Fraser Island Trip (First time 4x4) Tips

[ebwly Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close ebwly]

Hi Guys,

so, recently got a GXL and looking to get into the off-road scene. We're thinking (3 adults) of taking it to Fraser Island, and we're from Melbourne.

I've read up on sand driving and all the rest, but just wanted to ask for some general opinion, keeping in mind we have absolutely zero practical experience going off-road.

1. Ours is a stock prado w/o bullbars, snorkel, air compressors etc etc. Looking to get them later, but unfortunately, timing was not right for this trip. My concern is whether we are well equipped to take on such a trip in a stock prado? Do we need to buy get anything between now and Sunday?

2. (most importantly!) Along the way to Fraser, is there any good tourist destinations especially suited for 4x4? (excl the major cities as we've been there?) We are looking for more nature related destinations.

3. If/and when we get to Fraser Island, what things are we going to need to watch out for? I know that we will need to drive along the beach so need to let down tires. There is also the shipwreck as well. But apart from that is it just constant 4x4 that is the real adventure on Fraser?

Thank you so much in advance, my family is really new to all this but keen to learn!

Cheers,

Ed

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

Hey,

I took my Prado in factory trim straight to Fraser when I first got it, 5 people in the car. It'll sag a bit in the back with the factory coil springs, but you'll be fine.

Excellent beach driving to do on the way to Fraser is to go from Noosa north shore up to Double Island and onto Rainbow Beach and Inskip Point, always good fun!

You might wanna grab a snatch strap just in case you get bogged.

Enjoy your trip and the Prado!

Best

Mark

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

1: Tire pressure gauge, Long handled shovel, snatch strap, rated bow shackles and a equaliser strap/bridle, and winch blanket. You can refill your tires back in Rainbow

2:I prefer the inland route. Check out the Bald Rock National Park. Australia's biggest Granite monolith. It's a nice days walk plus lots of history with Captain Thunderbolts caves/lookouts etc.
https://ramblingrandells.wordpress.c...y-5-bald-rock/

3: the 4x4 is not that hard IMO to see all the major attractions. Central station, the Lakes, Indian head, Champagne pools, Eli creek.
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/fr...sitorguide.pdf

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Fraser Island Trip (First time 4x4) Tips

I took my stock 95 over some years ago with 2 adults and 5 kids with all our gear in a box trailer and the Prado handled it no problems.
We dropped our pressures to about 20 before we hit the sand and they stayed there until we were on the mainland. If you can get a set of Maxtrax as well they give you a good recovery option when your going solo


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

I totally agree with Ian, and we did the same thing, with a stock 150 Prado and box trailer. The key is tyre pressures (and yes we drop to 20psi as well, and if you get stuck you can always drop a bit further if need be) and timing your trips along the beach with the tide times. We always avoid driving through actual salty water where possible, and always wash the car from top to bottom for hours afterwards on the front lawn.

.. we avoid travelling along the beach approx. 2 hrs either side of high tide, (but it does depend if its a "high" high tide or a "low" high tide)...as driving high up the beach in the soft sand is treacherous, with and tree stumps etc) let alone just labouring along in deep soft sand. Whereas driving above the water line but on hard sand is like a highway )most of the time)...always beware of obstacles and creek crossings and washouts though, but a couple of hours either side of low tide will have you travelling infinitely easier along the beach. Max tracks weren't invented the first time we went to Fraser, but we carried 4 strips of convenor belt, about the same size as the max tracks, and they worked fine on soft sand. (No good in mud)

Get on the following website, and be sure you book the barge and get a beach permit and camping permit if you are camping.

http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser/

Wonderful place to visit. Enjoy.

[ebwly Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close ebwly]

Thanks everyone for the useful tips.

Yes - we do feel much better. We'll be driving up early Sunday from Melbourne and hopefully aiming to get there taking the 6am boat on tuesday. One question I'm unsure about is if we should take the ferry to Hook point or Kingfisher bay as we're not sure of the itinerary as of yet.

