VW Transporter tray back

Bernie, I think the VW Transporter is a very good choice and a very capable vehicle in its class. To carry the camper and the rest of your gear for an extended trip into the outback you may need to do a couple of things like suspension upgrades, extra fuel tank, dual battries pluss a host of other things but these would be the most important.

You would not have any problems getting into the Bungles or any other place for that matter that does not require difficult terain driving, bear in mind you want a camper on the back.

The FWD system on the Transporter is ok, tyre choice will assist in rough/ muddy conditions and the wheel base gives a great ride.

I guess there is a lot to consider in the choice of a 4WD depends on how big your purse is. If you do a course with one of the FWD trainers in your area you will be much better off and get to know the limitations of the vehicle.

For some Ideas on tray back campers have a look at www.gktrim.com.au this is in WA but may help with ideas they do a lot of differant setup made to order , the quallity is very good Born to drive a 4x4 , not a keyboard
Peter York 4x4

Bernie
There are a range of vehicles about. The VW would be OK, however seeing as you are looking at a bit bigger, may I suggest a Twin Cab Canter - they are about a 2t capacity truck. As a cabover they may be a bit bouncy in the front.

They are available in 4WD and are used by the fireys.
I saw one which was purpose set up for a family of 5-6 and they did it extremely well. The setup was basically along the lines of the Rollavan(rollavan.com.au) without the pullout sides or pop top. It sat at about the same height as the cab and there was room for a couple to sleep in the back on top of rollout drawers.

Regards

PeteG

The VW Transporter is a good vehicle. However, its approach and departure angles leave a lot to be desired. This could be overcome with higher profile tyres.

Other vehicles to consider are the Ford F250 Dual cab or Landrover Defender Dual cab. Both these vehicles are very strong, have a good payload and are good 4x4 vehicles.Cheers, Willem
Never a dull moment

Thanks, guys, for all your input on this.

We are slowly 'researching' your suggestions. Can't find the Twin Cab Canter on redbook.com, Pete G, but read a flattering article about its use by the NSW firies. Looks good.

The Ford F250, Willem, yeah, we wish!! That's for when we win Lotto. The Land Rover Defender has been mentioned by others, too, so we'll give it a look; tho' some discussion here on exploroz suggests Land Rovers are expensive in terms of repairs and maintenance.

We are, though, beginning to wonder if going this big is maybe overkill. We are feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all and are wondering if we may have to rethink this altogether. But, no doubt, everyone goes through this stage..?

The slide-on tray top camper options that most appealed to us (we visited the Brisbane Camping and Caravan Exhibition on the weekend) were the Adventure ones: http://www.adventureoffroadtrailers.com.au/Tray%20Top%20Adventure.htm [These had the best slide out bed arrangements we've seen] and the Heaslip one at: http://www.heaslipcampers.com./ with an excellent kitchen set up. The Adventure one would only fit on a larger tray back hence the initial search that led us to the VW Transporter. The Heaslip, though, has an arrangement for a dual cab, tho' that arrangement may be the best for us given our height: 6'3''/189cm.

Both are very tidy jobs, with everything in its place pretty well--and are not terribly weighty.

So the search goes on.

Gonna win a competition, though, I think. It's easier. :)

Thanks again. Any further suggestions or thoughts are really welcome.

Bernie

Bernie,

The question you ask is a very tricky one. The vw is a great vehicle but is next to useless in sand, you can not put bigger wheels on them because of the design of the front suspension. but if you stay off loose sand they are about your best option, Mercedes make a dual cab tray sprinter 4x4 but they will not import them into Aus, The canter is very big and a bit rough to ride in but is very capable of road. My recomendation if you are interested in going of road is to get a patrol stretched by a company in brisbane, the limitation with them is weight, the maximum weight you can place on the rear axle is 2 ton so the Heaslip is too heavy, you would have to build a lighter version of it, the name of the brisbane co is something like 4x4 conversions. they advertise in some mags. Eric.

Bernie,
The Canter is a Mitsubishi product. They seem to have a good reputation. People seem to have perceptions as to size - my advice is to get the exact measurements and tabilate them on a piece of paper - things aint always what they seem.As a true 4WD it has a good offroad capability.

