Real dumb newbies!

Collo · Senior Member

Real dumb newbies!

my van · Guru

Yep asking dumb questions is sometimes a god thing

especially for people who are reealy interested in getting some good answers

Here I would like to know more about this BT 50 is a mazda you bought.

I have been looking at the freestyle ,with the little back seat, a diesel

is the fuel useage as stated combined 8.9

about 8.1 on the open road.

have you found any issues with this ute?

-- Edited by my van on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 10:17:49 AM

-- Edited by my van on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 10:18:59 AM

-- Edited by my van on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 10:20:47 AM

gooba53 · Guru

To my van: under the section:" show us your rig" starting at the bottom of the first page there are a whole lot of comments on the Bt50, really worth reading. We have almost a copy of "scottynbulldog" if you check his out. Got the canopy, twin cab etc, diesel auto. My husband says we get about 9 but can't tell you towing yet. Only towed 4 hours.

-- Edited by gooba53 on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 10:42:23 AM

Delta18 · Guru

Collo wrote:
Hello everyone,
My wife and I(46,53) are thinking of taking some long service leave and doing a test run of about 6 weeks before we retire.
We have some basic questions.
Why does, for example, a mitubishi triton have a braked towing capacity of 2700kg and a Falcon ute has 1700kg when they are a similar vechile?
cheers to all!
Collo.

The only similarity's between a Falcon and a Triton is they both have 4 wheels and a steering wheel!

Triton is 4x4 (most versions) and have full chassis rails while the Falcon is monocube <sp> construction. Have a look at a Falcon (or Holden) ute with the tub off, there is nothing structural under there.

I am biased as I have a MN 2010 Triton and it is the best tow car I have had bar none.

Cheers Neil

-- Edited by Delta18 on Wednesday 26th of June 2013 11:04:30 AM

magraret · Senior Member

hi do you have the van already

my understanding is when free camping you dont unhook to go into town to live it up because your van may not be there when you get back

you can wing it or book either way depends on where you want to go and at what time of year and what you like to see

we have an ensuite and it works well for us we also have a washing machine which saves us a lot of money

also you would want to be comfortable so make sure you have room to move around in just in case you get a lot of bad weather

we have a jayco starcraft 19ft and have spent 7 weeks in the van out of 8 because of lousy weather and we took our table out for more room and brought a portable one

hako · Guru

G'Day, welcome to the forum.....you'll get many differing answers to your questions so be prepared to sort the wheat from the chaff.
When we were raw recruits, we searched every online forum and every result from GOOGLE regarding caravans for quite a few months and even then we were still unsure and after a few years towing we still searching for answers, so I won't attempt to answer any of your questions......but your post to this forum is a good start.
Good Luck.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Welcome to the forum Collo. The fact that you have posted your question shows you are not real dumb at all. Real dumb people dont ask questions!! Keep asking, keep researching, your choice of caravan/m'home, choice of if/when to retire, where to go, all take a lot of consideration.
As to where to go for 6 weeks in Vic... depending on the time of year and the kinds of places you like, you could head to SA to the Flinders, or east to Lakes Entrance area, maybe the Grampians, or the wine-producing areas. You can cover a lot of k's in 6 weeks, some real dumb people even try to go right round Australia!

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome from me too Collo, enjoy here and out in the playground.

I agree with Hako you will get different views from the great and knowledgable people on this very friendly forum, make sure you check out all the different sections including the front page though.

I do both Van Parks and Alternative camping and the only Van Park bookings have been from the Travel Auction Site otherwise just pull in anywhere between 11.00am and 3.00pm and have always got something suitable.

As far as cassette toilets go I have a oversize bucket called a camp toilet it has a seat and lid but I am solo so that suits me, I have spoken to many people that have the type you mentioned and all good feed back, just make sure you empty them before they get too full. You will also get many different views as to what to put in the toilet you choose as far as smell etc so it's something only you can decide for yourself.

Good luck with it all and,

tezza · Senior Member

Hi and enjoy, we have often unhooked when free camping and gone driving but mainly at campsites where others that you have met are staying. As for the ensuite it is each to his own. We use a popup shower tent to save space and weight. Most newer automatics are fine to tow with in fact I believe Fords autos are rated much higher for towing than their manuals. We have never booked ahead at parks because it negates much of the freedom of our lifestyle by committing you to be somewhere at a certain time. If you are set up for free camping you will find somewhere to lay your head in most places except actually in the bigger cities and down some ( perhaps most) of the east coast. We find cemeteries are good camping spots just for overnight if you get stuck as they are mostly on level ground often have water and sometimes toilets and the neighbours are quiet. We do not light a fire or leave any trace of our stay though. For six weeks it depends on how much driving you wish to do and when you wish to go. In the right weather (spring) a leisurely trip along the Murray could easily use that time up.

gooba53 · Guru

Hi. We are probably only one step in front of you having picked up our van last Saturday. After all my fears the auto Bt50 towed like a dream. We are sort of from the same area, we are doing a towing course held at Geelong showgrounds, they all over the place tho. Might make your wife happier about towing. We have heard great reports of the courses. As Hako said you will get many a mixed reply from here! But even if you search the hints, tip, recommendations on here I have found so much helpful info. We are doing our shake down trip to lake Purrumbete, then in early August going through Mildura, broken Hill , cobar around that way for a month. My sister who travels said this is really a nice area to explore for newbies.

Have fun, even the planning is fun!

mongrel · Guru

Welcome to the forum Collo from us as well. Hope you enjoy..

spida · Guru

You can get a clamp to go over the towball hitch so the van cannot be stolen but would still make sure there are people you trust staying at the camp. Also a wheel clamp.... or one of those titanium generator type 'chains' - hook the wheels together if a tandem?

my van · Guru

Those tow ball clamps are good .