However, We were thinking of going to the info centre and get a bit more information.

Today we got a snatch strap and also a tyre pressure gauge. Planning to decrease down to 22psi on the barge and then adjust accordingly. We were thinking that the snatch strap we would just tie into the tow bar so I didn't get a hook as well. Not sure if that was unwise but the guy at autobarn seems to think it was unnecessary.

Reason we didnt get the maxtrax was because we thought they were quite big and not as useful as a snatch strap.

Hopefully should be a great trip!


Last questions:

1.when (if) do I engage the centre diff lock...and (Do I have to stop, put it in park etc?)

2. When (if) do I select the low gear switch? (Do I have to stop put it in park etc?)

3. General driving on sand: I know I need to maintain momentum, but do I use drive or manually select the gear? if so, do I use a low or high gear?

Thanks!

[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?t=34485
Hi mate, I have only caught the ferry to hook point cause the majority of beach camping is on the eastern side. Only about 10 mins . If tide is near high you,ll have to take the inland road instead of around hook point. One of my favourite beach camping spots this time of year is near eli creek cause after a hot day you can drive down for a bath on the chilled fresh water. Your car will have no dramas getting about. On the inland tracks your bashplates may drag but nothing you cabt push through. Personally i would rather try maxtrax and a shovel for revovery first especially if you dont know whis recovering you cause if you cant control a recovery, added stress may be put on your vehicle. (Some in my 4wd club still believe they should back right up to you and give it the berries to complete a revovery ). Anyway enjoy yourself. There may be something of benefit in here
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?t=34485
Cheers Matt

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

hello again ebwly,

If driving up from the south, I recon I'd go via Rainbow Beach, and get the ferry from Inskip Point to Hook Point. We try and time our arrival so that we are not arriving 2 hrs before high tide with the tide coming in, else you will likely be driving on sift sand high up on the beach.

You can leave the Prado in Auto virtually all the time basically. I select the centre diff lock when say driving up a soft sand dune or over quite soft sand, but generally I find I don't use the centre diff lock. I always come to a stop. Engage the centre diff lock, and then you can drive with it engaged.

Its generally best to 'deselect" the traction control when driving on sand. You press and hold the traction control button (from memory in front of the left knee). The problem is, every time you stop and then re-start the engine, taction control will default to be on again. Its usually no big problem, but when driving across soft sand it beeps and reduces power when it detects wheel slippage etc, and you can loose vital momentum. Generally driving on the sand with a prado is so simple, you can in fact, usually just drive off the barge and just drive normally. If you have the tyre pressure down as you plan to do, its generally very simple, just drive. However when you want o come up off the beach and across the soft sand, its best to wait, have a look at others are doing, pick a line, and get some reasonable momentum, and leave it in auto...easy as.

If you stop or loose momentum, don't sit in one place spinning the wheels, you will generally just dig a hole. In this instance I would engage the centre diff lock, engage low range 4wd, and then have a go at driving out of the soft sand, but its best not to get stuck in the first place. Typically, you wont need to engage low range 4wd on Fraser Island in the prado.

So, in summary:

1. Tyre pressure down to around 20psi (and be careful not to do any donuts or really hard turns else the tyre may roll off he

2. Centre diff lock engaged occasionally, from a standstill in neural seems best, and only when going to head up soft sand off the beach or really soft sandy tracks

3. Disable traction control else you can loose momentum on soft sand.

4. Avoid washouts, don't drive through the surf, take it slowly across the many creek crossings, and usually wait until someone else goes across until you are comfortable, tree stumps....and don't feed the dingos

Enjoy, its great, and the Prado is so forgiving. I have seen people drive a Prado from Rainbow Beach, across Inskip Point, Onto the Barge and up the Fraser Beach to Central station, with full tyre pressure and no idea what 4wd even meant let alone how to select it. You can be lucky. Because the Prado has constant 4wd it can be very forgiving off road.

