Is the Plenty Highway as tough as they say? Van update after the Gibb/Cape - what broke? Ep 42

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This week ‪@nextleveloz‬ we cross the Plenty Highway into Central Australia - a notorious road, but we find out if it's as rough as they say. We start off at Boulia for Tobermorey Station, then to Jervois Station and Gemtree.
And yes the team at Jervois Station said they pronounce it "Jer-voyce".
Continuing from last week we also do another bonus, special segment responding to subscriber request about the van. While we don't do a full van review as some have asked, we've done reviews previously, this week we provide a much requested update of the van after having completed the Gibb River Road, Savannah Way, Cape York (and some of Central Australia). What broke and what kit do we recommend to help protect your van?
Welcome to Episode 42 of our Big Lap Gap Year. We're David and Paula @nextleveloz. Like many of you, we've worked hard for 40 years, but we are too young to retire. So we're taking a gap year from work, we've bought our first ever caravan and are doing a Big Lap around Australia taking in the iconic destinations of our fabulous country.
This channel is for fun and to share our trip of a lifetime and 100% of any ad revenue earned goes to charity.
We'd love your comments, questions and tips. We hope you will like and subscribe and share the videos with others as we look forward to sharing our journey around this magnificent country.
Some links relevant to content in this video:
Min Min Encounter Boulia: www.outbackqueensland.com.au/...
Tobermorey Station: tobermoreystation.com.au
Jervois Station : macdonnellranges.com/Jervois-v...
Gemtree : gemtree.com.au/caravan-park/

Опубликовано:

10 ноя 2023

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Комментарии : 61

@jeetts59 8 месяцев назад

I do like your combination of entertainment and useful information, a great combination. The plenty h/w is on my bucket lists so that was very interesting.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks so much for watching and the feedback. The Plenty is being gentrified rapidly. The is still a rough section in the centre and of course it will be closed by any major wet/ flooding. But what a great way to head across to the Centre! We don’t do much review and equipment stuff - but we do try to point out what has worked and not worked as we go. But we never set out to be a review channel and we don’t do sponsorships etc so at least it’s not paid advertisement either. The challenge is making sure it doesn’t get too long either. We will keep trying to get the balance right though 👍. Thanks again. Much appreciated.

@geoffwellington5738 6 месяцев назад

Tobermorey Station is a must stop had a night there is mid 2022, fantastic set up, thanks for the video

@nextleveloz 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment - much appreciated. Tobermory was a great stopover. We enjoyed it. HNY

@ianbailey4114 8 месяцев назад

As a Base owner really liked the review as this is useful info.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

thanks Ian. Happy to share as constructively as we can. We love our Base and hope that sharing helps not only other Base owners but the general issues might help any van owners contemplating similar journeys. thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. All the best.

@diannehavelberg5875 8 месяцев назад

Thank you another great videogood to no how those roads are we like the information keep it up safe travels

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks again. Road conditions can vary so greatly across a season and with roadworks. But the Plenty is one of the iconic remote roads - so glad you’re found it useful. Thanks again and best wishes.

@michaelsecomb4115 8 месяцев назад

Good to see The Plenty is being improved since we travelled it.

@michaelsecomb4115 8 месяцев назад

BTW watch those cattle grids with the join on the centre. We met a bloke who had slashed both driver's side tyres, which were ruined. Never hit the joint.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

@@michaelsecomb4115 This is a great point. You can hit some of those grids quite hard especially if the approach is eroded - and as you say you have to try to ensure you don’t put a tyre in the centre on those with that centre join.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching and the comment. It won’t be too long before most of it is sealed. There is a big push to deal / improve the entire Outback Way from Winton to Laverton.

@robyndehavilland1609 8 месяцев назад

I just love the aerial shots of driving those outback roads. Really shows how vast and beautiful the Aus middle of nowhere is ❤️. Great to see Paula showing us around the stops 😄

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks again. Much appreciated. Paula is trying to get more involved which is great. It’s not an easy thing to do. I get a bit iffy about the drone shots but those remote regions are really hard to give a feel for the vastness at ground level - so glad they do that because that’s what we hoped for.

@damianvears4149 8 месяцев назад

Great honest review of your van. 😊

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching and the feedback. We try to keep it real. It’s a great van and we love traveling in it, but things break don’t they. Happy to share our experience. Thanks again. cheers

@atoieno 8 месяцев назад

A bit of memory lane for me..... I did the Plenty in the "old" Defender a few years ago.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching and the comment. Both the road and the Defender have been improved now 😂😉. Seriously though, that must have been a bit of an adventure. We thought it would be tougher with more corrugations, ruts and bull dust holes over its length, but with the exception of a 70-80km rough section right in the middle between Tobermorey and Jervois, it wasn’t too bad and it’s increasingly being sealed at either end. Glad we did it while it was still a bit rustic. In time though it will be a great main axis across the centre. Thanks again though and hope the old Defender is going well.

