Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"

[Drover]

@Base23 ....the flexy joint is a barb piece on the tank and one on the drain line with a 150mm of clear hose in between. This allows an easy disconnect for any reason as well as allowing for movement, though originally designed for any slight errors of measurement on my part...

@bigcol .....Haven't noticed any brittleness of the lines, I have used that clear plastic as line cover before, the stuff this time is good, it was free.........have been eyeing an old garden hose though as I don't have enough of the other stuff, just a bit heavy so may end up with the clear again.

 

[Drover]

Been told I can't play with "Big Mal" for a few days as I've got house reno's to finish, .....................When we sell our house, all paint, brushes, rollers, sand paper etc is going in the bin, except my paint tressles, they are handy for good stuff like working on roof of van......


PS: Thankgoodness I didn't do as asked...........................found the battery about to go Boom.

 

[Base23]

Been told I can't play with "Big Mal" for a few days as I've got house reno's to finish, .....................When we sell our house, all paint, brushes, rollers, sand paper etc is going in the bin, except my paint tressles, they are handy for good stuff like working on roof of van......


PS: Thankgoodness I didn't do as asked...........................found the battery about to go Boom.

What was up with the battery?

 

[bigcol]

PS: Thankgoodness I didn't do as asked...........................found the battery about to go Boom.

What was up with the battery?

what the ..........?

none of this tantalizing small amount of info.....

what gives........

 

[Drover]

Oh, forgot the link: http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/cooking-the-battery-nearly-well-done.8449/

 

[Drover]

Well now I know, Jayco aren't the odd man out for Van building, they are all the same I think, just charge more at the door...............Big Mal had a light and fan in the shower that was operated by a remote, yes , really pick up the remote to turn on the lights or run the exhaust fan, dumb I thought...anyway the stupid thing didn't work properly and I had found hidden away a new fan/light combo.......so I pulled out the old unit which was fitted with about 20kgs of silicon and fitted the new unit which I had rewired to be handraulic, that is turn a switch............after redoing the mounting area which looked like they had used an axe to form it, it had to be removed from the outside, duh, I applied a reasonable amount of Sikaflex, ran some cables (with appropriate language) and it's all running sweet as..............Fitted a battery switch next to the fuse board as all you had to isolate the 12v was a fuse block in the battery compartment..........................thought about wiring up the new cam but looked at the clock and thought, stuff it, it's "beer o'clock" I'm not going to work I can do it tomorrow.................only pic I have is the sign at the front of the Homestead........................Want 5 acres, near Toowoomba, great views. PM me.

 

[DRW]

good luck with the sale @Drover

 

[bigcol]

Want 5 acres, near Toowoomba, great views. PM me.

tempting

but a wee bit further than I want to travel daily to work.........

 

[Drover]

I hope it's quick, lot of blood, sweat and bits of me went on this paddock, was once just a prickle farm now a prickle farm with a house and shed.....................................gonna miss the view in the morning but not mowing the flamin place, this damn rain, have never mowed so much in over 20 yrs......aarrggghhhhh................

Retire @bigcol , c'mon you know you want to, come over to QLD...

 

[bigcol]

Retire @bigcol , c'mon you know you want to, come over to QLD...

do you have Milk & Cookies over there in the Dark Side

I may be tempted

 

[G Daddy]

How did you trip go with big Mal

 

[Drover]

Day one of the Shake down, 400 odd kms and all went well, actually really nice to drag behind..........really chuffed with the suspension I fitted to the Colorado, have no need for a WDH, did the wavy road drive and all good.............GR8.

Now the Caravan dudes said we have filled the gas tanks and water tanks, so this morning I go to refill the tanks after I had emptied them out, couldn't get the filler cap off, ended up taking the whole unit off the van, one of those locking jobs, when I managed to belt the cap off I find what looked like Superglue around the edges, me thinks that some germ after they filled the tanks has got into the yard and glued the damn cap in place............wet and dry sort of worked but will probably buy a whole new unit while down at Coffs, I ......parked up and sitting back with the sound of the surf in the background...........might even put some pics up later, if your good.

 

[G Daddy]

I is good all the time (according to me) Mrs might not agree?

 

[bigcol]

I find what looked like Superglue around the edges, me thinks that some germ after they filled the tanks has got into the yard and glued the damn cap in place.

easy to accuse a poor defenseless Ice Addict,
when it could have been a disgruntled sales rep, after you screwed him on the price of big Mal.................

 

[Drover]

Either this van is just magic to tow or I had the Tardis loaded up more than I thought, Colorado hardly knows it's there, I've got to admit no roof to put up, bed to pull out and a walk around bed with no climbing over to get out of the thing really put a smile on the dial and a 2 door fridge, :biggrin-26::biggrin-26: really makes swapping the Tardis more palatable.............................

Looking towards Woolgoolga....

................................................Corindi River......

 

[Drover]

Mod list so far.
Add another water line for washing machine for bore water use.
Fit small computer fan to battery box with thermo switch.
Fans to fridge.
Pack more beer.
Tube for poles etc.

 

[bigcol]

yeah, I'm sort of stuck on a pole carrier
cannot make it look "nice" hence I've not started,
got 6", 8" & 10" pipe, just trying to work out
who
what
where
when
why
and
should I...................?

 

[Dobbie]

Go the biggest you can fit in....150mm. We had that on our Swan and it stored an enormous amount.

Wish we could fit that on the Expanda but can't.

Ours stored up to 15 tent poles...which you need with a Swan...but the 100mm tube we've put on the expanda only stores 4 poles and fishing rods.

But that's ok as its all we need.

 

[bigcol]

I have enough room between the front box & Van for the 10"
but
(always a but eh.............?)
the tap on the draw bar is on the other end or where it would sit, so the Tap needs to move

ahhhhh 1 mod means 3 other mods to make it nice.............aaaaahhhhhhhhh

 

[dagree]

ahhhhh 1 mod means 3 other mods to make it nice.............aaaaahhhhhhhhh

It's like the "Never Ending Story"