I use one at every camp site

cheers from Paul

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Collo wrote:
Hello everyone,
My wife and I(46,53) are thinking of taking some long service leave and doing a test run of about 6 weeks before we retire.
We have some basic questions.
Why does, for example, a mitubishi triton have a braked towing capacity of 2700kg and a Falcon ute has 1700kg when they are a similar vechile?
Sorry, Wouldn't have a clue
My wife probaly wont tow the van, but if she did, she wants a automatic.....are autos any good or are we looking for trouble.
After checking forums thoroughly I found more people favoured Automatics so we went that way and 2 years continuous towing I am very happy we went that way.
If we are free parking and we decide to unhook the van and go into town to live it up....how do we stop the van from being nicked?
I wouldn't do it unless there is at least one other van there. Best to have a chat to them, make sure there not also going into town to live it up. Also if a Fri or Sat night best not to free camp within 5 to 10 km of a town.
We like the comforts of home. Generaly do ensuites in vans work O.K. And are cassette toilets any good? Or are they a **** of a thing!!
We had an Ensuite and it came in very handy. In caravan parks if you are prone to late night toilet trips I think they are invaluable. When free camping, having an ensuite or porta potti depends on your comfort with the digging holes method.
Do you need to book ahead for parks...or can you just wing it? We will probaly mix between free parking and stay at parks.
Some parks you need to book ahead but it often depends on the time of year. For example if your going to Broome during winter you may need to book anything up to 3 months in advance. School holidays make a difference also especially in coastal areas.
We are in Victoria....where would you go for six weeks?
You will have to ask a Victorian for that one but if you were in NSW I would suggest Bundeela campsite at Kangaroo Valley just north of Nowra. It's a big grassed area right on a river with toilets but no showers. There is canoe hire in the quaint little village and a short drive away is Fitzroy Falls.
cheers to all!
Collo.

Welcome to the forum and hope the above helps.

Cheers

Jon

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Collo - where you go depends on the time of year - with six weeks you could head to QLD in the winter - the sun shines a lot!!! We met some people who come up from the Shepparton area every year for four weeks, they stay at the one place, a free camp within 700m walk to town, and love it - been coming for years they said.

This is the sort of place where you can leave your van, because a lot of others are around, and very friendly.

In Victoria - well - Mildura, a trip along the Murray from Albury across is good. Lakes Entrance and all that area - not in winter though - cold and blowy!!
Over into SA - Flinders Ranges - beautiful spot.

Get a map - close your eyes and pooint your finger - where it lands is where you could go!! So many places to see all over this country.

pambaz · Senior Member

Hello Collo,

You are not dumb we all have heaps of questions when we first start out and we are still learning 5 yrs on.

We have a 2002 Toyota Prado automatic and it has performed beautifully over the many years and kilometres.

Started out with a pop top no toilet and that was great for a few years and then we decided to buy a van with shower and toilet best decision we have made. We put napisan in the bottom tank and all is well . Many towns have dump points so never have a problem emptying it.

We have left our van at free camps a few times ,Hubby puts a clamp thingo on the hitch. We never leave it if there are only a couple of other vans.

Buy yourself Camps 7 one of the best things you can purchase.

The only time we book is when the school holidays catch up with us or in major tourist towns in peak seasons.

You will learn along the way but also reading the comments on the forum will help a lot.

If we had 6 weeks we would head north, Sunshine Coast is lovely.

Happy travels

Pam

Mark · Senior Member

Welcome to the Forum, hope you get as much out of it as I have.

My take on your questions................

Why does, for example, a mitubishi triton have a braked towing capacity of 2700kg and a Falcon ute has 1700kg when they are a similar vechile?
Chassis construction. The triton has a stonger chassis rail and is designed to tow more.

My wife probaly wont tow the van, but if she did, she wants a automatic.....are autos any good or are we looking for trouble.
I have towed with both and my personal opinion is that Auto and Diesel is the way to go. But this depends on the size of van you intend to pull. I pull a 3500Kg (a-hem) caravan with a V8 Diesle cruiser and average 18-20 L/100, a petrol version in similar circumstances would be in the mid-high 20's L/100

If we are free parking and we decide to unhook the van and go into town to live it up....how do we stop the van from being nicked?
You don't, if somebody wants to nick it they will. Generally it takes a caravan thief a couple of days, one to suss it out and one to do the deed, (owners permitting) I would not rely upon others to keep watch on your van, I did once and returned to find that they had decided to go out, so there were now two vans unattended. We have never left it since.

We like the comforts of home. Generaly do ensuites in vans work O.K. And are cassette toilets any good? Or are they a **** of a thing!!
Of course en-suites work. They are of course smaller than your average home en-suite, but it's a compromise. We chose to have a larger en-suite and the facility of a washing machine and lost soke space in the dining area, but, we like the outdoor environment and so we are happy with our set-up, the Mrs can shower whilst I shave and then I can shower whilst she does her war paint and hair.

Do you need to book ahead for parks...or can you just wing it? We will probaly mix between free parking and stay at parks.
Depends where you go and at what time of year. for example, we arrived in Broome late May, no trouble with booking a site and we committed to a season (for personal reasons) now, people are waiting at the gate at 07:00 hoping for a space and they don;t take pre-bookings. Depends on the location and the popularity of the area at the given time of year. Research is the key.

We are in Victoria....where would you go for six weeks?
Me "personally" I'd be heading to Cober Peady, up to Alice Springs, Uluru, across to the East coast and then south again, again that's my choice for the time period.

The GREAT thing about touring for us is the "different" lifestyle and the compromises that you sometimes have to make, getting on with it and making the best of a situation. Add's a bit of adventure to the whole thing.

Enjoy your travels.

Mark