a couple of questions

[stumped Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stumped]

im buying a new prado and planning to use it for trip to broome via the gibb river road and on the way back thru the meendee loop to uluru and also the oodnadatta track do i need to put a lift kit on the car and if anyone can recommend anything else i might need to add to the vehicle thanks i forgot to mention it is a 150 series im buying and apart from this trip will be mainly towing my boat with it

[jimoctec Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close jimoctec]

Re: a couple of questions

Hi,

Before you get stomped on by some of the long term members. :?

I'm in much the same position as you. My advice is to check in the rig build up section for your particular model Prado. You will get plenty of ideas of just how far some people can go with their modifications and improvements.

Another source I have found useful is the list of trips - find a trip similar to the toughest you plan to do, and look at the signature file at the end of the member's post. If they are experienced they will have a list of what they have added to their vehicle.

I'm not much beyond sandgrabber mats and a dual battery setup at this stage - I will be using my Prado as my caravan tug so that I don't see that I will be needing the full fruit bowl.

Have fun with you new Prado when you get it.

Jim

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Re: a couple of questions

im buying a new prado and planning to use it for trip to broome via the gibb river road and on the way back thru the meendee loop to uluru and also the oodnadatta track do i need to put a lift kit on the car and if anyone can recommend anything else i might need to add to the vehicle thanks

Hey stumped, what you will need to do is get a good suspension kit, ie EFS, so you have a country wide warranty, and you will know the kit will last, secondly, you will need to get a good set of All Terrain tyres at the very least, would be better with a good set of Mud Terrain tyres though, reason being is if they get a bit of rain out in the bush, the dirt road will turn into boggy mud, and the MT tyre could be your saviour. You will need a good bull bar with a good winch just incase you do get stuck, on that bull bar get a good set of spot lights (in combination beam) as there will be times when you are traveling at night and normal lights out there are useless. Get a good recovery kit also, and buy a book about 4wding in the outback, give it a good read a couple of times, so that everything sort of sinks in, also get good comunication gear, and ask the locals about road conditions. There are heaps more that you will need to know, but the book should answer most.

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Re: a couple of questions

1st thing you will need is deep pockets to pay for all the stuff you want/need. welcome to the forum. cheers samo

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: a couple of questions

Stumped i have driven all of those tracks and with good track conditions you could do all of them without a lift just take it easy and drive to your limits. If you ask yes i have a 2inch lift and yes i do find it superior however i still base my gear descsions on the trip and percentage off road and remoteness etc.

On the flip side a couple of essentials

1 Solid first aid kit and do a course so you know how to use it
2 Enough water to supply your entire crew for 3 days if you have a serious break down (that is 6l per person)
2 Decent UHF / maybe sat phone if you are not confident
3 Top level cover in the auto body of your choise (NRMA etc)
4 Thourough mechanical inspection before you leave
5 Basic spares filters, belts etc (even if you dont know how to install them someone out there can probably help)
6 Fluids some people get really carried away with this but i look at it this way the tracks you are going on are no more than a day or 2 tow you can put just water in your radiator if you are desperate, you can put engine oil in your diff if you are despertate , you can drive with gearning and hand brake to slow you down if you are desperate. Some guys take enough oil to do an entire change well i look at it this way if my car dumps all its oil i would rather get it towed and looked at. I just carry a litle of oil for top ups and a litre of transmission fluid
7 Basic tools spanner set, socket set, some electrical wires and connections, test light etc and the 2 most important tools of all duct tape and cable ties ( i just completed a half lap of OZ and used 1 phiilips head, 1 butterfly nut duct tape and cable ties)
8 As above i can stronly reccomend a good set of all terrains, as for a second spare you are going on well worn tracks that people regularly travel on so it is a coin flip wether you take a second spare or wait double the time and pay double the price you would for a 17inch tyre in the city. Also when you hit the dirt let them down i run the BF all terrains at about 26 up the oodnadatta and merinee loop rd (38 on the black top)
9 Some roof rack and basket system cause if you are a family you will need some extra storage (make sure you only put light stuff up there)

Now before i get flamed i have made my reccomendations above on the basis that you are travelling on popular tourist roads so that are well traversed. You need to put things into perspective. yes you may hit a roo that a bullbar would have helped, solution dont drive at night as you lower your risk, you can go on like this forever and end up with 20k worth of acessories for the maybe's

I look at it this way when i was young i used to go to surfing spots that involved taking a gemini station wagon up some tracks that would have me looking for the 4wd lever today, yes i got some flats and yes i broke some things and had to get a tow, yes the ice ran out and the beer went hot cause i had never heard of a waeco but i alsways took care of safety and had some of the best experiences so mate dont hold back cause you think you need 10 grand worth of mods before you leave the drive way. Cover your safety bases and get out there

[topspark Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topspark]

Re: a couple of questions

Hello Stumped
I am in a very similar boat.
New car and wanting to travel to some outback places, and not having the faintest on what to take, and not experienced at 4x4.
I also am totally confused, by the differing opinions.
I am still waiting to do me travels, but have decided that I will put my faith in the car, and have stocked up on what I believe to be the minimum.
As chester indicated, where ever you go, there will no doubt be some one not to far away.
Apart from water and food etc..
- first aid kit.
- dual battery.
- winch (hand )
-recovery kit ( shackles, tow rope snatch strap etc )
- long handled shovel. ( in 2 pieces )
- maxtrax.
- uhf radio.
- set of tools.
- also agree with chester, may throw on a roof pod for light gear to go in.
- portable compressor.
- tyre repair kit ( for repairing without having to take tyre off )
- and will probably take a set of belts.
All the above, relatively cheap and compact.
cheers