Car & Caravan Crash: Are We Down and Out? Plus Wild Adventures!

[@mitchb8325]

I watched your Insurance claim outcome video first then watched this one. I am glad that you are both safe and no serious injuries from the accident. But you would had one of the biggest mental battles of your life in past 5 months ago wish yous the best in future travels of Australia

[@markandshirley]

thanks so much for your comment, it means a lot. they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but tbh i'd rather not be much stronger these days

[@seanworkman431]

Same here, I'm glad they are not hurt but a traumatic experience. Need more aggressive tyres though for that type of country, esp. pulling a van.

[@robertjohnston3658]

Best wishes!

[@markandshirley]

cheers

[@commonsense-grs]

glad you 3 are all good, now for the car and caravan search. It will be interesting to see what you finish up with, keep safe and keep smiling.

[@markandshirley]

We now have a dmax and crusader gladiator force combo. Reviews to come

[@commonsense-grs]

@@markandshirley that's great. Just checked out the Gladiator Force caravan, damn nice, not a real fan of the D-Max, but it will easily tow that van and with a bit more comfort that the 76 LC. I bet Shirley likes it better, enjoy.

[@markandshirley]

@@commonsense-grs it was one of the few utes that fitted the bill and budget, also i was able to get it within a few days of asking around :)

[@Tophet1]

Glad your safe. Rural people are the best.

[@markandshirley]

we kind of knew that already, this just reminded us again

[@NielsSorensen-sh8tm]

You guys are amazing. I love your never give up attitude. Welcome to Australia 🎉

[@markandshirley]

thanks. Oz, where almost everything is trying to kill you :)

[@markann6927]

You may have already researched it, but we had electronic stability control fitted to our van , gives us piece of mind. All the best for the future.

[@markandshirley]

It's definitely getting fitted to the replacement van

[@tomelder2230]

Thanks for sharing

[@markandshirley]

Thanks for watching!

[@lynparsons6539]

Just found you guys and we both enjoy your blogs 👍 so glad you all made it put of your accident safely ❤ Lyn and Bob

[@markandshirley]

thanks guys

[@Caesar-salad-MM]

Good luck guys. Stay safe...

[@mikehzz9848]

The car looked like it would buff out 😊 Just kidding, glad you're ok. Happy trails.

[@markandshirley]

@mikehzz9848 not a scratch on us which is the main thing, and now we are back in the road in our new setup

[@gabrielfair724]

You were right, I didn't guess any of that! So glad y'all are safe

[@jorobson1]

We never factor these things happening during our travels. It's not until you need your insurance that you find whether they are helpful or not so. We met a couple who lost their car & caravan on the road to a engine fire (both unit burnt to the ground). They said it wasn't a pleasant experience trying to sort everything out and start over again. Good luck with your future travels.

[@markandshirley]

thanks for the reply. you are so right, we only find out where there are gaps in these things when we need to go and claim. that was the main point of this video, telling others of our experience

[@danielshaw6019]

Holy Faaa####!! Glad you’re in one piece. The thing with road trips is if everything went perfectly, you’d have a mediocre story. Your adventures and the friends you’ve made along the way have made gripping viewing at least for me. Safe and happy travels.

[@markandshirley]

Thanks danno

[@Ren0vatorAu]

Welcome To Townsville 😉

[@markandshirley]

Thanks, we are really enjoying our enforced time here

[@pauls8456]

There are lots of warning signs for the road condition there, we saw lots of vans broken in various ways. Most going too fast…

[@markandshirley]

@pauls8456 we were staying under 90 on that road, but a combination of a bad bump and user error did us in. Everyone from Road trains and under are having accidents along there. The police said it was not the drivers fault so that's good enough for us.

[@neverendingjourneys6780]

Glad that all three of you are safe and being well supported. Great presentation. Just subscribed, so while I wait for the journey to continue I will go back and watch the previous videos.

