Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"

[chartrock]

My van is in our van and boat park within our village about 300 metres away but rules say “ No woring on vans on site” so it becomes a weekend job when our community manager is away and our caretaker doesn’t show his face in case he is asked to do something.

 

[Drover]

Well not for me at all @chartrock ............................frustrated old men around there could be dangerous.....


Anyway checks completed, posted Monday arrived today so the breaksafe switch is fitted and tested, OK so then used it to double check that power is working on the blue wire circuit by pulling the plug on the breaksafe and testing the blue wire on the 7 pin, all good.... Moved onto the Jeep dropped the P3 out of its cradle and flicked the manual lever by rights brake lights activate and the blue wire is live, sadly only lights on, blue wire dead even when hooked up to Big mal, everything else works........... So looks like another order from Caravans plus, at least I don't have to swing under dash or dig under floor to check the cable run......... Will go for another Tekonsha P3 then I just have to plug it in and no extra fiddling around ... think I can get another trip out of these tyres....

 

[Boots in Action]

Well not for me at all @chartrock ............................frustrated old men around there could be dangerous.....


Anyway checks completed, posted Monday arrived today so the breaksafe switch is fitted and tested, OK so then used it to double check that power is working on the blue wire circuit by pulling the plug on the breaksafe and testing the blue wire on the 7 pin, all good.... Moved onto the Jeep dropped the P3 out of its cradle and flicked the manual lever by rights brake lights activate and the blue wire is live, sadly only lights on, blue wire dead even when hooked up to Big mal, everything else works........... So looks like another order from Caravans plus, at least I don't have to swing under dash or dig under floor to check the cable run......... Will go for another Tekonsha P3 then I just have to plug it in and no extra fiddling around ... think I can get another trip out of these tyres....

Well Ian, that makes two wins and only one loss....so far. So you are ahead, if only by a little...... until the next problem!! Keep on keeping on!!

 

[Drover]

Well Ian, that makes two wins and only one loss....so far. So you are ahead, if only by a little...... until the next problem!! Keep on keeping on!!

Only a Loss if you come away without learning something, I came away with some extra knowledge on these things, stopped and thought about it, used my meter and didn't have to start stripping things down to discover the problem ...... always a winner if you seek and find knowledge, now just have to remember, memory loss a hazard thats racing towards me ... maybe........... these sorts of problems keeps the grey cells working I think/hope....

You looking after yourself Graham ??? Sand Flies need feeding at Poona I hear.................

 

[Hitting the road]

My van is in our van and boat park within our village about 300 metres away but rules say “ No woring on vans on site” so it becomes a weekend job when our community manager is away and our caretaker doesn’t show his face in case he is asked to do something.

We are moving to an "RV" type village ourselves in Hervey Bay...we have chosen our new home with a kickass garage on the side that is 10 metres long, 6.5 metres wide, as well as having a 3.5 metre ceiling height...with big roller doors front and rear. The van will be living through and behind the garage on a slab with a roof over it leaving the garage for the cars, plus for doing any works on the van as and when needed...be fantastic...rain or shine I will be able to tinker to my hearts content...

 

[Drover]

I know the place, mate lives at the one at Maryborough ................ nice garage but a bit too close together for us, where we are now was a worry coming from acrerage but the fences haven't close din on us so all good .............. hope the move is smooth..........

 

[Hitting the road]

I know the place, mate lives at the one at Maryborough ................ nice garage but a bit too close together for us, where we are now was a worry coming from acrerage but the fences haven't close din on us so all good .............. hope the move is smooth..........

Yeah I definitely hear you...(we are going to Thyme, not Latitude). After selling the huge house we used to rattle around in 10 years ago, then moving to this Townhouse with common walls it was initially a challenge...the new digs though will be a very nice change with no common walls, plenty of space and storage, along with a decent sized garage where I will actually be able to open the Jeep doors fully while in the garage...and...fishing and crabbing only 15 minutes away!
These days many of the new sub divisions offer small blocks of around 400m2 with houses so close together the gutters just about touch...at least the block is bigger than 400m2 in the new place which is good, that coupled with all the other amenities on offer is a winner for us...

 

[Drover]

You will love it for sure, mates has a big wash bay for vans with gantry and all, very noice I thought....................

 

[Drover]

So I dig into the Warranty File, lo and behold the P3 has a 5 yr warranty guess who still has 6 mths to go, email despatched to see how we go....


UPDATE 1430: Well I discovered my multi meter has a malfunction, mate came around to get something checked, mine was not right so used his, then got this niggly feeling so went over everything on the van and tug about the brakes, Van OK, Jeep was showing the blue lead as good but this time I checked both sides of the connection plug on P3, good one side, bad the other, fiddly job to dismantle but a bit of gentle crimping and everything is working well again....... Victory, saved $280 and discovered I need a new meter, so the inch that a didn't check was the problem, Murphys law again... oh well get to hear what that want for a warranty claim now..................

 

[Boots in Action]

So I dig into the Warranty File, lo and behold the P3 has a 5 yr warranty guess who still has 6 mths to go, email despatched to see how we go....


UPDATE 1430: Well I discovered my multi meter has a malfunction, mate came around to get something checked, mine was not right so used his, then got this niggly feeling so went over everything on the van and tug about the brakes, Van OK, Jeep was showing the blue lead as good but this time I checked both sides of the connection plug on P3, good one side, bad the other, fiddly job to dismantle but a bit of gentle crimping and everything is working well again....... Victory, saved $280 and discovered I need a new meter, so the inch that a didn't check was the problem, Murphys law again... oh well get to hear what that want for a warranty claim now..................

