Tempting, Mrs D would say lets go as she is from that neck of the woods but when cows and kangaroos roamed freely, not this fella though........ Stickers for Big Mal is a lot of diesel and Mal turns 10 this year so a big trip will be in order but not down that way if I can help it....................... Someone was talking about Gippsland the other day, gads NO,no,no.....................gets this nostalgia turn every so often.
Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"
- Thread starter Drover
- Start date
Ill fly up and happily put a Troopcarriers of Australia sticker on itYou bring the van to me and I'll put a sticker on @Drover (give I live in SE Suburbs Vic)
Getting back out of there, or back into here could be the problem.
I'm likely flying up to Surfers later in the month for a couple of days of running around .... so we may well all see how that all experiment pans out
I have to fly to Sydney next Thursday, come home Sunday, so I hope all things COVID have settled down. Mrs CR has a hospital appointment less than a fortnight after I return, so Sydney people, behave. 
Big Mal is getting tarted up for its "Wander in the Dust", cleaned out cupboards and spaces, 8kgs of magazines, travel brochures & maps dug out of cupboards, Culled my tent peg box the numbers have grown over the years, now have enough for the screens not the whole campground, left 2kg of them on the bench in shed, found a bearing set all sealed up nicely, they were for my 14.44 so they are in the shed, culled 6kg from my wooden blocks and chocks, amazing what a couple of 40mm board weigh in at, now only what I need............ so with a few other bit and bobs managed to get rid of about 16kgs.........assessing if I really need the anti flap rails, they don't get used very much as the strap on clamps are used more......................thinking lessen the load less to drag behind and hopefully less fuel burnt, I don't like where the prices are heading at the moment.
Actually this next wander may be "Winter Wildflower Wander" as out west it should be blooming with the moisture thats been out there.......... I'm getting toey but its too bluddy hot at the moment.
So its such a lovely day I decide I better replace the 50mm tow ball as its a bit daggy, few wear marks and dags after about 5 years of use about 50K kms so a good run , have new ball that actually came with Colorado so its been on the shelf awhile, fit it into the hitch on van to adjust everything, clean the cup etc, find the adjuster bolt has broken and its head is a bit mangled, since this is the second one in 2 years I reckon the coupling is stuffed, probably a few too many steep cuttings and ditches not too mention dirt and crud munching around.... Of course it's hitting the road in a week........ new Alko off road coupling should be here on Monday, staying with the 50mm ball and while I would love a McHitch or a DO35 my wallet doesn't, besides I don't need something for creek jumping, Big Mal and I are well past that sort of thing..............
Couplemate as usual had it at great savings on other places.......... so much for this weeks pension...........
Couplemate as usual had it at great savings on other places.......... so much for this weeks pension...........
Last edited:
.... Ordered new hitch about 1300 Thursday, landed on doorstep 1030 today (Friday)
, even though I got Express it's usually at least 2 days to get here... Big Mal now sporting a new hitch with my own design for a handbrake bracket had a great original idea until it wasn't going to work so a quick mod and all good but handle may get changed slightly to give more reach...........Ended up being $325 for the hitch posted from Couplemate and $40 for 4 bolts and nylocs, Mitre 10 so $365....
Last edited:
What made you change over to that ???
Ended up being $325 for the hitch posted from Couplemate and $40 for 4 bolts and nylocs, Mitre 10 so $365....
View attachment 67061
The old stock standard hitch's ball cup was knackered so was just the excuse to get this flash jigger......... the adjuster pin had broke and flogged the inside.
@Bluey end of next week it will get a test run but only a short run on sealed roads.
@Bluey end of next week it will get a test run but only a short run on sealed roads.
Big Mal has been sitting in Red Dirt country for 2 weeks, cloudy, cold, rainy.................. No leaks , Diesel Heater performed well, remove hearing aids and no noise at all 
certainly better than any damn AC unit, new tow hitch was nice, smooth no clunky bits now, most impressed......... the damn tyre that had a slow leak from last trip which I could not find, it would drop down to like 25psi in 3 weeks, I sorted it out with a drop of slime in it, holding pressure so all good..... been using slime and others since about 1978, no dramas at all until your change the tyre yourself then a bit mucky....but the things don't leak....... only had to power up the 240v charger after about 4 days, turn water on and Foxbox would shut down, sure sign things are getting down..... Foxbox likes its power to be constant.....if I turned the Foxbox and tele off for a day or so I could have made it to the sun came out again.
, Diesel Heater performed well, remove hearing aids and no noise at all certainly better than any damn AC unit, new tow hitch was nice, smooth no clunky bits now, most impressed......... the damn tyre that had a slow leak from last trip which I could not find, it would drop down to like 25psi in 3 weeks, I sorted it out with a drop of slime in it, holding pressure so all good..... been using slime and others since about 1978, no dramas at all until your change the tyre yourself then a bit mucky....but the things don't leak....... only had to power up the 240v charger after about 4 days, turn water on and Foxbox would shut down, sure sign things are getting down..... Foxbox likes its power to be constant.....if I turned the Foxbox and tele off for a day or so I could have made it to the sun came out again.
Youre never planning a trip, never preparing for trip, never "leaving now" ... you just suddenly appear somewhere else, like the David Copperfield of caravaning. Where are you sitting and testing Big Mals water resistance.Big Mal has been sitting in Red Dirt country for 2 weeks, cloudy, cold, rainy.................. No leaks
I did mention somewhere about 2 weeks of school holiday fun minding some Grandkids, been holed up amongst the red dirt at a nice little place called Cabarlah, it has a Pub , a shop and a Cuckoo Clock Shop and thats about it......but about a half hour drive to the Army Aviation Museum at Oakey, great collection of aircraft.......................................................... 2 weeks of wearing boots, long pants and jackets but after lunch today be back home shorts, T shirt and bare feet, oh the joy...............
Yes Ian @Drover , you had me fooled as to where you were! I thought you were talking about "Big Red" way out west. But no, Cabalah on the top of the range just north of Toowoomba! The winds have picked up from the south west and very cold (for us Queenslanders anyway). I doubt even a hardened soldier like you will be in shorts today with that wind, but not bad in the sun. Welcome back to the joys of civilization.
Was in shorts today with a damn good wind blowing Big Mal back to the coast, started at 6 deg and ended up at 22 degs once home, boots kicked off and back on with the thongs, oh joy....... it was sure blowing a gale........
Last edited:
Shorts and bare feet were the order of the day on the “Goldie” today but I did stoop to a flannelette shirt. 