Hints, Tips and Great Ideas

Cruising Granny · Guru

RE: Hints, Tips and Great Ideas

Boroma577 · Guru

Clare46 wrote:
John
I understand that if you use woolwash then you don't even have to rinse but have not tried it

Even with woolwash I still prefer to rinse Clare, I also have one of those buckets and yes they are great.

-- Edited by Boroma577 on Sunday 4th of December 2011 03:34:30 PM

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Geez you have fancy buckets! I just use a nappy pail that has a good fitting lid, it does the job fine.

Boroma577 · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Geez you have fancy buckets! I just use a nappy pail that has a good fitting lid, it does the job fine.

This one is probably a tad bigger/taller than a nappy pail Gerty but I am sure they all work as well. I had mine given to me and am very thankful of the kind donation. LOL.

JRH · Guru

Friend of ours uses a plastic rubbish bin with the clips that go over the lid, they swear by it.

Boroma577 · Guru

Knives, especially sharp ones are always an issue and I've not got the space in the van to have a bench top block for them.

So they live in a drawer and that being so, the blades need protection (for them and me) so I always have a sheath for them. Some come with sheaths and if you can't buy them after the fact then I make my own.

Just a simple piece of cardboard folded and stapled or taped will do the job quite nicely.

I also place them in the drawer all facing the same way, no nasty surprises that way.

suenterry · Member

A great way to get out of muddy wet sites is to use a bread crate base.

Boroma577 · Guru

suenterry wrote:
A great way to get out of muddy wet sites is to use a bread crate base.

Can you elaborate on that a bit please suenterry??

suenterry · Member

Hi Guru, It is the crate that our bread vendors bring to our shops. You just cut off the sides, and place under the wheels to get a good grip.

Boroma577 · Guru

suenterry wrote:
You just cut off the sides, and place under the wheels to get a good grip.

Ok, now I understand....was not sure if you meant, walk on them or drive on them. For anyone who does not have a set of MaxTrax this would be a brilliant solution. Thank you.

Cheers Boroma577

grumpy-j · Senior Member

Reducing the tyre pressure can help in getting out of muddy situations.

I have a 4 wheel drive but still carry a set of Max Trax just in case.

Cheers,

John

grumpy-j · Senior Member

When travelling into head winds the straps on my mirrors vibrate causing a humming noise to resonate in the doors.

To fix this I place a piece of foam rubber between the door and the strap to act as a dampener.

Also to prevent duco scratches I insert a fridge advertising magnetic between the buckle and the door.

Not sure if other people have experienced this problem but it worked for me.

Cheers,

John

-- Edited by grumpy-j on Monday 5th of December 2011 01:05:02 PM

Beth54 · Guru

grumpy-j wrote:
When I go bush I always take my Handy-Wash bucket.

When we travelled with little kids, we used the old nappy bucket with the push seal lid. It sat in the trailer and the jolting washed them for us.
I don't have enough strength in my hands these days, so generally go to a laudromat.

Beth54 · Guru

I like the sound of the base of the crate. I'll be chasing one of them. A lot cheaper than the Max Trax, I assume.

Boroma577 · Guru

Beth54 wrote:
I like the sound of the base of the crate. I'll be chasing one of them. A lot cheaper than the Max Trax, I assume.

You'll possibly need a couple Beth.

rvtraveller2 · Senior Member

grumpy-j wrote:
When travelling into head winds the straps on my mirrors vibrate causing a humming noise to resonate in the doors.
To fix this I place a piece of foam rubber between the door and the strap to act as a dampener.
Also to prevent duco scratches I insert a fridge advertising magnetic between the buckle and the door.

Not sure if other people have experienced this problem but it worked for me.
Cheers,
John

-- Edited by grumpy-j on Monday 5th of December 2011 01:05:02 PM

Hello grumpy yes i have all i did was tape the strap with electric tape that stopped the humming. smile

Cruising Granny · Guru

Those foam shower mats would work in mud or sand. Lots of people carry them when camping.
Gadgets cause problems we then have to find solutions for.
One finds the most simple solution, while others really complicate it. At the end of the day the problem is solved.

grumpy-j · Senior Member

I would be interested in how other caravanners keep ants out. I have tried different methods with varying success.

I currently sprinkle a ring of talcum powder around the corner jacks & smear a circle of petrolum jelly around the power cord, water and drainage hose. This seems to be work so far.

I have also tried spraying corner jacks & hoses with aerogard which worked for a while but wears off after a few hours then the ants are back in business. This also can works out a bit expensive.

Cheers,

John

-- Edited by grumpy-j on Tuesday 6th of December 2011 06:14:02 AM

Happywanderer · The Master

Grumpy, Have you tried Napthalene flakes, sprinkle around. If it works for mice it might work for ants too.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

I think that works, HW, we used it a couple of times successfully. The ants got in eventually though, the blighters came up the water hose, and we havent figured how to stop that yet.

grumpy-j · Senior Member

Thanks Marj - I'll give it a go.

No matter what we do I think they have a team brief and come up with a different plan of attack.

GD - A ring of petrolum jelly around the hoses and power cord works well.

Cheers,

John

03_troopy · Guru

We used stainless pot scrubbers to keep mice out of the only 2 entries in the camper trailer. Just tease them out and stuff them in the gap. Seems they don't like chewing on them.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Yes, troopy - either the stainless steel (pretty polly) or soapy jex pads works in any hole to keep mice at bay.

Happywanderer · The Master

I also used 2 pkts of stainless pot scrubbers troopy. And numerous other hints last year when I got rid of the whole family.

ChiChi1 · Guru

Including a piece of wood lol

Happywanderer · The Master

Too true Chichi.

Ma · Guru

If they are hungry and determined enough they will eat through the soapy ones I found.

Firefly · Guru

grumpy-j wrote:
I would be interested in how other caravanners keep ants out. I have tried different methods with varying success.
Cheers,
John

On the Better Homes and Gardens show last week:

Ants hate vinegar. Mix 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in a spray can and spray where ants hang out, inside and outside.

With mice, this year we stuck to the peppermint oil theory and that worked for sure.

At Julia Creek they were everywhere, well rats anyway. We rubbed the peppermint oil all round the tray of the ute and around the van where needed. Not one came near us but you could hear them.

We realised the next day there was even an open box of cat food in the back of the ute and not touched.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

ChiChi1 wrote:
Including a piece of wood lol

A 5 iron is good too. Fouuuuuur. Could cause a case of GUR but hey, it's worth it.

Cruising Granny · Guru

The ant problem can be avoided if you stop feeding the blighters. Make sure everything is in screw cap plastic containers. I don't advocate glass in my van for obvious reasons.
My worst ant problems were in Broome and Cairns. Applying grease or Vaseline are good, cheap deterrents.
Bear in mind a caravan has many ground points, including the walls of the annexe, the poles and ropes, the cord and hoses in and out.
I also watched where they got in and applied vaseline until I could apply sealant. If the ants could get in, the water and dust could get in.
Even the roof hatches will let them in. Or should I say they'll find their way in.
I got the point where I admired the ants. Their communication and hunting skills are unbeatable.
I haven't had to deal with mice plagues yet. I'm sure they'll be a bit easier to deal with up in the van.
The bottom line - don't feed them.