Trip 3 preparations Sunday 3rd June 2012

Solar panels in storage rack

Empty removable rack

New battery with wiring. Steel strip in foreground is stiffener for water tank underneath

Kitchen/ kitchen drawer with skid rails

New table top to replace the deceased plastic one

Drawer in operation, stove stored in front pocket

Inside the trailer showing skid rails for drawer

Plumbing and electricals to rear of water tank under trailer

New gas bottle for water heater under this cover 

Water heater mounted in front box

Water pump tank connectors and pump

Water tank and stone guard under trailer

New storage box for ramps

New storage box for trailer water hoses etc. 

Hi Folks,
It has been nearly 2 months since we returned to home base to regroup for another journey into the countryside. The time has passed extraordinarily quickly and most jobs have of course not proceeded as rapidly as planned. Changes on the home front! My son who was renting our house has purchased his own with his partner. The timing was good since Susan's daughter has returned from Canada and has moved in. My daughter will join her when we leave so we will have 2 tenants providing us with a modest income stream.

 Camper modifications,
After considering the purchase of a small generator I decided instead to purchase another solar panel. We now have 2 * 110 Watt panels along with an MPPT charger controller which increases the charging efficiency by around 30%. I have added a new deep cycle battery to the camper trailer to complement the existing deep cycle battery in the back of the car which runs the fridge and internet. The extra storage and charging capacity should enable us to endure the days when the sun doesn't shine. A generator is easier but it is bulky to carry, noisy unless you spend large dollars and would require a dedicated fuel can. The solar panels are stored inside the trailer on a removable aluminium frame. The supports for the panels in use are removable and can be attached in a couple of minutes.

We have built a large pull out storage drawer from 17mm plywood. It runs on aluminium skid rails installed on the trailer base. The drawer will hold groceries which will alleviate the double handling system we currently endure. Susan has also refurbished our Drifta kitchen with sanding and revarnishing. We have removed one set of legs and I am now using a good sized rare earth magnet to retain the legs tightly in the frame when we slide it into the trailer.

The major project this time has been the installation of a 65 litre water tank under the trailer along with the associated plumbing and electrical connections. The water tank is plastic with 9mm walls and doesn't need a wrap around stone guard. I have installed a light stone guard made from leftover ridge capping from our pergola installation. The aluminium storage box now contains our hot water heater. This stayed home on our Tasmanian outing since we barely used it on our first trip north due to the time taken to set it up. Now it is just a matter of turning it on and turning on the tap. This gives us instant hot water plus a shower nozzle if we require it. A pump now supplies cold water to a new tap in the kitchen. The kitchen plumbing is connected using standard click on garden hose fittings. The tank is refilled via a hose. I also have a submersible 12 volt pump so we can fill the water tank from a bucket if mains water is not available. We will still carry a jerry can of water just in case!

Other jobs completed on the camper are, A storage box for the wheel ramps and chocks, a storage box for the hose fittings, a new master cylinder for the trailer brakes, a gas bottle rack on the front of the trailer for the water heater, an auxiliary inverter in the trailer box and moving the tailgate chains out side the trailer. Of course there was also the associated repainting of stone chips. I have also moved the 3G aerial on the roof rack so it no longer interferes with the roof rack straps and moved the shovel holders under the roof rack bars so I could fit the fishing rod holders. Under the bonnet an oil and filter change plus a replacement of the coolant. I have also made up a little light bar with an LED strip light donated by my son. I am sure there are some other jobs I have forgotten but that's the bulk of them.

Now to departure date. We are ready so could leave tomorrow if we have to but will leave on Thursday the 7th and head in the direction of ...... Byron Bay the exact route is not known but it will be fairly direct using free camps as much as possible.

cheers Simon