[@markandshirley]

Good to have you along for the ride

[@johnnumbat9782]

We’re glad and amazed you got through this incident without any serious injuries - I’ve seen some awful outcomes and unfortunately loss of life for some - no doubt Mark you will be exploring a setup that will give you better weight mgt and towing stability - it’s awful when the ‘tail starts wagging the dog’ - just don’t believe the industry lies exclaiming ‘it’ll tow three and a half tonnes’ because that’s pure insanity - If you’re not on top of weights such as GVM, GCM suspension upgrades pros and cons this is the best time to do a lot of research - yes they’re will be plenty of advice coming your way but make sure of having a fully informed decision and that Shirley is comfortable with it - I’m not trying to scare you but view ‘driver jailed for six years after wife and another family member die in NSW crash overweight Prado/caravan’ - good luck with your research and safe travels.

[@JohnDorward-os4jk]

Hi Mark and Shirley, thanks for sharing this. It’s good to see that you are all well and that you will continue your adventures. Just found you and I really enjoyed your content. Great that you are being well looked after and all the best for your future travels.

[@markandshirley]

thanks, glad to have you along for the ride

[@anzac-chaplaincy]

Glad you are okay and raring to go again.

[@markandshirley]

Thanks

[@chadberwick919]

Happy you to are safe. Just need to slow down little. Iv got 12foot jayco i tow it with hyundai i40 wont go over 90kmh my van is 730kg waight tfast when they go they go

[@markandshirley]

We stay under 90 on the tar, but with hindsight 80 might have been better.

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

its not all about speed, its about balancing the load, centers of mass and learning how to recover when that happens. Driven HC/MCs and never had a problem because I learnt how to do it and didnt just buy a lifted car and van and think it was all about speed.

[@androidemulator6952]

I noticed when getting out of bogged situation, front and rear wheels not center diff locked , or front / rear diff locks not engaged??

[@markandshirley]

@@androidemulator6952 no lockers on that model

[@chriswatts945]

Hi there guys. I always wonder what I need to avoid. Other than hitting a bump in the road what did you determine as the reason for the accident? Why did the van start swaying? Was the van overloaded at the back end? What sort of hitch did you have on …… 50mm ball or D035?

[@chriswatts945]

Also what speed were you doing? Learning experience for us all.

[@markandshirley]

as far as we can work out, we hit the bump and came into some deep tracks in the bituman from road trains, van started to sway, shirley got on the brakes, and the rest is history. we know the van wasn't overloaded since we had had it weighed before leaving sydney, also it had towed just fine for the previous 8000km. it was a 50mm ball hitch, but with full articulation. our best advice going forward is to avoid back luck, and get come sort of electronic anti sway fitted to the van.

[@chriswatts945]

@@markandshirley thanks heaps for the response and best of luck for your future adventures.

[@chriswatts945]

@@markandshirley …… speaking to my hubby he thinks these suggestions may be helpful D035 hitch MAY have stopped the car rolling Hitting the button of the electronic brake rather than putting foot on foot brake would have put brakes on the caravan only and MAY have minimised the sway. Others may think differently but this is what caravan sales people have told us.

[@markandshirley]

@@chriswatts945 100%, hitting the brake controller was the right thing to do, but in the moment things don't always go according to plan, or training. our current van has a DO35, and electric sway control. i dont think any hitch would have helped given the sway we experienced

[@brianwhite5969]

If you purchase another Chinese van get the suspension upgraded with proper shocks and matched springs. The original poor quality suspension is likely the cause of the accident .

[@markandshirley]

Worth keeping in mind. Our new van is Australian made, seems to have decent suspension. The old van had towed just fine for the previous 9k km so I'm not putting it down to that

[@danielkemp1442]

Hi. So sorry to hear of your mishap. I do love your positive attitude. I know things can get us all down from time to time, and you have certainly had your share. Well done. May I ask: what are the mounts you have on your dash, and where did you buy them? We are planning a trip next year and I would like to mount a fairly big tablet. Thanks, Dan

[@markandshirley]

@danielkemp1442 for the gps unit/ phone I use a ram mount. I did have to use nuts and bolts to mount it since the suction versions and double sided tape ones all fall off at some stage

