Gruelling COVID Simpson Desert crossing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2024
- *We don't recommend it. It's hot, hard with huge dunes...truck breaking stuff. Towing from Birdsville to Mount Dare late September. We find the limit of our gear putting the Hilux and brand new AOR Sierra ZR off-road trailer to the ultimate test.
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Just come across your channel mate. And love the videos. Makes me wanna get out to the simo. Keep up the good work. You have got me subscribed.
Thanks a lot mate
Awesome video, really enjoyed it. Why haven’t you got more subscribers? What’s the weight of the camper trailer?
I have the same shape hilux that I’m setting up with a trailer to do a long slow explorative working holiday around Oz.
It was a tough test, so the hilux did good. Hope you put the next trip on the Tube.
What size tyres did you run? Good to see the girls on these tours giving driving a crack.
Nice video... but to me the addition of a trailer does add to track deterioration as its a dead weight and this can clearly be seen in your video. It was great that u backfilled your holes but did u do this all the time? I can guarantee that others that tow and create holes would not backfill the holes they created and if they did start to do it, I reckon it would not have lasted for very long...
Tyre pressures is the key as u mentioned, but a trailer just adds a whole new problem that is seen in your video. Without the trailer, u more than likely would have made it up every sandhill without any issues...
Whether people admit it or not, there is always a price paid for towing...
How dare you make sense on the internet 👍
Just crossed Simpson with patrol and off road camper trailer. Drop pressure to 14 on all 6, follow rig road west to east than k1 line to qaa, you see more stuff and experience true isolation/Simpson spirit. Must admit there were a few high dunes in qaa line but never got bogged, just cruised to the top and had to slow right down to descend on the east side of the dune which was chopped up pretty badly. I wouldn't recommend camper trailers, purely that if you break down would be more hassle and you have to be pretty experienced in off roading and sand driving to tow it up. However if you are going to, just follow rig road and k1, do it west to east. You would be mad to go east to west with camper trailer and guarantee you won't get very far, getting bogged on pretty badly chopped up east side of dunes. Now i did not see any camper trailers going east to west but did come across guided tours of 11 cars in convoy or motorcycles. Not sure who caused more damage to the track, my camper trailer or unexperienced convoys bashing east to west.
Great vid guys - getting our anticipation up for next year's Madigan Line crossing
Good stuff Shane. We’re excited too.
Mate love how informative you guys are for people that have never had any real guidance on 4b etiquette on trails. I also run a similar model hilux and was wondering what suspension setup you have and what you're thinking of upgrading too?? Cheers and keep up the great content!!
G’day James, thanks mate. We’re running Terrain Tamer parabolic springs and now KONI shocks on all our vehicles. Very happy with that combination.
I'd say 20% of people driving the Simpson are what I would call, genuinely experienced on sand. These are the people who use 20% less fuel in the same car than a novice along the crossing, just because of their understanding of the terrain and there vehicle. I'm perfectly fine with people using small trailers on the Simpson, but they need to completely understand that it is more challenging and harder work on the vehicle. Personally I wouldn't tow any more than 750kg unless you are completely prepared for recoveries and a more challenging crossing.
Great vid guys. It is driving and camping so would have liked to have seen a bit of your in camp "life" and the products you used. Great vision and commentary on the tracks and just loved it. Well done.
The issue here is not whether trailers wreck tracks (and I believe they do...whilst I do agree that idiots with the wrong pressures are the major problem, you have to use more throttle to drag a trailer through the soft stuff - simple physics). What I find interesting is that SA Parks ask you not to tow trailers through the Simpson and you did it? And I see you intend to do a convoy of 5 later in the year? Hardly responsible. Apart from that, great video even if it is a bit of an infomercial.
Totally agree with David Shannon. Correct tyre pressures and take it easy (which you can't towing a trailer). We didn't take ours. Did the whole crossing in high range. Didn't need a second go at any of the dunes.
Hot tip..... less aggressive Tyre tread....Been sand driving for over 40 years.....
Hi, awesome videos. I have seen your Sierra zr review and I think I saw the Sierra and perhaps a Stockman Rover in another video. Anyway, really keen on getting a compact camper and was wondering if you can do an in-depth review on all your compact campers ?
We’ve done reviews by owners with Tvan’s and Patriots after remote travel with us that we’ll put up down the track. Currently touring around Oz.
Nice video matey. I look forward to the next one.
Great video and info mate, 🇦🇺 we will be out there this time next year in our modified softroaders with our 2 Toyota supports can't wait but we anticipate smooth sailing love what we see out here 👌
How much harder does towing a trailer make this?
Ah yeah it can make it harder. Best go from Mount Dare to Birdsville, shed as much weight as possible, have a really good set up, good quality gear and start tyre pressures all round at 18psi, go lower if need be.
For me it's a RTT in the desert. The last time we did it in our 80 series we averaged about 12-14L/100 we also went East to West across the WAA line, it was just like you experienced and brought back some great memories and makes me want to go out there again after COVID!.
Love the videos keep them coming especially on the new trailer I have been eyeing up the AOR for a while.
Thanks mate. We've got five Simpson Desert trip for the AOR next year plus a number of other tough ones. 2021 is going to be a big year and we should have lots of content.
Love the set up with the trailer. Awesome video
Thanks mate. Was a good trip.
Never truer words spoken: Trailers don't wreck tracks, people do. Getting bloody sick of chopped out tracks from people that refuse to lower their tyres appropriately. Great vid, love the commentary on the track condition, hopefully will educate some folks.
Thanks Drew. We’re taking a number or trailers across next year with the goal to prove the point once and for all. We’ll be going west - east so we expect it to be fairly easy going with the right set up and approach.
