Our first van 14.44-4 OB
- Thread starter JT76
- Start date
@dagree Yes the more I read on this forum the more ideas I get.
Exciting news today is I have been given a green light for an outback trip for mid next year. My better half had no interest in the trip as I tried my best to twist her arm, I guess I planted a seed as I dropped the subject and out of the blue she says lets do it! Now what mods will I need for this..... Hmmm :loco:
Exciting news today is I have been given a green light for an outback trip for mid next year. My better half had no interest in the trip as I tried my best to twist her arm, I guess I planted a seed as I dropped the subject and out of the blue she says lets do it! Now what mods will I need for this..... Hmmm :loco:
Didn't want to start a new thread on this but now thinking of possible things I will need or not for some bigger trips.
With out knowing all the details we will plan a 4 week trip to Uluru etc and home. Is a Stone stomper needed, how much dirt road work do you need to do? I can't see us doing lots of dirt in general but at the same time would prefer not to much damage. Back of car has a fairly high tray so not too worried about car damage.
I believe the stone stompers are a quality piece of gear but how many dirt tracks get covered in a typical trip like we are thinking? Is it mostly black top with a few short ventures off into the dirt or do you find yourself on the dirt more then planned?
With out knowing all the details we will plan a 4 week trip to Uluru etc and home. Is a Stone stomper needed, how much dirt road work do you need to do? I can't see us doing lots of dirt in general but at the same time would prefer not to much damage. Back of car has a fairly high tray so not too worried about car damage.
I believe the stone stompers are a quality piece of gear but how many dirt tracks get covered in a typical trip like we are thinking? Is it mostly black top with a few short ventures off into the dirt or do you find yourself on the dirt more then planned?
We got a Stone Stomper for our '14'. Did the Darling River run and did a great job of protecting the front of the van but I recommend getting it a little bit wider as we got some slight damage on the black part of the van.
If you don't know what route you will take and whether to get one or not let me say this, you may come across road works in the outback which will be dirt and gravel so it will protect you there. Also it will give you flexibility to travel dirt roads damage free or close enough to it. Yes you will find yourself on the dirt more than you might originally planned.
If you don't know what route you will take and whether to get one or not let me say this, you may come across road works in the outback which will be dirt and gravel so it will protect you there. Also it will give you flexibility to travel dirt roads damage free or close enough to it. Yes you will find yourself on the dirt more than you might originally planned.
Thanks @MDS69 ill look into getting one just to be safe. While I think the stone stomper would do a better job, I may just get a standard stone guard as then I wont have to fit and refit plus they seem to be a lot cheaper. If I was planning on doing a lot more dirt then that would change things.
Check out this one in the classifieds
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/jayco-stoneguard.8606/
Thanks for the link. Looks like it's now sold but will probably get something like this. Still get 10% off orders through jayco accessories so something like that won't break the bank either. Thanks again.
Few more little mods from last couple of days.
First I crawled around under the van covering all pipework with foam lagging to give some protection from stones and even the cold, as we are heading to the snow shortly in the van.
Then yesterday fitted up a standard type stone guard from jayco.
Then this afternoon I fitted the drop down table I got from Nomadic Solutions. I was very impressed with the quality of the table when it arrived.
Heading away soon, can't wait!
First I crawled around under the van covering all pipework with foam lagging to give some protection from stones and even the cold, as we are heading to the snow shortly in the van.
Then yesterday fitted up a standard type stone guard from jayco.
Then this afternoon I fitted the drop down table I got from Nomadic Solutions. I was very impressed with the quality of the table when it arrived.
Heading away soon, can't wait!
Not really a van mod but a couple of days ago a made a box from marine ply for the back of the Ute. The timber frame bugged me so it's now painted the same colour as the carpet.
Outside area fits portal loo on one side and random stuff on the other. Middle section fits a single jerry can. Was basically made for our camping trips so I'll include it in this post.
Outside area fits portal loo on one side and random stuff on the other. Middle section fits a single jerry can. Was basically made for our camping trips so I'll include it in this post.
Hi mate those mods look great, did you install your bed end covers if so are they difficult
Thanks
Thanks
The bed ends were fitted by Holiday Annexes as we were basically passing by after we ordered them. They didn't fit perfect first time and the struts needed to be moved about 15mm higher so it sat straight. It looked like a pretty simple job, but as we were going past and they offer free fitting I took the easy way out. Always get a little scared drilling holes in the van!
Our latest investment was in our deluxe washing machine.
Have seen this idea before and thought we would give it a go. 25lt water drum with sealed lid. Will fill about 2/3 water and a cap of detergent. Will live in other side of the box I made up for the back of the Ute so it won't fall over. Hopefully it will splash around enough to do the job as we travel between camps. Arrive at next camp and hang it up to drip dry. Been told if I use low suds wash I won't need to rinse. Obviously can only fit so much in at a time so no towels etc but hope it comes in handy keeping up with two kids on road trips.
$20 from bunnings, not a big loss if it doesn't work I guess.
Have seen this idea before and thought we would give it a go. 25lt water drum with sealed lid. Will fill about 2/3 water and a cap of detergent. Will live in other side of the box I made up for the back of the Ute so it won't fall over. Hopefully it will splash around enough to do the job as we travel between camps. Arrive at next camp and hang it up to drip dry. Been told if I use low suds wash I won't need to rinse. Obviously can only fit so much in at a time so no towels etc but hope it comes in handy keeping up with two kids on road trips.
$20 from bunnings, not a big loss if it doesn't work I guess.
We use something similar and have found the sloshing washing action works well but the rinsing and the wringing challenges us a bit so we do smaller stuff this way.
Hate to say it but low suds still leaves a residue.
We once had to do towels this way and ended up heading for a laundromat as we couldn't get them dry!
Hate to say it but low suds still leaves a residue.
We once had to do towels this way and ended up heading for a laundromat as we couldn't get them dry!
I suspected it might not be perfect but if it doesn't work I'll turn it into something else, maybe could be a grey water tank?