[@johndunstan3875]

Please what is a HARCAR? 25:07

[@markandshirley]

@@johndunstan3875 hire car

[@johndunstan3875]

@@markandshirley oh ok 😄

[@johnpitt2742]

i would start off by putting two tracks be behind the back wheels an try to reverse one meter then put 4 tracks in front of your wheels and go forward

[@markandshirley]

good suggestion, i haven't used them enough to know whats the best way

[@twocoddiwompletravellers]

What bad luck....we witnessed a bad caravan roll over accident a few weeks back , not the nicest experience....hope you get sorted out quickly so you can continue your travels. I bet you wished now that you hadn't changed your Plan.

[@markandshirley]

Luckily we are now almost fully sorted out and ready to continue. Watch this space

[@DeborahWheatley]

Firstly, glad all 3 of you are ok. That leg certainly was adventurous ! Good use of the drone to scout ahead as a spotter for the road condition. I like Shirley's spirit - "Lets go" (through the water you didn't get bogged in). Lucky Shirley didn't like that car 🤣 How many rigs do you think you'll go through on this trip ? 😉Hitching in a road train was pretty cool; and kudos to the driver (and nephew) who was super generous. 5,500 km² = 1,359,080 acres 😲 Also... RainX is EXCELLENT for the windscreen in the rain. You might have used it on your visor on rides (?) It doesn't work as well on plastic; it's unreal on glass. You don't need to use your wipers at all, which is also helpful with vision in the rain. I noticed recently the instructions on the box didn't mention (as it use to) to do 2 applications. After the 1st application goes hazy, apply again, then when 2nd coat is hazy (dry) buff off. Couldn't recommend it more highly. Happy travels, and look for to seeing your next rig xxx

[@markandshirley]

Will do the car and van review sooner rather than later this time

[@JohnBrowne-e4o]

With your dog on the loose be careful of poisonous bites that can be carried around the area by crows. If your dog picks one of those up he won’t last long just a hint take the care and avoid the sorrow and happiness. Do take care there are crocodiles in the streams up that way be careful..

[@markandshirley]

will do

[@Mick_4591]

Luck your safe and all ok One question were you overweight on one or both car and van????

[@markandshirley]

neither thank goodness, we were weighed before we left sydney, plus went over public weighbridges along the way to confirm

[@johnpitt2742]

tie about 5m of rope to track and to out side of van and you wont have to stop in the mud or walk back a mile to get them

[@markandshirley]

i have those straps, just didn't think it muddy enough to need them

[@MickBurns-ev1nn]

Restores your faith in humanity. Glad you are all safe.

[@markandshirley]

thanks

[@grahamwhittaker8844]

New sub , I’m currently in Geurie rec ground waiting for the bride to come back from England,her mum was really sick and then pasted ,so she stayed to bury her, it’s been over three months now. She flies into Duddo this Wednesday,god willing,as long as she has no trouble with her broom 😂😂. I lost or Roxy 🐕‍🦺the other week ,a Cane Corso bitch after 8.5 years so not all fun and games. Not your average caravan dog and I wouldn’t recommend a dog like that to anyone, I dearly loved her and we miss her,hopefully the pain will ease soon. I’m constantly visited by a huge tribe of kids and grandkids that collect firewood and stack it up for me and cater to my every need so I’m not doing it hard by any stretch of the imagination. Boy have I got some stories to tell about our adventures on the road from Mt Isa to Charters Towers one of which involved being flooded in at Pairie for two weeks,plus many many others. BUT the people out that way are just beyond belief in their kindness and compassion and love and nothing and I do mean nothing is to much trouble or inconvenience 👏👏👏👏❤️❤️. We are heading north when the bride gets back and recovers a bit, hopefully to a charity event in Goomburra to raise money for the care flight helicopter and local dog rescue services,then we’ll try and make it up to Karanda markets north of Cairns. We like to be back at Nug Nug for Christmas in the cool of the mountains. Love your role with the punches attitude and I’m so glad that you’ve come away still strong and happy, safe and happy travels and keep up the great clips,loving ya work 👏👏👏❤️🙏👁️👁️😎😇🦘🐨🇦🇺

[@markandshirley]

see you on the road sometime

[@andrewt3952]

What’s on ur head mate?