[ebwly Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close ebwly]

Hey Brogers and Matt,

Fantastic tips thank you very much. We should be fine but nothing like extra prep. Thanks for the info re 4x4. I think we are overthinking it a bit but I'm sure once into the rhythm 20 mins in we'll be fine. Other info re: the dingos etc. thanks we will be sure to keep it in mind, but common sense I'm sure will prevail!

Re tide times, I see on the sheet that on the day we get there at 09.31am it will be 2.15 meters. Assuming we catch the 6am ferry, my understanding is that we have until 07.31 to drive safely on the beaches? (2 hr either side of tides?), and then, wait until 11:31am to drive again until 19:48pm (21:48- high tide) when high tide is again?

Am I interpreting that correct? - Thanks!

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

It's been a couple of years now, but I don't think I would want to catch a 6am ferry knowing that high tide will be at 9am. You will be surprised by just how big Fraser Island is, and depending on where you are heading, you will be driving along the beach for quite a long time. You will be starting your trip along the beach with the surf and hide heading quickly towards you and covering the nice hard sand which is best to drive on. If anything goes wrong and you get stuck below the high water mark, you won't have long before your car gets engulfed by the surf. The surf generally along the oven side of Fraser is pretty wild and powerful. I would like to wait until a few hours after high tide I recon, at least with your first rip until you find your way about and get comfortable with the prado. Others might have more recent advice, and I know there are some inland tracks, but I would leave it until lunch time on your first day if high tide is at 9am, and start driving along the beach knowing that the tide is still on its way out. You can have a look about Rainbow beach shops (which is quite close to Inskip point), one shop used to have lots of photos of 4wds swamped on rainbow beach or Fraser Island, some of them new prados and new land cruisers...written off...or perhaps you can do some beach fishing at a skip point, and wait a while and get a later barge .....anyone else have some comments for ebwly.

You should be able to get a lot of useful information from the barge company and from the national parks website.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

Thanks everyone for the useful tips.

Today we got a snatch strap and also a tyre pressure gauge. Planning to decrease down to 22psi on the barge and then adjust accordingly. We were thinking that the snatch strap we would just tie into the tow bar so I didn't get a hook as well. Not sure if that was unwise but the guy at autobarn seems to think it was unnecessary.

Reason we didnt get the maxtrax was because we thought they were quite big and not as useful as a snatch strap.

Hopefully should be a great trip!


Last questions:

1.when (if) do I engage the centre diff lock...and (Do I have to stop, put it in park etc?)

2. When (if) do I select the low gear switch? (Do I have to stop put it in park etc?)

3. General driving on sand: I know I need to maintain momentum, but do I use drive or manually select the gear? if so, do I use a low or high gear?

Thanks!

I do Fraser at 20psi, High Range, Diff Locked, Gear in Auto for 80-90% of the time. I drop down to Low Range when it been heavy going through the soft sand on the beach and the temps on my transmission start getting a bit high.

Don't snatch off your tow ball please. Its a recipe for disaster. You can use the Pin from the hitch if its rated. I hate snatching, its a last resort and really dangerous if you don't know how to do it safely. But kudos for getting one so you can give it to someone to use to pull you out rather than using theirs. (plus you know the origin). Hopefully autobarn sold you one suitable for the weight of your prado.

Have a watch of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ire31FrEAI

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

oh yeh, and you will likely need to 'air down' tyres at the end of the road at Inskip point, before you get onto the beach heading for the Barge, every so often someone gets stuck before they even leave the mainland, as sometimes the beach is soft and chopped up just to get onto the barge.

