Chassis break at Durba Springs - A big thankyou to all who helped
Submitted: Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 13:55
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Member - Geoff M (VIC)
This is a very big thank you to all the fabulous people who were in Durba Springs last month (June) and assisted with the temporary repair on the chassis of my BT50. Your generosity of spirit, provision of equipment and skills in assisting was amazing.
A believe it was a miracle that all the right people with all the right equipment and expertise were at Durba Springs in my time of need. I would like to particularly thank Dave who had the welding equipment and spent over four hours doing the welding - thanks mate!
I got out from Durba OK through
Jigalong and into
Newman (via Puttawarri Track), had the vehicle assessed (thanks Terry) and surprisingly no additional repairs were needed for us to continue on our trip. More permanent repairs are now underway.
There are plenty of terrific people around our country, many who frequent this site, and I am very grateful to all generously helped me out in my time of need.
To the cause of the chassis failure,
well that is up to speculation. I was carrying
well under the ute's capacity (load < 600kg), and under the total GVM rating, distributed the load as central as I could, and did not have airbags. Maybe its just that the current crop of ute's are not able to withstand the constant pounding they get on the rough outback tracks.
Cheers, Geoff
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Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:11
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:11
No good mate.
A bigger photo of the cracked area would be nice if you can manage one.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:19
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:19
Thanks
John. I try attaching a bigger photo, along with a picture of the repair.
Cheers, Geoff
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Follow Up By: Puma1 - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 15:06
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 15:06
If you want to see a bigger picture hold down your ctrl key and hit the + key to make it smaller hit the - key
Use this function for increasing type size if a website is using small type - just a handy hint!
Cheers Nigel
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Follow Up By: Life Member - esarby (NSW) - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:39
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:39
If you want to see a bigger picture hold down your ctrl key and hit the + key to make it smaller hit the - key
You can also hold down the CTRL and spin your mouse wheel. Increase and decrease whatever.
Steve.B....
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Follow Up By: Skippype - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 21:04
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 21:04
Thanks
A handy tip
Skip
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Reply By: Robert K3 - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:27
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 14:27
Saw a brand new BT50 come up the Bruce Highway yesterday heading north stopped having a cuppa. Elderly couple with a 28 ft 5th wheel attached way behind the rear axle.
Front wheels nearly looked like they were off the gound, and I thought there is an accident waiting to happen, one good bump and it looked like it would fold in half.
Rob
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Reply By: Bill BD - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 16:29
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 16:29
Its such a relief when someone can turn your despair into hope. I marvel how any vehicle doesn't shake to pieces on some of the corrugations in Oz roads.
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Reply By: Crackles - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:30
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:30
"I was carrying
well under the ute's capacity (load < 600kg)"
Maybe so but I think you're in denial Geoff if you believe you had less than 600kg on-board particually seeing the dry weight of a Trayon camper is 400kg to start! Add the 100kg tray,200kg fuel, 120kg water, people, full fridge, camping gear ......................... No consulation but the BT is not the only ute to crack like that.
Cheers Craig...............
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Follow Up By: Axle - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 19:19
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 19:19
Crackles, I half agree with you,!.. These utes need a deeper chassis rail !!! ( all Jap Utes), and move that rear bloody axle back !. None of them look right , Cruisers, Patrols,, The whole lot, and until they do. theres always going to be problems, The only thing you should have to worry about when loading the ute up is that the front wheels arn't off the ground, Not the worry of the thing breaking in half.
Cheers Axle.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 19:57
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 19:57
Hi Craig,
Yes you are right I probably would have had more than 600kg total weight on board, but not a lot more. I was very conscience of keeping the weight down to a minimum, particularly on the tray and especially at the rear, but in the end it didn't do me any good. I saw many similar vehicles on the track with much more weight on board than me. Also I have heard of just about every make of similar ute's having chassis problems under certain circumstances.
Cheers, Geoff
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 22:09
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 22:09
Hilux's?
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Reply By: workhorse - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:53
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 17:53
Sorry for your chassis cracking but it is warming to see the help offered by fellow travellers. One of the great measures is to see the response of people to others in distress.
Hope all goes
well with the truck and I would be interested to hear how the vehicle is repaired for long term use.
