Thursday, Feb 22, 2007 at 19:22
Bushtracker Sez:
Concerns about size between say an 18’ and a 20’ most probably is not warranted, when Lifestyle may be more of a priority…. Let me explain why... In severe off road conditions you are in low range and the Tow Vehicle has twice the torque and twice the power. The vans are designed with skid plates aft of the suspension to drag off of ledges and such so the van will go just about anywhere the tow vehicle will go. The larger tyres and wheels 265/75 R16 is our standard, allows more floatation on soft or sandy soil, and you would be shocked at where my van has gone. There are of course limitations to everything, but off hand I know of 18' vans that have gone all over Fraser Island on the sand (not that I would do it with mine) and I can think of a 16' that has made repeated crossings of the 1500 dunes of the Simpson for the cross Simpson cycle races (not that I would do that with mine) and many have gone to the top of the Cape (but I would not), three just got back, two 21’ have even gone... Countless have done the Gibb River road, and the Township of Kalumburu in the far north of Western Australia called us about 5 years ago. Evidently that track is a notorious killer of all camper trailers and caravans. For the first time in 1998 they reported that two caravans made it through to Kalumburu in one twenty four hour period, one
Bushtracker in the morning and one at night. They actually called us to congratulate us on out product and tell us how impressed they were. There is a Station on the Gibb River that minds caravans and campers so people can go in four wheel drive to Kalumburu, but this was according to them the first time for such a crossing and they were impressed. I have not actually been on that track, but my Customers report that in the wrong time of the year, the corrugations are only about a foot apart, but they have washed out three feet deep. One Customer described the track if you catch it wrong after weather and ungraded as being severe diff-lock engaged four wheel drive at four hours to get fifteen km. I do now that if you catch it after it is graded it is not too bad, depends on your luck. So I’m told by my Customers. Look, they go overland through the Pilbara gold fossicking, off the Gibb River, not only Kalumburu but countless other places like Gibb River road until you get to the Penticost River, around behind the Cockburn Range – Just about anywhere and everywhere in Australia but the all 50 wells of the Canning…! We have some extreme gold and gem stone Prospectors, and two have reported to me having paid for truck and van with the gold they found…
As to where I have been, my own van is 20'. I would not be bored or work my equipment that hard to cross 1,500 dunes of the Simpson. I either skirt it to the north or to the south around Lake Eyre. I like the desert track from William Creek on the Oodnadatta over to Coober Pedy in the back way. I have been up in the Gulf teaching my boy safe hunting practices tracking pigs in daylight, and have drug my van through some hairy spots in the false river channels cut by the Gregory River in flood, during the dry season chasing pigs. I have taken my van up the west side of the Cape from Karumba north to the Gold Fields of the Cape across the Gilbert and Mitchell Rivers on the west side hunting pigs and fossicking. I personally would not take my own van to the tip of the Cape, for two reasons: First it is a bit of a fad, when there is not much up there to interest me, and just to say you have done it is not much of a reason for me... But yes, some people take Bushtrackers to the Cape, and yes, they are improving the tracks all the time, but I doubt I will ever go…
More of where I have gone with my 20’? I have been through all of the outer opal fields fossicking in the Outback from NSW to SA and into the Territory. I have chased camels out west to the Western Australian border and West MacDonnell ranges in the Territory. I have had my van in places going over a bank that would scare most and you would probably say "Thanks but I will walk this one". I personally like my van too much to take it to the salt of Fraser, and have no interest in the barren top of the Cape above the Goldfields. But about the only place that a
Bushtracker has not gone to my knowledge is all 50 wells of the Canning Stock Route, but again I would not want to even do that. They have gone overland fossicking from the Pilbara to the Kimberlies. There are not too many places they will not go. About the only exception is the coastal swamps in a few spots of Eastern Australian, around close trees in tight swamp land getting down to mozzie and sand fly infested beaches that don’t interest me anyway. Other than that you would be impressed with just where they do go….
Cheers from the "Lone Ranger" at
Bushtracker
AnswerID:
570702
Follow Up By:- Friday, Feb 23, 2007 at 00:17
Friday, Feb 23, 2007 at 00:17
Thanks for the info
bushtracker,
I am getting the information I need to help me make a decision about a BT and some of the archive posts have provided some additional interesting infomation as well.
I appreciate there are certain places they won''t go or you wouldn't go unless you were a few kangaroos short in the top paddock and those places including CSR and the simpson sand dunes are not on my list of wantagoes in a
bushtracker anyway. ( My Kangaroos are all accounted for)
Again thanks for the replies to my post.
FollowupID:
847277
