Redback

After 4 months and 5 days we cancelled our order of the factory CDL from the UK, after we found out that the postage tracking number for it was for delivery within the UK only (THIS WAS THE 2ND ATTEMPT AT GETTING IT) and that it's sitting in the dead letter office of the Royal mail no amount of begging for it to be sent worked. No doubt the first one is there too So the company got a nasty phone call last night to refund our money I will never recommend or deal with Discoparts ever again, in my opinion they have poor customer service, when ordering this CDL they were easy to contact, but soon as the deal was done, nothing at all, no answering the phone or returning emails, nothing and never at any stage of dealing with them and not returning calls or stuffing up the postage twice, did they appoligise. An apology would have been nice fellas. Baz.

Thanks everyone, appreciate it

I've ordered a D2a CDL actuator from them and since we ordered it we have had no replies to phonecalls or emails, and now i'm worried that the CDL wont be coming. The thing is, i want know whether or not it is on the way, so if i have to i can buy another CDL from somewhere else. According to the order it has been processed and is on it's way, but it has been 5 weeks now and nothing and i don't want to risk buying another from elsewhere and then the Discoparts CDL arriving and i'm stuck with 2. Can anyone tell me if they are still going or even better someone that lives near the shop go in and see them for me. Any help would be very appreciated. Barry.

This happened We had some fun up until this, what annoyed me most was i used the maxidrive once and it broke the shaft Baz.

We had some fun up until this, what annoyed me most was i used the maxidrive once and it broke the shaft Baz.

Yes they do all the TD5 are the same except for lenght, it's all about lenght, ask any woman

I saw plenty. 15MB dialup warning Click here to watch MOV06220.MPG Baz.

OK now for something differant a video of me crossing a stretch of mud and water 4 kilometers long (2 1/2 mile approx for the non metric) with the camper in tow, i love my Disco TD5. 15MB dialup warning Click here to watch MOV06220.MPG Baz.

Mines boring, sorry, named after the camper i tow, and it's Australian made, just like the spider

Yes, his intercooler seems to be the best, but it will be a while yet as i'm getting the Maxi drive locker and axles first Baz.

Smoke is part of the first stage but is cured with the intercooler up grade, and we don't have the tuff polution laws you have so it's not too bad. Bruce doesn't have a web page only a phone number. Phone 061 02 9679 1978 Fax......061 02 9679 1993 Baz.

Deleteing cookies and tempory internet files works for me, Inc has changed some of the security settings so this might be it as well. Baz.

OK i don't know if you know of the Bruce Davis ECU upgrade, but here in Aussie it is very popular as this is not a plug in it is an remapping of the ECU. Figures show an increase in power from 102Kw to 130Kw and Torque from 300Nm to 360Nm and it only cost $800aus. I have this upgrade and i can tell you it's bloody brilliant and if you want the intercooler upgrade gives you even more with another increase from 130Kw and 360Nm to 178Kw and 520Nm, this to me sounds a bit high and from talking to Bruce it's more like 165Kw and 450Nm but still awsome. I'll be getting the Intercooler upgrade soon There are a few others here Unichip, Tuneit but they are plugins and twice the price, Unichip is $1800aus. Oh i have an 01 TD5 Disco Baz.

It's a difficult track without lockers although i did without them and with no assisstance, this is the first part of the track. Oh and the 100s Cruiser had to winch B) Dial up warning Watagans video Watagans video 2 Watagans video 3 Baz.

I went for these babies just what i liked, these other ones i found from Scorpion Racing in the UK look really good. Scorpion Racing in the protection section.

Just thought i'd through in a few more photos of trips i've done around our neck of the woods.

