Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 08:19
Hi RL
Firstly you will need to take extra fuel, 20 litres might be enough, but 40 litres would get you through very comfortably.
Tyre pressures are very critical and for a first time desert traveller, drop them down to 14psi and you should be fairly right. For Big Red drop them even lower, say 10psi.
If you are about to replace the tyre, then a good AT would be fine and even better in a LT construction. Do not get fooled that you need big aggressive tyre tread patterns, they might work fine for the mud and are the exact opposite for what you need for sand driving.
If you are taking a roof rack, make sure that it is a quality built rack designed for a reliable 4x4 accessories manufacturer, as I have seen 2 cases out in the Simpson from people that you could not tell anything, with cheap $70 racks that broke the second dune crossing into the Simpson.
For a first time crossing, I would travel West to East to give you a feel of what true 4x4 sand driving is all about. There are only 3 main routes across
the desert, the French Line, WAA and Ring Road in South Australia and then only in through Queensland, the QAA Line. In the SA section, do a mixture of all the tracks and must see features are of course the Lone Gum and the Knolls.
Plan on 4 days as a minimum and you should have a great time. Also a tip for first time desert swag sleepers, make sure that you have the highest quality rated sleeping bags, as on cloudless nights, below zero will be expected. Do not leave any cloths or footwear out during the night, as you may wake up with one shoe gone or your pants many metres away and chewed - from the dingos, but do not worry, they will not hurt you. When our boys were little, we would use a small plastic garden rake to clear the area under your swags and next morning you could see
dingo prints in the freshly raked sand and on one trip there was even sandy
dingo prints over the bottom of one of the boys swags.
Make sure that you use a sand flag and the recommended UHF Channel is Channel 10, but scan so you can hear anyone that may be using a different channel. A long handled shovel is a must have and if you can find the space, a set of MaxTrax could be very handy.
If you enjoy seeing
the desert at its very best, you will have a fantastic time and will be planning you next return trip.
Safe travels and enjoy the Simpson
Cheers
Stephen
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485614
Follow Up By: Ozrover - Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 08:37
Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 08:37
What he said! LOL!!!
Spot on Stephen!
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