A true 4WD has a low range box (2 gear sticks) and it is this low gearing that allows one to venture further off the beaten track. Vehicles without the low range are referred to as soft roaders - generally recognised as being OK to drive down a muddy track. As these lack low range their ability in deep mud or sand and to to climb and inch over obstructions is limited (although automatic vehicles have a bit more scope for the odd occasion)

The actual 4 wheel drive is probably somewhat of a secondary consideration for the "average" user who usually stays on maintained tracks , however it does come into play when the going becomes rough or some rockhopping or driving in sand or mud. (I guess that what I am trying to say is that people take 2wd cars down the Birdsville Track in good conditions but this changes if it rains or you want to leave the track)

There are a whole range of issues here which will initially appear daunting (eg open diffs, limited slip diffs, viscous couplings, centre diff locks, transfer cases, lockers, difflocks, locking hubs etc.). Take your time and do not hesitate to ask questions.

As suggested here the option of lengthening a chassis is worth considering - it is not all that expensive but does require certification by a vehicle engineer.

Regards

PeteG

Bernie, I think the main determinants of vehicle choice are strength of suspension, ability to carry a load and ground clearance. Many of the bush tracks are corrugated and rough and will destroy car-like suspensions with prolonged exposure. Similarly, embedded rocks etc will rip the sump out of a car-high sump. When you go bush with 3 up, there will be a large load of support gear. Again, car-like suspension will quickly fail. Car tyres don't like gravel and embedded rocks and will wear quickly or fail. As long as you focus on those things you can't go too far wrong.

Bernie,

Tough decisions! Re the Canter, they are very big in dual cab, from memory they have seating for 7 bodies. The single cab may suit your purpose, with good size tray to fit any camper. A friend made his own removable camper out of coolroom material, and it has come up very well.

I was also going to mention stretched vehicles, Cruiser/Patrol, but had my thunder stolen above. These are available with bogie axle at rear, which can get close to 2.5 tonne.

Looks like we'll all be lining up for Lotto, for that ultimate vehicle. Hooroo...

Bernie,
You state 650kg for a slide on then add all that goes in it and on vehicle (fuel 150l, water 100l, recovery gear 50kg, batteries, fridge, gas bottles, generator, food etc ) and you easily have 1000kg or more - so the suspension has to be set up for that. You need to check out GVM's although most serious large 4WD's should be ok. If need be a suspersion upgrade can be engineered.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with your comment about that "bit further" it would be very frustrating to spend a lot of money and then be limited where you can go. The bit extra for a serious 4WD is cheap really and you end up with a far more durable vehicle that can take the conditions.

My previous comments about 2WD's on tracks omitted to say that they would do it tough and one would have to expect that some damage is quite likely (or very extreme caution would be required). For example one night from Brewarrina to Bourke we had to divert due to flooding. we ended up on those dashed roads on the map. Some of these had broken up and gone sandy The Patrol did it easily in 2WD although in a couple of the longer deep stretches it started to get a bit hairy. I I would have got a Falcon through, however probably minus the exhaust. This is not an uncommon situation that you could expect to encounter.

With adding extra axles - be wary - a lot of these are just a lazy (which dont drive)( most of the ones I have seen anyway) and they tend to compromise off road ability. Chassis extensions are engineered and should be OK from a recognised vehicle builder.

As regards the Canter - the only problem I have heard is with the handbrake when applied hot - it is inclined to release its hold as it cools down.

In their 2WD form there are lots of these vehicles doing daily deliveries in your city. As such they are a "commercial quality vehicle" rather than a recreational/passenger/light duty derivative. They are not a high speed cruiser, and probably are stretched at over 100kph.

I have heard of some chassis issues with the likes of the Rodeo and Navara, however not with the larger 4WD's.

Actually, I keep looking at those Telstra Patrol/Cruiser traytop setups with the full canopy and big lift up side doors, hovever, three in the front seat is a bit of a drawback.

I will make a few more enquiries on the Canter for you - my son is in the fireys and I think a mate uses a Canter for deliveries.

Regards

PeteG

Further to my comment earlier in this thread. Have a look through the magazines 4x4 Trader or Just 4x4's. Might find a few ideas there. If you do not have a large budget for your adventure you may consider buying an earlier model hybrid 4x4. I have seen International 4x4 dual cabs with with fixed body campers as well as earlier model Ford F100,F250,F350 4x4's. In an F series(not dual cab) you can sit three up front with ease and then have a large slide-on camper with all the comforts that you may need. I would definitely be looking at a sturdy vehicle that will take you to the places you may wish to go and the VW Transporter may struggle with.

So many options. So much to consider!!! :-)

Cheers, Willem
Never a dull moment