OK i found this it might help. "Snatch block" is a specific type of block. A "block" is a "sheave", which is a wheel with a grooved edge to hold the rope or cable, combined with an axle or pin, side plates and a means of attaching it to something, typically a hook or shackle. Blocks are used in "block & tackle" combinations using multiple sheaves and two block assemblies, to increase mechanical advantage. A "snatch block" is a specially-designed block which is used to "snatch" loads or anchors, and is designed so that the side plate can be opened or swung away for the easy insertion of a loop of rope or cable without having to thread a bitter end through the side plates, and can thus be inserted anywhere in the cable without having to remove the load first to change the direction of the cable pull. Snatch blocks are one of the most mis-understood and misused items in the RV winching field, and can cause enormous harm and death if not properly rigged. Remember, if you overload a cable/snatch block, and the block parts from the anchor, you have a 10 or more pound missile flying at great speed, which can kill instantly. The most important thing to remember about snatch block winching, as used in the typical 4wd sceneario, is that there is tremendous force applied to the block/anchor even when using a single-block system for a simple change of line direction. > = vehicle O = block # = anchor - |= line 1. >-----------O| | | | # No mechanical advantage, 1 pound of pull required for each pound of lift/tension. 2. >----------------O| >-----------------| Mechanical advantage = 2/1 1 pound of pull results in 2 pounds of lift/tension. Now for the IMPORTANT part; The amount of force applied to the *block* is dependant upon the angle between the incoming line (to winch) and the anchor line (to tree)! The total load on a block can be as much as *2 times* the load applied. The maximum force on the block comes when the angle of the two lines is 0 degrees, or are parallel to each other as shown in #2 above. The actual load varies with the angle between the legs. Here is the table from the Crosby Group catalog: Angle is the measured angle between the legs of the line as they pass over the block sheave. Factor is the multiplier for the applied line load to calculate the block load. Angle... Factor 0.......... 2 10........1.99 20........1.97 30........1.93 40....... 1.87 50........1.81 60........1.73 70........1.64 80........1.53 90........1.41 100......1.29 110......1.15 120......1 130......0.84 135......0.76 140......0.68 150......0.52 160......0.35 170......0.17 180......0 In #1 above, the angle is 90 degrees, so the factor is 1.41. So a 10,000 pound load will place 14,100 pounds of force on the block/anchor. And in #2 above, if the bitter end of the line is *not hooked to the winched vehicle* but is hooked to a tree or rock next to it, for each pound of winch force applied, the block will be under *twice* the load, while the line strain will be equal to the line pull. So if you apply a full 12,000 pounds of pull, you are putting 24,000 pounds of stress on the block/anchor. If, however, the bitter end *is* attached to the winched vehicle, the block becomes a "traveling block", even though it is attached to a solid object, because the vehicle itself is actually doing the "traveling", and the load on the *line* is halved, since you are using two lines to "support" the load. In this case, the mechanical advantage is 2/1, so you get 2 pounds pull for each pound of winch effort. Now, since you have two lines splitting the load, let's say it's 10,000 lbs. (you're *really* stuck), the line load is halved to 5000 lbs per line, but the *block* load is still 10,000 lbs because of the parallel line angle factor of 2. As you can see, while the load on the winch is cut in half, as is the line speed for winding, the load on the block is *not*, and is equal to the total line load. This is why using a properly rated and carefully maintained block is of the utmost importance when winching. In most RV winching situations, "double-lining" is the best method to reduce stress and strain on the lines and winch motor, at the expense of speed, but may be the *worst* thing you can do from the safety or block standpoint, if your block is not adaquately rated or is in poor condition or if you don't know the strength of the anchor or the stall-pull of your winch. The block is being subjected to twice the force of any of the other components, and consequently the winch operator may never know he is exceeding the capacity of the block until it parts and takes his head off. This is especially true when using very powerful winches. Imagine the stress on a block (and it's anchor as well) when the SUV owner with the Warn 12,000 lb winch double lines to pull his vehicle over an obstacle and sticks a wheel behind a rock, locking the vehicle in place. The winch is already rated for 6 tons single line pull, and adding a traveling block doubles the pulling force to 12 tons. If your snatch block is (as many are) underrated for the winch/line combination, and you have a 6 ton rated snatch block, or even a "really big 8 ton-rated" block, which is commonly sold with RV winches, you still have the potential of block failure because you are using a 6 - 8 ton block with a system capable of exerting 12 tons of force under circumstances where you might not recognize the actual pulling force you are exerting, because you are not really stressing out the winch. A recipe for disaster. This is *even more true* of hydraulic winches, which, unlike electric winches, usually pull until something breaks. With an electric winch, there is a built-in "safety" mechanisim which is that near the maximum-pull winch-stall load, the motor draws enormous amounts of amperage and heats up quickly. This means that the motor will usually stall due to lack of available amperage, increased electrical cable resistance due to heating, or motor overheat long before one can actually reach the rated pull, which is determined under lab conditions. With a hydraulic winch though, the hydraulic motor runs happily along, getting slower and slower, and exerting more and more force, until something snaps, and will *rarely* stall before reaching breaking load. So, one must be *extra* careful when using hydraulic winches, since the winch appears to be quite happy, and is just getting slower and slower, and the typical RV person expects it to stall, which it won't. Please keep in mind that we are always talking about the "safe working load limit" here, and while the ultimate failure safety limit is typically 5 times the working load limit for commercially-rated hoisting gear, it may be less, or non-existent in cheap, uncertified blocks, *particularly* "surplus" blocks available at low price. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!!! USE AN OFF-BRAND, UNCERTIFIED OR SURPLUS BLOCK WHEN WINCHING. Good blocks are expensive for a reason. You spent big bucks on your rig, and big bucks on your winch, don't, for gosh sake, scrimp on your block! I bought two 15 ton McKissick Light Champion snatch blocks last week, and they cost about $125 each, and are worth every dime. Baz.