@atoieno 8 месяцев назад

@@nextleveloz The old Defender is still going well but I now also have a new one which I prefer to drive .....it is like stepping from the Stone Age into the 21st century.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

@@atoieno Yep. I spent a good part of 15 years in and out of Series 3s and Perenties. I’m not an old romantic. They did the job for sure, but dusty, uncomfortable, hot, cold. No rose tinted glasses here either! cheers

@Sansui313 8 месяцев назад

Great comments and footage Dave and Paula you travel well as a team and produce great content. Towed my van with the Defender away for 10 days short trip only 675ks but very impressed with it so far once I got it set up and learned how to use the Pivi system. Driving took a bit to get used to with the higher profile tyres going from 40 to 65. Fuel usage little better than the Q7 considering van weighs 2.6t but the ride is much more comfortable. Tow mirror mounts arrived yesterday and are a great addition. Happy travels guys...

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Happy travels to you also. It’s a very capable tow car.

@StephenFogarty2023 8 месяцев назад

Great video David & Paula. Fantastic footage via drone of the scenery As u said, due to previous big rain etc, very green in many places. The van review was very balanced and fair 👍

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Hi mate. We’re really glad we did it and it was an interesting way to come across to the Centre. The whole Outback Way improvement will be great for vanners overall, even if we had hoped for that extra big of challenge. That said there is nothing fun about really badly corrugated roads, mud ruts and bull dust holes. I really don’t like doing those van and car reviews - but they are by far the most common request. So many of the walk arounds are by sponsored / paid affiliates which means anything with a bit of balance can come off looking negative. Zone make a great van- I say it to everybody. We get all sorts of people randomly coming to ask and look at the van. But that doesn’t mean things can’t break or that some things can’t improve. Given where we’ve been, it’s done very well. But like us, nothing is perfect!

@shauncooper9942 7 месяцев назад

We love watching your videos and hoping to start off ourselves next year fingers crossed

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

Hi. Thank you for watching and we really appreciate the feedback and comments. How exciting, planning and getting ready for your Lap. You will have a ball. Is this your first van/ big trip or are you experienced vanners?

@shauncooper9942 7 месяцев назад

@nextleveloz hi, no we're far from experienced at caravanning . We've bought a Franklin 17'6" single axle and a v6 Amarok to tow with. Only 1 holiday so far in it but looking forward to a 3month shakedown trip to nsw south coast and iron out any flaws to progress to life on the road

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

@@shauncooper9942 You will love it. It can take a little bit of getting used to but relax, take it easy and won’t take long to settle to vanlife. How exciting. Best wishes

@usanz94 7 месяцев назад

Really enjoying the content and quality of the videos. We are planning our lap for about 18 months time in a L663. What towing mirrors have you fitted, they look pretty secure.

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

Hi. Thank you for watching and the feedback. It is much appreciated. How exciting to be looking forward to your Lap. 🤗😁. The Mirrors are Milenco mirrors and arms but mounted in a Defender3D bracket. Check out the filling link - i’d strongly recommend that bracket for your L663. We were lucky and got some of the last of the Bruunsgard mirrors which aren’t distributed in Australia anymore. They were good but pretty much nothing else stays secure on the Defender side mirrors. So the Defender3D mounts are schmick! defender3d.co.uk/products/ols/products/tow-mirror-mounting-solution All the best with your Lap planning and your trip. It will come and go faster than you can imagine! cheers

@PeterRowe-ip7ow 8 месяцев назад

Another great video David and Paula. I have the BOS jockey wheel and it is one of the better additions I have made to my van.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Hi. Thanks for watching and the feedback. Yes, Id agree with that sentiment. I regret not getting the BOS. It was out of supply momentarily, but as it worked out, that delay wasn’t any longer than it took to get the Blackjack. I hate having to connect an anderson cable on and off as an extra step. In fairness it’s a good trailer jack and would suit many people. But for me the BOS is probably the better choice.

@andreareed3273 7 месяцев назад

Great video guys, as another Base owner, I thought we were the only ones with the minor issues (almost exactly the same, also check under the bed). And yes, we love our Base.

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

Hi. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Some of these things, while warranted and ideally don’t happen, are relatively minor given the places these vans are expected to go. What’s the issue under the bed though? Thanks again and hope you have many safe and enjoyable travels in your Base.

@andreareed3273 7 месяцев назад

Thankyou, we have just returned after travelling for 5 months and loved every minute. We noticed the bed base has pulled away from the front frame. We have loved your videos and taking notes for our next adventure. Safe travels and can't wait for the next instalment.

