David has been working on our Bedford for weeks and weeks, with little sleep, lots of very heavy lifting and so many sweat, tears and heaps of money put into getting our Motorhome ready for our big trip north.
We were meant to leave on the Monday 15th December to slowly make our way north…..well that didn’t happen cause we had to wait on our back springs.
Then we were meant to leave Friday but when David was looking at the Gears on Wednesday the Gear Box Parts {can’t remember what its called} broke. So he rang around and found a wonderful company in Port Kembla who spent all after noon Thursday and Friday putting their magic together on making a new part.
All was good – the Gears were working well on Saturday!
Then he drove the Motorhome up to the Workshop to add air to the tyres, and both his Boss {who is also named David} and he climbed underneath to see where all the oil was coming from….
Yep it was pissing out HUGE amounts of Oil from the new Gear Box Part.
So David drove it back to the Very Spot we have had it parked in, and went back underneath to pull all of the Gear Box out and re-fix it back in so that the plugs were sitting in the holes tightly {gee I am hoping that I am making sense with my descriptions of what he did!!!}
While he was crazily working on it I took the boys to the very exact same spot we visited when we first arrived to Windang NSW, and they played in the beach while we waited to hear from David.
David called to say all was good and we were on the way….so I jumped into our Campervan and meet up with him.
At first he had planned to make a trailer but due to some issues with us NOT allowed to work in his Bosses Workshop because of the other Owners in the other Storage Units we couldn’t work on building one on the previous weekend. So then we thought about storing our Campervan but at the last minute we both decided that having our car with us would be more practical so that we had a vehicle with us if need be…..
Yeah We Needed It!!!
The Bedford Comair Motorhome made it up Mt Ousley with no issues what so ever, and was travelling well. She actually traveled better up the big Mountain instead of going down! Want to read more about where our Motorhome came from? First Taste of Life on the Road <—– Click on those hi-lighted words to be taken to our beginning!
And we followed on behind. At first I noticed that oil was coming out of the Exhaust but cause of all the oil changes David had done, and because of the oil that had leaked early that morning, I thought that it might settle down and not be an issue.
The Bedford Broke Down….we were almost on the M7 {motorway} to head up north when all of sudden the Bedford was pouring out Big Black Smoke, so much so that you couldn’t see the car next to it, nor the road and it was soon very dangerous for all those around.
David pulled off the highway and into a side street.
I pulled up in front to find out what was wrong…..we had something major going on.
David ran his Boss {actually David doesn’t work for him anymore so I guess I should say ex-boss} and they worked out it was a mechanical issue – his boss was a mechanic before owning his own Caravan Company.
At his Bosses suggestion David pulled the Fuel Pipes apart to see if there was any blocked fuel. But the smoke was still there…..
He then called a Roadside Mechanic to come out and have a look.
We waited, and we prayed for a good outcome! While we waited I cooked dinner – I had to do something.
The Mechanic said we had either blown “Valve 2” or “Valve 5” in the Engine….
It couldn’t be the Fuel Injectors cause they were all re-built less than a year ago. It couldn’t be anything else cause David has worked on so many parts of the motorhome.
It could maybe also be a Cracked Headgasket! It could also be that we need a New Engine – and if that’s the case we won’t be putting in another Bedford Motor – David is looking into a Isuzu Motor.
BUT
Its a matter of how far do we go? Do we keep sinking on so much money into a Motorhome that really is far too small for our family of seven, or do we re-think our way of travelling?
Back To Our Broken Down Bedford ::
So after the mechanic left with the really bad news – he was so very nice and gave us a huge discount for coming out to see us cause it was Xmas time and he felt for us – David drove the Campervan to the Prestons Rest Stop Area to see if we could move our Motorhome there while I did lots of google searches to see where we could store our Bedford Motorhome.
Cause we HAD to be in QLD on Monday afternoon, and there was nothing going to stop us from getting there.
Plan B ::
While he was moving our Motorhome to the rest stop, which was only three blocks away, the Black Smoke got ten times worse – our Plan B to drive it 25 minutes to a Caravan Park was no longer an option. But I wasn’t going to leave it on the Side of the Road.
So again I went in search of “Motorhome Storage near Prestons NSW” on google and found an ad for one in St Marys. I Googled how far “Prestons to St Marys” was and found out it was about 25 minutes.
I rang the Storage Ad, it went to message bank.
I rang the caravan park ad which was also about 25 minutes away from Prestons- it also went to message bank.
Then the Storage Ad lady got back to me, and she was so very helpful….
