Simpson Desert - Pajero Io meetup

Simpson desert

A lot have happened, but mainly all good ! The car have done very well. I will have to replace the windscreen. One of the first road train we crossed, on main road, drove on the shoulder and we received a shower of big gravel all over the car...5 or 6 little start on the windscreen but it did hold :).

I found myself nervous just before starting the crossing and on the first day in the desert, doubting myself and my preparation. Forgetting a box on the rear, on the top of the roof (OOPS!), then a damaged leaking water container didn't help. Then I notice that these were fixed as quick as they appeared and that I was well prepared indeed and enjoyed again what became a fantastic trip. 

I have to recheck these number but in total we drove 5275 km using about 680 litre Total average of 12.89 litre/100km, a good part on dirt road.

The crossing of the Simpson was about 570km using close to 83 litre average of 14.46 litre/100km. We took the WAA line, a bit longer. We took our time and stayed 5 nights in the desert. The Simpson have about 1100 sand dune to be crossed...I didn't check !

The drive was very slow at time, but mostly because of the roughness of the track more that the difficulty of it. The third day we only drove 86 km, mainly on first gear (high) as it was very bumpy ... and I took my time !.

Some sand dune were very very soft sometime with some "capping" done by the wind. On one particular day, the wind was strong and the track was just missing in the last few meter, just added a bit of fun ! on some top section but I didn't have to use the low gear . Tyre pressure were 10 psi for the front 14 psi at the rear. This might seem low but my car is light and the sidewall on my BFG very strong, they barely bag at these pressure and I was mainly in second gear.

I had to reverse 3 times or so, mainly because you get use to a certain dune size, then you underestimate the bigger one once in a while. At the beginning I took some good momentum to make sure I crossed, but the track was so rough that I took the slow approach for...comfort...and it worked well.

I got stuck once, again, my fault. I was in front of 3 tracks, I said "no chicken track for Claude" and took the steeper middle section. I failed on the first go, done in on the second try but it was no track on the down section ! One track was on the left, one on the right, but at different level with a high pile of sand in between. My car landed on it, It took a short while to remove the sand pile, much lighter than the mud I was used to dig in the Brindabella (my muddy backyard). Again, good fun

Big Red was another story....

First, Big Red is the bigger sand dune close to Birdsville at the end of the crossing. My only experience with Big Red was from reading and viewing some video on utube. The sand is very soft, and the dune steep. From what I read the grip in the sand do change from day to day, even from morning to evening mainly because of the level on humidity inside it. So it is easier in the morning than late in the afternoon, once the sun have dry up the sand. We arrived around 2pm.

The video I saw showed 3 tracks, one harder one easy....when I arrived the hard track (on the left) looked way harder than the video ! As I came this far, I wasn't going to try the chicken track.  2 local car were at the bottom, watching... my wife was filming. First go, first gear 4HLc 12 and 14 psi...2500/3000 rpm, failed, not enough power. Good, I love challenges ! Second try, first low gear....3000 rpm, failed...not enough grip. I started to think, this is not right, it looked so much easier on the video. At the time the watcher told my wife that I could take the easier track, she told them that I wanted to go the hard way ! Anyway, I dropped the tyre pressure to bag as more as I could, around 5 psi ! ...low gear, 3000 rpm, diff lock on...still no go but so close!!  and I was running out of option. I noticed that near the top I had to go from the left to the right side of the track so I tried to start on the right and hold the rpm at 5000 and put my ARB diff lock on....she screamed and the last 5 meter were at slow walking pace .... but to the top I came :)  I was like a kid at the top of the world, I have been wanted to do that for a long time. Climbing Big Red is not that important, really, but it is the ...cherry on the cake :)

The watcher clapped as they told me that they didn't think I was going to make it, not many do....

Then, as I told them that it looked so much easier on utube..... they told me that the track I took was a new track ! mainly used to go down to make a new and much harder track....hard it was. I took it a second time for fun and make a bit more video of it. So now instead of 3 track, these is a fourth one.....I just didn't see the one on the far right, yes the chicken track !

More to come....

Happy io