Towing camper on Fraser - take water or not?

[Mik01]

Hi all.  Next week we head off for fraser for the first time with a camper in tow. With 3 kids and wife and beers for 9 days, I will be loaded to the gills.
 I'm slightly nervous about the weight and particularly about dragging it over Indian head, as we head to camp at waddy.

The camper has a water tank underneath. If I fill it, that's a fair bit of weight to drag on top of all the other gear. Waddy camp grounds has water, and Nat parks site calls it 'drinking water', not sure if I trust it?
 What's the consensus - fill prior to going and she'll be right with the soft stuff, or take a couple of jerry cans and use the local water?
  Cheers!

[Mallory Black]

There's plenty of fresh water up there..you can get some nice water at Orchid beach or the Waddy point ranger station
just take 20 lts for the trip,
you'll be fine

[Rumpig]

As said above, you can take 1 x 20ltr jerry with home water specifically for drinking, and then use the stuff on the island for anything else. I've never had an issue with water on Fraser Island, we used to get ours from Cathedral shops spear when we were there (with a small donation put in the donation box at the fuel bowsers each time we filled up there)

[MDS69]

If they say it is drinking water then you should be fine. If concerned boil it before drinking or drop some puri tabs in it. From memory we had no issues at Cathedral Beach CP in 2011.

[JD-120]

With presumably a fully loaded trailer probably easily over a tonne, is an extra 60-80kgs going to make that big a difference?

[Kiwijohn]

Hi all.  Next week we head off for fraser for the first time with a camper in tow. With 3 kids and wife and beers for 9 days, I will be loaded to the gills.
 I'm slightly nervous about the weight and particularly about dragging it over Indian head, as we head to camp at waddy.

The camper has a water tank underneath. If I fill it, that's a fair bit of weight to drag on top of all the other gear. Waddy camp grounds has water, and Nat parks site calls it 'drinking water', not sure if I trust it?
 What's the consensus - fill prior to going and she'll be right with the soft stuff, or take a couple of jerry cans and use the local water?
  Cheers!

What camper are you towing - let's say it weights 1400kg without water and 1500kg with, you are towing with a medium sized 4x4 loaded 2000kg.

The 100 kg of water (needed calculator) is less than 3% of total weight.

If you are that worried about that much weight you had better get your kids and wife to walk the 100m and save another 3%.

I wouldn't worry, 95% of the time (in my case so far 100%) getting stuck is user error and 6% weight difference would not make any difference, plus getting stuck is part of Fraser.

Stop stressing, trust the Aussie way (help each other) and enjoy.

John

[Watty2975]

I wouldn't worry too much. As said above the weight of the water is minor in the scheme of things. The other factor is, there has been a bit of rain on Fraser and more predicted next week. That will pack the sand down a bit and make the driving easier. Coming home you will be lighter as you use food, water and drinks.

[Clouty]

As said above.. I'd just take a empty jerry and use the Fraser water for washing and showers etc..

I Only got back on Saturday from Fraser  and I was camped on orchid beach with a 16 foot caravan and my mate towed a conqueror  through the bypass tracks with no problem.. Just a heads up about track conditions there's a little step up just near champagne pools, just need a little right foot and you'll be ok.. As you get to the intersection where you go either straight ahead to orchid shops or turn right to go to waddy point camping.. If you turn right the track going up the back of the mountain is pretty chopped up, so right foot is required.. Have fun

[Mik01]

What camper are you towing - let's say it weights 1400kg without water and 1500kg with, you are towing with a medium sized 4x4 loaded 2000kg.

The 100 kg of water (needed calculator) is less than 3% of total weight.

If you are that worried about that much weight you had better get your kids and wife to walk the 100m and save another 3%.

I wouldn't worry, 95% of the time (in my case so far 100%) getting stuck is user error and 6% weight difference would not make any difference, plus getting stuck is part of Fraser.

Stop stressing, trust the Aussie way (help each other) and enjoy.

John

Not sure on weight of camper - prob 1100-1200kgs. Prado 120 weighs 2260 with just me in it.  Will weigh approx 3t fully loaded at least.
I understand in respect of overall weight it's not much, but wanted to keep as much weight in vehicle and out of trailer. Every bit helps. The cutting into Indian head bypass is my major concern.
Some good point for and against.  Will have to think about it!

[Mik01]

As said above.. I'd just take a empty jerry and use the Fraser water for washing and showers etc..

I Only got back on Saturday from Fraser  and I was camped on orchid beach with a 16 foot caravan and my mate towed a conqueror  through the bypass tracks with no problem.. Just a heads up about track conditions there's a little step up just near champagne pools, just need a little right foot and you'll be ok.. As you get to the intersection where you go either straight ahead to orchid shops or turn right to go to waddy point camping.. If you turn right the track going up the back of the mountain is pretty chopped up, so right foot is required.. Have fun

Thanks for the track tips mate. That intersection I got stuck at last year as some clown flew down the hill at breakneck speed causing me to brake heavily and dig down.
If I was going with a mate, I wouldn't worry. I know others usually help (I always do), but some don't, and I don't want to spend hours digging myself out while the family suffers.

[Clouty]

The cutting into Indian head bypass is my major concern.

Don't worry about it.. You'll be fine.

