madigan line

Hello Stephen,

Thanks for your advise.
It is a good to know that you think the Triton is capable of this trip. Fuel consumption must increase significantly to warrant carrying 300 litres of diesel. Other desert trips the vehicle has consumed up to 15 litres/100k.

It was my job in the party to pursue a permit for 3,4 and 5 but it sounds that this would be fruitless.

Cheers

Tony

Hello Phil,

Yes will be doing this trip with two other vehicles, an IFS 100 series diesel and a Prado diesel.

I take your point on not hurrying. When travelling alone I always take my time. This can be a bit more difficult in a group to keep up the pace.

What do you think about the breakdown you experienced with the 100 series IFS was it one off accidental damage or a weakness with the lower front arm?

Cheers
Tony

The 100series was the typical lower arm problem - breaking where the torsion bar attaches. That trip was in 2004, and the Landcruiser was about 12 months old. He was driving normally back in the convoy. Had brand new ARB suspension including the upgraded torsion bars - the front shock spat their fluid and were replaced with spares the day before the arm broke. It was still attached, so he was able to limp out the rest of the trip very slowly on his bump stop.
Don't hear of as many arms breaking these days - I think Toyota had it fixed on the later models. ARB do make a strengthener kit.

The Prado that broke the rear upper control arm was a 90series - it took two attempts to weld it strong enough for it to last the rest of the trip.

A read of the visitor books also give you an idea of what other groups have had go wrong. Most failures are suspension naturally enough, and aftermarket bits seem more likely to fail than factory components. But carrying the kitchen sink and travelling fast are the surefire ways to break something.

Hi Mel,

Thanks for your comments. I would be running 215/85/16 Toyo m55,s so hopefully these should provide enough clearance. These are not quite as large a diameter as your tyres.
My rear leaf's are King springs which have been good so far. Do you think it would be worth carrying spare rear springs and putting up with the additional weight?

Cheers
Tony

Tony,
If I can make a suggestion - spare full rear leaf springs are too heavy to carry as spares. A single main leaf, two spare U-bolts, spare spring bushes and a spare front spring pin are what I would carry.Check the U-bolt tightness at the start.

and I would add a couple of centre bolts....

Gday Michael,
Yep, forgot to add the centre bolts (which I do carry), but a broken centre bolt won't stop you - I've seen a 79series travel for 12 months with a broken centre bolt - it had been crabbing the whole time- even got a wheel alignment where they adjusted the front to follow the rear without realising a centre bolt was broken! But centre bolts take up no space, so worth throwing them in. Lengths of threaded rod and nuts is something else I carry that will do the job of a centre bolt, and can be used for other stuff.

Gday Peter,
Thats good info - I reckon the good people at Andado Station would be able to advise too.

Hi Robin

Please do not think that I am cynical, but your plans on your daily distances will be greatly reduced once you get out into the desert proper. There is a very big chance that when you are out there, you will be lucky to do even half of what you have as a daily average, like I have said many times, it is no normal Simpson crossing.

The moment that you start to push your vehicle out in that country is when things will break, no questions asked, in a very big way.

Work on around a maximum of 30 - 33 kilometres per day and you will be on the mark.

Have a great time and do not push the vehicles.



Cheers


Stephen

Stephen,
I am unsure of your daily travel times but I am aware of an AULRO trip in August 2008 where it took 11 days Old Andando to Birdsville missing camps 3,4,&5 but including a night at Geosurveyors hill where there daily travel distances (in Kms) were
52, 51,59,64,53,22(stopped at lunch time-black tie dinner that night),61,75,73, 58,138.
an average of 64km per day
none of the 5 vehicles experienced any problems on this leg of their trip.
all landrover defenders , trip leader used 170 litres from Finke to Birdsville.
I understand conditions vary year to year but they had no problems in doing twice the daily average you mention and the 50 km per day was achieved on all but one that was essentially a rest day.
cheers
Howard

Howard

Have you ever been out there and seen and driven in the real Simpson, not the easy tracks that everyone usually takes?? If you have then you will see why I have stated what I have, as well as the others that have been out there as well stating that it was a very big ask. There are no medals for setting any records and if those figures are correct, so be it, but what were the conditions of all vehicles really like after their trip and how long were they driving each day??

