When things go wrong in the OUTBACK. Flinders Ranges with the family..Part 2 

More exciting than Seano and Graham on 24/7! Stories are made from adventures like that, what an experience.

Glad you all ok - wow what an experience - it just shows how easily things can go wrong and escalate - thanks for sharing as we can all learn from that

Fantastic vid! Thanks for taking us on your rides - best way to learn and prepare.

Well done for reporting so authentically on your stories - really love that you are staying true to yourselves - I subscribed a while back and am looking forward to any new story you have to share - PS: I also plan to purchase a Grenadier :-)

Looks like one epic trip, thanks for sharing and great content/commentary too. You took us all there along the adventure. Glad it all turned our well and everyone was safe.

Hell of an adventure! Good vid.

Wow!! 😯Amazing adventure and so glad you are all back safe. Keep up the exciting videos.

Wow what a nightmare mate. Crikey you all did an amazing job getting through that trip. That's one trip you won't forget in a hurry. Thanks for sharing.

Drove through this part of the world about 18 months ago in similar conditions. I remember thinking at the time, imagine how much harder this would be towing a van or trailer...... I think I just got to see how much harder it would be. Well done keeping your cool John. It's easy to have 20/20 hindsight, the rim was very bad luck. Well done getting home, interested to see the run down on the Sierra! Looks like it coped really well.

Wow, what a trip . You did an amazing job both getting through everything and keeping a happy family . Nice to see the Gren helping the Toyota .id love to see you washing the rig off !

Awesome Ep and wow what a Adventure you had Guys. You did well to get out of it like you did, Yes that reminds me of the mud alright maybe not that wet but,

That was quite an adventure. Thanks for sharing in its entirety. I think that when you are there you make decisions based on experience and judgement. You walked the proposed off road route believed it was the best choice. I’m guessing many others would make the same decision. But you owned the situation. Same with the caravan rollover. Anyway thanks again for sharing your experience with us all.

Very brave of you to put this up. It certainly looks like inexperience caused a few of the dramas. Good to see everyone safe.

Everyone is in too much of a hurry these days. You find road conditions like that make camp and sit it out, or turn back! The next users of that road are going to be very annoyed with the damage done. As for the trailer roll over, way too top heavy. As for the wheel rim, steel is only way to go when outback. ☮

haaa what a trip mate 👏 thanks for taken me along you guys did really well with every thing that went wrong you could never tell that story

Hats off to you pulling it through.

Bloody hell 😮 what an episode 👍

Glad it all worked out in the end. it amazing how some rain can really change the situation and sometimes in a very short time.

These are the stories that steal the show around the campfire. In the end, these are the stroies that we remember. Stressful at the time but strangely worth it in memory.

Thanks for sharing! And you are on the right path to knowing your vehicle believe it or not. And as the famous Stewie once said "What did you learn?"

Tough trip. Glad that you are all safe and well.

Really good series John, looking forward to po s t trip review.

Well that was interesting ! We did a similar thing years ago on a back road to Thargomindah, road open one end and closed the other ??? Liked your honesty . That trip will have a story to tell for many years.👍

Glad you are all safe and well. That was a very full on adventure. One to remember.🫣

When things go wrong , trips become adventures and lasting memories are made. Epic stuff John; well done for getting through amd hats off to an unlocked Grenadier! They are bloody competent vehicles.

Great episode Ignore the losers saying you have no idea. They probably have a ford territory AWD and think they're the ducks nuts. Thanks for sharing and we all learn from these episodes on what to should or shouldn't do. If the road was closed you wouldn't have entered, but you did and you got out. 👍

I never thought I’d say it, but man I’m glad I don’t need to worry about ad blue 😅

Great Vid!

Cool play in the mud. Looks like your Grenadier might need some rear airbags. Looks a bit saggy in the rear. I think you dealt with these situations very well. Must have been a very tiring day after all.

Adventure mate,great stuff

A drone would be a useful scouting tool.