Just as you get off the beach onto the track that leads to champagne pools the track itself goes into a bit of a gully and at the bottom of the gully these some really big holes.. So be careful.. But what I did when I was going through I veered right and went around them, so keep that in mind..
I lowered my tyre pressures to 14 psi but I was towing a 1800 kg offroad caravan.. 

[Jason B]

Also depends on the location of the water tank mate. With the KK it is as far rear as possible. KK quote a 35kg difference in tow ball weight between a full and empty 130lt tank.

35kg isn't massive but it may be better off the rear axel for sand driving. So in my case I would consider a full tank.

Regards

Jas

[chisel]

Bit of a pain filling your water tanks once you're setup

[LeighC]

Fill up with water then Low 2nd & low tyre pressures, as mentioned above.  Just tick through slowly.

When we were there a few weeks ago Indian Head wasn't bad heading North.  The South bound lane had 3 large 'woops'  about half way if you had too much speed.  I wasn't towing though there but blokes were going through with 20 foot boats.

Leigh

[Andreweasty90]

Fill up on Fraser the water there is good I have drunk it many times


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[Nick74]

Don't worry about it.. You'll be fine.

Just as you get off the beach onto the track that leads to champagne pools the track itself goes into a bit of a gully and at the bottom of the gully these some really big holes.. So be careful.. But what I did when I was going through I veered right and went around them, so keep that in mind..
I lowered my tyre pressures to 14 psi but I was towing a 1800 kg offroad caravan.. 

I hit those holes this time last year in the pootroll with the GIC behind me - very lucky to get out of there with no damage I thought! At least I dodn't get stuck there

Someone mentioned above about the step up to the champagne pools ramp from the beach - southside. Last year I got pushed off line, again towing the GIC here by some noob coming down the middle of the ramp. As soon as I was out of the ruts it stopped.....took a while to get out of that but we did.

As for the original topic. Just fill up the tank. Take it easy and think about what you are doing and you will be fine. If you get stuck I will be up there on Monday 13/10. Might be a long wait for you though...............hehehehe

[Shelbyright]

Took our Complete Campsite over there last month. I would be concentrating on your tyre pressures over the weight issue.

We had bikes 200ltrs water, 280 ltrs fuel, all of our gear for a 9 week trip. And we did get bogged on the way in. Learnt our lesson and dropped our tyre pressures, went easy on the gas and we never had another issue.

Have fun, Fraser is awsome.

[Mallory Black]

Well I feel that 100kg of water because it's dead weight over the trailer wheels. (Prado V6's are not known for their stump pulling torque LOL)
In my experience with sand driving anything you can do to lighten the load over a non-driving axle like on a trailer is worth it.
When I built my rig and set up the Kitchen/chairs/ etc insides, if I could get it in alloy or plastic I got it (with the exception of cutlery!)
Rule of thumb, when setting up for a run on the sand I'd re-arrange things and increase the ball weight by about 25kg so that would transfer weight to the car's driving wheels, and take a proportionate amount of weight of the trailer axle.

So I've decreased my dead weight by:
Water- 100kg
Ball weight- 25kg
getting lighter stuff, leaving behind un-necessary stuff- 40-50??
There's also the option to swapping some of the heavier items in the trailer for lighter items that are normally in the car on a road trip.
So it all adds up
I say this because sand driving can be unpredictable, and as some other posters will say, even in good conditions  it only takes some other clown who will cause you to have to stop or go off line and that's when this kind of preparation is a big help in the difference between getting stuck or pulling through.

[Beachman]

Each year one of my mates goes up past Indian head for a month and as you would expect for that timeframe he is overloaded.  If he has another car in his group, then one of them unhooks the trailer and then hook straps between both 4WDS and both cars take turns in towing the trailers over the soft patches.

Another time when they were doing it solo, they had to unhook the trailer and leave it on the beach just before the track with his Wife. Then he would drive up to the camping area to find a suitable camp and unload the 4WD. Then come back to pick up his Wife & Trailer and having an empty 4WD made towing the trailer easier through the soft stuff.

Also nothing wrong of sending someone up the cutting first (IE Wife) and she can call you up when the track is clear as nothing worse than doing a tough track knowing your going to make it only to come across someone on your line and things suddenly turn pear shape. 

[Mik01]

Each year one of my mates goes up past Indian head for a month and as you would expect for that timeframe he is overloaded.  If he has another car in his group, then one of them unhooks the trailer and then hook straps between both 4WDS and both cars take turns in towing the trailers over the soft patches.

Another time when they were doing it solo, they had to unhook the trailer and leave it on the beach just before the track with his Wife. Then he would drive up to the camping area to find a suitable camp and unload the 4WD. Then come back to pick up his Wife & Trailer and having an empty 4WD made towing the trailer easier through the soft stuff.

Also nothing wrong of sending someone up the cutting first (IE Wife) and she can call you up when the track is clear as nothing worse than doing a tough track knowing your going to make it only to come across someone on your line and things suddenly turn pear shape.

Good point mate. Wife can go for a walk!
It's only really Indian head bypass that worries me. I can handle everything else. Sounds like I just need a clear run and plenty of right foot. Will also walk it myself to pick a line... Cheers all. Lots of fors and against, but I reckon I will load it up with water and takes my chances!

[Mik01]

Any swaggers up at fraser from 2-10 October want to catch up for a beer, let me know. Staying at waddy pt. Will be at orchid beach pub for the league grand final also!