JAYCO'S ACROSS THE SIMPSON

Glenn
before you go take the rig (vehicle and van) to somewhere like Stockton and see how it goes in sand conditions.
Pathies have a ground clearance problem in soft going and this combined with the weight of the van makes it very hard if not impossible.
One of our club members wanted to do just what you are proposing (Fraser Island actually) after a weekend trip to Stockton it was reailised that it would be pretty hard going on the island which proved to be so with many recoveries and even vehicle swaps to get the rig through.
You will have to "drive it like you stole it" which isn't a good thing to do in remote areas.

Glenn
Oh well the ban come into place as of 1/1/2009, you could go over the xmas holidays......T.I.C

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Thanks Peter, had thought about Stockton or Kurnell. I wonder where the closest bit of available sand is from Sydney? Have done plenty of sandy tracks on the Cape but the question will be, how different will they be to an interdunal stretch in the Simpson to say nothing of dune crests. Glenn

Done the crossing a few times without trailers but I would be asking myself would I be prepared to pay several thousand to get my gear recovered if things go pear shaped? If you value what you have I'd evaluate my options very carefully. I'd be wanting a better engineered margin of confidence with both vehicle and van given some of the jump ups on some of the larger dunes. Cheers. leigh

And here's my point in case from post 61412. "Unfortunately too many people think their camper trailers are "Full offroad" rated when in fact they often aren't".
Towing gear like this accross the Simpson with vehicles that often struggle to do it on their own is why the discussion on banning trailers is taking place. In ideal conditions & with alot of luck one could get away with it but why? Drop the Van in Birdsville & do a loop or double crossing of the desert in just the Pathy without cutting up the dunes, holding up other travellers while risking almost certain damage to your rig. Your setup is far too low with a shocking ramp over angle that will have you hung up on many of the dune crests.
Cheers Craig............

Gidday Glenn

In short the answer is no. The Simpson is best done in the old fashion way with a tent and open fire at night. You don't need all those comforts mate.

Regards

Kim

We had a Jayco Finch Out Back, with wide Tyres ect, and towed it
up Fraser Island a few times, allways went out of our way to stay out
of trouble, we had a few close shaves in the soft stuff, the Clutch
was given a work out a few times, in the Hylux, but we allways knew
if things went really Pear Shape, it might cost a few Dollars to get off
the Island, but we took our chances, but what you are contemplating is a different matter, you could risk your Truck and
others, nah I would Tent it.

Cheers
Daza

G`day Glenn,
Have a look at pic 3 in my profile.
Then read "Simpson Desert Double Crossing" in the blogs.

We thought we were doing everything to the book but s - - t happens, we were lucky no damage was done.
I read here or somewhere recently. Flat top rescue from Birdsville $4500 or from Alice Springs $9000, not the cheapest way to get your vehicle or van/camper off the desert but what are the options ?.

Scrubby.

There is just no comparison between crossing the Simpson and driving on Fraser Island. For a start the island is flat and the Simpson has about 1100 dunes to cross. On the island help is only a few kms away. In the desert it may be hundreds away. Whether a trailer will make it is impossible to say as the conditions change daily. I've been across when the sand was very dry. No camper could have been towed then. Another crossing the sand was more moist and thus much firmer. I wouldn't have towed a trailer but maybe it could have been done at the cost of significant dune damage. The sooner trailers are banned, the better!

Warrie,
Make sure you take some pics of the ride from hell your embarking on and post em. If your been searching for peoples opinions well you would have got them before posting your question. Hey good luck and hope you don't have to wave down some one that spent time and common sense to do the trip as you might get a talking down too. We've dragged some one else's cruiser + trailer across most of the French line not fun. For petes sake don't WRECK some one elses holiday if your got to tow take the easier option. Pardon the pun
The misus

Glenn
I agree with what has been said above. The other thing that springs to mind is fuel consumption. I think the Pathie only has an 80 litre fuel tank. I reckon your consumption would get as high as 30+l/100kms towing the Jayco over the dunes. Given that the French Line (the shortest crossing I believe) is about 420 k's, you would probably have to carry about 120 litres of extra fuel to give yourself a comfortable leeway. That's not only a lot of extra weight, but a huge bulk to fit somewhere on your rig.
I can't help but think that a tent is a much more logical solution.

tessa

This thread exactly demonstrates why the ban is being considered. XTrails and Jayco type trailers are just plain inadequate for Simpson type conditions. A bit of a run on beach sand to see if you can pull a trailer on sand doesn't begin to give an understanding of the issues of groundclearance/need to make a blind sharp turn in very soft conditions while approaching a crest while going up a steep slope/ overhang angles that the Simpson poses. And you get not just the occasional crest, but these situations for km after km. I also don't think the bodywork of the Jaycos is heavy enough for this sort of work.

Hi Glenn H

Having crossed the Simpson a few years ago I believe that you will be asking for trouble trying to tow the Jayco.

