Expectations on Delivery Day

Hey where are all the experts on this one? I would be interested in knowing the answers to some of these questions too. Only about 8 months to go for us and we gotta know these things now!! LOL. Angie

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To be honest I thought most of these could only be answered by BTi. I can answer a few .... Rego in Qld is $109.10. My insurance is with CIL and so far they have been great with my hail claim. The test will be at re-skin time. BTi are agents so that makes it easy if you go with them. Cost is around $700 for an agreed value of $70k. As far as hitching up goes I would allow at least a day if you are going to fit a Weight Distribution Hitch. The Hayman Reece hitch and WD Bar head can take some setting up to get right. Be prepared for 100-150 kg ballweight of an empty BT (which is far too light), so some way of measuring it and adding to it on delivery day would be an advantage. BTi has a great new premises, I'm told, with plenty of room to set up .... get there early .... if anything goes wrong the gates are shut at close of business necessitating an overnight at a motel. Griff can give a better description of what you need to drive away. I think it is still fresh in his mind. He might need a "coffee fix" for a total recall !!![smile] Items like a fill hose for the water tanks, a 10m and 20m lead to connect to power, a bucket etc This is not supplied and as far as I know not available at BTi. The local shops must do a roaring trade .... Griff ??? I cant stress enough to have a plan and a list (or lists) especially if you are a first time caravanner or have never towed 3 tonne. As an example I have a pre-flight check list that has 34, yes 34, items to check before moving off. As an example some are .... Hitch Pin- Secure, Chains- Attached, Brake Breakaway-Attached, 7 Pin Plug- Attached, Weight Bars- On, Jockey Wheel- Secure, Handbrake- Off, Gas Bottles-Off, Water Pumps-Off. Plan right down to things like ...Tyre pressure gauge and a good compressor to adjust pressures as you travel to the 4 psi rule (as a guide). You are now travelling with 11 tyres as a minimum. Chocks for wheels and timber to level van or (thanks to Nomad) a hydraulic jack ..no need for timber again. Most people have the idea it just takes a bit a thought over a beer or two and divide it into sections to break it up a bit. A towing needs section, a food needs section, a BT needs section, a tow vehicle section etc. I could go on but you get the drift. Be careful ... as you are so excited on delivery day all this goes out the bloody window. Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ... Tow a Bushtracker

Oops - I did what you shouldn't do - copy and past from a word document without first pasting into notepad to remove the junk. Here it is again - clean! This was posted several months ago by more knowledgeable Boggers than MOI! STUFF NEEDED AT TIME OF DELIVERY Hose suitable for drinking water that is capable of being used to both fill the water tanks and connect to the mains pressure inlet if fitted. Those who are having a mains pressure inlet should ascertain from BT what thread is on their fitting and buy the appropriate adaptor first. To fill tanks, you require a hose without fittings to go into filler. Turist made up a clear plastic tube with garden ball valve in it that has push on fitting on one end to join into hose. The end going into tank can be cut on angle so that hose will fit around bend easier, and ball value can adjust flow as the tanks fill. I made one up soon after seeing what Bob had. It works great. Sullage hose. Check with BushTracker if supplied, they may be now but weren't when we bought ours. Toilet chemicals, there is one dose of Pink top tank and one green bottom tank supplied. The top tank will last a long time, but the bottom holding tank will have to be emptied after 3 or 4 days depending on use, so a new 5 litre container would be handy to have with you. 15 Amp electrical lead, (must have 15 amp plugs on both ends, not a 10 amp male plug to go into domestic power points.) 2 or 3 step ladder, to be able to reach awning clips and winder. Some blocks of timber, to level van and or put under support legs if fitted. Cutlery set. What ever the cook thinks she needs. Bottle opener. You will need one to open wine to celebrate picking up your new van. Crockery. We use Corelle by Corning plates, they resist breakage and travel well. Glasses. We use plastic, both tumbler and wine glasses. Basic set of pots and pans, including kettle. Bread or other cutting board. Don't want to scratch the new bench tops. Plastic containers, for storage in fridge and cupboards. Matches or gas lighter for stove. Linen and pillows for both bed, showering and dishes. Dish washing detergent as well as wash up and cleaning equipment. Dust pan and broom. Mats, for both outside van and inside use. Awning. If awning fitted, have at least 2 but better with 4 ropes fitted with quick release catch on one end (dog clip) to secure awning, and not just rely on the tightness of pole clips to keep awning from lifting in a strong wind. Pegs are supplied. Hammer, to belt awning pegs in. Spirit Level. One about 30 cm long is a good size for checking levels of van when setting up. Camping Chairs, to sit outside and watch everyone else admiring your new van. Fold up camping table, handy but not necessary to have on pick up. Food and Clothing.

When you get home you will find that large plastic tub containers are very handy to store things in, inside the hatches.

