Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"

Double victory .................. LPG detector, the vacuum trick didn't work so now at home, put it on the bench and gave the sensor unit a good hit with sensor cleaner, working happily now, thats a good few $$ saved while yesterday I picked up a new Holding Tank mechanism for the Thunder Can since the flap bit broke, new flap $29 but when one bit of plastic breaks with these things more are sure to follow so grabbed a whole assembly, $95 and sure enough when I strip down the old unit to salvage some parts I find a couple of screw tabs about to give way .............. carry 2 tanks and its certainly saved a few trips when one has a failure ....

This is why I bang on about doing a proper job on your fridge insulation ..... Happy hour so fridge door has been working with nibblies,wine and beer extraction, it's 32c and my 3 way insulated properly shows that they do a good job when installed properly..something the manufacturers can't manage..... no screen on the outside either as the outer wall is fully insulated...
I have to head home soon...bugga. fridge at 5.9 freezer at -23..... perfect.

I was referring to the Van Manufacturers not the fridge builders , I have looked quite a few fridges and few seem to be fitted properly, biggest fail is the outer wall insulation usually consists of a 1/2" panel of styro that hardly covers the area, have refurbished about 5 of them so far and they are all running heaps better, my current new job has a fan at the back but like most it only kicks in when ambient is 35c which I reckon is too late my fans at the top fire up when the tubes reach 55/60c forget which , I haven't managed to find a happy position for the internal fan so it stops the ice age on the cool fins........... but the lettuce doesn't freeze so all good....

Something thats annoyed me for years and has been on The 'Round Tuit List for a number of years, on a nice sunny day the overhead cupboards tend to get very warm a times, especially the food storage ones including wardrobes ..................................
The other day I knocked another off the list, insulating the Garage Door, the morning sun turns it into a radiator, bluddy hot to touch, 8 years since I built this place and its been on the list since then, well No More, a roll of insulation has sorted it, 4mm foam stuff with allfoil outer layer of course some left over so I measured up the external hatches and the upper and wall sections of van cupboards, took a bit of jiggling but managed to use the roll with only about a 25mm strip left, very pleased, some bits that are mainly out of sight I cobbled together some off cuts to fit using packing tape on the back and then glued the sheet in place, the join is very hard to see ...................... The internal upper cupboards and wardrobes got insulation to the roof sections and the ones that have tucker in them got some on the outer walls, the battery box got lined as well as the door on the Genny Hatch along with the top section of the All Season roof vent .......... Surprise was for the garage and van done and I didn't make any monumental stuff ups .......

The stuff I used was from Bunnings, Ametalin 1350mm x 6.67mm Thermaliner at $84 a roll, the cross hatched side is stronger so thats the side to face outwards but it isn't terribly robust for hard knocks as the alfpoil could peel, its only a poofteenth thick............. it has a fire rating which is probably better than the van anyway and lining the battery box may keep things cooler and if the battery has a melt down then I doubt anything would contain the 600deg plus a battery gets to when it goes thermal ........... fire bricks and 15mm steel plate maybe...........

Battery Box.......... .. cupboard

.............. ... Rule, tape measure, fine tip Nikko, Kwik Grip and large scissors .....

Hiding inside with AC on full noise, so I checked my links to parts suppliers, I hope I don't need new springs again for Big Mal as they have stopped making them it seems and being double slipper springs they are rare, if there is a next time I have 2 choices I reckon, since I kept the old ones I could possibly add one of the old leafs or bundle them off to a spring works to reset them, the big issue being to what specs as to date I have found no info on their specs, though I did measure the new ones when I got them, now to find where I wrote them down............

Ended up ordering a new tow ball hitch as Ive done away with the WDH, there's 20kgs saved, a new Black Jack Stinger hitch in the mail ..... 2kg instead of the 13kg lump of ballast on the back.

Titan RV certainly get things moving, 24hrs from ordering its at my door, unheard of for around here from Brissie. ............... all fitted up need 2 hands to move the old WDH, pick new one up with a finger, slightly disconcerting .............................. new ball fitted and shims made and its ready to go.............

.. Old hitch 14kg ................................................New hitch 2.2kg


...Just checking my measurements were correct............

DRW said:

I’ve been researching hitches, mine is slightly high so when I finally get home I’ll sort one. Currently in Streaky Bay was cold in Port Lincoln for a few days blowing its butt off now it’s hot as hady’s can’t win. Fitted a complete new awning in Port Pirie and ordered a new Stonestomper in Broken Hill been an expensive trip so far!! Ran at 20LPH all day to here with diesel at $1.99PL

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I looked all over the place, measured things enough times to nearly wear out a tape, this one while slightly higher than previous set up should settle just right, luckily with the short draw bar on Big Mal the stones stay low and go no higher , mostly, than the 150mm tube stowage across the front and deflect down and away..

This is the mob I went with for the hitch , the manufacturer was cheaper than other places https://blackjacktrailerjacks.com.au/product/stinger/