Towing a Caravan from Cooper Pedy to Maree via the Oodnadatta track

just thought i should mention that i am not taking my caravan on this trip,willl
take soft floor camper trailer -- campApack ,grunter.
cheers

Hi
I did that trip in a Subaru towing a camper trailer a few years ago.

No real problems but had to bash a few mounds down with the shovel to get over them as clearance was not good.

We did come across a guy who got bogged and when we got to him he was winching hiscamper out of mud but I think there was a bit of user error in that. The same guy had spent 3 days at Coward Springs waiting for roads to open.

Over all a fairly easy trip so what you want to do is possible

BUT.. that was then and it will depend on the road conditions at the time. We asked at the tourist office at Cooper Pedy what the road was like and found them very helpful.

Hope the weather changes and you have a great trip.

Also make sure your back window is covered with something - we had ours broken by a stone that bounced off the stone guard on the camper.

Richard

SRH,

For your back window it can be as simple as some thick cardboard and heavy duty tape or, if you can find them, I have seen in a mag somewhere a fittied mesh screen that is spaced off the back window and secured to the car.I haven't been able to find them since getting home but must admit I haven't looked to hard either.
Another way to stop stones is to install a large full width heavy duty mudflap all the way accross. you can get these that fix to the tounge of your tow hitch and will also protect the paint work on the rear of the Patrol and front of the trailer.
You will be amazed at where these rocks will get to.
We had some come out from the steer wheels of the car forwards and rebound off something come up and hit the windscreen not another vehcile in site. I am still baffeled at the physics behind it.

I ran my tryes on 100 series Landcruiser at 28psi on the front about 30-32 on the rear (to accommodate the extra weight of trailer and gear) and 28 on the trailer running bridgestone duelers A/T all round and never put a mark on them. As always have a look when you set your pressures and apply some common sense there is never an exact setting when comparing vehicles too many variables.

Jeff.

Hi there,
Your question has prompted my first post here. I was going to write a blog or similar regarding the pitfalls of traveling this type of road with a poorly prepared van but this seems to be an appropriate place to mention it.

We just came back from a trip up and down the Oodnadatta track over the Christmas period. As previously mentioned the roads will be very different in July but I think it is still relevant to recount our experience as you mentioned protecting wiring and pipework.

Having recently bought a "semi off road" van and a landcruiser ute we decided on a short shakedown trip just to see how it all went. Following a hasty decision to extend our trip considerably we ended up traveling to William Creek to fly over Lake Eyre. it was on the Oodnadatta track between Marree and William Creek that we realized that perhaps we should have prepared better. The stony road surface really played havoc on the underside of the van - taking out taps and bungs on the water tanks and all of the grey water piping, as well as the electric brake wiring on all four wheels.

We were lucky to be in striking distance of Coober Pedy where I was able to find enough bits and pieces together and spend several hours under the van to enable us to continue the trip.

Now, before our next trip I will be preparing a little better. Including the following...
1.Rock Tamers and/or heavy mud flaps on the towing vehicle
2. Additional rubber flaps in front of the plumbing on the van
3. Fit metal guards under all plumbing - particularly where hoses connect to water tanks and where taps and connectors are situated.
4. Ensure all electric brake wiring is protected by split plastic tubing.
5. Take steps to better seal identified dust entry locations.

In hind site, although the track was in reasonable condition, it became evident that a "semi off roader" is going to take a beating driving this sort of track. Particularly things shake loose and get damaged.

Oh and another bit of advice - even if the track appears to be in good condition, even in hot dry weather like it was on our trip, there can be a large number of washouts that are not always marked and are near impossible to see until you are on them. We found this particularly between Oodnadatta and William Creek.

We had a great trip with only some relatively inexpensive repairs. hope you have a great time!

Cheers,
Neil

It was a 21 foot 2006 Roma Elegance with simplicity suspension & 6" lift (hence the "semi off road" designation). While cleaning out the dust over two days it was obvious to me that it was never meant to handle outback roads and I suspect most modern caravans except the 3 or 4 true offroaders would be similar. Not unhappy I bought it though - can do a lot of minor repairs on the money saved not buying a full offroader (actually there is no way I could afford a true offroader anyway).

I didn't change tyre pressures because I didn't consider the road surface warranted it. Perhaps with more experience I may have done things differently but for most of the trip the surface was loose but only gravel, dust or small stones which I didn't think were a danger to the tyres. A lower tyre pressure may have reduced the amount of vibration though.

In your list of spares, take a pack of those interlocking foam matts and a 100 pack of long cable ties - I found them excellent at protecting the jerry rigged repairs on the plumbing. They were nearly shredded by stone damage when I got home but my repairs were intact and I had done a LOT of gravel road miles after the repairs. I had cut them in half and hung them in front of the plumbing, as well as tying them up directly under the plumbing.

Cheers,
Neil