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quentin

Member Since: 23 Jul 2012
Location: on tour
Posts: 119

Aussie caravaning part 1

Seems to be a bit of interest in the forum with the Aussie caravans,
I can understand that because I'm also curious about the UK vans which seem a lot more sleek & modern than ours,

I apologise for having a Toyota at the time I bought my first van

The Jayco is a cheap mass produced van suitable for the budget conscious, we were actually shopping for a camper trailer and the Jayco was a lot better value and so much easier to pitch . We bought a 2006 Jayco 'Outback' Penguin, it sleeps 2 & has a windup top with canvas tent sides (no fold out beds)

GVM is 1600 kg and towball weight 160kg, 13' long 6'6" wide.

A lot of people call them rubbish not suitable for off road at all, but they certainly look the part with the checker plate sides and sitting nice and high about 2 feet off the ground.

I set about modifying mine before the first outback trip, Thought up a way to keep the dust out by pumping filtered air into the van via a Donaldson and a boat bilge fan.

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(Landrover nuts should recognise the pipe at the bottom of the RAI ), Also built a stone guard for the front and a bike rack for 2 bikes. Its very common to break the rear window on the tug as stones bounce off the front of the van, has happened to me twice, hence the home made guard.

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The Jayco has a Galvanised chassis, wooden floor & a fiberglass / aluminium / ply construction, with Canvas tent sides & a wind up roof. Common to a lot of wind up campers, The Penguin sleeps two in a fixed double bed, it does not have fold out ends. The furniture is flimsy I spent a bit of time gluing the fixing screws in & adding screws where there were only staples.

Photos below shows why dust is an issue, The invisible Van is being towed behind the 80 series

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and why I pull to the side of the road & wait a few minutes when I see a dust storm approaching

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Leaf Springs & not much wheel travel (2") for a van that is marketed as "off-Road"
note blown shocker, flimsy shock mounts, crappy pressed metal floor joists

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Wont bore you with holiday snaps but ...

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We like free camping or bush camping as much as possible, usually about a week - 10 days before we pull up stumps

This is a proper caravan park (see orange power hook-up pole)

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Wash Day

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Why - Oh why did I buy a Toyota ??

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Rarely use the awning as its such a pain to roll up, (Had to buy a new toyota to finish the trip)

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What its all about

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When we got home I sold the 2006 Toyota & bought a 2004 Defender for $2000 more,
Ordered a new Caravan (in part2) and sold the Jayco on ebay for $1000 more than we paid for it from a Yard & had done 2 x round Australia trips in it totalling 6 months and 35,000 klm, one thing for sure they hold their value !!

11th Aug 2012 1:13pm

Zagato
Site Supporter

Member Since: 08 Jan 2011
Location: Billingshurst West Sussex
Posts: 4990

Superb

Trackmaster looks just the job also

12th Aug 2012 9:12am

wslr

Member Since: 18 Jul 2010
Location: Wellington, Somerset
Posts: 581

What happened to the Land Cruiser?

12th Aug 2012 10:51am

quentin

Member Since: 23 Jul 2012
Location: on tour
Posts: 119

wslr wrote:
What happened to the Land Cruiser?

ok we were half way into our 3 month trip and as far as you can get away from home in the diagonally opisite side of the country from where we live.
before we left I took the Land Cruiser in for its 450,000 klm birthday and got it compression tested and turbo checked and the compression was within factory spec, not bad for such a high mileage car, so I got the injector pump recoed, 6 new injectors, timing belt & tensioner and tappets done (bill for that lot was $4500).

So confident that the car was in good nick off we went

20,000 klm later minding our own business & were just about to hit one of the countries most notorious roads (in the terms of vehicle damage) and suddenly the noise stopped, we coasted to the side of the road .

The engine spun over like it had no compression at all, I was just a little worried,

Luckily we were only about 50 klm from Broome & had mobile coverage so called for a recovery
In the two hours it took for the truck to arrive I pulled the timing belt cover off to find this ....

Click image to enlarge

The Cam had seized & the force has twisted the belt tensioner & split the belt - very ugly
Because of the corrugations on the road there was a lot of suspension noise se we didnt even hear the bang

When the truck driver arrived he said another 10klm up the road and we would not have gone any further it gets too rough,
we would have to have left it there.

Luckily because we were so close to a town he took us to the local; caravan park , which is one of the nicest weve been to with a resort atmosphere & pool with palm trees & stuff, very nice place to be stranded.

We did our sums & the options were spend $15,000 on getting an engine shipped up from Perth & waiting two more weeks, not worth it on such an old car, so we solt it to the local scrap yard for $1000 and spent $30,000 on a 105 series toyota.

Rang the Scrap Yard a few weeks later & they said 3 bent valves & holes in two pistons.

Have to thank our lucky stars that it didn't happen on a Remote road, can cost upwards of $10,000 for a recovery, which is why you find so many broken vehicles left where they are. ( our tow was only $350)

Now I'm back in a Landrover, I cant think why I was ever so silly to buy a Toyota, I doubt theres nothing I cant fix myself on a Landrover , and I'm especially happy the Td5 dosent have a timing belt.

12th Aug 2012 11:51am

wslr

Member Since: 18 Jul 2010
Location: Wellington, Somerset
Posts: 581

Ouch!

12th Aug 2012 6:12pm

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10358

Great pics and write up Quentin, I'd love come over there and sample some of that beautiful vast country

12th Aug 2012 10:28pm

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