Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"

[Crusty181]

No LWE this week it was last week

Definitely this weekend, Rainbow Beach will be full of Troops cleaning out the Supermarket. Troopy owners follow their hearts, not calendars. I suspect that many may not have jobs to bother with which makes that easier

So will these Jeep/Big Mal pics be contemporary or some older file footage from a previous trip

 

[Drover]

I wont be able to get you pics of Troopies Frolicking at the beach, I wasnt going to mention it, in deference to your situation in hell but Big Mal will be hooked up to the Jeeperific MkII this weekend for a mystery tour, mystery as we are not sure where but I know my wish to visit the Avro Anson again at Nhill wont happen...

 

[mfexpanda]

Definitely this weekend, Rainbow Beach will be full of Troops cleaning out the Supermarket. Troopy owners follow their hearts, not calendars. I suspect that many may not have jobs to bother with which makes that easier

So will these Jeep/Big Mal pics be contemporary or some older file footage from a previous trip

@Drover get a boot full of alternators and hippy tie dyed Tshirts and bandana's straight out of the 70's you'll make a killing

 

[Crusty181]

alternators and hippy tie dyed Tshirts and bandana's straight out of the 70's

I had to re-read that a few times, I thought you were talking about sexual orientation

 

[mfexpanda]

 

[Drover]

Big Mals latest tour was 4700kms, the new springs seemed to do the job well as the tyres are back to wearing evenly which is a positive, being a very stable tow rig it didn't seem worse so all good there and checking the U bolts after the second torque up they were all good which was pleasing as crawling nderneath while away is not fun..

The new house for the genny didn't leak water and the vents made sure the vapours vented and no dust got in, nothing fell off, cracked or made me loose my smile........................ Jerry Can racks nice and stable and a bonus they are good steps and again no cracks or breaks.........

Big Mal is now 9 yrs old and it still spits out screws in cupboards no matter what I do, I think these blasted roads through the black soil country are mostly to blame, make me sea sick.....................

The new Epever MPPT controller works a treat, the advantage is with early morning and late arvo really sucks the juice from the sun but middle of day no different than the old Morningstar PWM but then it was a top unit.............. I suss that my roof top 200w job is dying, looks like moisture chewing away in one corner, hope not but will test things out when I fit the new panels up, my hoped for 420w roof may not eventuate...

I may need a Go Fund Me set up as my awning needs replacing, no matter how many storms roaring around they all missed me this trip, never when you want one.............Big Van, Big Awning, Big $$$$$.

This year Big Mal has travelled about 8000km....................................... and is very happy tucked in behind the Jeeperific MkII, very stable even at scary speeds.

 

[DRW]

Remember Ian 8-10 years is all you can expect from a lot of solar panels I changed one last week for a friend it was 8 years old with zero output I know they have improved over time and I probably won’t be around when millions of them become junk around the world in the future

 

[Drover]

Thursday, dawn and I decided it must be today, get out and do the mongrel job before it gets hot also being Thursday Mrs D is out at her Craft Club and girls lunch ( really a big Yack fest) and she doesn't hear me yelling and possibly swearing........................ yes, its time for the "After Trip Service" on Big Mal, brakes, bearings, wheel rotation usually a time of extreme frustration and threats of violence...............
Jacks, brake adjuster, torque wrench, rattle gun and chocks all on trolley to drag under van with me................

What a great morning, no swearing, well not much but 2 hrs later brakes adjusted, wheels rotated, bearings checked, no skin missing or blood on concrete, even gave the drums a coat of silver, got the brakes adjusted nicely, can even undo the wheel nuts with a wheel jacked up and handbrake pulled on, now thats a first............ probably get a hot drum next trip...........
Being on a roll might just give the water lines, tanks a flush and check filters, dismantle a tap as I think something is blocking some flow.............. 3 months till next major outing with a week away at Xmas to fine tune things before a big trip......... and contemplate fitting the panels, a nice cloudy day would be handy, well a must really.

 

[mfexpanda]

Thursday, dawn and I decided it must be today, get out and do the mongrel job before it gets hot also being Thursday Mrs D is out at her Craft Club and girls lunch ( really a big Yack fest) and she doesn't hear me yelling and possibly swearing........................ yes, its time for the "After Trip Service" on Big Mal, brakes, bearings, wheel rotation usually a time of extreme frustration and threats of violence...............
Jacks, brake adjuster, torque wrench, rattle gun and chocks all on trolley to drag under van with me................