[AK7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AK7]

Ed, you'll love it over there. I wrote a big trip report about Fraser last time I got back from there. Have a read of it here: (link)

I have a couple of suggestions based on my own experiences:

• Get a tyre deflator and a shovel. Deflate your tyres to 20psi if they're hot. If they're cool, deflate them to 16psi (they will pressure up to 20psi when they get hot). Better to drive a bit slower and not get stuck, than to get stuck, have to get un-stuck and deflate them later. You will have MUCH more control at 16psi.
• Get yourself some Maxtrax. Quite simply, there is no safer and better recovery tool than these in the sand. I wouldn't advise against getting straps and shackles, but the Maxtrax should be your first port of call if you do get bogged. It's rare that you'd ever need straps on Fraser.
• If the ground is hard, disable centre diff. If it is soft/loose, enable it. Disable Traction Control and Stability Control every time you start the car on Fraser.

[Kapitan Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kapitan]

Pirelli Principle for tyre pressures

Hi Ed,

I did Fraser Island twice and last time (in 2010) was in Prado 150 GXL petrol (auto). Car was stock standard as it comes from the factory.

Great trip and Prado did it with ease. I went all the way up to Sandy Cape Lighthouse located on Sandy Cape (the most northern point on Fraser Island) and lots of lakes and tracks on the island. You will be fine with your new car - enjoy it!! I stayed at Eurong both times.

Re tyre pressures from memory I think I was at 20PSI for the whole trip.

Correct tyre pressures for the load and road conditions can be ascertained by using the Pirelli Principle:

Check the pressures when cold
Run the vehicle for an hour
Check pressures again.
If a rise of 10% is achieved then the initial tyre pressures were correct. So if 4 PSI is your target after 1 hour (hot tyre):
If pressures have increased by more than 4 psi (28 kpa) the original pressures were too low.
If pressures have increased by less than 4psi (28 kpa) the original pressures were too high

Saying that in sand you need to be below “correct tyre pressures” and therefore on Fraser you should have a higher than 10% difference.

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

Hi AK7..and hello again ebwly,

I just want to explain my slightly different view about tyre pressures to yours, and please, I am not trying challenge what you have said in any way...just a slightly different view point... because 16psi on Fraser might be perfect for your vehicle and tyres etc. The particular tyre pressure you use on the sand also does depend somewhat on the load you are carrying/towing and the tyres you are using.

If you have quite a load in the car, or a trailer and stock tyres, then 16psi may just be a bit on the low side for me. There is lots and lots of discussion about tyre pressures and lots of differing opinions on the forum, which is absolutely fine, and don't let this thread start anotehr discussion about pressures, that's not my intention, but remember, there is quite a lot of driving on Fraser that is actually on good beach. If your tyre pressure is a bit on the low side you can increase your risk of a sidewall puncture if running standard tyres particularly. The other issue with tyre pressures that if they are on the low side you can increase the risk of rolling the tyre off the rim. Another potential downside to having too low a tyre pressure is that you do decrease the under body clearance a tiny bit more....so, with all that in mind... I personally tend to run my tyre pressures a bit higher than 16psi myself. I tend to use a 75%, 50 % rule...as a rough approximation. If my usual "bitumen" pressure (for my load and my tyres) is say 42-44psi, the I run approx 75% (ie 34-36psi) for long stints on gravel roads, and 50% (approx 20-22psi) on sand, and reserve around 14-16 if really really soft sand and just for short runs...but thats not being critical in any way of what you do, please, no need to reply, that just what I (and some others I know) use as a very approximate rule...it also depends on the temperature of the day (ideally tyres are adjusted when cold, but that's not always possible when out and about) and also how much of a hurry you are in and how much time you have to adjust the tyres...sometimes I just don't worry especially if its a short run...honestly, several psi here or there probably doesn't make too much difference in the end, but for me I wouldn't go too low in tyre pressures with a few people on board and stock tyres at 16psi...

Everyone does something a bit different, but I have two sets of those staun type deflaters, one set for gravel (currently set around 34-36psi), and another for sand (currently set at 20-22psi)...and that seems to have worked well for me over many years.