While at BushTracker or as soon as you reach a nearby caravan park, fill toilet flush and water tanks so that you are set up ready for use. I don't know where you intend to spend your first few days, but if it's Forest Glen C'van park, I would ask for a spot down the back, behind the cabins and on the grass. Their powered sites look very tight.
Cheers, tgintl/jay

Anthony O Anthony You provide such thorough answers and raise so many more questions Anthony O Anthony - Keep in mind that all of this is being asked by "a first time caravanner [and] have never towed 3 tonne" or any ton (US version) previously 1. "Weight Distribution Hitch. The Hayman Reece hitch and WD Bar head " - isn't this the stuff that I am paying Ford to provide with the new Effie? 2. You have "a pre-flight check list that has 34, yes 34, items to check before moving off"! Will thou share this list and post it as a document from those on high to those on low? 3. "(thanks to Nomad) a hydraulic jack" - oh? Please enlighten! 4. "A towing needs section, a food needs section, a BT needs section, a tow vehicle section etc. I could go on but you get the drift." Trust me - newbies like tgintl, angie, to name a couple invite you to "go on" and clear the drift. 5. "Be careful ... as you are so excited on delivery day all this goes out the bloody window." Excited? I haven't even visited with Steve to finalize The Hedonistic Land Yacht (aka The Rolling Hotel Room), and I am so excited I dream about what we are goint to be doing for the next few years! Drove 3 hours yesterday to spend time with Bob Lemon drooling over his new Effie and the canopy that he has had construction to replace the tub and carryboy. Wow! Anthony and all you Boggers, thanks for the continuing information and help. Cheers, tgintl/jay

Company called Maytow has a great hydraulic Jack with weight guage to 1500kg. Takes the guess work out of ball weight on pick-up. I've used it a couple of times already to help level on extreme sloping blocks. Works great. BT won't be able to tell you - once you have loaded and or added water on the day you really do need to double check. I found it a bit weird to be told that, .."right now is your time of worst risk. Your ball weight now is as light as it's ever going to be, and you aren't experienced with the rig." (This without the WDH on!) It would have been nice for them to weigh me after load up & tell me "You're OK". So - do it yourself. Griff

tgintl/jay
The genuine Ford hitch as supplied to me had limited height adjustment.
It's sort of good enough to pick up the van but I couldn't get the tow height perfect so I fitted the Hayman Reese adjustable model.
From memory the van was low at the front with the Ford hitch, looked like it was going down hill.

Turist

Fantastic !! Thanks all of you for your advice. Anthony I am now SO excited I feel sick! Haven't felt this crook since end of year exams many moons ago . Cheers from Jan

Jay, 1. I spent some time looking at all towbar systems for my effie circa 11/01. The brand of towbars Ford used at the time had a recall on a few of the hitches. From memory it was on some Patrols and Pajeros. Eventually I specified what I wanted them to supply ..... Hayman Reece Heavy Duty (max tow capacity for F250) Towbar, their fully adjustable hitch (comes in three variants), the 750lb weight distribution head and bars to suit. I have done some posts on van/vehicle setup I'll see if I can locate them ..... I was looking for them for Dusky as well . Be very careful with this one if you purchase an F-truck. Most wally/loser/towbar fitters use a thing called scotch locks to splice into the LH side tail/brake/blinker wiring loom placing a high load on the tail light circuit. This load comes from 12 or so clearance lights (on BT) that run off the F250 tail light circuit. Ford in their wisdom have placed a special plug on the rear LH side chassis of the F-trucks to connect the lights etc to the towed trailer/van. Most towbar guys might know of this by now many dont or wont do it because of the cost of the plug and harness to connect it up this way. Go figure huh !! The plug and harness is available from the spares dept of any Ford dealer and is about $40. The circuits that this plug runs off is protected by fuses more suited to the loads placed on it. So easy to install ... grab a plug/harness from Ford spares ...remove the plug cover from plug on chassis ...push plug into it ...and connect the wires to the 7/12 pin female trailer/van connector on the towbar. I insisted it was done this way for my effie and the dealer didnt have a problem with it ...even supplied the harness for free. 2. The list is embedded in the messages somewhere .... I'll have a flick through. 3. When levelling the van I used to guesstimate the height needed on one side ...place some timber in front of wheels and drive van up onto timber with low range on effie. This has now been replaced by a 4 tonne hyd jack that gets placed in between the wheels under the simplicity suspension. I just jack it up until Cindy says " level honey,darling ... come and kiss me you fool !" [smile] This way of levelling allows the wheels to stay on the ground .... chocks can still be used ... you get the van perfectly level ....and you dont have to drop the van off the timber before hitching up. The bolt that holds the spring pack is in the way so a "boss" to cover it and supply a flat surface to jack on is needed. I'll see if I can post a pic ... it is still best to carry some timber as you need a piece under the jack to give a greater surface area so the jack doesnt sink into ground over time. This is the beauty of the forum .... I mucked around with timber for 18 months until "Nomad" pulled me aside and said " Come with me young bull let an old bull show you a better way to level a van. !!! If you get the jack Griff is talking about it will weigh the van ...you can check ballweight also ..... and level the van with it . Not sure of its max capacity or stroke length of the ram but should be enough to level van with a bit of timber as well. If sitting for a long period ...to stop rust on ram I place a plastic freezer bag over jack then jack up .... when at height I wrap some insulation tape around bag and jack body ... sealed !!! 4. Ah little Grasshopper ...you have to come up with a list of these first !! Thinking cap on ...get to it !!! [smile] Regards Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