If you follow any replies that I have ever made, I do so to give the reader an idea of what to expect in the real world, and to travel safely with the least amount of damage to vehicle and driver.

If those distances were covered each day, then they would have been very long and hard days, starting before sun up and travelling well after any normal person out there would call it a day and set up camp and enjoy the solitude of the desert.

Like you, I also enjoy reading. When I was a member of the Honda Riders Association of Australia a good number of years ago, I read a report that a group of riders on CBR1100XX Blackbirds (The same bike that I owned) while on a trip around Australia covered a distance of over 200 kilometres, just inside of the Northern Territory in just over 50 Minutes, yes you have read correct. Yes it is easily on a bike like that for a stock standard bike that was capable of speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour, but very unsafe and something that they were crazy to do. So having read this, does this mean that anyone else can safely do that distance in that time - NO WAY!!

The reason why adventurous travellers go out into truly remote areas is not to set records, but to see and experience a place that few people get to see at a pace of travel that not a marathon.

Stephen

Hi Peter

Well said and until anyone has been out there 'in the flesh', as such, they have no idea of what the terrain is like. Fiona had sore hips and shoulders for a good time after the trip, from all that constant side to side travel.



Cheers



Stephen

The Humvee was actually very comfortable due to its wide stance, independant suspension all round and very low C of G, it just waddled over everything. One of the other vehicles was a 79 trayback with a Trayon on the back and the ride in the cab was pretty hard and the trayon actually shifted a few times despite being held down at each corner. Some of the passengers chose to walk at every opportunity and it was rare for the convoy to travel for any longer than an hour without a break due to the continuous pounding on the rough bits. An auto is definately preferred.

Hi Guys

50 (average) shouldn't be to hard for the Patrol and I'm sure you are right and it will include some days of 20-30 and some of 80.

I am going with some troppies though and I have seen people get back trouble from mogul traverses and physical exertion so I am a bit concerned.

It a reason I use easily settable shocks.

I have also chosen to take my manual rather than auto Patrol after our recent tests showing the fuel advantage so I suspect we could have an interesting time out their.

For my car I am mostly concerned about punctures though and probably will go with a little higher than average pressures and repair bits.

Just hope the weather holds for Tony and others - if not well we will try again sometime.

Gday Robin,
Patrol is no different to the troopies, Pajeros, landcruisers, Prados or whatever. You'll be pitching from side to side in any vehicle. Every vehicle that goes there can break stuff - the panhard rod bushes failed on a patrol on our 2006 trip and replacements had to be doctored up. And given the weights and the conditions, coil patrols are at risk of the rear spring towers bending/cracking, especially with airbags.

Like Peter said, stopping every hour to have a stretch and smell the roses (or spinifex) is necessary.

Aftermarket shocks seem to fail more often than factory shocks so carry spares (old factory shocks are very good spares). I've only driven manuals out there, but usually settle for 1st gear high or 3rd gear low in Landcruisers - just enough to keep a good speed at about 1200 revs without stalling - you're basically idling over the moguls (with a TD anyway). You might need a few more revs with a petrol vehicle. Autos are easier, but the only auto on our first trip smoked its torque converter (maybe from the driver keeping it in high range).

Punctures - almost all are sidewall stakes - almost every puncture I've seen out there has been fixable with a plug. If you've got a puncture, hook the pump up to get more air into it, pull out the stake (make sure you haven't left any in), load a plug with glue and insert and twist. Reinflate to 16psi and drive on. Usually only takes 10 mins all up. If anyone is taking split rims, then you'll spend 30 minutes changing the wheel and an extra hour at camp repairing the puncture.

Lower pressures are the way to go - better fuel consumption and fewer punctures. about 16/20 psi F/R is what we have used in the past.