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

@@andreareed3273 Thanks for that. I don’t think we have that one. We will keep an eye on it just in case.

@jasonsimpfendorfer935 8 месяцев назад

Another great vid I like your idea of a mid life gap year. I am 54 and corporate drone Cannot wait to get back on the road and have some adventures

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching and great comment thank you. We need to earn a living and pay the bills don’t we? Like most people we’ve done that for a long time (not much longer than you have ) and we can’t contemplate retirement as such. But life is not a dress rehearsal. Been the best thing we’ve done in a long long time. Gap years aren’t just for millennials!! 😂😉. But we also know everybody has to weigh their own circumstances. But if our shares help people decide - all the better! a thanks again for watching and hope you have many adventures ahead. cheers

@aRVeesBlog 7 месяцев назад

wow very great content friend

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

Thank you so much 🙂 . Appreciate you watching and the comment.

@aRVeesBlog 7 месяцев назад

you're welcome@@nextleveloz

@martinsmith227 8 месяцев назад

Hi David and Paula, again thank you for you videos, really enjoy watching you sharing what is a fabulous time. Can I ask how you fitted the stone stomper to the defender, what Land Rover tongue used and stone stomper fitting to tongue. Many thanks

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Hi Martin. Thanks. I will try to find the details if i can find the original order stuff with the exact options. Remind me - do you have the same combo as us? I only ask because i’m reticent to recommend the same hitch in case it doesn’t match the same tow height requirements? Ours needs a tow height between 490mm and 530mm. But happy to address what we can in case it’s useful.

@martinsmith227 8 месяцев назад

@@nextleveloz Hi David, thank you for you quick reply. My apologies for slow response as we need to store van elsewhere due to no off street or close street parking! We have a 2022 D300 SE and a single axle Nova Terra Sportz 166-1C. Terra height on A frame is approx 530 and to the centre of the DO 35 onDefender 490-500. It does sit level and the level 4 air suspension on the van probably helps. Many thanks again Martin.

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

@@martinsmith227 Hi. The Hitch tongue we use is a Hayman Reese Part Number 21161. We invert it so it is a slight lift. As i say Im wary about recommending this and tend to suggest people take their rig to a Hayman Reese dealer and get them to measure to your van height needs etc. This tongue is a tiny bit longer than the LR recommended length (i think it’s a 185mm length from hole to pin) but the only other options that got us level were too short (hit the spare) or far too long. It’s been good. I can’t readily find the stone stomper info but we had to have the fitting that goes between the DO35 pin and the tongue. But that bracket was too high such that the horizontal bar on the car obscured the number plate when we were unhitched. So you have a few options. Live with that but put an extra (lit) rego plate on the spare wheel. Remove the whole hitch tongue and stone stomper (car) bar each time you unhitched or, as we did we got the bar on the lowest bolt holes of the bracket and cut off and ground the bracket so neither obscured the plate. The downside of doing that is that the stone stomper ideally is higher and there is no clear gap at the rear of the car for stones to come through. But we have classic mud guards on as well (essential for touring in my view) so we get a few small pebbles collecting on top of the stone stomper net and nothing touch wood significant or at pace. If i can find that specific info I will let you know - we ordered all this and fitted it before the Lap so we don’t have that paperwork with us and i can’t find the emails on my search. cheers

@martinsmith227 8 месяцев назад

@@nextleveloz Thank you again David or the information and I will visit a Hayman Reese dealer and see what is the best way to go. I currently use the tongue from the D4 as it leaves just enough room not to hit the spare wheel, unfortunately it doesn’t leave enough space for the Stone Stomper bracket. The tongue that came with the Defender is very low and is the reason for the D4 tongue. Will investigate and again thank you. Cheers Martin

@user-yt8cf5bj9g 6 месяцев назад

We’ve only just found you but have been enjoying your travels. Can I ask if you managed to have the 2wd issue on the Defender resolved? We watched your break down episodes but must have missed any updates about that issue. Thanks

@nextleveloz 6 месяцев назад

Hi welcome and thanks for watching. Appreciate the feedback thank you. Still working through the 2WD issue with JLR having had to manage around it on the Lap. The Turbocharger issue was well and truly resolved before we headers toward Broome and the Gibb River Road and no further problems 20,000km later. We think we know what the 2WD issue is, we just need to get JLR to finalised it and fix it. We will keep people posted. We have put off the car update now until we wrap up the Lap series and hopefully with that lingering issue fixed so we can do a fair final review. Thanks again. cheers

@WakingupinAus Месяц назад

Hey guys we are about to set off on this track. Did you see any car sized pot holes and were there heaps of road trains?