The longest distance between fuel stops is 520ks approx, we only have the standard 95lt tank and we carried 3 10lt jerrys on the roof and after arriving a Dalhousie still had enough in the tank to get to either Mt Dare or Oodnadatta which is the fuel stops after the desert. Birdsville to Mt Dare is 520Ks approx, the Simpson is only 330ks across but takes 3 days to do, you average about 80 to 100ks a day at an average speed of 15kph approx we averaged 17kph according to the GPS. You'll have no problems with that range, just plan your next day and ask the locals they know more than most. Our best economy on our trip was 13lt/100k and the worst was 17lt/100k we travelled almost 5,000ks, what killed our economy was the roof rack with gear in it, (our normal average is 11.5lt/100k) and we had alot more gear in the back than we would normally carry, this was because our original plan was to leave the camper in Birdsville cross the desert without the camper and return via the desert but using a differant route coming out on the Birdsville track and back to Birdsville for our camper. Weather plays a big part in outback touring. Here's a link to some info; ExplorOz Trek notes Look around in there it's a good sourse of fuel data, and everything even other destinations around OZ Baz.

Part3/4 We left Poeppel Corner about 8.45am passing a Range Rover parked on a side track, they were talking on the Sat phone to the pub at Mt Dare trying to find out if the desert was open from Poeppel on, (so we found out later) so off we went into the Simpson. While crossing the salt pan i noticed the Rangie coming over the dune behind us, Kerry asked me if the Rangie was behind us and i said yep just coming now, i said he must think we know what we're doing Well down the track we noticed camel tracks on the trail and wondered whether we would come across them which we did, 3 of them thats when we decided to stop take some photos and meet the couple in the rangie. After introductions over a cuppa we decided to travel together and so we pushed on to our second camp, after 90ks in 8hrs we camped in between the dunes, had dinner around the fire and got to know Frank & Georgie in their $175,000, 2001 model Rangie. Next morning it was the last leg of the Simpson to Purnie Bore then Dalhousie, about an hour in trouble on a dune, approaching the dune there was a choice, left or right of a sand hump well you guessed it i went the wrong way left and drove straight into a hole, tried to back out but no way i was stuck. Just a small hicup and we were on our way again after being pulled out by Frank. Purnie Bore was a welcome change from the desert with a toilet and a hot shower, it was decided that i have a shower i couldn't smell anything and push on with the advice of a fellow traveller in a Defender if i ever come across this person again i'll throttle him, not good when you can't trust a fellow Landie driver, yeah only 2 hrs to Mt Dare he said, well it was 2hrs to the detour then 1 1/2hrs to Dalhousie and another 2hrs to Mt Dare how wrong could he have been Anyway enough said about him this is what lay ahead after Purnie Bore a 4k section of water as far as the eye could see in almost all directions The Rangie got stuck in this, sliding into the gutter and loosing momentum, coupled with the auto traction control not letting the wheels spin and road tyres she ground to a halt, i unhooked the camper and went back to get him out when he said he would reverse back and have another go, after a couple of goes he managed to get going in reverse and going back about 300mtrs he tried again successfully this time keeping away from the side of the track and out Part 4 After spring creek delta on the bypass road to Dalhousie we came across this beautiful crossing. So off again and our stop for the night Dalhousie Springs and the end of our journey together with Frank and Georgie a sad occasion as we have built up a good friendship over the last 3 days, Nessie was crook and we decided to stay a bit longer and Frank and Georgie wanted to push on to Marree for the night, so we exchanged numbers and off they went. What a lovely place Dalhousie is a natural hot spring in the middle of nowhere, the temp of the water is 37 degrees and just heaven, we spent nearly 4hrs in there until Nessie was well enough to travel. Dalhousie springs; Oodnadatta was our next place to visit, then Marree, Peterborough, then home cutting our trip short because our dog was hit by a car and the girls wanted to rush home to see them. A great trip. Baz.