This is my backyard. I live work & play here. You just don’t drive on these tracks when they are like this. Usually takes 2-3 days to dry out. Mess up the tracks and you are not going to be popular with locals. Roads are usually closed when there has been rain.

surprised that your towing combination was out peforming the toyota on the mud

Thanks for sharing. Your errors may help others, know your vehicle and accessories (diff locks) and if you can travel with someone else. Not saying you shouldn't venture on your own, just makes it easier if help is required. Glad you're all safe, that is the important thing as cars and campers can be replaced. The outback is definitely to be respected, it's such an amazing area.

Great filming in circumstances that weren't ideal for you. You should approach the camper trailer company .....they could sponsor you for that amazing durability 360° roll over test, can't get a better testimony than that. The Grenadier seems to ride those rough roads really really well, that must be a nice feeling .

I went straight up and bought some cheese chutney and salada very nice a great trip

I know you said you were thankful for your swivel hitch but I’m not so sure it wasn’t actually the reason behind your trailer flipping over. Reason I say that is because I’ve had a similar thing happen to me. I have a small Seadoo that I’ve towed behind my truck with a standard ball hitch for years with no problems whatsoever. I bought a military humvee about two years ago that came with a swivel pintle hitch. The first time I used my humvee to pull the Seadoo I hit a small bump in the road that’s in front of my home and it flipped the trailer completely tossing the Seadoo. I’ve hit this same bump hundreds of times before with the same Seadoo and the same trailer with the only difference being the kind of hitch being used and never had a problem. I believe the the ability for the hitch to completely swivel around enabled it to flip over where as my standard ball hitch kept it from being able to rotate completely and flip over. Just my two cents but I thought I’d pass it along so hopefully it won’t happen to you again.

Showing the reality of having a go here. It's a brave thing to reveal SHTF in a forest of syrupy travel content from most YT channels. Commiserations, but great there were no injuries. A truism is maybe that things go wrong fastest when tiredness and urgency to reach a destination or blast through something sticky overtake application of logic in slowing down.

Good for you putting it all up there, it would have been easier to run with half the story. Glad no-one was hurt. Good to see you responding with good grace, it reflects well on you and there is something to be taken from pretty much every comment. Have a cup of tea, let us know how it turns out with the electrical fault and the Sierra.

Glad you are all okay

They were some thin alloy rims for a 4x4. I had alloys years ago and bought some steels because they were 8 kg lighter to handle.

The sign in your video said road closed from Mt Hopeless to Innamincka. The Balcanoona to Mt Hopeless road would have been closed too.

Must have been an optical illusion re the steering wheel😊

I can only imagine how fun the Grenadier would be to drive if it had 3-pedals.

Quite an adventure. Won’t be forgetting that trip for a while. Looks like the Grenadier coped ok, but that ad-blue requirement when travelling remote areas is a bit of a concern. Look forward to seeing the reasons for the vehicle ending up on a tilt-tray. Cheers

Thank you for posting the video. It will help out others to learn. Roads may not be closed in time. Make sure to learn to operate diff locks, winch or any other gadgets before getting in to remote areas. Actually it’s a good practice to operate winch every couple of months to drive out the moisture and maintain it in good condition. Again, thanks for posting for others benefits.

lI hope all is ok with the car and trailer. Thanks for sharing and, as always, let’s all ignore the trolls! It’s been fascinating to follow you on your Grenadier experience. Please keep the videos coming, and give tips to us who are dreaming on owning a Grenadier at some point! I will definitely order steel rims now! :)

Well that’s about as tough as it can get!

Awesome video and adventure! I love all your videos. Keep up the great work!!! I’m learning so much about our car with you. Btw not sure if you knew, but in order to operate the winch you have to have engine on, powered up on the top panel and most importantly gear in neutral and hand brake on. I found that out playing with my winch since I never owned one and had to flipping through the manual to figure it out. I think they updated the manual for US to include how to use the winch.

