Getting ready

We enjoyed our first trip which we wrote about in our blog A Pomme camping in Queensland. That time we used a tent. this time we will travel in our A'van Cruiseliner5. At 1,200 kg the Prado hardly notices the load and more importantly the the fuel consumption does not increase much. Our aim for this trip is to visit Lawn Hill and the Northern  Territory. We also wanted to journey on roads we did not travel during our previous trip.

 Having used the van on a couple of trips we made some mods before we set off.

1. Added a DC to DC charger so we can recharge the van battery on the move or in camp sites. We can buy a lot of diesel for the price of a large solar panel or a small generator. The only mod to the Prado was to make a wooden block with an adjusting bolt to run the engine at 1,000 rpm whilst charging on site.
2. Fitted a StoneStomper to avoid more stone chips to the front of the A'van.
3. Fitted a tie down to hold the table in place whilst we are travelling. Used a recessed ring pull handle from a chandler ($7) and a tie down strap ($5). Means we do not have to keep stowing the table in the outside hatch each time we stop for lunch.
4. Added a digital volt meter ($18) and press button ($3) so we can check the deep cycle battery condition. On a test it ran the two LED lights continuously for 7 days before the voltage dropped to 11.9v. So capacity seems good for our needs.
5. Reversed the rear stays as Richard smashed one of the plastic plates driving over a rutted track to The Gorge, Copmanhurst.

We will reflect on how well the mods worked and on any other mods we make on the way or that we will design for the next trip.