Away away, Sydney to Tassie to WA to beyond

[tomdan]

G'day all :) My girl and I decided to take a trip out there, starting with Tassie then going across to WA and then up top and hopefully give it a crack at the full circle, money and health lasting :) Anyway we've looked at a few modes of transport options from a motorhome, to a car/caravan setup to a campervan and decided on a wrangler tj model and camping trailer setup...we decided to have fun and be able to go off the beaten track as often as we can :)...we've got the car and now in the process of getting the right trailer and setting it all up...
We intend to free camp wherever possible so will have 200+ l of water, 200w solar panel and a house battery together with a tent in the trailer, kitchen setup etc....the jeep has been raised a couple of inches but I dont know much about its history, it has been serviced recently and all works great except the heater core (it has a bypass) but I wont be replacing that as we're going to warm places :)
My request is for any information on setting up the jeep and prepping it for a long run....the range on our car is very average (I think it has a 50l tank) so we plan to carry jerry cans etc but is there anything else I should prep for/look out for...

[AV8]

Hi mate,

I'm not sure what you're after specifically, what type of offroad adventure you are after, what condition your Jeep is in and what level of experience you have. Therefore I can only contribute some general advice only and a lot of answers could be found through Google which will probably give answers from ausjeepoffroad, offroadpassport, expeditionportal, 4wdearth, JK Owners, TJ Owners, etc.

I would replace the heater core as you'd want the Jeep to be in top nick when you and your girl are out there. It may be warm with the sun but night time might surprise you. If you get unseasonal cold air mass covering the area, then it might be a bit unpleasant. If the heater core is broken, you never know what else is affected back there.

Personally I think a 50l fuel tank is way small. With the extra 2 Jerry cans makes 90L. What's your worst fuel consumption with the trailer, going up hill, plus headwind, plus rocky or muddy terrain? How far are you in between fuel stops? Is fuel available at some of the stops? With my Jeep, I will have a 120l main tank, 65l aux tank, 4x20l cans = 265 L ish. My range is 800-1100 (tel:800-1100) kms. So basing on worst case scenario, I'm looking at 700 kms without stops. A mate has a diesel patrol with a range of 2500kms, again doing different sort of driving, only you know what you will be doing and want.

Are you good mechanically? I'm not. I'm enrolling myself to do a short mechanic and maintenance course at TAFE, welding course and joined SJC to learn from the Jeeples here. Spare parts to bring? Tools? How to?

Ever thought of doing a 4WD course? It'll teach you the basics of 4WD, safe recovery or self recovery.

Extended tow truck service? NRMA's premium road side assistance is a good one, check coverage though as I can't remember.

Jeep's condition? Engine, Radiator, Distributor, Starter, Alternator, Battery, Gearbox, TC, Diffs, Lockers, Brakes
Tyre? Muddies, All Terrain, Highway

Plenty of stuff to consider and read up. All the best

[Heidi]

You could consider a replacement fuel tank to give you extra range - depends on the model TJ though as we could not fit on to my 06 model
Also the TJ can only legally tow 900kg braked and watch the down ball weight - so that will affect the type of trailer you choose. We used to tow a 1991 Aussie Swag camper which was perfect behind the tj but did not have a kitchen
you probably need to carry an extra spare tyre even if just a carcus
you will need to take spare parts as well - include a spare set of bonnet catches
Tassie is cold even in summer - when I went it snowed in January so you might need that heater.

[shefy]

I have done the east coast to top then across the center and back to sydney in a TJ, can go over the mods and problems encountered and lessons learnt (a few of those), have lots of tips. Your standard TJ tank is 72L and any upgrade will give you no more than an extra 43L but will cost you $$$$ fo basically what you can achieve with 2 jerrys ($40).
If you read through my build, it's all in there but the photos stopped working, I'll be happy to share with you my experience and answer any questions you have.

The Prepping is a lot of fun too....

Cheers.

[SteveC]

- - Sent from my Jeep

[Wooders]

I'd suggest fixing the heater core, becuase IF you have an overheating issue you can use the heater to help regulate the engine temp.