1000 Kilometre Shakedown and Service

Bushtracker recommends that the van undergo a 1000 km service.
 
This service includes adjustments to the brakes, checking wheel alignment, inspecting the suspension, and adjusting wheel bearings, among other things. Once we were notified of our handover date and aware of the factory's busy schedule, I arranged for the van to be scheduled for its service. That involves an eleven-day turnaround.  

In our case, we were unable to fit all our gear into our Landcruiser before our holidays, so we are towing the van home to Sawtell and then returning for the service before heading off for about three months. The round trip is over the required 1000 km.

Our plan is to spend several days packing the van and testing all the systems to make sure everything is working correctly. We don't expect any problems, but if any arise, they can be addressed during the service. 

 

Even though I have towed a large van before, I was a little hesitant as we headed out onto the Bruce Highway for the drive south towards Brisbane. 

It's always jam-packed along here and past the Gold Coast, with endless streams of traffic going in both directions. However, I shouldn't have worried, because once we settled into a rhythm, the van towed beautifully behind our Landcruiser. 

 

As we entered NSW and crossed the Tweed River, the traffic congestion eased considerably, and the drive became more relaxed for most of the rest of the trip. The exception was the Pacific Highway upgrade, approximately 50 km south of Grafton, where speeds were mainly 80 kph, but dropped to 60 and 40 kph in certain sections.

 

Ros's first task was to cut and fit the non-slip matting to the surface of all shelves and drawers. We have found that Clark Rubber sells the best product that doesn't break down like the cheaper versions. 

 

Another change involved replacing the white Dometic fly screens, which show dirt and shrink over time, with black midge screens. Plus, they look much better anyway. 

It then took several days to load the van and another couple of days to ensure that all our systems were working correctly.

 

The day before leaving, we took a short drive to the local weighbridge to weigh the van and 4WD. It's something we usually do before any trip - a piece of mind to know we are within our limits.  

 

Whenever we travel north towards the Sunshine Coast, towing the van, we always break up the journey and spend the evening at the Yelgun rest area, just north of Brunswick Heads. The only facilities are toilets and BBQS, but the area is far enough away from the highway so there's no road noise at night from the almost constant stream of passing B-doubles.

We are staying again at the Big 4 caravan park at Forest Glen. The caravan park has seen better days, but we only stay here for a night at a time whenever the van is booked into the factory. 

Drop-off time is always 7:00 a.m., and this park is conveniently located near the factory, with minimal traffic to contend with at this time of day. The management is more interested in promoting their new venture, which makes much more sense. This involves building 190 architecturally designed homes, with stage one already sold out. I'm sure that eventually Nature's Edge will encroach on the existing caravan park, which will likely no longer exist as a result. Natures Edge.
 
Our service went off without a hitch (no pun intended), but then that's what we have come to expect from Bushtracker, who in my humble opinion (IOHO) make the best off-road van in Australia.
 
Tonight, we are camping just over 25 km north of the Bushtracker factory. The Eumundi RV stop is more enjoyable than staying cramped in a caravan park, and at just £15 for the night, it is also considerably cheaper. 

The charge covers the use of shower and toilet facilities, along with a dump point, for a maximum of two nights' stay. We enjoyed a lovely happy hour with friends Hank and Deb, who dropped by to say hello. We also received a surprise visit from Stu, whom I haven't seen since 2005.