Her Caretaker was also a mechanic who she just knew would be able to help us….so between the calls back and forward between the lady who owns the storage facility {Which is a farm turned into storage – smart business lady} and her caretaker they found a Towing Company who works 24/7 and who would be happy to tow us from the Rest Stop to the Storage facility. But we decided to stay where we were and book the job in for the next day.
**** ATTENTION *****
STORAGE DETAILS ::
If you need storage in the St Mary’s area for your Caravan, Campervan, Motorhome, or Vehicles then Pauline is the person to call! She is so very helpful. .Her phone number is 0400398932.
Prestons Rest Stop ::
We decided that we were safe in the rest stop overnight, mind you there was no toilets, no water and BBQ/Picnic tables at all in the Rest stop! The weirdest night ever….basically we were parked next to a Huge Oval on one side, and a VERY busy road on the other side.
With McDonalds down the Road as the only toilet facilities around.
Waiting For the Tow Truck ::
On Saturday night I booked the Tow Truck. But I Booked it while the Xmas Party was going down…..
On Sunday we waited and waited but it was getting on and no-one had called or turned up. So I decided to call the Tow Truck Company to see what time they thought they would be coming…..and there was no booking in their system and that is why they didn’t come!!! My text didn’t reach their office {Silly Telstra} so we were not booked in.
Within a very short amount of time the Tow Truck turned up and we worked out the best way to Tow our Motorhome to St Marys.
It was Actually Black Smoke At First ~
Then it Went White! The Photo Does Not Capture HOW much there was!
David was asked if he wanted to drive the Motorhome onto the Tray, or have it pulled on. David was determined – the Motorhome was going to be driven on no matter what….and he did drive the old girl on!
When he first starts it up the smoke is really black, as he moves it the smoke turns to white – there is so much of it!!!
How We Rolled :
I followed the Tow Truck to our New Storage Place. I can’t share any pictures of where it is, nor the location because we were asked to respect other people’s privacy and to also protect the Storage System so that our Motorhome is safe while we are not there.
But I can say that the Lady who owns the farm is the nicest person ever, the Caretaker who helped us so much and who is still helping us is also the nicest ever….
They have placed our Motorhome in the yard in a position so that we can get access to the inside, letting us work on it when we can, and out of the way of others.
They let me un-pack our Fridge….I had gone shopping two days before so I had to throw out so much food, we did give some of it to the caretakers!
I then unpacked the back of our Campervan, placed it all on Cameron/Kyle’s Bunkbeds and then we Packed as much as we could into the Campervan…..and then hit the road late Sunday!
I even cooked up as much food as possible from the Freezer and we had lunch – at 4.00pm…that’s how crazy the day was!!!
David tried to drive straight through the night to our destination but he was tired so we pulled up for dinner {can’t remember what time that was!!!} and I took over…..
Mind you I could only do about 2 hours and I was far too tired, I started to lose concentration which scared me so I pulled over to the next rest stop.
David rolled out onto the ground on camping mats and slept for a couple of hours.
Then we hit the road once again…..
He drove for another 2 hours but again we were both far too tired and so we pulled over. This time both Nicholas and David slept on the ground next to the Campervan for about 2 hours and then we woke up to hit the road.
They slept literally on the ground ~ With Sleeping Mats/Sleeping bags and tarps for cover!!! They didn’t even bother with tents, mind you it was a rest stop and tents were not allowed.
Early Monday Morning ::
We stopped at the Macadamia Castle for Breakfast – which I so have to share soon cause their food and service was the best ever! And the history of the place captivated David.
After Breakfast we pushed on – we still had about seven hours of driving ahead of us and we had to be there, I still had to do Xmas shopping {which I finished today} and we still had to work out where everyone was going to sleep while staying here.
What’s Next For New Life on the Road?
No idea at all….we are spending the holidays here, and then we are slowly going to head back down south. We had planned on seeing so many people on the way up here, and spending some time staying with people but with the crazy rush we had happening on our way up that wasn’t possible. We do plan on stopping with lots of amazing people on our way back down to our Motorhome.
Our Bedford Motorhome Outcome ::
Not sure what we will be doing with our Bedford! David has already ordered the Valves from England and they are on the way, but it depends if our motor is too far gone to be repaired. We wont be putting in another Bedford Motor. But do we spend more money on a new engine? Do we spend the time to fix it and that means we can’t be on the road?
Where will be staying while David has to fix it?
