Advice Required

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
In Qld a chip in the line of sight is defective and will not pass a roadworthy...dont know about nsw.....i would be more concerned about a petrol engine with 400000 + ks on it.......my son just road off his 2014 commodore. ...market value was 16k and he only recived 9k due to the high klms ..it had 103.000 ks on it..may be somthing to keep in mind ;)
 
I have never owned a car without chips in the windscreen, usually have 6 or more at anyone time. Never worried me, never been questioned out them for rego checks either. I think I replaced one windscreen ever, and got stone chipped the next day!
Worse than stone chips up here are insects on dusk, when you hit them with spray and wipers, they smear everywhere. Then 5 minutes later, you have another 1000 to spray,wipe and smear.....and so it goes lol.
 
Smoky bandit said:
In Qld a chip in the line of sight is defective and will not pass a roadworthy...dont know about nsw.....i would be more concerned about a petrol engine with 400000 + ks on it.......my son just road off his 2014 commodore. ...market value was 16k and he only recived 9k due to the high klms ..it had 103.000 ks on it..may be somthing to keep in mind ;)
I would be writing a letter to my local govt rep or go and talk to him. That is total .......

So a chip in line of sight is defectable. Won't be many cars on the road soon inc police Ambos fire trucks or most govt fleet etc.
 
It just looks like its a drop of water on the screen. The chip is about 2mm if that in size but it is noticeable. If i was 25.4 mm taller or shorter it wouldn't be a problem. The rest of the screen is perfect , not a mark on it.

The bloke that comes out to repair it will tell me either way if if can be repaired or a new screen is required. If he dosent repair it I will put up with it until I really need the screen replaced.
 
DaveNt ,
Ive read the post on the 4500 V Sd2300 and at the is stage Im thinking the sd2300 as I can use it on the beach to treasure hunt in the water as well on the golf fields Im also going to be the on the east coast , NSW/ VIC, to start when I head off and from what ive read the sd2300 would be the machine. When I head west or up into your neck of the woods I will change over to a 4500 or the GPZ.

I already own a 705 and I think the 2300 would be a good addition to the inventory.
 
Bump this one as I haven't logged in for a long time and had a good read through forum.

Hey there Balmain,

Awe love that ride, I've been looking for something similar over the years to turn into a remote tourer/rock crawler with a TD but recently I've spent way too much $$ on my solid axle Hilux as therapy and it's a beastly remote tourer/rock crawler at the least but also has way too much sentimental value/attachment to rid of it anytime soon :) so I will persist for now and frankly has served me extremely well for a 21 year old that's been punished hard.

10k for some barwork, lift, 35" muddies, navigation/communications, drivers seat upgrade for those long lonely highway runs and some accessories your set to pillage and conquer :D

If your looking for a bit of extra space then rip out the back seat if you don't plan on carrying more than one passenger and before the fun police chime in, yeah its illegal to drive without the seat in as its registered as an 5 persons passenger vehicle but you can always put it back in when redoing rego if they notice :8 for the sake of rego, you really wonder with some of these blokes!

Come to think of it your gonna need a blue slip on your next rego if your gonna be in another state? So I belive you could change the passenger rating to appease the fun police 8)

When rock crawling and self prospecting/camping trips I rip out the Hilux back seat and can really get a load of stuff in their that's secured as the tub has no security with tarp and not waterproof either. When family camping then the seat goes back in to accommodate kids and everything is in the tub packed to the hilt and on the roof.

Back seat out and your intended cargo barrier in you'll be stacking it like Tetris to the roof so if the case then don't forget to add some of those convex mirrors to your side mirrors as you wont be using your rear vision mirror if not upgrading side mirrors for camper trailer ;)
 
Gday yass00_Au,
Ive already removed the rear seats and have installed the cargo barrier. With regards to it being illegal not to have the rear seats installed. My understanding is that as long as its a temporary situation there is no problem. At this stage I wont be leaving for the trip until around the middle of the year just after the rego is due so I will have 12 months rego on the Patrol to start,
In the next 6 months Im planning to do 10 to 15 days away per month seeing the parts of NSW that I haven't been to. I have a mate who is out here from England at the moment and I plan to meet him in Cooma in a week or so and tour the Snowy area then out to Tunea at the end of the month.

Im quite happy with the side mirrors on the patrol atm and will wait until I get the camper before any upgrading. I will be towing the boat with the Patrol for the first time next week and will see how it goes and upgrade if required.
 
Hi Bob and congrats with the new GU Patrol.
I've just finished reading your thread and there's quite a few good tips about 4WDing here from others.
In the past 20 years I've owned a 60 series Cruiser, HJ75 Troopy and now own a HZJ79 Cab Chassis ute, all have been pretty standard apart from the Troopy having a 2" lift and all have had good tyres, currently running BF Goodridge MT's, in the 20 years of owning/driving 4WD's I've been to quite a few off road destinations around Vic High Country without much trouble, I carry snatch straps and some basic recovery gear but touch wood haven't needed them yet.
I'm not into 4WDing at all, it's not my thing but I do love getting away to remote places to fish, camp, and prospect away from the general population and if that means climbing steep tracks and a few river crossings then that's what I do.

My only real advice I can pass on and probably the main reason I haven't been stuck in remote areas so far is a few basic rules that I follow.