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Reply By: Member - Joe n Mel n kids (FNQ - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 18:00
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 18:00
and NO airbags either, i am a big fan of airbags and they often get blamed, it is good to see you got fixed up ok, hope it works out for you now and you find what caused it..
Cheers
Joe
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 08:08
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 08:08
Thanks Joe - pretty sure a combination of the weight carried and the fatigue from the constant pounding the vehicle has experienced on tracks such as the CSR is the cause. However I believe that it should have been able to handle it and hence it is a design issue. I too hope that the repair works out and we can get back out exploring our great country (so many
places to see!).
Cheers, Geoff
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Reply By: landed eagle - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 22:24
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 22:24
Having thankfully never had this happen to me could you enlighten me on what made you realise the chassis was cracked. Was it a noise or sudden change in the handling or the way it was sitting on the road? etc,
I have seen pics of a Triton ute similar to
mine with a bent chassis and that's pretty obvious.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 07:53
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 07:53
The first indication was a banging sound that initially we couldn't work out where it was coming from (looked over vehicle a couple of times). The actual realisation was made when the people traveling with us in another vehicle noticed the extra flexing through the middle. We then realised the banging was the Trayon hitting the cabin.
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Reply By: Member - Murray R (VIC) - Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 22:29
Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 22:29
Geoff
Good to hear that your mobile again thanks to the assistance of good willed people with the knowledge and know how to fix the chassis. I had a Bravo extra cab with a slide on camper and was always concerned about the chassis cracking as all the weight was behind the axle and heaps of over hang, touch wood I didn't have any problems like you. Now Iv'e got a
Ranger cab chassis and the camper sits central over the axle and I find that the car drives and handles much better. I do miss the extra cabin space though.
cheers Murray
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 08:00
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 08:00
Hi Murray,
Thanks for your reply. The weight and overhang has always been a concern for me, but we really like the Extra Cab space for carrying everything from extra luggage, our dog on some trips, extra fridge, etc. The recent trips we have made would not have been possible without the extra space provided in the extra cab.
I am really hoping that the repairs will make the vehicle stronger and enable us to get a few more years travelling out of it, but after this incident I am obviously a bit gun-shy. My previous vehicle to the Mazda I kept for 15 years, I don't think this one (or other modern equivalents) will last as long.
Cheers, Geoff
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Follow Up By: member - mazcan - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 14:19
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 14:19
hi geoff
it was a nasty event to occur out the at
durba spring that nobody wants
but its great that you had the right people there and they were willing with the true aussie spririt to assist in such an efficent manner
i am interested in what year yr bt50 is and did you buy it new or was it someone elses that you bought s/hnd
i have owned a mazda bravo since 1997 with aug/ 1996 build date done 140000km's and
just went and had a thorough look at the chassis with a brite light and a magnifing glass to be sure and found no cracks or hints of any in the same or any location
despite the d/cab carrring heavy loads plus towing caravans and loaded trailers plus its own load over many rough tracks
including rocky outcrops loads of rocks /blue metal and sand and wood too these loads were
on a daily bassis to/from the
farm i had
it has also done the csr and many other rough and horregated tracks all around w.a and if any chassis should have cracked i would expect
mine to have a problem but not the case
so i have a friend up the street with a 2009
ranger so will be keen to measure and compare the chassis metal thickness to see if ford/mazda have made the newer ones out of thinner steel ?
there must be an engineering reason why this is occuring on many brand names recently
???is the steel quality worst and thinner ??
cheers barry
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 15:22
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 15:22
Hi Barry,
I bought the BT50 new in 2007 and it has now done 104,000 km's. It has a steel tray, and I carry a Trayon Camper which weights 380kg unladen.
After seeing many horror stories on the web, I have always been concerned with chassis cracks and have tried to minimise wieght as much as possible. Having a freestyle (extra) cab also means that I have a greater overhang at the back. Also I have regularly checked, but none of this did me any good in the end.
Here are a couple of more pictures of the crack/s. Both chassis rails had cracked on both sides and at the bottom. Also both cracks were in identical
places on each chassis rail, on the cabin side on the rear spring holder.
