Land rover Discovery.

[getaway]

Having a prolapsed disc in my lower back was causing me a lot of grief driving my tow vehicle. (Ford Courier twin cab ute) so I bit the bullet and bought a 1995 Land rover discovery.

Have had one before and know they would have to be one of the most comfortable vehicles around.

3.9 litre multi point injected V8 with 4 speed auto.
It has a dual fuel system allready fitted

The towing capacity of my previous tow vehicle was 1800 kg,
the Discovery has a towing capacity of 3.5 tonne!
So if we ever decide to upgrade to a larger van we have it covered.

Driving a b-double for a living is hard on my back at the end of my working day (12 hour shifts) I was driving home in the Courier and feeling like I was still in the truck.

So we now have a vastly improved vehicle comfort wise with a vastly improved towing capacity. Win win.

Mick.

[kiwijim]

G'day Mick,

Great to hear that you are happy with the new tow vehicle,

It sure makes a difference when you have the right machine for the job,

On our last trip up North I was amazed at what people were trying to tow caravans with...........something like a small 4 pot Pajero pulling a 22 ft van,
and they wonder why they are stuck on the side of the road in 50+ deg with the radiator screaming.

On our last trip we used our 88 Fairmont, she went O.K. but time is catching up to her, so when I picked up the Nissan Patrol for a song we really knew now that we have the power to tow the Thomson anywhere. ;D ;D

Sorry to hear about the back Mick,
it's hell when it gives out on you and your 8-9 hrs from home,

I did mine in once on the job, all I was doing was stretching up to pull a length of poly pipe off the back of the truck,
I was lucky in a way,I was taken home on a stretcher hanging out the back of an old H.Z. wagon, but no joke when I spent the next 3 weeks on my back in bed.

If you get caught with the flamin back ache I found a red hot water bottle stuck behind you did the trick, you are so worried about the bottle bursting that you are inclined to forget the pain ,for a while anyway ;D ;D ;D

Take care Mick.....watch out for the revenue raisers.

kiwijim

[bobt]

Hi Mick

Glad to see you back on the forum. Good to hear you have made a recovery. Go easy on those nightshifts...

The Discovery sounds a bit of alright. The 3.9 is miles better than the 3.5. I am told they have plenty of potential to "tweak" The LPG is a real bonus, it will keep the running costs down.

Yep you could do a double with that towing capacity you could tow a his and hers.. or just add the boat on the rear...

I have seen a lot of vans towed by Discoveries but never tried one myself. You will have to keep us posted..

bobt

[getaway]

Good idea Bob.

I have a "road train" licence.

Just got to find a boat to hook up behind the van.

Mick.

[bobt]

[glow=red,2,300]aaaah excellent[/glow]. ;D ;D

what are you doing in july, we are going to the gold coast....

you could come too..


tow my boat behind your caravan ;D ;D ;D

[getaway]

Bob, working in July.

Just got home from a big day out. Left home at 4.00 A.M. and got home at 8.00 P.M.

Drove down to Ritters Automotive in Burwood (Land Rover specialists) had a dual battery system fitted.
To power my 40 litre Engel and 12 volt power for the fridge in the Van whilst in transit.

Very impressed with their work ethic, attention to detail and very good job.

Hoping to get a weeks leave soon so we can head off in the van!

Mick.

[bobt]

Hi Mick

That made for a big day...

I have heard lots of good things about Ritters from others with rangies & Discos.

That was indeed a good thing to do with yours. I wish I could do something similar. I have the fridge but I don't have the height to put it in the boot of my tow car, ... doh..

More fridge space is certainly something we would like when we do our little bits of travel. One day I will buy a wagon of some sort.

So where are you heading for your holiday?

Bob

[getaway]

Bob, I have to admit we are not being very adventurous.

More of a "shake down cruise".

Location is a very lovely spot called "Aysons' Reserve" located on the banks of the Campaspe river. (6 klm from home).

Very popular with vanners, has toilet facilities but not much more.
It is a very pretty location. Close enough to home should we need to get something ie, more firewood but far enough away so that we can't hear the traffic!

This spot is very busy and "packed out" on Easter/public holidays
but pleasantly quiet the rest of the year.

Another bonus is fuel costs! Being only 6 klm from home, the fuel expenditure is not going to break the bank.

Plus there is another bonus, there is usually a few other vanners there (good for security reasons).

Only going for a few days, 1st May- 4th May.

Mick.

[bobt]

Hi Mick

A holiday away to a loverly little spot in the caravan is always a good thing....

6K or 6,000 k... it does not matter, specially if the spot is a nice one unfortunately 6k would not get me out of Melburn

Enjoy your break away

[getaway]

Just got home.

Here is a pic of our van and tow vehicle.

Mick.

[getaway]

Some of the beautiful views from our caravan door.

Mick.

[getaway]

Not big on computers or digital cameras.

How I got my new digital camera to work is a bloody miracle!

How I got to post the few pics on here is much more "good luck" than "good management".

Here is another view that greeted us from the caravan door.

Mick.

[getaway]

What a beautiful 4 days we had.

Nothing broke down!

First pic is our van and our new tow vehicle.

Pic shows my wife "flat out" reading the paper.

Next two pics show the beautiful location we were in on the banks of the Campaspe River.

Exactly 9 klms from home!

Gods' own country.

Had a very relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable 4 days.

Mick.

