your trip to the outback

PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE FOR OUTBACK TRAVEL

BY BEN BROEDER

Hitting the remote tracks of WA can lead you to some hidden gems, fantastic scenery and magical camp sites; however, without the correct preparation, these same tracks can very well be a road to ruin. Let's look at why it is important to adequately prepare for the outback, some suggestions on how to prepare and lastly, how best to manage the situation when things go wrong.

There is a plethora of information available offering tips and advice on how to prepare for the outback and how to travel safely. Despite this, we still hear of disaster stories and ruined trips on a regular basis. Why is this? Put simply, many still underestimate how quickly situations can go wrong and how what might be a negligible incident around town, or on the highway, can be a life and death scenario in the bush.

WHAT MAKES OUTBACK TRAVEL MORE HAZARDOUS?

Without trying to state the obvious, there are multiple aspects to remote outback travel that make it inherently more hazardous than a trip down a major highway. Some of these factors include: Distance – Australia is a big country. Many locations in the outback can put you more than 1,000km from the nearest population centre. If something goes wrong, help isn’t just around the corner. Likewise, due to the vast distances, helicopters cannot operate at the ranges required for outback rescues. Isolation – Unfortunately, more often than not, a friendly service station or homestead is not just around the corner. Even when a town is marked on the map, it may offer limited, if any, mechanical, medical or recovery services. Extreme environment – Summer and winter can both bring temperature extremes. Summer in the outback is particularly hazardous due to lack of water and shade, combined with the low humidity and high ambient temperatures. Expense – Due to the isolation and distances over rough terrain, recovery or mechanical help can be a very costly exercise. This is due to the operators having to put their staff and equipment at the same, if not greater risk than those travelling in these locations needing assistance. Because of these reasons, even seemingly minor medical, mechanical and tractional

issues can escalate rapidly. A broken limb, a failed water pump, a bogged vehicle, can all become life and death scenarios with the addition of remote travel. Do not let this scare you off that bucket list outback adventure though. Be assured, that with adequate preparations and contingency planning, outback travel can be extremely safe, as it is for thousands of travellers each year.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE HEADING OUT?

Whilst there is no ‘one size fits all’ checklist to ensure that you are set to go, there are three key areas that you must ensure are adequately prepared for outback travel. Your vehicle, yourself and your travel companions.

PREPARING YOUR VEHICLE

Your vehicle is quite possibly the most important thing to ensure is well prepared and equipped for outback travel. Ultimately, more often than not, the vehicle causes travellers to become stranded in the outback. Conversely, a well prepared and equipped vehicle can equally get you out of trouble if it occurs.

Some key points in vehicle preparation are:

VEHICLE MAINTENANCE

I cannot emphasise strongly enough that owners of all 4WD vehicles should have full log book servicing regularly carried out by a reputable and experienced mechanical service centre. Preferably one experienced in remote travel. Keep in mind there is much more to vehicle maintenance than just changing the oil and waving a grease gun around. Developing a good relationship with your local service centre is important. At the end of the day if you suffer a mechanical failure, they will most likely be your first call for assistance.

QUALITY ACCESSORIES

The second most common failures seen are attributed to poor quality or ‘knock off’ accessories. Poor quality suspensions, bar work, roof racks, and other accessories are seen to regularly fail. Ensure you do thorough research on accessories and only buy reputable, wellbacked products.

OVERLOADING

Just as common as seeing accessory failures, all too often we see vehicles grossly overloaded suffering chassis failure, or the overloading causing failure of suspension or premature failure of other vehicle components. Check what the maximum GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) and GCM (Gross Combined Mass) of your vehicle is and ensure you stay within the manufacturer’s limits. Similarly it’s common to see accessories such as roof racks fail due to overloading from excess fuel and tyres exceeding the

manufacturer’s loading specifications. Keep in mind some manufacturers have a different load rating for on-road and offroad use.

SPARE PARTS

Even if you are not capable of fixing your vehicle yourself, at least if you have the parts with you, someone else stands a good chance of getting you going. You are best to discuss with your local mechanic, who knows your vehicle well, what parts you should carry with you for your vehicle.

TYRES

Modern tyres have come a long, long way from even what was available when I started 4W driving. Tyre failures are a much rarer occurrence; however, that is no reason not to be prepared. Ensure you operate good quality all terrain, light truck or 4WD tyres off road. Be sure to operate them at suitable pressures for the speed, load and conditions. It is common to carry two spare tyres for outback travel. This is a good idea, but in addition, it is recommended to carry a tyre tube with you, which will fit your tyre/ rim combination. This way, if you destroy a tyre beyond what a patch kit can fix or bend/damage a rim, you have another trick up your sleeve that may keep your vehicle mobile. That being said, it is even more important to carry not just a ‘speedy seal’ type plug kit, but you should also have radial patches, glue, spare valves and equipment to mount and unmount tyres from your rims.

TOOLS

All travellers should carry a basic mechanical tool kit with them. Whilst you may not be a mechanic, you may be surprised at how simply you can fix some issues yourself or with assistance over a satellite phone. However, without any tools, you do not stand a chance. A good basic tool kit should comprise of the following minimum items: • Comprehensive 3/8” socket set (1/4" and 1/2" sets would be excellent additions) • Combination spanner set (keep in mind that many vehicles have nuts ranging up to 22/24mm) • Shifter, combination pliers, needle nose pliers, large and small side cutters • Slip joint pliers (multigrips) and vice grips • Comprehensive screwdriver set • Cold chisel and large ball peen hammer • Small and large pry bar • Test light and/or multimeter.

