Help! Need a towing A-Frame to suit an ARB bar.

[liftlid]

If it's 1000 km west of Alice it's more in the tanami or the canning ? so could be fairly flat. I'd be tempted to take what I needed to temp fix it out there?

[MudRunnerTD]

Water pump let go, overheated and cracked the head. Its in the desert about 1000km West of Alice. Roadside assist aint going out there! LOL

If it's 1000 km west of Alice it's more in the tanami or the canning ? so could be fairly flat. I'd be tempted to take what I needed to temp fix it out there?

I agree. Take a shade tent and set it up. Take a new head and some spanners and get it done. If you have to find a good mechanic to take a couple of weeks annual leave and then pay them $2000 to ride with you your still on a winner. Assuming that's all that's wrong with it.

[NP99]

Yes it needs to be a gazetted road. Assuming you can tow it on a 20m strap then that's what I'd do for the trip out of the desert then call the RACV. Get it to where they can help. Getting there with whatever it takes. Take everything out of it to lighten it up as much as you can and drag it out of there.

An A frame would not be useable in the desert anyways I would not think. Get someone with an Iveco 4x4 to drag it across or go hire one. Then RACV.

Good luck mate. Let the tyres right down and go for it.

Not sure RACV would travel interstate

[Winnie]

Not sure RACV would travel interstate

Racv covers Australia wide. Obviously they will pay someone to come and get you.
My mates 3L GU broke down in WA with camper trailer and dog. They towed his car and trailer back to his house, got his family and dog accommodation for a couple of days so they could organise everything, then flew the family and dog home and the next day his car and trailer showed up at his house. Best $150 ever spent

[MudRunnerTD]

Not sure RACV would travel interstate

Yeah they have reciprocal rights and deals with all the Auto Clubs RACV, NRMA, RACQ, etc. does not matter who or where you are, the State based Royal Auto will take care of you.

Mad not to be in it if your touring.

Also, with the top RACV cover it is the Customer covered, not the car! I have Top cover, have named my wife's car as the named vehicle so she is covered. then it does not matter what car i am driving or am in i can cover that vehicle. If i came across you on a country road my cover would get YOU Towed as long as i was there.

[Alitis007]

. If i came across you on a country road my cover would get YOU Towed as long as i was there.

But you need to say you were driving the vehicle that broke down.

[krbrooking]

The other thing about a car trailer is that the wheel base is wider than most 4wd's and the tyres will be way too small. I would try and go for the repair it there option as stated before.

Sent from me using Forum Runner

[the evil twin]

For Roadside Assistance cover you need to read the fine print from the RACV, RAC, RACQ, NRMA, AANT etc very carefully.

Many say they will cover you "anywhere" but they have a distance limit of a 200 to 300 Kilometre round trip from the nearest service contractor and you pay the difference.
Oddly, the invoice costs seem to be maybe $50 for the first 300 K's part (RAC pays) and $500 for every extra 10 K's (you pay)

Other organisations will opt out if the vehicle is not on a "constructed road surface".

All have caps on the amount of $ cover that varies due to level or maybe time as a member IE longer you are in then higher "benefit limits".

Most have "additional benefit limits" of up to say $3500 for any incident but the fine print says that is restricted to the primary vehicle and doesn't apply to towed items when the overall cover says (on a casual read of the dot points) your van or trailer is included AND that the caps all apply anyway.

Google is your friend but may be easier to call the organisation.
Check for benefit limits, distance limits, towed item limits etc.

Make sure you drill down to the bottom line as many will say "Yes, your covered" and leave it at that but won't expand on how that cover is capped.

The above is speaking from recent experience in July after a breakdown at Docker River on the Great Central Road with a top of the wozza Roadside Assist package with RAC.
The towing fees reimbursement caps effectively ran out after about 5 kilometres and accomodation reimbursement is $110 a night max.
Accommodation (Yulara starts at about double that for a dorm bunk) capped at $550 or 7 days whichever is the lower.

Insurance picked up the rest thankfully.

[threedogs]

even if you tip some "Chemi weld" into it at least all you need to change is the water pump.

[P4trol]

So has anyone actually called the NRMA/RACQ/RACV/RAA/AANT etc to ask? Then we can work out whether 'you're covered', or how far you need to be moved, and in what direction, until you arre covered.


I know you might be a bit hesitant to put up a map or exact location, but surely there's people that can advise on better towing methods once track conditions are known.


To recap, people have suggested the following methods:

Full tow to nearest centre by NRMA equivalent
Drag to closest point, then get free tow
help from nissanpatrol to tow it to nearest help, or fix
mercinary (flat bed) help to transport to nearest garage
Gear up and drag a mechanic out to fix it where it is