What a great morning, no swearing, well not much but 2 hrs later brakes adjusted, wheels rotated, bearings checked, no skin missing or blood on concrete, even gave the drums a coat of silver, got the brakes adjusted nicely, can even undo the wheel nuts with a wheel jacked up and handbrake pulled on, now thats a first............ probably get a hot drum next trip...........
Being on a roll might just give the water lines, tanks a flush and check filters, dismantle a tap as I think something is blocking some flow.............. 3 months till next major outing with a week away at Xmas to fine tune things before a big trip......... and contemplate fitting the panels, a nice cloudy day would be handy, well a must really.

i first thought the emptying of the dunny

 

[Drover]

i first thought the emptying of the dunny

Having done a few trips away it was very early when I learnt , dump the Thunder Can before getting home or its on the Mandatory First Duties List empty the Can and then empty the fridge, both left and forgotten at your peril.............

Water lines all sorted, one should first ensure water pump turned off before uncoupling a connection....................

 

[Crusty181]

Having done a few trips away it was very early when I learnt , dump the Thunder Can before getting home or its on the Mandatory First Duties List empty the Can and then empty the fridge, both left and forgotten at your peril.............

Water lines all sorted, one should first ensure water pump turned off before uncoupling a connection....................

Many years ago we went away freecamping in our old no dunny/no bathroom/no hws caravan (which had the emergency only PortaPotti in the cupboard). The campground had a drop dunny, which was one of the cleanest, scent-free dunnies I've ever encountered, a real gem. A fortnight later I had a shoulder reco and we didnt use the van for another 10 months.

Packing for its first voyage after that 10 months, I checked all the gear and found it very odd that Id would have left water in the top tank of the Porta Potti, we hadnt been anywhere where I would top up the tank and not use the dunny ...... (cue horror music), I hadn't left water in the top tank at all.

For reasons I still struggle to process, even whilst camped next to an award winning drop dunny, the Princess had sat the Cable Guy (Cruskett) on the Porti Potti and just slid it back into the cupboard where it sat like a vintage Grange Hermitage for 10 months, including the last 2/3 of the previous summer.

The beginning of chapter two is where I will leave the story for now, but as a direct result of that experience, it will never ever happen again. Counseling and hypnotherapy has helped immensely, but I still cant go into the Porta Potti isle at BCF without experiencing flash backs

 

[Drover]

Oh @Crusty181 , you have really put a smile on the dial, a nice $300 invoice appeared in my inbox related to my hobby so after a great day and all my bills paid for the rest of the year, I find the pension cheque is going to be strained big time but your post had me laughing and I don't care about some dumb bill............thankyou for bringing me back to sanity and my "stuff it attitude"..............................
Remember that post from years back where someone thought the Mrs had emptied the fridge and she though he had, 3 months later they found out neither had, it was handy to know that when the fridge is dead as well as the contents, you bury the fridge and buy a new one as nothing will fix it.............

 

[Disco Duck]

Water lines all sorted, one should first ensure water pump turned off before uncoupling a connection....................

As one should ensure the pump is off and the pressure cleared before unscrewing the anode...........................

 

[Disco Duck]

It is a great way of cleaning out the hot water service as it blows out all the old anode material, but it happens a little too quick for me..
Luckily, I wasn't standing in front of it. The anode hit the brick wall, quite hard and sort of fell apart

 

[Drover]

It is a great way of cleaning out the hot water service as it blows out all the old anode material, but it happens a little too quick for me..
Luckily, I wasn't standing in front of it. The anode hit the brick wall, quite hard and sort of fell apart

Ooohhh thats close, once I forgot to let the pressure off, just got sprayed with water, only do it once though........... on a house system once I let the pressure off but forgot to close the PRV valve again so when I started to pull the element out, hot water everywhere lucky I saw it coming so flipped valve off quick smart so it was just a slow drain while I replaced the element.

 

[Crusty181]

As one should ensure the pump is off and the pressure cleared before unscrewing the anode...........................

I opened hot and cold taps yesterday to released pressure and check the anode, still managed to get a face covered in water and spent anode particles

 

[Boots in Action]

I opened hot and cold taps yesterday to released pressure and check the anode, still managed to get a face covered in water and spent anode particles

Both you @Crusty181 and @Drover are bluddy dangerous as plumbers. I would not employ either of you to even fix my tap washers!!

 

[Drover]

Both you @Crusty181 and @Drover are bluddy dangerous as plumbers. I would not employ either of you to even fix my tap washers!!

But we put out fires really well....................................... Once advised a fella in a park, don't forget to release the pressure, I got the facial version of the finger so sat back and watched the show as he went flat on his bum covered in white goobers.............

 

[Crusty181]

Both you @Crusty181 and @Drover are bluddy dangerous as plumbers. I would not employ either of you to even fix my tap washers!!

Hey, we might not have clue what we're doing but we're pretty cheap, plus you'll get plenty of opinions and quality advice to take away

 

[Drover]

Yeah, so nah naa.......