100 Series V8

Hello Almost Dunworkin'
We have reluctantly decided to sell our beloved BT due to impending spinal surgery.

Here are the specs for our BT.

2005 model, 18 ft, with no rake angle.
Extra large ensuite with vanity and basin.
Upgrade to remote ignition Hot water service.
Upgrade to 12 inch brakes.
Potable and non potable separate water systems.
4 water tanks. ( 86 litres each)
3 - 125 watt solar panels.
3 Gaston fibreglass Matt rapid charge maintenance free batteries.
40 amp deluxe digital multimeter regulator.
50 amp two stage boost & float marine battery charger.
Roof mounted air conditioner.
Aussie Traveller awning.
Full Aluminium checker plate body armour.
Stove upgrade to Swift stove oven & grille. (stainless steel)
3 - Jerry can holders on "A" frame.
500 watt inverter. (runs drill, Laptop, battery chargers for phone & shaver)
Webasto ducted heating to En-suite and main van.
2 rear wind down legs for stability.
Full nickel upgrade to all knobs switches and P/ points.
90 litre Weaco compressor fridge.
four seasons hatch.
Full length mirror outside en-suite .
Single LED light in En-suite for night use.
Stainless steel lockable storage in En-suite.
Under body sullage pipe storage.
Wired for Satellite TV.
Winegard wind up TV antenna.
17 " Flat screen TV, on mobile arm.
Radio / CD player with 2 speakers in roof.
Remote wireless headphones.
Automatic radio Ariel. roof mounted.
Upgrade to V.C. Pintle ring and cone coupling.
Heavy duty Hayman Reese weight distribution system.
2 single RECLINING beds, can be converted to a double bed in 2 minutes, see photos in "Pictures" members site under "Keith & Joan".
Tyres as new, only done 12,000 klms. Never been off the tarmac, absolutely NO off road work.Tows really well with all four water tanks full, we tow with a 3 litre Nissan Patrol. We keep up with the traffic with no trouble at all. Has just had its 10,000 klm service, brakes bearings wheel alignment etc.
Asking price is $80,000 Location.. Nerang on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Photos available via email
Kind Regards, Keith and Joan Facey. Tel 07- 56308013.
email jkf2730@gcmanors.com

Hi Dunworkin,

We tow a 19' that with all the toys loaded it weighs in at just under 3500 kg with the tanks full. We tow with a 100 series petrol/gas cruiser. Tow just fine. Running on gas is about par with a similiar brand oiler - maybe a bit cheaper. On petrol she gulps about 27L/100k I don't really mind the $$ as it is very quiet to drive. The major disadvantage is range with 90/90 gas/petrol tanks the safe range is about 550 K. No good for those long desert crossings. So we will probably change to an oiler with long range tanks when we leave Lorna Glen in November.

For the van..... its all good. We like the full length foot lockers on either side of the island bed. A sucker line is also very useful for us as are light in the main storage area. If you want to travel in cooler climes the Webasto heater is the way to go. The extended (300 mm) drawbar makes backing/turning a breeze and give you more storage area. Don't be shy on water tanks or solar and batteries. A good minimum is 3 x 125 solars, 4 x 82L water tanks, and thee 100a/h batteries + a good 50 amp 2 stage charger and a decent sized inverter if you want to use iron and microwaves etc.

Cheers John

We tow a 21 footer with out 100 series oiler. All up we weigh in at just on 7 tonnes approx 3.5 each end. The 'Cruiser (dead stock - still under warranty)gives about 11l/100km without the BT - hook up the BT and the fuel consumption doubles. We have averaged 20.09l/100km over 10,000km of outback travel with about half on quite slow dirt with tyres deflated (consumes up to 25l/100lm in sandy country with soft tyres).
We have 7 tanks fitted as at times we have quite a large family. whilst travelling with two of us we have used no more than three tanks - although we have "donated" a full tank to our travelling companions (non BT) who lost all water due to a rock strike onan unprotected drain valve. We also have a separate pressure controlled bilge pump that we place in a fresh water source (creek) and connect to the town water input for when camped up for an extended period - great!.
We have three batteries & panels, I would probably go for 4 batteries if I did it again, as three or four days of low or nill sun means running the generator to prevent 'fridge problems. (The fridge seems to struggle from about 12.5 volts down.)
In my opinion; must haves include
Town water input
Inverter
Webasto
Get the factory to think about location of hardware to maximise storage space.
Rear view camera (cannot stress this enough)
Sandy (the Boss) would like a full width bath room - I think it would be a space waster
We have a fold up awning - not good for quick overnignt stops - would change for a roll up.
Biggest windows you can fit. (Have seen two - one above other)
Sandy would like a shade over rear window (similar to front)

Almost Dunworkin...that's a good thing....We're only new to the BT and as such have limited experiences to pass on.

However, on the subject of fuel economy on our 100 series V8 5 speed auto we noticed a strange thing.

We picked up our very much pre loved 18 footer in Adelaide and took a week to get to Armidale, NSW. The first 2 tanks returned 30L/100k's (GASP) and we drove very conservatively between 85-90KPH and the route was over relatively flat country accross the Hay Plain to Narranderra...the fuel type was Premium ULP (95 Octane).

When we filled up in Dubbo, we did so with Shell V Power which is a 98 Octane Premium. The route we took to Tamworth was very hilly up the ranges and we used the pedal a lot more passing trucks in the slow lane and we cruised quicker at 95-105 KPH. On the way we noticed we were not using anywhere near as much fuel and when we filled up at Tamworth our consumption was returned at 23L/100k's. Big difference,not only to the pocket but also to the effective cruising range. We have tried the 98 Caltex and BP Ultimate 98, but not with the same noticeable advantage as the Shell V Power.

Things we're going to add to our BT are a water suction line to enable us to draw water from an external source to run the sink and shower....with enough batteries and solar you can camp for long periods, however without water, life becomes pretty uncomfortable.

WEBASTO DIESEL POWERED HEATER. JUST DO IT

Cargo area LED lighting.

Antenna input for NextG phone/Internet external 6db Gain antenna.

Pole tube for fishing rods.

Our 18 footer weighs 2360kg dry and probably close to 3000kg loaded and 3 tanks full of water. Even though we have them, we find that we don't need the weight distribution bars on the tow hitch and the only suspension mod to our Landcruiser is a set of Poly Air bags in the rear with about 30psi in them while towing. As I mentioned, ours is 18ft.

We're used to the yacht bed layout having owned Jayco Wind Up Campers in the past with the pull out beds. We're also used to climbing over each other in bed...has some advantages...nudge nudge...wink wink.

This bed layout with the bed accross the van saves us 2 feet on living space in the rest on the van. So in order to have single beds or a queen bed longtitudinally....and keep the exact same living area we have now, we would have to have a 20 footer instead of an 18 footer. It depends on how much you want to tow and manouvre.

Julie's cousin and her husband have an 18 foot Kedron Pop Top with single beds...looked really small to us and no ensuite either. They did mention that even though their Kedron is 18 foot, it's only 17'6'' inside.......we measured our 18 foot and found that from front wall to back wall, the inside measurement was 18'10''. So there you have two 18 foot vans and one has 16 inches more living area length.

Anyway limited experiences yet, but hope this helps.
Cheers
Rick & Julie