Rally's MY04 Forrie- Poverty Pack special

Purchased second hand. Rear diff and instrument cluster replaced under warranty. First change was to fit CB UHF GME radio. Car has externally mounted windscreen aerial bracket. Just purchased set of new KYB shock absorbers- the originals have had it- will install when they arrive. Next step is to replace standard steel rims with MY99 WRX rims. Then sump guard and driving lights.
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Rally said:
I wish I had installed the new low range before this weekend. I went down to Bendethra and the hills there are really steep, and they have irrigation humps which you have to slow down for. With the trailer on, the things just ran out of revs and I had to get towed up a number of hills by a turbo V8 diesel Toyota.

I had to explain tp the group it was not a question of tyre pressures or that I had road tyres on. The car did not have the gearing or grunt to tow the trailer up the hill. Simple as that. But, we then came to the creek crossings. One had a particularly steep, rutted exit. I took one look at that and said there was no way my car would get up that with the trailer on. A Pajero was struggling without a trailer. It took about 4 goes to get up. What chance did I have! Well, I'd give it a go and wherever I stopped they could tow me out. So In I went, and half way across I floored it. The embankment looked impossibly steep considering the weight of the trailer. I hit the bank, and the car slipped sideways but I kept my foot into it and bugger me we made it up. The amazing things was that there were a lot of people watching all of us do this, and everyone it seemed cheered as got up. None of us could believe we got up- especially with the trailer on and with road tyres! Over the CB people were almost in shock. We pulled over further up the track to wait for our group, and others not with our group gave us a big cheer as they went past, and when looking for a campsite cheered us again. It was incredible. No one- including me, thought we had even a remote chance of doing that. I tell you, those diffs are a bloody ripper and as long as you can get enough power to them they will do the rest. No wucking furries. Driving up another track without the trailer on, I saw another Pajero spinning it's wheels. On the same line, not a trace of wheelspin in the Forrie. Now I really need to install that new low range.
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The thing is that we can't have it all...
from the one side my Forester has all the power and torque to move a house in contraire to yours that is normally aspirated, but from the other hand u have the dual range box that the Turbo one doesn't and can't do some things as u do!!
That's why i put the 6 speed on it with the DCCD.

Very gd driving also by the way and congrats that u went over that!Some big 4x4's would jealous!! :iconwink:

Ted
 
I was thinking of the engine in my WRX (which also has a 6 speed with DCCD) as well as the gearbox on the bench, both sitting at home- I know what you mean. But I think that even then, when you had to slow down so much the car would have gone off boost and the same problem would occur. I had no idea the tracks would be so steep. Even then, I would have made it up except for the irrigation mounds that just slowed me up too much and the thing just died. Then again, there were some hair pins that probably would have stopped me and that would have been a drama getting towed out of that.

tedscossie said:
The thing is that we can't have it all...
from the one side my Forester has all the power and torque to move a house in contraire to yours that is normally aspirated, but from the other hand u have the dual range box that the Turbo one doesn't and can't do some things as u do!!
That's why i put the 6 speed on it with the DCCD.

Very gd driving also by the way and congrats that u went over that!Some big 4x4's would jealous!! :iconwink:

Ted
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Well done Rally - just as well you went in the "easy" way! :lol:
 
This is what happens when a camber bolt rusts itself to the inside of a bush. The bolt could not be removed in the normal way, as it was rusted to the bush which was still in the arm. So instead we had to hacksaw both ends. Very time consuming.

 
Gidday Rally

Interesting comments about your new trailer ... Hope you now have the hang of it!

I am thinking of selling my current trailer and buying a purpose-built one that will suit my needs better, so very interested in your experiences.

Which one of the GIC trailers did you get? And why ... :iconwink:

Bugger about your suspension problems :(.

Well done with the creek crossing, and having the guts to tackle it :lildevil:!
As I get older, my cowardice nerve gets more and more exercise ... :rotfl:
 
I went for the Extreme Off Road because it had the electric and mechanical brakes and extra jerry can holders. It also has better suspension and stronger construction. If I could have afforded independent suspension I would have gone for that. The biggest problem thus far is that the water tank leaks, which really annoys me. It does tow really well. On the last trip I did 960km's on 110 litres of fuel. There was a fair bit of low range 1st and 2nd gear in that. Anyone who knows Bendethra will know the conditions. The electric brakes and the Redarc controller worked magnificently and I highly recommend them. By the time I descended the last hill- there were a number of them and it seemed we were heading for South America we were going down so much)- the trailer brakes were very hot. You soon get the idea of how to use them. On those steep sections I could adjust up the trailer braking whenever it felt that the trailer was pushing the car. First time I have ever used electric brakes and I was a convert on day 1 of the trip.
 
After all the drama with seized bolts, this morning while changing back to standard suspension I removed every bolt in the rear suspension and put some anti seize on each one. Geez some of the bolts were T-I-G-H-T, but the 600mm breaker bar won in the end. But the noises of protest were quite something.
 
Rally said:
Geez some of the bolts were T-I-G-H-T, but the 600mm breaker bar won in the end. But the noises of protest were quite something.
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I love my Kinchrome 600mm breaker bar but even that couldnt undo a few nuts, even after soaking in Penetrene & WD40. Out came the pipe extension :biggrin:

& yes some of the noises of "cracking" the nut or bolt were scary, having heard horror stories of shearing captive nuts!