Thank you for sharing. Good to hear the Grenadier is holding up other than the rim which may be a good indication to buyers to purchase aftermarket alloys instead if you don't want steelies. Cheers

We are fellow Sierra owners - very interesting to see how tough the trailer is. Great resilience shown by you, your family and fellow travellers 👍 thanks, we really enjoyed how you put the video together. Cheers, Mark and Tracey

WHAT happened to the Grenadier in the end? 😅 Thanks for your content about outback travelling and the Ineos. :)

Lucky the tow hitch, is able to do 360. A normal hitch would have bent. Hope you were able to get the diff locks working.

This is what adventure is about, mistakes made, gonads big enough to put it up for all to see, equipped with enough gear to get out of most situations, plus satellite comms should things go south. It's a situation ive been in and it's unavoidable- go back can be as hazardous as going forward. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, something the haters have tonnes of apparently.

Tough trip that one. I had a careful look at everything and I think there’s an important question. How did the floor plugs go cleaning that mud out? 😉

Shit happens mate , fun times at least you got out there with the fam and made some memories 🤙

People with vehicles with SCR the system, should carry all the DEF they need when going outback .

Ppps- we got caught in flood waters between menindee and wilcannia. 100km of water to the top of the wheels. We had no choice. When we got the troopcarrier back the flood waters with all the silt had chopped out the seals in the transfer case, wheel bearings, brakes. Cost me thousands. Again we had no option. However, in driving to the familie cattle station, if I see water across the roads i dont even try. Its not worth the cost of repair or a potential injury or worse

Definitely not taking it slow!

Wow you have no fear!

Have to sya John, nothing is better than Salada's with any thing, hahah

hopefully you found out how to lock the differentials now. did the local Greniader deal help you?

I have been caught out myself out yonder when the rains come so it is not always avoidable. However I must say in this instance it seemed like a folly to be driving on those roads not to mention the damage it would have caused once the waters recede. Overall possibly not your best decision. I think staying put at a safe dry location or not venturing out at all would have been a better choice. Easy for me to say but have to call it as I see it.

Differently 1 hell of an adventure. Did you consider camping the night on the side of the road before turning back, or was time an issues.

Hi John, the AOR suspension has very little compression travel, maybe 50 to 60mm at best fully loaded. I reckon you may have hit bottom hard and the rebound forces are massive and maybe on one side compounded with the 100plus kgs on roof and the van was propelled instantly into a rotational flip. I would be certainly not putting those jerries up top. Talk to AOR about extra brackets down lower on rear and front. Then put 20-30mm spring spacers in and fit much better shockers. I have done this with an AOR Matrix and it rides so much better and does not bottom out. Maybe airbags? 1

Have a sierra myself, and it's good to see it servived. Do you think the wait up top contributed to it rolling? And to your question to should the Grenadier look like that? ABSOLUTELY. If you are doing it properly.

The first mistake people make,is going on you tube,and not understanding there vehicle,and I find people just want to rush,maybe not you,but so many travels do,and I don’t know why,I been bog over two weeks once back in the 80,s,never saw anyone slowly dug my way out.your a funny fellow,good video.

This is why I don't like the tow couplings the can rotate 360 degrees. I think the extra weight of the car, with a "locked" tow hitch, may have prevented the rollover. BTW, loved the video

I’d seriously check your Speedo 🤔 As the saying goes.. you learn by your mistakes. Glad you’s are all Ok 😊👍🏽

Thats the road up to our mine site for 3 months of the year. Horrible times

Yes, we were in a similar predicament a few weeks ago in my 100 series, it said "4WD only" on this perfectly smooth clay road, okay no biggy. Until it started raining half way through! What a mess, no traction at all, the guards filled up completely, it stopped the car, every step I took I grew about an inch! The shovel was useless. No tree in sight for winching, I was sure I would be camping on that track in northern Qld. But we made it through by the grace of God! The grater driver is probably still swearing at me. Sorry. But before anybody has their judgements ready to fly in my direction, we had a death in the family and needed to get to the family in FNQ in a hurry!