If you're travelling in a convoy, you can avoid duplication by having other vehicles carry different tools, spares etc.

FUEL CAPACITY

It’s not uncommon for inexperienced travellers to run short of fuel in the outback. Keep in mind your fuel consumption will be vastly greater off-road than it is on-road.

Do a couple of short off-road trips, fully loaded, before your first big outback trip. This way you can gauge your vehicle's fuel consumption and plan accordingly. It is also best practice to treat your fuel load in thirds. One third to get there, one third to get back and one third ‘just in case’. Without harping on the matter, fuel tanks are another accessory where it is extremely important to buy quality, not just the biggest or the cheapest. Nearly every week we are removing a fuel tank to have cracks and leaks welded, whilst there some makes that we never see issues in. Be sure to do thorough research on what lasts in the outback.

WATER CAPACITY

It is well understood that water is important in the outback. With all remote travelling, water must be conserved at all times. If something major goes wrong with your vehicle, you and your family can last many days without food, but your demise will come exponentially quicker without water. It’s also a good idea to break your water storage up in multiple tanks or containers, that way if one fails, you don’t lose the lot.

Ensure water containers are well strapped in. 20 litres of water can become a 20kg missile in a rollover.

All vehicles travelling in the outback should carry a well-equipped first aid kit. St. John Ambulance and other organisations can provide excellent information and kits to best suit remote travel requirements. Likewise, it’s important that you and those in your party have at the very least, basic first aid training.

A comprehensive first aid kit updated regularly is essential. NAVIGATION

Ensure you carry adequate digital and paper maps, as well as your GPS and a compass. You may be familiar with where you are planning to go, but what if something blocks your path and you need to take an alternate, unfamiliar route. What happens if the device containing your maps and route information fails, the screen breaks or the charger was to fail? Ensure you have a backup in the form of paper maps or backup devices. Ensure that you and your party can perform basic navigation and are able to determine you current position via maps or GPS. It is important that everyone can relay position information in latitude and longitude in case you need to convey that information to emergency services.

In the modern age, we are extremely lucky to have the capabilities of keeping in touch and calling for help from virtually anywhere in the world. We are not just limited to the reliable, long serving HF radio, but many satellite based services, such as satellite two-way radio and satellite telephones. If you are going to carry a satellite phone, ensure you know how to use it and have a list of contact numbers for medical, mechanical and recovery assistance at the ready. Whilst UHF CB radios are great to chat to those in your travel party, or for your spotter to guide you over an obstacle, they are not a suitable device for emergency communication in the outback. Having come across travellers in remote areas who were solely relying on UHF CB as their one and only form of communication, it is clear that not everyone appreciates the risks involved.

There's never enough cooks when it comes to breakdowns. All vehicles travelling in the outback should have suitable recovery points and carry, at the very least, a basic recovery kit. A suggested minimum would be: • Snatch strap • 2 x rated shackles • Shovel • Traction boards • Jacking base • Winch extension strap and/or towing strap. By carrying these items, some difficult recoveries can be achieved when combining equipment carried across multiple vehicles.

BOX OF TRICKS

This is what can at times, be the most useful item carried in your vehicle. Again, there is no set guide, but it is something you will eventually build up and add to as your outback experience grows.

Items kept in my box vary, but these items are permanently in there: • Gasket paper, gasket compound • Cable ties, fencing wire • Spare nuts/bolts/washes • Silicone, liquid steel/JB Weld • Gaff, silicone, rubber and electrical tapes • Radiator sealant and solder rods • Various wire, crimp terminals, relays and fuses.

LESS IS MORE

Keep in mind that every kilogram of weight you put on your vehicle is another kilogram of strain on tyres, driveline components, cooling system and fuel consumption. Ensure you go well prepared, but pack sparingly. Leave what conveniences you can live without at home. A great idea is to pack and use items that can have multiple uses and ensure you keep as lightly loaded as practicable.

PREPARING YOU AND YOUR TRAVELLERS

It’s all well and good if you are an experienced outback traveller and have all the medical and mechanical experience in the world, but what if it is you that is injured? Then what? An important factor is to ensure all those in your travel party have at least some training and preparation in outback travel, first aid, communications, navigation and what to do if something goes wrong. Ensure that everyone is familiar with the route you are going to take, and how your communications and navigation equipment functions, including backup systems. Likewise, take the time to ensure your party understand how the vehicle operates; teach them basic 4W driving and recovery techniques so that they can assist if things go wrong. Preparing yourself and your family is just one of the many areas where joining your local 4WD club can impart a wealth of experience to you quickly, without you having to make the mistakes for yourself to learn from.

SUMMING UP

As with most things, nothing can better extensive experience. However, the only way to gain experience in outback travel is to go out there and do it for yourself. The better you prepare yourself and your vehicle, the less risk is involved and you will enjoy the experience all the more. Key points to consider would be: • Ensure you vehicle is well maintained by a reputable service centre experienced in 4WD vehicles. • Only buy quality accessories. • Pack lightly; leave the kitchen sink at home. • Ensure you and your party learn basic outback skills, such as first aid, basic mechanical repairs, recovery and navigation techniques. • Join a local 4WD club, enjoy the camaraderie and learn from their wealth of experience. Clubs are only too eager to welcome new members.