OUR INLAND ADVENTURE Part 1/2 Thought i'd share our outback holiday, our first in the Disco And to show how wonderfull Australia is B) After packing the car the night before we settled in for a anxious night with not much sleep nervios with excitement to the 3 weeks away, we woke up around 7.00am and had breakfast showered put the last things in the car and headed off, our first spot was Mendooren a free camp spot behind the police station right on the river and apart from the moron running his genny all night a brilliant spot ( we were far enough away for it not to bother us too much) Next morning another casual start, some breaky then off again leaving around 8.30am for Bourke, we found another free camp at Mays bend about 13k north of Bourke right on the Darling river and right under a huge river gum, it was a beautiful spot, with all the rain it was a bit muddy so picking a dry line was critical aspecially with the camper attached butgot in OK, after setting up we sat down by the fire and just soaked up the atmosphere with a beer of coarse had dinner then off to bed. Next morning i woke to a beautiful sunrise so i had to share it with Nessie with some effort i finally got her up to wittness it, we then had breaky, then packed up, reluctently i might add, and headed off again, we had no probs getting out even with the track being chopped up from others coming in during the night. Next place was Cunnamulla for lunch and supplies then Eulo to have a look at the Date farm and mud springs bought some date wine, Liqueur, Port and Dates then headed for our camp for the night, Lake Bindingooly another lovely spot just past the Paroo river which was flooded and the Lake had no water, only twice in whitemans history that it didn't have water in it just our luck oh well still a great spot, tomorrow we will be camping at the Dig tree our first camp we pay for, $11 for the night, and worth every penny, it is right on the Cooper creek and just plain beautiful, our first and thankfully only real problem in the trip was the reset switch, which i fixed while crossing the Simpson, as it was an intimitant fault and only because of where we mounted this switch after installing my dual battery system, it's a fuel cut off which is activated after a large inpact or rollover, it went off after we hit a very large trench across the road caused by water errosion, this hole was about 2' wide and 1 foot deep and we hit it around 70kph, after we came to a stand still i asumed the worst and thought our trip was over, some guys working the gas rigs tried to help but as the mechanic said, geez maaate don't know much about these Land Rovers, anyway after much swearing and panic i remembered why it had stopped pressed the reset switch and we were back on the road again and off to the Dig Tree much to everyones relief, it happened a few more time till i stuffed something in the switch to solve the problem for good, all that techknoledgy stopped by an old rag . After having a look around we then headed for Innaminka to fuel up and fix our pole carrier which had the end cap come off, after much searching i found something to use but it had taken such a beating from the gibbers in the Stoney desert it was behond repair so we transfered the poles to the one on the roofrack and inside the camper then headed for Birdsville via Cordillo Downs, Coongie Lakes and Cadelga ruins staying the night at Cadelga ruins, next to a creek, this was one of many homesteads that didn't survive this area due to drought and and harsh weather conditions, Cordillo Downs being the exception. It's now a great free camp spot for travellers with a hot bore that you can have a shower at if you choose and nice flat grass area for camping, all right by a creek, just brilliant. We got up about 7.00am packed up and next stop Birdsville arriving at 10.30am as we drove into town we saw Willems GQ a friend from ExplorOz, parked outside Karstens Big Red Cafe, so we stopped in to chat and have one of Karstens famous cappuccinos, i have to say after meeting Karsten i was urprised that SHE is actually a HE and a top bloke too, very friendly and entertaining aspecilly with fire sticks we then booked into the caravan park for our 3 night stay for the ExplorOz gathering and a place to leave our camper while we crossed the Simpson Desert, for me this was the main reason for the trip, the