Did it last Year same Track same Car all stock used 68 Liters no trailer
you demonstrated quite well that trailers are a cause for additional track damage, we where on the Madigan after you had your commercial trip trough it and meet people behind you and the Madigan was chopped to pieces. No trailers needed in the Desert please look after the Desert instead of commercially chopping it up.
You reckon the track was in good condition in front of us? The only thing that chops the track up is tyre pressure and driver inexperienced.
I can almost guarantee you’re group was running 20psi +, some 25 or even 30psi who pass us flinging smart ass comments then laying down scalloped lines. We crossed the desert five times this year, did hours and hours of shovel work on dunes before we even had a single crack. We can’t fix them all. All our guests can attest to the amount of work we do with one goal to leave the track in better condition than we found it.
If there were dunes we had trouble on I have a sweep vehicle without a trailer who fills in any holes. But the most important thing we do is make sure our tyres are well down into the mid teens, I’m out of the car more than you can imagine talking guests through how to drive to avoid digging holes and chopping up tracks. I’m pretty bloody sick of goodie two shoes like you blaming the Simpson track condition on one thing like our trips. We do more work on those tracks than anyone, so unless you actually got off your ass and out of your car to do some track maintenance and ran pressure below 20psi you’re in no position of experience to have a crack. You’re going to tell me you ran low pressures but I know when people pass me by looking at the imprint in the sand if you’re not and I don’t recall anyone doing that. You all think that 25psi is low and that you’re doing the right thing with no idea what that does to dunes even though you don’t feel it. I’ve crossed the desert more times than you know, you’ve probably done it once or twice and have caught the stigma of the Simpson, the know it all and blame it on everyone else theory. Bloody joke. Get a shovel out and do something about it, drop your pressures to 15-16. Your wife, vehicle and track will appreciate it.
On the contrary to your last comment, we don’t chop them up, we bloody fix it. The problem now in the desert, even the Madigan with more people driving it, is those scallops and holes are exponential once they start, it’s almost impossible to stop it now unless the track gets bulldozed, the best you can do is get a shovel out. Which no one else does, ever that I’ve seen. Next time someone gives me curry out there we’re going to stop you and check pressures, see if your shovel has ever been used. I bet you did nothing to help the track.
@@moontours9071 15 PSI and not a second attempt on any dune for me. I didn't see you on the tracks just heard stories from people who did see you a little earlier. Lets face it people who go with commercial operators are in all likely-hood less experienced.
They are less experienced but not less than most out there. The difference is they actually have someone making sure they’re in the right gear, have the right tyre pressures, the right approach speed, they taught when to back off and roll over, they’re taught when to stop to avoid chopping up and they’re taught and shown the best lines and guided the whole way. They’re not the problem I can promise you that.
You’d be one of the very very few who run the right pressures.
@@moontours9071 yea not so sure never have done a "grueling" Simpson crossing on any of the regular lines it's aalways pretty easy going with correct pressure given you seem to be experienced it must have been the trailer you towing which makes it grueling.
Tyre pressure monitoring system works a treat for any offroading, allows you to keep an eye on pressure without leaving the drivers seat and alarms in the event of a puncture.
Absolutely, they are a good idea.
Tell me about pulling a trailer through there again 🤣 not the smartest idea, guess you never had to snatch the cruiser up a dune. That speaks for itself! Done it plenty of times in a tent with 12 psi and got 17l/100 in a V6 petrol, thanks for sharing, great footage 😃.
Yeah well I did say at the start I wouldn’t recommend anyone doing this. But despite what so many say, I know with the right set up and experience traveling west-east (the opposite direction to our video) there’s no reason it should be that hard or taxing on the track. I’ve seen a lot of people without trailers making a mockery of crossing the desert too. For us this was a work trip testing gear and seeing just how bad a fuel run we could do. Sounds stupid but a lot of good info came out of this trip. We did only get snatched a couple of times which was to be expected towing that way.
Mate, west to east is the challenge at big red not going over the eastern side
Big Red is the only exception to that comment. The one thousand odd other dunes makes travelling E-W much more challenging.
What was the gross trailer weight?
Good question. Was hoping to get it on a weigh bridge the last couple of days. Suggest we’d be maxed out around the 1800kg mark.
Had a weigh in and as expected we’re at the maximum 1800kg limit for the trailer with a ball weight of 234kg carrying 200L of water with 140kg of it in the front tank. As I drop that water the ball weight will be reduced.
👍👍
Thongs windows up seat belts air con. trailers what sooks.Trailers should be banned or maybe not as they are making the dunes lower bringing sand to the bottom of dunes & taking the peak off the top but trailer people cause traffic congestion.Mr moon your our aussie hero.
Inexperienced and or ignorant 4wdrivers with 30 or 40 psi digging great holes is mainly what’s taking the sand down to the bottom. Times that by a hundred or two hundred vehicles and the sand would be moving several feet a year.. how good would the tracks be if everyone ran 16psi.
Dont take trailers thats all there is to it.
Too heavy
Trailers do make a huge difference, see in this video with the Prado
th-cam.com/video/b72-0OlQGaU/w-d-xo.html
I’m back in Birdsville after five crossings this year with trailers. Drivers, tyres and suspension make the difference. Without or without trailers. Given the small percentage of trailers and what I see working out here, nearly every righteous driver reckons they know what their doing, but the truth is most have no idea and just complain without any credentials.
I’m not going to debate it, the fact is nearly every hero that flys past abusing and bad mouthing us lays down corrugations and holes. It’s just how it is and I can hand on heart say that we leave the track in better condition than we find it. Our groups do so much track maintenance on dunes before we go up them which benefits everyone. If everyone out there winging and whining about the track actually got a shovel out and knocked the tops off some of those humps and bumps the track would be in great condition. I’ve never ever seen anyone get on a shovel accept us. You don’t know what you don’t know.