Norvic

Update on Hilux breakdown, you will note in the photo at top of spring is a lifting block, about 11/2 inches high. It is a aftermarket lifting block, I purchased and fitted. Purpose is to offset the weight of steel bulbar and winch, apparently 1000`s have them fitted. It did that job well but instead of upward movement being soaked by the rubber stop, the shockie shaft took the hit. I am eating crow for supper tonight and take back all my cussing of Toyota and am updating with purpose built spring and shockie assemblies, what I should have done in the beginning.

I gave up getting a better picture and took it to a fellow who has the gear. Nothing out of the ordinary in his gear. A digital SLR with a macro lens, mounted securely. As he explained to me is the lighting, he sits the specimen directly on a light diffuser with a very soft light under it, another diffused light above and offset a bit just a wee brighter. No shadows at all, no intense or stray light in a darkened room. He uses it to sell coins and postage stamps, thus no need to focus with depth as you can see in this shot

Here is a much better shot of speci colours are right

Good to see Minelab taking up along the Deus way, believe it may be the future way to go. Software detectors, why not? there have been software all band radio receivers for many years. Judging by how difficult one is to obtain in OZ, think demand has outstripped supply, looking very good for Minelab.

Just a warped sense of humour, built in, doesn`t need any artificial stimulation, am new to forums and trust it is not of offence to any in this premium forum, certainly not intended to be.

Bit further North and inland on the western edge of the Atherton Tblds. Just a local call to JC from here.

This OZ would love to hear some gold with snow stories, you guys must have some experiences there, snow is very foreign matter especially to us up here in NQ OZ. Just the splat, splat on windscreen and seeing snow is not something we experience. Mainly all floods, cyclones and fire with our gold over here but no snow experiences. Paul send some of that rain over pleeeeeeese. Have finally got together a few OZ things they should be flying over tomorrow.

That`s a worry, if they`ve already tested them and keeping Mum about it. Well I suppose if Steve and JP puts their GPZs on the market we`ll know for sure what the go is. Have to watch this closely, don`t want to miss the bus. You sure their 40% brighter?

Probably a silly question and you`ve probably already done it, but wouldn`t it be easier to carry as a hipmount. You have me thinking the Xterra 705 hip mounted with a small coil, not as sensitive as those higher frequency machines, but certainly nice and compact and easy to fit in a belt pouch. Coil & cable in rear pouch. Plenty of food for thought. Sawn off like that it`d probably be illegal in OZ, it does look kinda lethal.

Got you Dale, I found that even with the troopie once loaded. On road the troopies old 2H diesel couldn`t pull your hat off, off road that was no concern how you loaded it was, put it in hot dry fine sand loaded up and you were buggered. Naught to do with the motor. I made my troopie worse by building a fold out camping top on it complete with solar panels, that weight up top isn`t desirable but comfy, with bed always ready, on those long trips. Is a difficult quest to have a vehicle whose all up weight is over 31/2 tonne and still be able to negotiate bush bashing. Probably the best compromise, is one vehicle for each person. At least than you`d have heaps of load carrying capacity on the way out from Lasseter's reef with the tonnes of gold. That s/wb Cruiser sure looks good in that scenery. 327 under the bonnet tis a rocket.

Another ZZZZZZZZZZZed klunker, you beauty!!!, Steve & JP should have a test set by weeks end. 40% brighter, love it.

That machine with todays zippy Hilux diesel motor would be the bees knees for gold hunters, but the market has turned Toyota away from that. Comes down to supply and demand I guess.

Yeah I use the harness that came with the GPZ with the hipstick sort of migrating around to the side as yours is. Haven`t spent enough time to get it just right yet, but enough to know bungee-hipstick-underscreen hookup setup is extending the hours I can use the GPZ over just the bungee. It is in the creeks when anything that is hanging off you gets in the road that will sort it all out, that is why the GPZ cable less detecting makes things a lot easier. Trying to get your detector coil away from your pick while digging with cables conx you up was always a bit of a drama. Not much flat stuff in my area, one leg longer than the other sort of arid-rocky country but no where near as steep as a lot of your country.

I think your mod and the hipstick might turn out whats best for me too, so far its working tops, I`ll definitely know after this season.

