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Thread: Fraser Island Trip Report

  1. #11
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    I bought these for my T5. relleum Not cheap but then what is. Bit of mucking around installing them. I must admit I haven’t been anywhere to need them yet so don’t know how good they are. Time will tell no doubt.

    I had an under engine bash plate (4mm steel) made by a local fabricator. I had to add a bit on the drivers side to protect the belts. I need diff and fuel tank protection as well. Seikel make all this stuff you can buy from Trakka or direct from them in Germany. But as I said before, all very expensive. Pity there wasn’t someone making this stuff here but there are only a few of us wanting it.

    Anyway Jonathan thanks very much for the pics and report, very good. Simpson Desert, interesting thought......

    Bruce CQ

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonathan_k View Post
    [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Thought I would write a little trip report on our recent trip to Fraser Island....
    Excellent work. Been to Fraser as a lad in the family fourby. It has clearly been hammered in the 30 years since. Not somewhere I'd ever take the old T4 as it hates soft sand...

    Hear you about over zealous 4x4 drivers...

  3. #13
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    Dec 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by Big Bug View Post
    I bought these for my T5. relleum Not cheap but then what is. Bit of mucking around installing them. I must admit I haven’t been anywhere to need them yet so don’t know how good they are. Time will tell no doubt.
    These are brilliant. The price... woah. My snatch strap and I assume all others need a bow shackle to fit the tow hook. I think the main risk with the tow point is the eye failing which would result in a flying steel bow shackle. In the short term I think these soft shackles are a good compromise: Roadsafe Automotive Products, Aftermarket Automotive Products, roadsafe suspension. With a dampener it makes for an acceptable risk IMHO.

    Would you be willing to share some detail of the recovery points you have and how they fix? I have a mate who restores old vehicles (some Kombi's!). He can do anything, they can build the chassis from scratch and roll panels and guards, etc. Hoping that some recovery points and under body protection will be a cinch for him.


    Pity there wasn’t someone making this stuff here but there are only a few of us wanting it.

    Anyway Jonathan thanks very much for the pics and report, very good. Simpson Desert, interesting thought......

    Bruce CQ
    T5 convoy across the Simpson? I'd definitely do it with one or two proper vehicles. I looked it up subsequently and people have done it in Kombi's (via the Rig Road).

    A few years ago I met an inspirational bloke called Jol Fleming from Alice Springs. Jol has very little movement below his neck, though he successfully drove a 2 wheel drive Falcon ute (locked rear diff) across the Simpson multiple times. A couple of years ago he was still exploring trackless terrain of the Western Deserts (not in the 2 wheeler!). Jol is also credited with pushing the Hay River Track through the eastern Simpson to Poeppel's Corner, that's how I met him. When I asked Jol about it, he said that he only cleared the route that some blokes were pushing custom made hand carts down in the 70's. Hand carts!! Kinda puts into perspective how adventurous the assault vehicle convoys -- or indeed even a T5 4motion -- "conquering the Simpson" really is.

    Characters - Jol Fleming

  4. #14
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    [QUOTE=jonathan_k;1247228]These are brilliant. The price... woah.

    Now I can’t get at these devices to get photos as they are on the other side of the engine bash plate. So this is a bit of a drawing.

    Fraser Island Trip Report-dsc02814-jpg

    They fit in the same place as where the tow point is. It has to be removed with a long cold chisel. Grind a v notch into end of the cold chisel so it won’t slide off. A slightly bigger hole has to be cut in the front steel bit for the back bit to go through. In the chassis there is a largish hole on the bottom and the spacer goes in there with a large washer on the bottom and that screws up into the metal bit. Put loctite on this so it doesn’t vibrate loose.

    This is the screw-in tow eye.

    Fraser Island Trip Report-dsc02812-jpg

    About 30cm long. There is a bit of pvc tube fitted to the other piece to allow for easy guiding as you screw this bit in.

    On the other side there is no hole in the steel bit of the bumper so use the hole saw to cut that out. It’s guite difficult to find the right place to cut the hole. Then it is just a matter of mounting it the same as the other.

    Need a 3 metre bridle strap to attach to both tow points and then attach the snatch strap or winch to this bridle strap.

    All a bit confusing but I’m up for more questions, email me on blackba3@gmail.com if you like.

    Bruce CQ

  5. #15
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    So Bruce do you leave the towing eyes in all the time? Also what is the problem with using just the factory towing eye bolt?

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Markee View Post
    So Bruce do you leave the towing eyes in all the time? Also what is the problem with using just the factory towing eye bolt?
    No I don’t leave them in but if I was going somewhere I was likely to need towing I’d screw them in first.

    The standard towing eye is just meant for “normal” towing along a road, not designed for being snatched out of a bog situation. Just like normal 4X4 vehicles where they replace the tow points with rated tow hooks to be able to withstand snatching forces. I wouldn’t like the standard towing eye letting go and flying through the air in a recovery situation and possibly taking the head off the recovery vehicle driver or at the very least a rather large dint in the rear of their vehicle.

    Bruce CQ

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Big Bug View Post
    No I don’t leave them in but if I was going somewhere I was likely to need towing I’d screw them in first.