Also, have you considered the extreme impact that your journey will have on the dunes.

Better safe than sorry and less dune damage.

Glenn,

Don't do it.Park the Jayco and cross with a tent. You'll enjoy it far more. The reasons for not taking the Jayco are as listed in the posts above.

Pathfinder + Jayco across the Simpson...... take a BIG wallet in case you get stuck out there, I shudder to think how much a recovery on your rig would cost!

A point for example..... in June we "did" the K1 and the Warburton Track, and a bit of the French Line near Poepel Cnr. Our rig is a 4.2L diesel turbo'ed Patrol, we had the roof rack on and left the trailer in Birdsville. Several of the dune crests on the French Line and the QAA caught us out and we had to reverse and have a second go at it. Simply due to not paying enough respect to these particular crests.

Imagine that in your Pathy + Jayco rig.

And if the second attempt fails and you can't get over the top, what is your back-up plan? If you dig the tyres down in soft sand, how will you reverse the trailer out? Sure, you can get out the shovel and dig...... but on the French Line, there's about 1100-1200 dunes..... how much digging can you do?

Leave the trailer in Birdsville, and take a tent. Surprisingly, IMHO, tenting in the desert actually enhances the experience!

YMMV

Cheers

Brian

Glenn

Ive been across the Simpson 3 times
1st trip was Easter 2004 about 40 to 45 every day sand was so soft

2nd trip Sept 2006 wasnt as hot but the french line was so hard to drive on

3rd trip April 2007 Eyre creek had water in it sand was still soft we drove the bottom end of the Rig Road from the Lone Gum to Purnie Bore which was easy BUT you have to get to there for it to be easy not sure which way your going east or west but stay of the french line where ever you can but its a Desert it could be all different it can change overnite if the wind picks up but over all my advise DONT take a Trailer in the Simpson you are looking for trouble you might not have any problem BUT if you do it will cost a bomb to get it out
go buy some swags and sleep under the stars

Glenn...

There are two major problems you will face if you attempt to cross the Simpson Desert in a Pathfinder towing a Jayco off roader. The first is the tow vehicle as it's totally unsuitable and the second is the trailer as it's totally unsuitable. I wouldn't attempt the crossing in a Pathfinder without a trailer. Take the advice given to you (NB not one person has answered in the affirmative) and if you must go, get a capable 4wd and a good quality tent. I recommend the centre pole style.

No use me saying anything about the Simpson ( everyone else already has ), but if you want to see how they go in sand, then as said before , take the van up to Stockton ( Birubi end ) and have a bit of a play around, then unhitch and go for a run thru the Lavis lane entry with only the Pathy and I'm pretty sure that will convince you as to the liimitations the extra weight of a van will have.........and if you aren't convinced, take the van thru Lavis lane, and if it makes it, then multiply that by 1000........

don't even think he'll get much driving done but he'll sure be doing a lot of digging - and in 45 deg heat

rather you than me mate.

Warrie

Here I am at the Geographical Centre of the Simpson Desert 2006 with trailer in tow

Image Could Not Be Found

Most things are possible and a trailer can be taken to lots of places. My trailer carries camping gear and tucker and most of all, 240lts of diesel in 20 jerry-cans

I saw a 'caravan' like yours on the CSR a few years back being towed by a Hilux. It had come in at Well 33 and was southbound. I remarked that it was looking battered with 100mph tape in a few places holding things together. I learnt later that it thad completed the journey.

You Jayco however is being towed by a comparatively lightweight 4x4 with just not enough grunt to get it up and over the dunes. You may find that the Jayco is too bulky to manoeuvre with ease along some of the tracks and as someone has posted above, you will most likely have to kick it in the guts trying to get over some of the dunes.

So my advice is that you should rather look at tenting it across the Simpson and staying clear of possible trouble with an old Jayco in tow.


Cheers

Gidday Glenn,
I admire your sense of adventure regarding your proposed trip.
Here in the west we have lots of sand. I would consider a Pathfinder very average as far as capability goes re ground clearance etc especially towing.
The reality is as Brian from the goldcoast says have you got enought to pay to have yourself rescued should it all go wrong?
If you do then I would suggest a more suitable 4wd should be on the shopping list to give yourself half a chance.
Sorry if i,m upsetting any Pathy owners (they are a good medium duty 4by) but the truth is this type of advice could ward off a potential disaster.(Finacial or otherwise).
Regards Alan.

Hi Glenn, I notice that your question is not "could you", but "would you"... two very different questions. To answer "would you?" must involve some consideration of much you want to contribute to the current management issues regarding desert travellers, and your own reflections about your driving capabilities with your particular rig. Put two different drivers behind two identical vehicles/trailers and you may get two different outcomes in a desert environment. This question is subjective and in lieu of no ban on trailers, it is one that only you can make for yourself. Sorry.