JK Wrangler Tips On Canning Stock Route

[humdingerslammer]

Nothing that davidd says, which tends to be doom and gloom, pundit wallah old timer crap than anything of value, will put me off taking the JK up or down the CSR with a trailer. On the trips I have been on with the JK, anything that has broken has not been on or to do with the JK. I, too, travel slowly, so that the trip, rather than the destination, is always the central focus.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by humdingerslammer

Nothing that davidd says, which tends to be doom and gloom, pundit wallah old timer crap than anything of value, will put me off taking the JK up or down the CSR with a trailer. On the trips I have been on with the JK, anything that has broken has not been on or to do with the JK. I, too, travel slowly, so that the trip, rather than the destination, is always the central focus.

good on ya mate. i'd hate you to die wondering , which you seem frightened of doing. i know of a 300ft cliff down south here, wonder if you could survive driving off the edge of it. do you wonder about that.? i'd hate to have you die wondering about it.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by djremixn

Just wondering has anyone done the Canning Stock Route in there JK Wrangler as I am planning a trip and just after some tips for setup etc from anyone that has done it. Thanks Guys..

one direct tip for you. since you're going alone or possibly with humdingerslinger, i would sugest you hire a satellite phone to take with you and arrange for someone to be available to make arrangements to get you out if something breaks. it's a long hard 4wd track , which is not the real problem. it's the isolation and difficulty of getting help if you break down and dont have parts. unless you have outside back-up you will have to rely on some-one else having their trip totally stuffed up while they get you out or go for parts (which in the case of a jk could take weeks to source). would be helpful if you can arrange for a contact who can get the parts and arrange to get them in to you. i guess we have a couple of blokes who will see this as posting another negative, not giving help, and the slinger (who thinks all the site members are a bunch of losers who will never do anything. while he is the great outback hero who won't die wondering like the rest of us.) imagine youself broken down on a sandy track, little or no shade, in 40 to 45 deg heat and no way to fix your vehicle and move on. and no-one for bloody miles in any direction and no phone or radio contact, and the rac or jeep assist or any normal tow truck can't get to you. you end up praying that some-one else who comes up the track, whenever that is, will help you out, and then they will probably just offer you a lift to the closest civilisation, so you can arrange to get your vehicle out as best you can. you need to make the right arrangements to get yourself out if something breaks. and that coupled with a good deal of luck is why some of us are still around after years wandering round the bush. many people do this trip each year, private people and organised tag-along tours with tourist operators. but it is necessary to make the right precautions ahead of time. it isn't haulpac wheels or a 26 inch lift or any of the other stuff that will get you through, it's a well serviced and prepared vehicle, a good list of spares within reason, preferably another vehicle for a mini-convoy and back-up if there is trouble, food, water (lots of water above all else) and plenty of fuel. and also a sat. phone with a friend you can contact if all else fails. cheers.

[double black offroad]

I would be looking at a sturdy rack like a Gobi and remote reservoir shocks at a minimum. Corrugations kill mono tubes, you need the extra cooling. Airbags will help too. Spare belts, spare hoses,fuses etc shocks and 2 tyres also. Minimum all terrains if not MUDs, and a compressor like the new ARB twin which you can run a rattle gun too.
Dropping your tyres low will save a lot of damage too.

A jk, like any 4x4 setup properly will do it easy. No stock 4x4 should do it unless you have a support crew like Top Gear does.

[Yom]

Quality monotubes will hold out longer than a twin tube when being asked to work hard although a rouge stone could turn things to poo very quickly. If your shocks begin to fade you just do as is natural when things get flighty, you slow down.

Having been able to try both flavours I believe the difference is night and day between OME and Bilstein. OME provide a softer ride around town and down the highway but the moment you hit rough sections it gets flighty whereas with Bilsteins it stays planted. OME also get harsher the more aggressive the terrain whereas the Bilsteins just seem to smooth things out. Its quite a surprising difference.

I think you could do it easily if you took it slow. The only risk is the JK gives up the ghost with something failing...like the electrics. Nothing else which is common to the JK is really a show stopper when you're in the middle of nowhere. If you explode a diff, transfer case or something well you have to ask if you were doing something to induce this failure! Running out of fuel is not a fault of the vehicle even it consumes it at an unnatural rate

[redgp]

In the last four years we have done The Simpson (twice) (both east to west and west to east), The Anne Beadell (west to east) The googs track (North to South) and the Canning Stock Route (North to South) in our 07 CRD shorty. Does that qualify us to comment on its suitability to do these trips?

[Macca2801]

Originally Posted by redgp

In the last four years we have done The Simpson (twice) (both east to west and west to east), The Anne Beadell (west to east) The googs track (North to South) and the Canning Stock Route (North to South) in our 07 CRD shorty. Does that qualify us to comment on its suitability to do these trips?

Certainly do...welcome back Steve havent heard from you in ages, didnt you also do all those towing a campertrailer!!

So you did keep the JK?? Hows the 200 series going? Im sure there are heaps of people here now that could benefit from you old posts and trip reports!

Matt.