Same over here, Fred, recall suggesting I take a detector down an incline where the miner had lost the reef. He looked at me with a sort of patronising look and brushed it aside. But I guess we all suffer from tunnel vision one way or another.

Yes the 4 Runner was an OZ model few years back, taken off the OZ market before the Prado was introduced. Had a top rep as all Toyotas do here in OZ, in fact you drive down any highway in OZ, Toyotas would have to be the most popular by far and every second in the bush or better. I went down from the larger Toyota to the Hilux for its lightness and narrowness and nimbleness as Steve has found, but think it appears they may be now made for lighter duty than the bush bashing we require. I`ll report back on this after I take it up with Toyota, because it is relevant to our fever. See if they answer my emails or are like Minelab in that dept.(gotta have a shot at Minelab at every opportunity ) Thinking back my first Toyota was a Stout back in early 70`s. The Stout was the forerunner to the Hilux but only in 2WD and 30cwt. I love my Toyotas and rely on them as much as my Minelabs. The theme to the Toyota TV ads in OZ is "Oh what a feeling" not sure I agree with it at the moment. Strange the diesel Toyotas aren`t everywhere in US, reckon that`d have something to do with your big manufactures influencing the Govt. We have very few locally produced 4WDs, well even cars too in OZ. Not sure but think sleeping in front seat downunder is "resting" too, well it`ll do. My Hilux with its turbo direct injected diesel pulls a mates 19ft boat surprisingly easy up and down the great divide. Toyota have progressed a lot with that little diesel, Dale yours would be the indirect injected I suspect as in Missus Prado.

Make a great addition to recovery of those smallies, but bloody hell I can`t carry anymore.

Yeah, they did have but rectified in my model, apparently. But I have a feeling, because like you I don`t want to be hung up on some steep hill miles from help, I might be in the market for a new troopie but on those there is a similar problem, because they widened the front dif to fit the V8 diesel, they are suffering breakages in the shockie mountings there too, but because its not IFS could limp home no drama. Might be time to give the old troopie a make-up and reregister, nothing wrong with it, just because of its age thought time for a new one, reliability and all that stuff.

Many Thanks for PM reply, I suspected that was the weakness they introduced, unfortunately because the shockies diameter would foul the axle thus the rod, they`ve added that weakness in 05, I suspect, Bugger them I felt with the lead up of smallies I was getting close to a broken down reef. But I`ll be back there. As its under Warranty will have a chat to Toyota. Not to have repair made by them, they`d only replace with same, just to alert them of this.

Yeah Don Kyat is tops, bought most of my spares for bus business I had for 20 years. But I`ve PMed you with a small ask. Yes I regret going from a Cruiser should have got the a new Troppie, but my old Hilux was a beauty, could wrap its wheels around a lamp post and climb it. Well almost. Don`t get me wrong I like the comfort of the new Hilux, and have ordered a set of EHD Bilstein struts complete for front, but I am disappointed if I had hit bump at speed could understand. Unfortunately just feel they are only occasional 4WDs now, made for a different market than prospectors.

Having the bungy loose at that pivot point may be a refinement on having the bungee half hitched to that point. Love it KISS.

Dale, Hilux has just had its 30000km service and is fitted out much same as yours, solar panels, lots of weight etc. After 28 years of totally breakdown free cruising in a Troopie, other than ripping out a flexible break hose, chasing that yellow stuff. Which I`d sealed off with a piece of gold to maintain brakes till I got the new hose. At about 6000ks I punctured the CV joints protective rubber boot in the Hilux, no gotta agree to disagree it ain`t as unbreakable as the troopie, nor as the non IFS 86 Hilux I had. Reckon you`d get a friendly discussion with Tremain over this too. But I`m a wee rough on my gear. Just an addition there was a few changes made in 05 to the front struts on the Hilux, that might explain this break. Perhaps the diameter of the steel was larger on your model, mine is 16mm to the bush.

Donno, but reckon could check out at the 19th hole.

Wow, nice one, he has some nice ones there too right. That is certainly value adding.

Yeah the Cruisers are tough and the Hiluxs were until that put those bloody ifs on front. You folks don`t have them over there?