Thursday, Jan 13, 2011 at 12:13
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
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