Cheers, Geoff
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Reply By: Wayne (NSW) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 16:02
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 16:02
Geoff,
Chassis looks a lot better now than when I first saw it at Durba Springs.
I glad that you were able to get through to
Newman and have it checked out.
The CSR has a nasty habit of finding any weakness in man and machine.
Wayne
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 23:24
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 23:24
Hey Wayne, hows your health?
Heard you had a bit of an issue whilst out bush recently?
Hope all is good.
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 12:49
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 12:49
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for your comments and support at Durba. I too heard from Dave that your health wasn't the best, and hope you are fine now.
Cheers, Geoff
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 20:32
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 20:32
Gday Geoff,
Its very common with dual cabs, less common with freestyle cabs and uncommon with single cabs and stationwagons. I would guess you know already that most of your Trayon is sitting
well behind the rear axle.
But all dual cabs have an inherent weakness in that the cab (body) is not stiffening or reinforcing the chassis. With a station wagon, the body is full length and provides additional rigidity and prevents the chassis from flexing backwards.
The cracking occurs at the point in the chassis below where the cab meets the tray. This is an area of great flex which doesn't exist with a stationwagon.
You can get additional reinforcement, which is usually in the form of large plates. I don't think the small plates that have been welded will provide any additional support, and will weaken the chassis at the point of the weld. I think you need to get an opinion from a good chassis specialist who sees these bent/cracked dual cab chassis every day.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 13:05
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 13:05
Hi Phil,
The small plates were just a temporary fix to get me
home. The vehicle has been assessed and the chassis will be repaired. The repairer is confident that it will be stronger than ever.
Cheers, Geoff
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Reply By: Muntoo - Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 23:29
Friday, Jul 29, 2011 at 23:29
Just out of curiosity, what springs and shocks have you got fitted. Those leaves look heavy duty.
It is a real bummer, would hate for that to happen mate, especially on such a great trip. I have a BT50 also, but will never have that much weight on it as i dont have a camper.
Maybe the steel they use these days just cant cope with our corrugations.
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Follow Up By: Fatso - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 08:21
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 08:21
7 leaves in view + probably a helper or 2 could be out of view.
I would guess this vehicle is
well overloaded to start with & the load is badly positioned. Then on top of that the driving techniques applied were not conducive to the conditions.
The vehicle is only a tool.
The Mazda is good value for money, but it is not a Unimog.
If you make a comparison between packing a boat & packing a vehicle there is a huge difference in the mental approach. This is driven by the fear of drowning.
My dinghy is rated for 5 people in smooth water. Not for 5 people in open water in a southerly buster. No man would contemplate going out in rough sea conditions in an overloaded dinghy because of fear. We all know you can drown out there.
But come to your average car driver loading his 4x4 for a trip up bush & its another story. Unlike the dinghy, the drivers are not being as diligent to scrutinise the weight distribution. Probably because they are not as afraid of the outcome & when the sh-t hits the fan it was the cars fault anyway.
Vessel failure at sea is another area all together. Everything that goes wrong is the skippers fault.
I think if some of the marine responsibility standards were brought over to the road rules the roads would be a much safer place.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 12:52
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 12:52
Hi Muntoo,
The springs are Ironman heavy duty. I too believe the chassis steel isn't up to job nowadays. As stated elsewhere in the post, the load carried was
well under the GVM and positioned as
well as possible.
Cheers, Geoff
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Follow Up By: Robert K3 - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 15:27
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 15:27
I would say that there lies 95% of your problem. Why did you need heavy duty springs if you weren't overloaded. Heavy duty springs like that means that far more stresses are put on the chassis as the bumps are not adsorbed by the softer spring rating. It is far better to use standard springs and use top of the line shocks with progressive dampening.
Just look at off road race cars, they have very soft spring rates and then four piston progressive shocks and they practically float across the bumps.
Also have you weighed the truck front and rear just to see what weight you are carrying over the back axle. It would be interesting to see.
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Follow Up By: Member - Geoff M (VIC) - Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 16:27
Saturday, Jul 30, 2011 at 16:27
Thanks for your comments robert.
The springs were recommended and installed by Ironman after consultation.
Maybe when I get the chassis fixed I'll re-look at
the springs and shocks. Any particular recommendations?
Cheers, Geoff
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