In fact i feel traumatised by watching this. Diff locks issue? Winch issue, rim issue, also am i seeing things or is the steering wheel got a gap in the leather? 🤔 im having 2 rennies

Hi mate, firstly thanks for sharing your experiences. Could I trouble you to provide a little more information about the diff locks in your Grenadier? In the video you noted that you had trouble operating them; did you end up using them at all?

Good to see everyone in one piece. I need a rennie after watching that. Are the rims 18 inch?

What an adventure. 😲 Glad no one was hurt in your camper van mishap. What tyre pressures where you running on that road? And will the Ineos warranty cover your broken wheel?

John you're a legend, totally courageous in my eyes after S.A. authorities completly screwed you with inaccurate road information... Well recovered... What an adventure and other than the winch playing up the Grenadier pulled through and towing at same time. Well done mate 🙏

Surprised you kept going when so much water about. Even if the road is not closed doesn’t mean it’s passable. Did you not have an air compressor?

Hi John, I assume the trailer has leaf springs, with less vertical travel than the Grenadier's coils. Any critical angle is enough to tip the trailer

What a journey. Honestly from what use had been through that section where use turned around didnt look all that?

What an ordeal. Steelies for sure and two vehicle spares and two van spares maybe? All weight I know.

Great adventure! Would love to learn more about the rim failure - was there an obious reason that it failed?

Question not criticism…did you let tyres down?

If the hitch didn't spin 360, the tow ball would have stopped it flipping once it bound up. So the hitch isn't as good as you think, as it was what allowed it to flip

wet roads are CLOSED roads - you can be made to pay the repair bill!

I suspect you’ll cop some criticism from the morons with their “all the gear, no idea” critiques but I can understand why you followed the lead of “road open” indications. I think it’s quite impressive to present a warts and all clip with no hiding the mistakes and failures. Well done. I’m intrigued to know the intricacies of getting the diff locks to engage. If it’s any consolation, as a Navara D23 owner I’m constantly amazed by other owners inability to engage, disengage 4WD H, L, rear diff lock.

What size wheels are on your grenadier?

Pps- the one thing ive learned in conditions like that are- get yhe brakes pulled apart,cleaned and re assembled. Its a killer yhe silt and sand (possibly what killed the winch)

Ikon zero turn

The poor road

At it least it was not -40C ....

Regarding the winch not working ... As you would know, the winch only operates when the vehicle is in Neutral, Drive or Reverse. I’m wondering if at some stage during your winching operation you may have turned the car off or engaged Park. What you may not realise is that you would then need to re-engage the winch relay by switching the EXT-4 switch off and then on again.

One needs to understand how to operate their vehicle back to front before tackling the Flinders Ranges in the off season. I’ve been to the Flinders Ranges many times and its has an off season for a reason. I discovered that by speaking to locals. Freak storms and huge amounts of rain out of no where. I hope you’ve got a tyre repair kit?

I worked on a tilt table, your van too top heavy. Go and get a off road course. Watch Malcolm douglas. First tip. Stop and have a cup of tea. Think. Get a weather report. In a day the road can change. Stop panicking. You need to get here and there. Slow down and enjoy

Very brave of you to post this, John. Are you concerned about voiding warranty claims through Ineos based on the fact that they may see this video?

A set of snow chains are handy for mud.

Why would diff locks have "nuances"?

How many in your convoy, please?

What were you thinking really

If the diff locks are not intuitive to engage, then why the heck didn't your dealer show you how??!! You paid enough for the Trailmaster package to get the locks - Ineos should make sure that all customers know how to use them. Was there a printed how to manual on-board you should have read, or are you just expected to figure it out by trail and error? You never used to be able to buy a Stihl chainsaw without the dealer gassing it up, walking you through start procedure and showing you your one running. Perhaps there a leaf in that playbook for Ineos to set them apart from the sell-and-runs...

How did you not learn to use your vehicle before heading into some very remote parts of Australia?