Here is my pre-flight check list .....from a thread titled "Checklists" by BushtrackerBabe 6/07/03 .... Some of these dont need doing every day but it is still good to read the list and decide on the day. This is the list I use specifically for BT . Had it from day one and it has saved my bacon more than once ..... it is plastic coated and sits in my trip prep folder and another one in console of F Truck. Four Seasons Vent - Closed Fridge - Locked Cupboard doors - Locked Windows - Locked Water Pumps -Off Ensuite Vents - Closed Stove Top - Secure Van Door - Secure Waterproof Door - Secure Cargo Doors - Secure Cassette Door - Locked Water Tank Fills - Locked Hitch Pin - Secure Coupling pin - Secure Chains - Attached Breakaway - Attached 7 Pin Plug - Attached Camera Plug - Attached Weight Bars - Attached Jockey wheel - Secure Handbrake - Off Wheel Chocks - Removed Gas Bottles - Off Spare Wheels - Secure Stone Deflector - Secure Outside Shower - Locked Tyre Pressures - Ok Wheel Nuts - Secure Lights - Checked Water Tanks - Checked Hot Water Switch - Off Circuit Breakers - Off Battery Charger Switch - Off Van Steps - Up Anthony Explore this Great Land ... Do it Easy ...Tow A Bushtracker

Master Po aka BushTracker18, Shaolin Priest of the Boggers sect, aka "young bull" aka "a dreamer", us "little grasshoppers" stand in awe of your wit and humour. Clearly you worship the faith of 'life' that is brought forth and nurtured by countless hours glued to a glass screen and enjoying the mirth of your fellow priests known as "old" and "young bull Boggers" and your disciples known as "newbies". We apologize for creating a conflict of interest between our needs and Cindy's needs - go kiss her you fool! We thank you in advance for all of the continued research that you and your peers will continue to do in response to our endless quest for knowledge. The Newbies, aka those suffering from BATTS. tgintl/little grasshopper

Re the 'Scotchlocks' referred to by Anthony. These horrible devices must surely be what Shakespeare had in mind (in Julius Caesar) that 'the evil that men do lives after them'. A Scotchlock punches a hole through a cable to enable another cable to be connected to it. From that point onward the Scotchlock joint begins to corrode. It usually fails a few years later (but sosmetimes sooner) - invariably half-way down a motorway in the pouring rain, or somewhere between Broome and Port Hedland and likewise. By this time the whole cable is corroded so badly that fixing things costs many times more than the extra for doing the job properly in the first place. The only reason these things are used is that they cost only a few cents each saves the installer's time required to do the job properly. I very strongly recommend you INSIST they not be used. It will cost you a fair bit more, but you will save in the long term. Don't be swayed by the thought that Scotchlocks are used by professionals. Noah's Ark was built by an amateur - the Titanic and Hindenburg by professionals. Collyn Rivers.

Be careful when buying a Hayman Reece Adjustabe Hitch receiver - there were 2 versions when I took delivery in July 02. One is cast iron and the other mild steel. Don't get the cast iron one (I did). BT have to drill a hole for a positioning bolt and there is not enough room on the cast model. BT should know these things and advise clients well before delivery day. Write all briefing instructions down or record them on tape or video. The short term memory can have difficulty retrieving 3 hours of gobbledygook! The Matow model B (3000kg) Multi-weigh hydraulic jack ($149) should be standard equipment on BTs. At least BT should have one available on delivery day to ensure new owners leave Kunda Park with a balanced rig. If you can get to the factory before the skin goes on, photograph all sides. This is invaluable when locating frame components and wiring. We fluked this one! Attached is an "On the Wallaby Checklist" including making and breaking camp. Some may find this helpful. Before each trip I highlight the boxes for items which should be packed, then diagonal mark the box when you have it ready and, cross the box when you have it packed in vehicle. Some items are repeated. e.g. If you are in tour BT and want to go off tenting to some remote location - use the Camping column. Good luck, and hope to see you at Copeton Waters.! Rob and Liz Tellem Bugrem.

Rob & Liz From one who used to hire out off road camper trailers - I'm impressed - thats one mighty list... you sure wouldn't be caught on the hop on the wallaby - and excellent format for anyone to personalise their list of required gear on. Thankyou for sharing something you have obviously put a lot of thought into. Good info on the hitch and jack. Will put that in my little red book. Cheers, Helen.

Rob and Liz, Agree with Helen. Great list for newbies. Definitely merits space in the documents folder if you get time. Angie