1. I generally stick to the main tracks, rarely venture onto a goat track but always have the hubs engaged if I do and if it starts looking too hairy then back my way out to the main track again.
2. If I come across bog holes and there's no way around or back I try to test the depth with a stick, when heading in don't be scared to give it a bit of momentum as it is usually the thing that gets you through.
3. Tyre pressure is critical, when driving off road for any length of time or distance drop the tyre pressure to around 25psi (as a basic rule) and this will not only make it easier to get traction in mud, sand, gravel and rocky areas it's also a lot more comfortable for you driving. A good 4X4 compressor is a must so do some good research on it as you will need it to re-inflate the tyres for the bitumen as 25psi will over heat the tyres as well as make the vehicle less stable on the road.
4. I avoid really sandy areas, beaches etc as without proper recovery gear and correct tyre pressures it's just asking for trouble, the same with venturing out when the tracks are really boggy, I'll wait until the weather has been good for a few days before tackling remote tracks.
5. Probably what I'd consider the most valuable tip, use common sense, if it looks too nasty it probably is, if your 'gut feel' is not good then don't do it, I take a small chainsaw and have Hema Maps 6 (navigator) and consider both as must haves for the bush along with a good First Aid Kit, the good compressor, and a decent means of communication is a must as well, UHF CB radio a bare minimum in case you're stranded but it's also handy to have on scan to see if other travellers are in your area, where I usually go there are a lot of deer hunters and they go flat out on the tracks when the dogs are on the move so it's great to know their whereabouts while I'm also on the move.

These few tips have seen me get to some fantastic places without breaking my vehicle or getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and you'd be surprised where you can take a pretty stock vehicle, especially in the Landcruiser & Patrol class of 4X4.
Most of all have fun on you trips and keep a pen & notepad in your glove box to write down any issues or mods you want to do when you think of them, it's surprising how often you think of things in the boat or out driving/camping but forget them when back home until you're out again and do the 'Doh' forgot to do that! :lol:

1483352258_dsc08897.jpg
 
Gday ProspectorPete,
Thanks for your advice.. It is a big learning curve for me as I have never had a 4wd before. I now have most of the recovery gear that I need should the need arise including a good compressor and will be taking it easy to start with.

I recently bought a samsung tablet and have installed the Hema explore and the upgrade to the pro maps. The Patrol already came with a UHF installed . I do intend to get an EPIRB before I go out too far alone.

Once I have finished building the drawer unit for the back of the Patrol I am planing on doing some of the tracks in the Blue Mountain on day trips before venturing out further. Hopefully in around 2 weeks or so.

I have also ordered some under body Armour protection just to be on the safe side and will have it installed by the end of the week

I have about 6 months before i hit the road for the big trip, so I have a bit of time to set the patrol up the way I want and to gain a bit of off road experience. I dont intend to do anything stupid with the vehicle but I would like to be able to get the the less visited locations on my trip.

cheers

Bob
 
Thanks Eldorado,
Ive still got to tidy it up a bit and Im going to put a face plate on the drawers and a bit more aluminum strip to cover the ends of the ply . I had to do all the cutting out on footpath as i dont have any off road area to work and build it institu. All up it would have taken me about 9 hours to from design to completion. So it was a good saving

Bob
 
Nice ride there BB, the Patrol is a very capable 4 x 4 even when they are stock, you will be surprised where you will be able to take it. Couple of things that I would recommend would be a dual battery system, not only handy for running fridges, lights etc, but as a backup cranking battery. Nothing worse than a flat battery out in the bush with no one around. A good set of tyres, don`t need to be an aggressive pattern, all terrains would be ideal.

If you are looking at upgrading your suspension you might consider 200 kg constant load springs for the rear if you are carrying a lot of gear.

Might want to check out the forum at http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/forum.php Great bunch of guys with plenty of info & advice.

Cheers, Ditch
 
Thanks for the advice there Ditch,
It came with a duel battery set up but I have upgraded the AUX battery from a 75 to 100 amp/h battery. It ran the CFX65df without problem. I have also installed a dcdc charger and have purchased solar panel as well. The tyres are all but brand new so I wont worry about replacing them just yet. I still have to have a good look at the suspension but I dont think that there is any issues there atm.
Ive just got back from a few days at Tuena where i traversed a few of the tracks and I was very happy with the way the patrol performed.

I will look into the suspension upgrade you have mentioned as i will be carrying a lot of stuff when i head off.

I have been doing a lot of research on the Patrol forum but I haven't joined it as yet,

Cheers

Bob
 
Mate ,gf
Im up at Hill End at the moment and I intend to do every track on the Common b4 I leave.
So far I have installed under body armour, made a set of rear drawers, bought a full roof rack and a heap of camping gear.
Apart from a back roads trip out to Tuena 6 weeks ago I havnt been able to get out.

My old mate that I had been looking after for the last 6 years passed away just on 3 weeks ago so now I will be able to go.

Im planing to put all my stuff into storage and Go off on an open ended prospecting trip. My launch dare is after ANZAC Day at this stag. It may be moved foreward as there is nothing stopping me other than lazyness. ;)

The hardest 4wd track that I have done was the Wallaby Rocks to Coles bridge, which I did yesterday. There was a few interesting sections to negoitiate .
 
Top