[bobt]

Hey Mick

What can I say..... you did a "Getaway". Well done

Certainly is a loverly spot you choose to stop. Seems like the weather was kind too... Glad to hear you had a good break. Makes all the effort and outlay worth while

Congratulations on posting Picks. I didn't realize it was your first attempt. I am still trying to get a grip on it. You should stand up and pat ya self on the back... mastering a new digital camera and posting the results.... Well done.

The car and caravan looks like a good combination..

So are you hooked??? ;D ;D


So okay. When and where is the next trip?

bobt

[getaway]

Bob,

probably back to the same location, Queens' birthday weekend.
Weather permitting.

So convenient!

Ducked back home to pick up paper, more firewood etc and have a shower.

Very peaceful spot, lots of wildlife.

Few other vanners who wander over and say hello

Just dosen't get any better.

Mick.

[bobt]

MICK

wots this.................popped home for a shower???

your suppose to be away on holiday....

You could have taken a dip in the river... ;D ;D

sounds to me a bit like you need some sort of shower tent...

I note you did not disconnect the caravan from the car.... is this in event that you needed to make a fast getaway? ;D ;D

Sure looks like a nice spot you stopped at.

you do get to meet some nice people when you do things like this..

Bobt

[atouchofglass]

Hey Mick


Some times it is just getting away with no lights from neighbours or cars and barking dogs

Campfire at night and just the stars to look at.....
Now I'm just plain jealous

Your 2nd and third photos could have come out of a postcard for the Australian inland

Glad to hear you had a good and relaxing time


Cheers
Atog

[getaway]

Bob, re popping home for a shower.

My wife and I are getting a bit "soft" in our old age.

Had to get more firewood anyway.

Re leaving the van hooked up.

I guess this is my lack of vanning experience.

Figured van would be more stable if still connected to tow vehicle.

Gas tank takes up most useable space in the rear section of the Disco so my wife brought her car with us, great for re-supply of firewood etc.

The camp fire is a "must" when we go away.
It's just not the same without it.

I use an old truck brake drum to contain the fire plus the "radiant heat" these things give off is incredible!

My wife and I are "novices" as far as vanning goes.
We are learning the caper as we go.
We continually modify things. When we return home we sit down and discuss what we needed and didn't take and what we could have done without.

It's an ongoing thing.

Our van is an old one and far from "perfect" but we still have a lot of fun in it. Still a lot of things that really need to be done to it but thankfully we can still get out there and enjoy ourselves!

We leave a fair bit of equipment in the van whilst parked up at home, that way we can head off virtually at a minutes notice.

We often act on impulse. Nothing doing this weekend, let's head off in the van for a couple of days.
Having the van allows us a lot of flexibility and "cheap" but "quality" time away. We love it.

Mick.

[kiwijim]

G'Day Mick,

Glad to see that someone is getting out and enjoying a spot of camping,

A bit of advise......don't hold your breath over sorting out just what you need or don't need when you next pack the van for a trip. ;D ;D ;D

I have been trying to tell the bottle of spice (Wife) what to take or not take in our different vans for the last 30 years,

Gave up long ago, there always seems to be extra goodies ( Card games etc etc ) and tons of cloths rammed in every available space..........

counted 6 pullovers and coats, 6 spare blankets, sheets, at least a dozen towels plus a dozen pairs of shoes,
and that was only in the wardrobe.

great looking tow vehicle you have there Mick, any chance of a swap with the Patrol I have ;D

kiwijim

[bobt]

Hi Mick

Nothing wrong with owning an old caravan... that is why your here... it is either a classic or a vintage.. If it was new you would probably not have an interest in this site. It certainly has no bearing on you having a good time..

I am sort of with Kiwijim. We too have been caravaning for a long time we still seem to be able to find the need for more to add to our collection to take on our travels.

My dear beloved is very good at adding to the contents. Every now and again I go and have a clean out. If I am smart I put it away inside. When I am not I usually get either "What is that doing out of the caravan?" or my favourite... "Where did you find that? I have been looking everywhere for it" ;D ;D

A few trips away and you will have all the essentials sorted. All we do now is thow in clothes and food.... and go....

I love the open fire but I do not carry a container with me or firewood, use to carry an axe but stopped doing that as most of the places we go to either have provision for fires and all the necessary or don't allow it.

seems to me you will need to sort some storage arranges for the rear of the disco...

now go and "getaway" in it.. ;D ;D

Bobt

[getaway]

[getaway]

Had issues re storage/carting of an adequate water supply.

We used to carry 3-20 litre plastic drums.

Not very satisfactory as they were heavy/awkward and the taps leaked.

So we bought a water container (see above picture).

This is (food grade) plastic, holds 60 litres.

I have also purchased 4 recessed rings for securing the webbing straps that hold the water tank secure.

These recessed rings will be welded to the rear floor of the Disco.

When not in use the rear seat folds back to its' upright position.

These modifications to the Disco will not be visible when the rear seats are in their normal position.

Securing method is probably a bit of "overkill" but I don't want 60 litres of water coming forward toward me at a great rate of knots in the event of a sudden stop. :

See images of these recessed rings below.

Mick.

[getaway]

[bobt]

Hi Mick

Glad you are securing this monster into the rear of the disco. Absolutely positive the last thing you want is something like that flying loose around the inside in the event of an unplanned sudden stop.

I gather you are planning some serious off the beaten track type camping..

[getaway]

Bob,

Not too far off the beaten track!

Just believe in the need to carry plenty of clean, quality water in a "safe secure" manner.

Mick.