[@markandshirley]

A work in progress 😅

[@nickislade5533]

Well you already told us in the headliner

[@markandshirley]

@nickislade5533 wat, we should be more click-baity? Look

[@dazr123]

The main thing is you are all OK ,give the dog a pat from us

[@markandshirley]

Very true, we keep reminding ourselves of that. Pats to bertie given 👍

[@robertking7232]

YOU ARE ON Yandruwandah land the Yandruwandah people are my people the Mertys are directly related me

[@markandshirley]

It's a beautiful spot and we were grateful for the privilege of overnighting there. We are fully self-contained so left nothing behind

[@ronhoward3869]

Hey Mark. Did you work with buses

[@markandshirley]

Yup. Sta and transdev

[@ronhoward3869]

@@markandshirley it Ron from Revesby. Glad your ok

[@markandshirley]

ah, of course. hope retirement is a bit less eventfull you than for me :)

[@ronhoward3869]

@@markandshirley I’m not have as much fun as you haha. As long you 2 are safe and well

[@nigelupton9030]

Dont let this stop you, set up & go again

[@markandshirley]

we are back on the road already

[@thelonewolf666]

tandem vans are 500% safer when towing

[@markandshirley]

I've seen conflicting research on that, also 15 foot vans like ours only come as a single axle as far as I've know.

[@thelonewolf666]

@@markandshirley buy a 18 footer then

[@markandshirley]

@thelonewolf666 happy with our 15'. It's light too, under 2500kg, plus we have antisway on this one.

[@FutureSystem738]

@@markandshirleyI hope you went for Tuson or it’s Aussie brand name equivalent- much better and smarter than the competition.

[@markandshirley]

@FutureSystem738 crusader gladiator force

[@stendecstretcher5678]

It's not an accident it's an incident.

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

I reckon everyone that tows a caravan and buys a big car should have to be tested and trained. The amount of bloody crashes that are caused due to poor driver skill is a joke. You bought a top heavy vehicle with hogh roll over potential and a lifted up caravan, what did you expect would happen????? Glad your safe, but you just bought another car and if it happens again and you loose control what have you done to prevent it happening again???? Lucky that no one in an oncoming vehicle was killed or you guys. be safe

[@markandshirley]

the van was under it's max weight, not lifted, just a off road van.the car was heavier than the van. the new van has anti sway brakes on it so this is one thing that has been put in place to prevent this happening again. we had traveled over 15k km without incident, shirley is an experienced driver and i have my mc license, plus am a heavy vehicle driving instructor. these things can happen to anyone, thats also what the emergancy services told us. we were both lucky and unlucky

[@craigquinn7887]

Let this teach you a lesson that you are not qualified to be towing anything on the road. There are too many people driving and towing vans beyond their capabilities out there and they should keep off the roads! This is not bad luck this is bad driving, period..

[@markandshirley]

thanks for the reply. I've been a heavy vehicle driver and instructor for many years, but always happy to take on good advice. also the car and van had been just fine for over 10,000km, sometimes it's just bad luck, like happened to the 2 road trains that had a head on along the same stretch of road 2 weeks after our accident

[@andreasjsn]

Please enlighten us why this is due to bad driving, so that we can all learn from your vast knowledge about what went wrong, and how it could have been avoided.

[@rosewood1]

That's rude insensitive and based on ignorance. You don't know what happened. You can speculate but to publicly castigate people after something shit has happened says allot about you and your inflated sense of self importance. I hope I never meet you. Not a nice person.

[@craigquinn7887]

@Michelle_Emm There are training courses out there that inexperienced drivers can & should attend before buying a huge van and just "winging it" and going out there and endangering other road users!

[@craigquinn7887]

@Michelle_Emm He is obviously not experienced at towing single axel vans or this would not have happened, just because you have experience in one area it dose not automatically make you experienced in towing everything!