Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"

[Drover]

Pay insurance, don't claim, and suffer a loss of value that was never recovered.

Thats exactly what Mrs D said which is true but its not the handing out $400 excess its how they go about the repairs, more rivets drilled and replaced again and being 11 years old now and thinking another 10 years might just about see both of us out then a 22 year old van isn't going to get much besides still plenty of storm season left so it might still end up in the shop.................

Pain in the proverbial Drover.

Especially as its the second time around ........... build a car port off shed is needed.

We never worried about repairing the damage

Big Mal is a bit like that so far most is out of sight and not seen...........

Have had two JOB poptops ,both fibreglass ,

The old Tardis, the 14.44 went through a good Sky Rock job at Red Rock many years back, couple of plastic vents destroyed and a new awning all that was needed, did it all myself, never claimed as I managed it for about the same as the excess and continued on our tour, replaced awning at a friends place later... Tin Vans in park were clobbered one was on its first trip away after being repaired from hail 12 mths earlier, new vans new cars......

 

[DRW]

I’m at Narrabeen caravan park now, cold and windy the last time we were here we got hit with hail the Jeep copped a few dents on the bonnet but the van being composite didn’t get a mark thankfully. Better get onto that shed @Drover

 

[Boots in Action]

Have had two JOB poptops ,both fibreglass , both were in hailstorms ! Both came away without any damage at all though in one case the alluminium sided vans next to ours were severely dented .I decided few years ago fibreglass would fair much better in hailstorms. NRMA insurance used to give a discount if the van was fibreglass.Just on another note,new van owners now finding out if they live in a flood zone post code area insurance may not be available!

Yeah. It is now the old "above the high water line " before the insurance companies become interested in the risk position offers. And "post code" covers everyone, even if you live on a hill in that area.

 

[Drover]

even if you live on a hill in that area.

After the 2010 Lockyer Valley floods my Insurance mob was talking to me about floods, I said I don't need it, I built on a sandstone hill and if I got flooded her building in Brissie would be a hundred foot under ............... she agreed flood wasn't an issue for us, bushfire was our issue... Tsunami at this place now or bushfire is the threat, only 15mt if lucky above the high tide with a million acres of pine forest on the back door.

Managed 2 wheels yesterday on van, I think at near 70 this crawling under vans is about over, arthritic fingers, mangled shoulder, dicky knee are conspiring for me to just sit back and leave it to someone else to do, most concerning predicament, just have to think smarter on proceedures, might be time for that air jack I always wanted............ it has turned out I didn't really need new shoes as they were only worn down a few mm but badly scored so probably better, shouldn't have to revisit again ...

Price tag for steel to DiY my van roof is beyond me, will have to try that saving proceedure I have heard about, where does the money come from for that anyway ???

 

[Drover]

Took Big Mal for a 2 stage 20km test run with new shoes and magnets, bearings were good first time , while the braking ability is as good as it was when I first bought it, pretty ordinary , see how we go after it beds/burns in a bit more, drums size is okay, power is good so I don't know, I like to be able to lock 'em up at 40kph but this just gives a bit of drag at the back, the old Tardis would smoke at 40kph when I hit the button....it had 12" and 2 wheels this has 10" and 4, might be the difference, anyway thats all its getting for now, might get better once they get cooked in........... PS: handbrake works a treat....

 

[Drover]

The Sky rock damage to Big Mals roof has mostly been covered by a few coats of ThermoGuard paint, was going to pull most of the dents out but managed a couple but would have taken me a few months I think, bustard of a job so gave it the flick, if anyone wants to stand on a ladder and inspect the dents they are welcome, I don't care to, those bits of roof not covered by solar got a couple of coats of the stuff , bugga of a job to do without staging...

I am most impressed by the Thermo Guard paint, it actualy does work, at the front of the van most of the round down is covered up to where it joins the front wall, just feeling the ceiling inside and you can instantly tell which part has been painted and which hasn't ............ quite surprising, while I got it for free I would actually cough up the money to buy it.........

 

[Drover]

Finished upgrading the Sat Dish set up, the front mount had undergone a few mods over time and was looking a bit daggy and since I had fitted a jockey wheel bracket it would wobble, so out with the cutting disc and cut it all off, made up a new mount and stuck it to the gas bottles cross bar at the front ... originally I had the cables plugging in on the side of the van near the wheels so it would give me a large area to put the dish, since then I have left the stand at home, fitted a mount to front and rear, nowadays I mostly just use the front mount as it has a 360 view unless the odd tree is in the way ........... so the van side connection was extended to a nice bracket at draw bar, save having a long cable for critters to use as a highway, did have plans to just fit a T piece to the cables so I could still connect up if I used the rear mount but I should have known that it wouldn't work unless I used a proper splitter ...
I wonder when I will be able to test out the latest round of mods, new seating, heat reflective paint, new Sat Dish cabling, at least the cabling I know works as one of my Tip special dishes is on the shed for keeping the Vast system current................ Weather grounding the Boat and Van for the time being............

Still have to go for a drive around the block or to Rainbow with van and give the brakes a good drag to cook them in, too many tourists here ATM to get in the way... really need a big hill so I can use van brakes on the way down to cook them in properly, used to use the Toowoomba Range, by the time I got to bottom they would be smoking and cooled down and working well by the time I got home....... .....................

 

[chartrock]

Finished upgrading the Sat Dish set up, the front mount had undergone a few mods over time and was looking a bit daggy and since I had fitted a jockey wheel bracket it would wobble, so out with the cutting disc and cut it all off, made up a new mount and stuck it to the gas bottles cross bar at the front ... originally I had the cables plugging in on the side of the van near the wheels so it would give me a large area to put the dish, since then I have left the stand at home, fitted a mount to front and rear, nowadays I mostly just use the front mount as it has a 360 view unless the odd tree is in the way ........... so the van side connection was extended to a nice bracket at draw bar, save having a long cable for critters to use as a highway, did have plans to just fit a T piece to the cables so I could still connect up if I used the rear mount but I should have known that it wouldn't work unless I used a proper splitter ...
I wonder when I will be able to test out the latest round of mods, new seating, heat reflective paint, new Sat Dish cabling, at least the cabling I know works as one of my Tip special dishes is on the shed for keeping the Vast system current................ Weather grounding the Boat and Van for the time being............

Still have to go for a drive around the block or to Rainbow with van and give the brakes a good drag to cook them in, too many tourists here ATM to get in the way... really need a big hill so I can use van brakes on the way down to cook them in properly, used to use the Toowoomba Range, by the time I got to bottom they would be smoking and cooled down and working well by the time I got home....... .....................