@nextleveloz Месяц назад

Hi thanks for watching. No car sized potholes when we crossed. A couple of small bull dust holes and corrugations in the middle third but nothing to swallow the car! Yes a couple of road trains, but TBH a couple of fast moving LCs without trailers and with no regard to others caused more risk with overspeed driving and kicking up stones than the couple of road trains. But the few cars/ vans and trucks we passed were mostly very considerate and safe. The road was being rapidly improved in sections so there were a few bypass tracks at road works and some of those roadworks will likely be completed or sealed and the section from Jervois to Gemtree is pretty much sealed or well graded. There has been another wet summer season since we drove later last year so I’m not sure what impact that had and where this years grading is. But in our trip the road wasn’t as terrible as the road reputedly was years ago. The worst bit for us was the Tobermorey to Jervois section which did get a bit rutted and corrugated and even then, airing down and taking our time meant it was ok. Hope that helps. As you know it can vary seasonally out there but the Plenty was overall not too bad for us.

@peterbullen3347 8 месяцев назад

Observation, the Woolworths Christmas advert is just long enough to put the coffee on for a second cup.. fyi

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Glad to hear it. We don’t get to see which advertisements they run of course - that’s all down to your algorithm - but if it’s good for a coffee break that’s great by us also. We love our Sunday morning coffee with you Peter! 😂🙏cheers

@michaeldallimore8590 7 месяцев назад

Wondering what tyre pressures you run on the Defender and the Van on the Bitumen and what you went down to for the rougher gravel. Many thanks for the video. Really useful information.

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

Hi, thanks for watching, we really appreciate the feedback and glad it helps. On road we run to the tyre, van and vehicle manufacturers advice on pressures. For the car thats around high 40’s - 50 psi on the rear and 43 psi on the front. Van sits generally around 40-44 psi on road. If it’s going to be long highway driving we might go to high 40s to get less rolling resistance. On gravel with corrugation we start at mid to high 20’s on the rear of the car and 22 psi on the front of the car and generally about the same on the van. We can go down further if we hit prolonged worse corrugations. We also start about there on sand noting that if the sand is soft, we’d go down further again. Keep in mind the car is on 18” wheels and the tyres have a bit of profile but we can’t go down as much as those with 16” wheels and even larger profile tyres. Both car and van have airbag suspension.

@michaeldallimore8590 7 месяцев назад

@nextleveloz Thanks for that information. I have a Discovery 4 but went down to 18 inch rims. My mate has a Defender the same as yours so I know your tyre size is bigger than mine. I would do about the same as you but I have noticed when towing that my rear tyre pressures increase by about 6 PSI or more from cold rather then the generally accepted 4PSI. It does not seem to matter how high I start with it always seems to be 6 PSI or even more when there is extra weight on the back. Anyway thanks for providing that information. Much appreciated.

@nextleveloz 7 месяцев назад

@@michaeldallimore8590 👍. We’ve got 18s as we converted to Tuff Ant from the 20” LR wheels and also put some more aggressive AT tyres on . we generally run higher on the back noting we’re towing and relatively heavy so we don’t want to expose any more sidewall on the rear than we’d have on the front. The pressures above are all cold pressure and in our case we tend to get a proportional increase in pressure as they warm warm up.

@michaeldallimore8590 7 месяцев назад

Thanks again. I went from 19 inch to 18 inch but with alloy rims from the UK, that was many years ago. Looking forward to the Defender review. I did see the initial issues you had when you are in WA so interested in how it has been going since then. Take care.@@nextleveloz

@MarkVoisey 8 месяцев назад

hi, great trip! Just wondering how you find the safety Dave TPMs when regularly having to air up and down? Cheers

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

Hi. Thanks for watching and the question. It’s a great trip. Loving it. We love the safe-T- Tyre from Safety Dave. It came pre programmed. They are really just big valve caps when it comes to airing up and down. Although there is an extra “security” nut you can put on the valve stem that is an extra fiddle. Some people don’t use that extra nut. We do. But overall between that and adjusting the settings on the receiver for the new pressures - they are both pretty easy and the slight extra fiddle isn’t that much for the peace of mind of having them on. In reality you don’t air up and down that much that it’s a chore to take the transmitters off and on - and you’d have to unscrew your valve caps anyway. Bottom line - it’s all good and a minimal inconvenience to protect your massive investment in tyres, wheels and consequential impacts of a deflation. How that helps. Thanks again. cheers

@MarkVoisey 8 месяцев назад

Much appreciated … hope to be following your tyre tracks soon!

@nextleveloz 8 месяцев назад

@@MarkVoisey Cool. We wish you safe travels and lots of fun!