    The standard towing eye is just meant for “normal” towing along a road, not designed for being snatched out of a bog situation. Just like normal 4X4 vehicles where they replace the tow points with rated tow hooks to be able to withstand snatching forces. I wouldn’t like the standard towing eye letting go and flying through the air in a recovery situation and possibly taking the head off the recovery vehicle driver or at the very least a rather large dint in the rear of their vehicle.

    Bruce CQ
    Cheers thanks for the reply.

  8. #18
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    After reading Jonathan’s report on his Fraser Island trip I’ve been wanting to have a crack at a place near us. I had been to Byfield National Park a few times in my T3 syncro without any problems until the last time a few years back where I didn’t make it. Sand is very soft, fine and deep and there is a lot of traffic there these days.

    Been wanting someone with a “real” 4WD to come with me but everyone is busy. My daughter was visiting last week so took her for extra shovel power. Anyway gave it a good go but just not enough ground clearance. I have the Seikel Desert HD suspension and 225/65 R17 BFG KO2 AT tyres. I had 235/65 R17 Pirelli Scorpion but they didn’t last on all the gravel roads we did in Central Australia last year. I wanted an LT tyre and the BFG’s were all I could find without going bigger. I was on 12psi and lowered to 10psi to retreat and using my Maxtrax. Might give it another go after there has been some rain. There is a long rise up a slight slope they call Big Sandy that makes it difficult.

    Bruce CQ
    Fraser Island Trip Report-img_0956-jpg
    Fraser Island Trip Report-dsc03012-jpg

  9. #19
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    Nice going Bruce! I notice the daughter isn't shovelling, luckily you are well prepared with the maxtrax!

    The conditions definitely look challenging and the centre ridge looks very high. If you're at 12psi there's not much more to be done. I think that with the Desert HD kit you'd be sitting higher than the rest of us with the King Springs lift as well? Has anyone compared?

    What are the specs of your van, looks pretty well kitted out.

    We probably got lucky with conditions on Fraser. The most difficult beach I've driven was to Dark Point in Myall Lakes during a massive swell on an incoming tide, that was beyond my comfort level .

  10. #20
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    Thanks for the report ...

    [QUOTE=jonathan_k;1246683]Thought I would write a little trip report on our recent trip to Fraser Island. I’ll just talk about how the van went as you can watch bikini clad backpackers on YouTube to see what the island is about ./QUOTE]

    Thanks jonathan_k for the fantastic trip report and the pictures. This gives me some extra confidence as we'll be heading to Fraser in early October with our T5 (2010, 7 speed DSG, 4motion, Seikel lift kit, diff lock, full camper conversion by Trakka).


    We left Melbourne back in November and have been on the road since doing the Big Lap.
    We have covered a fair bit of sand and gravel roads and I have always found the van to perform exceptionally well on sand.


    Some of the more challenging sand tracks we have done were
    - Robe (SA)
    - D'Entrecasteaux NP (WA)
    - Shark Bay / Francois Peron NP (WA)
    Getting to Cape Peron is a 120km return trip on sand (some parts very soft) and we were the only non-full-blown 4WD up there. Saw a couple of these 4WDs gettings bogged, but with the right tyre pressure and the right momentum we didn't have any troubles at all. So I'm really looking forward to Fraser Island (been there a few years ago but with a Landcruiser rental).


    We have also done a fair bit of gravel and some of the easier "4WD only" tracks, including
    - Gibb River Road
    - Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles)
    - just campe back from Cape York (including a few k's on the Old Telegraph Track - the misses wouldn't let me go further)


    It's great to hear that you get free beer and tumb-ups for taking the van off road. Maybe it's the Queenslanders. Most of the commentary we have heard over the past few months were rather on the negative side ("you shouldn't be here", "you can't make it", "you should turn around").
    On the way in to Purnululu NP a guy even jump out of his car to stop us and tell us that there is no way we could possibly make it. There were some corrugations, some tiny river crossings (max. 10cm) and a few steep climbs, but nothing a normal 2WD wouldn't have been able to do. It was still a normal gravel road and certainly not a 4WD track. Some guys probably never take their full blown 4WD to anything rougher than these roads and are then surprised if they see a van.
    Later during a hike in the NP I overheard a conversation between two guys along the lines "I saw a VW van coming in here yesterday. These guys are just crazy.". When I told him that this was us and that it's a 4motion with lift kit he just said that "It didn't look that high to me - I don't think you have enough clearance for these roads".


    We have normal road tyres (235/55R17). We left Melbourne with a set of pretty new Continental tyres (very soft compound). By the time we reached WA we had replaced three of them due to punctures from gravel roads (not fixable). Replaced them with pretty cheap tyres, but made sure they are a hard compound. You hear so many different opinions about tyres, the right pressure and the right speed, but they have worked well for us and we haven't had a single puncture since (and we have covered > 2,000km of gravel since, including the Gibb with some very sharp rocks).


    Simpson Dessert is a very interesting idea. I have always wondered if my van would make it. I'd love to take the van there, but wouldn't do it by myself. If such a trip should ever happen, I'd be very keen
    -----
    2010 T5 Trakkadu Campervan (4motion & Seikel suspension)
    1990 T3 Campervan

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