One nut/bolt, on the LHS trailing arm front bush, wouldnt come loose. I started to round off the nut so I tried loosening the bolt...no movement. So I propped up the handle of the breaker bar on the jack...success! :biggrin:

NOTE: I think the steel in HT bolts is harder & less prone to rounding than HT nuts are :iconwink:
 
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Gidday Rally

Rally said:
I went for the Extreme Off Road because it had the electric and mechanical brakes and extra jerry can holders. It also has better suspension and stronger construction. If I could have afforded independent suspension I would have gone for that. The biggest problem thus far is that the water tank leaks, which really annoys me.
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Seems that the water tank leaking is a fairly common complaint with the GIC trailers.

One that I am looking at has 50x50 chassis, with 100x50 draw bar, with off-road hitch, 50x50 solid axle with mechanical brakes. Shock absorbers and fully linked springs (not slipper springs). 2x jerry can panniers, 2x 4 kg gas bottle holders, and what looks to be extremely effective water proofing everywhere it's needed. Swing out kitchen, 80L water tank and simple to erect TTT. Aluminium water proof toolbox.

It does tow really well. On the last trip I did 960km's on 110 litres of fuel. There was a fair bit of low range 1st and 2nd gear in that.
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That sounds very good. One of the benefits of the low profile of these kinds of trailer. Very little drag, just extra inertia.

Anyone who knows Bendethra will know the conditions. The electric brakes and the Redarc controller worked magnificently and I highly recommend them. By the time I descended the last hill- there were a number of them and it seemed we were heading for South America we were going down so much)- the trailer brakes were very hot. You soon get the idea of how to use them. On those steep sections I could adjust up the trailer braking whenever it felt that the trailer was pushing the car. First time I have ever used electric brakes and I was a convert on day 1 of the trip.
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Very interesting point about the electric brakes. I will investigate that.

Thanks for your comprehensive reply mate :).
 
Make sure that the draw bar is welded and not bolted to the rest of the chassis. You want readily available parts for things like wheel bearings and extra wheels. I would definitely get electric brakes- it really is chalk and cheese and worth every cent. In the really steep bits, you get the trailer to do more of the braking. With a bit more speed up, you back off the trailer brakes and use the car's brakes more. There is no push in the back with the electric brakes you get with over ride brakes, which is where the car slows down and the trailer effectively runs into the back of it. The Redarc controller with remote dial I am also very pleased with.
 
^ Welded on like baby poo to a nappy, Rally.
NO WAY would I even contemplate such an important part being bolted on!

The electric brakes will probably add a bit ... They don't list electric brakes as an option on the model I'm thinking about. The next model up has them as standard, but it's overkill for my needs, and too heavy, IMO. Tare goes up by 300 kgs to 1000 kgs, with GVM of 1400 kgs. The brakes on it are 10" drums.

While Roo2 would tow that weight with consummate ease (crikey, I've towed heavier than that behind Roo1!), I don't want more weight than I have to have, either tare or gross. The lighter trailer is tare 700 kgs, gross 1000 kgs.

The heavier duty trailer has 70x50 chassis, and is all checker plate. It also has heavier springs - not necessarily a good thing, as heavier springs tend to make the trailer bounce more IME.
It also has a decent jockey wheel, which is worth getting, like the better brakes.
 
My trailer is 480kg tare.
 
The 700 kgs tare includes crap deflector, TTT, annex, mattress, ladder, kitchen, water tank, tool box and spare tyre. Even their "light" off-road trailer is pretty heavily built. Whether the bloody thing's any good or not is yet to be established! It's an MDC from here:
https://www.marketdirectcampertrailers.com.au/products/camper-trailer-models/off-road-deluxe-v2

with the option pack at the right side of the page when you scroll down a bit.


But I suspect that there are many ways of measuring the tare weight ... :poke: :lildevil:
 
I saw them at the camping show along with a number of other brands. The tare weight, which is also what is on the rego papers, includes water tank, tool box, kitchen, the tent and annex (25m2) ladder and deflector. If mine does weigh more than 480kg I will be most annoyed. The weight was a major factor in my choosing it.
 
Rally, maybe nick up to the local rubbish tip and ask them to weigh it (empty).
Add back the towball/hitch weight to get the real tare weight.

I keep meaning to do this with my rebuilt trailer to find out how much I lied to VicRoads when I registered it .... :iconwink: :ebiggrin: :lildevil:

The weight I quoted to them was a very rough estimate ... :rotfl:
IIRC, I said it weighed about 350 kgs. I would have to check the paperwork. Mind you, it's pretty solid too. Bloody idiots asked me how much it weighed fully loaded! I said "Because it's an un-braked trailer, it cannot weigh more than 750 kgs GVM, as then it would be illegal." They weren't very impressed, but didn't know how to argue against this :lol: :cool:. They tried to tell me that the GVM was the total spring rating!! Bureaucratic fools!

[Another EDIT]

I told them 250 kgs ... ;)

[end edit]

Even though the MDC unit is as solid as heck, I would very be surprised if it weighs 700 kgs even fully optioned (with the water tank empty, and nothing in its panniers - IOW, as delivered). Only way to tell for sure is to weigh the flaming things, I reckon!

[EDIT]

I have looked at the GIC web site and the weight they quote here:
https://giccampertrailers.com.au/camper-trailer-packages/extreme-off-road-camper-trailer/
appears to be for the trailer alone. IOW, maybe it doesn't count the substantial weight of the TTT, and possibly not the lid and its in-fill panels?

Anyway, weighing it will tell you the truth. The latter appears to be a fairly scarce commodity these days :(!
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Some photos from the camping trip. The last photos was of the difficult climb out of the water. Difficult unless you were in a Subaru of course!





 
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