Ian, lady luck is still smiling upon you notwithstanding the faulty equipment and the fumbling operator who does not check that ohms resistance is always at ZERO when shorting out the test probes before doing the test. Familiarity makes you overlook these things. I plead guilty to the same habit until a similar thing happened when I failed to test my own multimeter when checking resistance. (Broken solder connection on test lead under test probe insulator.) At least you did not get too involved and start buying replacement parts you did not need.

 

[Drover]

Ian, lady luck is still smiling upon you notwithstanding the faulty equipment and the fumbling operator who does not check that ohms resistance is always at ZERO when shorting out the test probes before doing the test. Familiarity makes you overlook these things. I plead guilty to the same habit until a similar thing happened when I failed to test my own multimeter when checking resistance. (Broken solder connection on test lead under test probe insulator.) At least you did not get too involved and start buying replacement parts you did not need.

Mate it was close or at least sending the unit in for warranty only to get the dreaded "Nothing wrong" reply, I always check as I adjust it as I don't like the auto setting, the thing will work when you check then moving the probes to test and it doesn't suspect the wire broken in cable but could be where it joins the probe, hit or miss, will pull apart and see, I have made new probes before due to the old Sunday failure and then it being Sunday rural QLD is shut, bit of wire, some stripped household solid copper core for probe, a bit of solder and heat shrink, bingo new probes rubbed on concrete to give them a nice point, they were actually used for many years should have kept them.... imagine buying a new unit, it too wouldn't have worked as I was going to use the original cable and socket, that would have meant a pull the whole cable run out to check then find the dodgy crimp and be left with 2 functioning units.. ....
I must admit I'm an RC bugga some times ...........................

I do admit to using the wrong selection and not testing before using but not this time even cleaned the probes first.....

 

[DRW]

Hey Ian
I don’t think the blue wire will power up unhooked from the van. I’ve just been to Narrabeen then Alva and home around 4500 kilometres and haven’t read your posts in full but picked up on the brakes
Have fun I’m really enjoying our AC at home

 

[Drover]

Hey Ian
I don’t think the blue wire will power up unhooked from the van. I’ve just been to Narrabeen then Alva and home around 4500 kilometres and haven’t read your posts in full but picked up on the brakes
Have fun I’m really enjoying our AC at home

Yeah Ive worked that out now.... should have realized and knew that miss one little spot on a test and Murphy decrees thats the spot ............. Blessed be the Air Con, feel like a Dim Sim in the steamer here if you go outside.

 

[DRW]

On a different note your old employer has a new depot in Bowen full of quad/quad trailers and flash as tin tack prime movers

 

[1DayIll]

Just hot foot it up here and I will gladly show you how to do it, totally hands on instruction while I sit back in a camp chair...........
....... Also got a Genny thats needs some work, did some maintenance to make sure its all working as back up in case we get extra damp, then I broke the fuel tap, shoddy pot metal rubbish, another Ebay shop, boat shop had a replacement which the owner pointed out I may not want at $113 which I politely passed on, 10mm/1.25 thread and of course brass fittings are all BSF ............ keeping the postie busy... never boring in retirement......

gee that would be great but just a little too far to come. Did have regular visits to Hervey Bay until my Step Father passed away but only made it back once since. Will certainly let you know if I get up that way!

 

[Drover]

On a different note your old employer has a new depot in Bowen full of quad/quad trailers and flash as tin tack prime movers

Its been just over 10 years since I walked out the gate into my current vocation "Retired", it certainly was a good mob to work for and we always had some pretty good gear ................... Mind you current job is far better....... ................ Bowen would be horrible though running the Bruce all the time, yucky....

 

[Drover]

Next week Big Mal gets new booties, the Yokahama Geolanders have reached their time line, nearly 8 years old, had a good run guess maybe 80K km on them, going to be replaced by some Bob Jane J Trax LT265 75R16, 4 for 3 deal so couldn't pass it up ..... Jeep will need new rubber by end of year .. start saving up again...

 

[Drover]

Crappy weather so stopped by for an update, bluddy Bob Jane couldn't supply the tyres I wanted, none in the country, ended up having to fork out another $300 for a set of Yokies again, oh well I console myself with the thought that Big Mal has $1600 rubber on it which only cost me $1200 and they will be the last set as in another 7 years it will be more than likely retired as it will be 20 yrs old.... the Jeep will be 16 and I will be 77 and no possibility of upgrading ............ Next run to Rose Isle Station soon, maybe, I hope, fingers crossed, depending on weather which doesn't look good .....................

 

[Drover]

Big Mal rolls out in the morning, Why isn't the screen on the micro wave showing the time ???? I ask myself this arvo, It's carked it that why.......... a few checks its deaded, Mrs D says does it matter??? We are hardly ever plugged in to 240........ I like things to be working even if I don't have power...
To some my Shed is full of junk, well a bit of the junk was a van sized micro wave, 30 min later Big Mal has a fully operational Nukavator.......it also has a big box of worms to feed the fishies of the Darling River...

 

[DRW]

Big Mal rolls out in the morning, Why isn't the screen on the micro wave showing the time ???? I ask myself this arvo, It's carked it that why.......... a few checks its deaded, Mrs D says does it matter??? We are hardly ever plugged in to 240........ I like things to be working even if I don't have power...
To some my Shed is full of junk, well a bit of the junk was a van sized micro wave, 30 min later Big Mal has a fully operational Nukavator.......it also has a big box of worms to feed the fishies of the Darling River...

Enjoy Ian we’re heading north around July weather permitting my brother is heading up from down south with his new van he just turned 75 he recons he’s only got 5-10 years caravanning left I reco he’s got a lot more (he’s a lot fitter than his younger brother)