pt. Lincoln constabulary arrived on the scene, on their way to try and bust some naughty people allegedly growing a 'crop' deep in the park. They stopped to pull a veh out of the sand, and told us that they were not very popular with their Sgt., and higher police at that time, as earlier in the day while on some mission, they had parked their shiny, almost new Land Cruiser in some long grass on the side of a track, and were conducting some investigations nearby, when lo and behold their cruiser caught fire!! Apparently the hot exhaust had ignited the grass, and the rest is history!! Burnt it completely out. This story was confirmed in the local paper the next day.Cheers.
Roger B....
AnswerID:
307612
Reply By: Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008 at 17:27
Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008 at 17:27
I'm just back from the CSR.
Most of the track is already trimmed by the vehicles going before.
Exceptions are:
Calvert Range track - we would appear to be about the second vehicle out there this year, but from what I understand there are many more with permits; and some of the less travelled side tracks (Helena Springs etc), or the Western "optional" track that skips
Well 44, for instance, and even then, the spinifex is not that bad this year.
AnswerID:
307747