Making sure it all works
Before going too hardcore on our big trip it made sense to do a pilot run. So we went camping for Easter.
I had just got a new set of All Terrain tyres and new heavy-duty suspension to handle the rough roads, and a couple of inches of body lift, to help soften the impact of travelling rough corrugated tracks while towing a caravan and carrying a heavy load. Perfect timing.
Also well timed was the dual battery that I purchased the day before we left and only wired up a couple of hours before!
I also installed a brand-new winch so I would be confident getting out of sticky situations. But as with so many other things, nothing is as straightforward as it seems. The winch install should have been a 2 hr job, but at the end of the day, after I had installed and removed the bloody thing 3 times for adjustment, modified the control box and drilled a 20mm hole into 5mm of steel bull bar to relocated the controller socket, the darn thing wouldn’t spool out under power!
Bugger! I had to spend another half day trouble shooting for the supplier, who finally agreed that the motor was stuffed and they would need to send a new one. Of course, it would not arrive by the time we go camping, so I will just have to make do.
Gordon Country is about 4 hrs south of us, but was to be a great place to test the new gear. The drive was a good opportunity to see how Rexi, the Patrol, handles towing Birdie, the caravan. Flats were a piece of cake, but they were a bit sluggish on the uphills. Might need to look into getting some tuning or a boost sorted out.
We camped out with some friends, right next to a creek and just around the corner from a 4wd playground.
I was able to put the car through its paces tackling some nice steep and rough (man-made) hills and obstacles. Taking all the kids from the camp on rides around the track. Even got to test the half functioning winch for the first time.
Rexi handled it all with ease and put some other cars and their drivers to shame. Excellent outcome! I also went with a couple of the blokes down one of the more hardcore tracks and a ridiculously steep decent with some pretty hairy sections. But the car performed like a champ and I am confident it will take us where we want to go, and bring us back again.
After 4 days at Gordon Country we headed back, stopping at Crows Nest National park for a couple days. It rained a bit which was good, because it proved that my leak repair on the roof was holding. The drawers and shelves that we (I) installed worked a treat too. Sweet!
It also gave us the opportunity to “fine tune” our setup and take down procedure. And I am sure it will get smoother still as we get more practice.
But the list of “to do’s” that had got shorter before this camping trip was now much longer again!
Were gonna need to carry more water, so another water tank will have to go on the van. Also found out that storage of spare gas bottles, bikes, firewood is a pain in the butt and needs to be worked out.
More lighting, with switches that the kids can reach, bed extensions so they can sleep lengthways and get in and out without climbing over each other and a bunch of other little things need work.
So, now it looks like I have the next few weeks cut out for me with a whole bunch of installs, mods, fixes and redesigns to get our setup to be how we want it. Look out!