gathering was seconary really but still a great way to meet old and new friends. After booking in and meeting Ruth and Ian (EO members) we setup, then Willem came over, he was already there on day 85 of his big trip he had booked into a cabin for some luxury as he put it for the gathering. After much talking and catching up over a few drinks we decided we would look around Birdsville, 5 minutes later we were back at the caravan park to see what sights there were to see around Birdsville, it was decided that we would have dinner at the pub then a few night caps and look around tomorrow while we waited for others to arrive for the gathering. The Desert in bloom; While waiting for the others to arrive for the EO gathering the rain came friday morning about 2.00am and didn't stop till saturday as a concerquence all roads in and out of Birdsville were closed, as well as Innaminka and all surrounding towns, the only people aloud on the closed roads were those who were already on that road when it was closed. Because of this i missed out on that beer with John (Big Ted} from AULRO. JohnR & Ruth, Wim & Judy were the first to arrive then later Howard & Margret, John & Edel & Ava and last of all Mike & Ruth, they made it in on the closed roads but were on them when they were closed so were aloud to carry on. The gathering was good we had it at Karstens Big Red Cafe, we sat around the fire at the cafe talked and drank and eat the night away with in house entertainment from Karstens fire juggling show with Karsten as the star, there was Karsten from the cafe, Ruth from the van park and me, Kerry, Venesser and the above people, a great night, thanks to Karsten for his hostpitality and everyone else that came, it was a shame the others couldn't make it but thats the bush and besides they need the rain. The next day, sunday we went to big red for a play and a camp cook up at the foot of Big Red another good day to finish the gathering, monday was the day all were leaving for home or more adventures to come, ours being the crosing of the Simpson with a slight change of plans from our original one of the car only, it was decided that towing the camper across was a better option as there was more rain predicted and we didn't want to be in the situation of being stuck somewhere and not be able to get back to Birdsville to pick it up, so the decision was made to take the camper. Part 2 Monday morning was a casual start as we meet some people from the Subaru recreational 4WD club and John(Big Ted)and his lovely wife Linda from AULRO, we were supposed to meet up on friday but like many others the rain put paid to that, still we got to go to Poeppel with him, but they were only going to Poeppel corner and coming back, but asked if we could tag along and they said OK and we were off on our crossing, so to Big Red, air down and off we went a good crossing with only one car getting stuck in a really rutted muddy section, it was a combination of no ground clearence and not enough right pedal, other than that no dramas except that bloody reset switch going off a few times but i fixed that and it was clear sailing from then on to Poeppel. The last salt pan before Poeppel really soft and muddy but no prob. After the night at Poeppel the hard stuff started lots of dunes, some steep ones as well, corrigations rut, holes and bumps, still all good and the Landy handle it with ease. The first clay pan after Poeppel.

OK thats wierd

Ya get around Ray, looking around myself not bad really and friendly too thanks Cols110. Baz.

Work for local goverment as a storeman, i'm basicly semi retired Baz.

2001 Land Rover Discovery Series II TD5 Manual Modifications; Safari Snorkle ARB Roo bar 9000lb Toyo X-9 Superwinch Traxide SC40 Dual battery system Exide ST620 75AH marine deepcycle battery Cibie super oscers Home made storage drawers & box 4 Tonne Big Haul handwinch GPS105 UHF/GPS Combo Mobileone 4.5db antenna Cooper S/T-Cs 245/75/16 Bruce Davis ECU upgrade Airbox modification 2" lift Old Man Emu coils 50mm extended Bilstein shocks Navman PiN pocket PC GPS Waeco CDF35 12v fridge Rhino roof bars, shovel holder & pole carrier Roof basket Homemade rubbish bag over spare wheel To tow our; Redback country explorer campertrailer. To come; Longrange tank Intercooler upgrade Baz.

In a house, in a street, in a suburb, in a city, in a stralya Peakhurst (Sydney)