No idea but I am not going to think about this for the time being….Its Christmas time and I am focusing on GOOD times, Good food, Family and fun. The motorhome is safely stored and for that I am so very Grateful.
I did cry when it was towed away, I held it together while we were broken down, I held it together when we were working out what to do, and I held it together getting everything sorted…..I did get very hot and bothered while trying to get everything out of the camper van into our motorhome and when making sure we had everything with us for our journey.
Mind you I forgot our towels!
Lucky for us we have a Campervan set up with plenty of storage space for all of our needs. And luckily for us we have our big family tent from our shipping container to use while we are here for Xmas.
Next year is going to be one big adventure for our family because we now have to decide what to do, where to go and how we are going to get there.
Being Grateful ::
We are so grateful that The Bedford Broke Down where it was – we were able to be towed easily to a storage place, we were safe for the night and we are grateful to those who we have meet who helped us out! We are so grateful to GRS Towing Services who transported our Home on Wheels. Grateful to the Care Taker on the Farm, and grateful that the lady who owns the farm who set her business up last year!
What Next?
One thing I do know is that our family is safe and we all arrived in QLD together. And that we will be together next year and that is all that is important to us – Family is all that matters.
The rest is little stuff that we will work out. Travel is always going to be in my system, it doesn’t matter how we travel or what in, as long as we show our boys more of Australia!
Our dreams are still the same, just different.
And we are sad our Old Bedford is not with us – we had so many places planned to see along the way, David just wants to drive it around Australia at least once. I just want to see more of Australia – I know that universe will be listening….so here is to a wonderful 2015 ahead.
Merry Xmas to you all, thanking you so very much for supporting our family in 2014. Thanking you so very much for following our journey here on our blog – we send you all lots of love.
With Love Anything is Possible.
So glad we were safe driving on the road at Xmas Time, hope you all stay safe.
When Was The Last Time You Broke Down?
Cheers
Lisa
New Life on the Road
Sorry to hear what you guys are going through, it can be very very wearing.
We have been looking for a diff for our bus and can’t believe what a hassle it’s been, it has almost broken us but have decided to still go on with the bus.
If you ever have the bus up here around Caboolture and have issues let us know, i can swing a few spanners if need be and have a few contacts too. We have a Isuzu 6bd1t in our bedford, you can come over to have a look might give you a few ideas.
I would be nice to see you guys one day
All the best from us all.
Adrian recently posted..Diff Depression.
Hi Adrian,
Oh I so hear you, and I so know your pain. We have been so ready to hit the road for such a long time yet things keep breaking down on our Motorhome!!!
We used to live near Caboolture, we love the Markets there on the Sunday at the Showgrounds. David can always do with an extra pair of hands, and like wise we would love to help you guys out.
David is not sure how much more we are going to spend on the old girl – is it worth it in the end? Not sure, it depends on what he finds when he pulls the engine apart.
Thanking you for your kind words xxx
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year 🙂
Yikes, that is an epic tale of hardship and frustration! I would be emotional too seeing my home towed away so I completely understand that. I’ve always admired how much David has been able to do to fix the Bedford on his own and save you guys the cost of a repairman. On the other hand there comes a time in a situation where you have to ask if you are throwing your savings into a Money Pit. I admire that you are keeping your cup half full with a smile on your face and enjoying Christmas! 🙂 Oh, the Bedford doesn’t have a bathroom?
Mike recently posted..Phoenix, My Golden Retriever, And Believing In Santa Claus
Yeah David is so very clever at what he can build and repair, but its hard when the parts come from England, and its Xmas time so nothing it open and we have to think about what to do to make sure it safe while are not with it…
I cried watching it being towed away cause we have had the motorhome with us for over four years.
BUT its not big enough for our family of seven, so do we sink more money into something that is not suitable? Or do we move onto something that is more suitable?
We do have a Porta Loo and a Shower, but not a “Proper Toilet” which is really annoying….and the porta loo is in the shower which is so very tiny so its really hard to sit on the Porta Loo. We also only let our boys do wee’s in the Porta Loo and not number 2’s cause it gets to smelly other wise!
Thanking you so much Mike for all of our support over the last year. Love sent to you xxx
I like this ” our dreams are still the same, just different ”
The invisible support the visible & gratitude is a very big word. Just trust & in the end everything will fall into place
Best wishes to you and your family Enjoy your Holiday.
Thanking you so very much Johanna, sending you lots of wonderful love for 2015. Yes our dreams are still the same, but we have different ways of achieving them.
Looking forward to the new year with lots of new adventures ahead.
We thank you for all of your support and love xxx