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The Aussie has arrived!

Scott

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Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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1,046
The Aussie has arrived!


Finally after much time, effort and money Wanda, our FZJ105, is on UK soil. After using her to tour parts of Australia we couldn’t bear to part with her, so here she is.


Chris and the team a the team at FNB 4WD did a great job of preparing and packaging her for the long journey. A condition of carriage was that all fuel tanks were drained, and then the engine run until it stalled. The RTT was removed due to height constraints, all the gear and spare wheels mounted on the rear bumper were stored in the vehicle to reduce the trucks length as much as possible.


A tilt bed recovery truck was arranged to get her to Adelaide docks, with the RTT following on the bed of Chris’ HiLux.


Back at base at the end of our trip:
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Preparation:
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The tool used to load her into the container:
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After docking in Tilbury the container was moved to Barking by road.


The first signing in the UK:
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She was pretty snug in there:
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The lorry was backed up to a ramp and then I was able to get my hands on our truck for the first time since Feb 2014.


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When the lorry backed into the ramp it was clear how much the truck was rocking inside the container, the straps had been placed around the chassis inline with the lashing points in the container, so not utilising the trucks stout recovery points. Every strap was lose so she was moving more than you expect. Fortunately the pieces of wood nailed into the containers floor, alongside the wheels and fore and aft, kept her in place and safe from damage (without these there would have been damage).
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It was a bit snug in there!


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I was able to get down the side of the truck, but it was really tight. I found that I could actually slide underneath the axles, so thats what I did to release the straps and lever the wood out from around the wheels. There were a number of spider webs in the container and truck, so I had to be careful as something nasty may have hitched a ride!


I’d brought two helpers along with me, plus my Discovery loaded with tools and fuel to get the truck reassembled and fuelled ready to run. We elected the skinniest of us to squeeze into the drivers seat, I then pushed her single handedly out of the container and onto the ramp. The driver was now piloting a heavy Land Cruiser down a steep ramp with very poor braking, as the truck was still a non runner at this point.


Fortunately the driver piloted her perfectly down the ramp and managed to bring her to a halt without colliding into anything.


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This left the RTT to unstrap and place back on top where she belonged, the forklift made easy work of getting it back up there.


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I then brought the Discovery into the warehouse and began getting the truck running.


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We added 40L of fuel to the main tank and let it settle while we got busy bolting the RTT down, mounting the rear number plate and reconnecting the batteries.


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It was then time to fire her up, I cycled the ignition 3 times to prime the fuel system then gave her a go. She fired first time and immediately settled to a smooth idle, I was very chuffed. She hadn’t been driven since Feb 2014, or ran since Feb 2015 when the tanks were drained, Toyota ruggedness and simple but strong designed meant the she’d started as though nothing had happened. I tested that she moved back and forth, and that the brakes worked, with that I declared her fit to hit the road for the first time in the UK.


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We packed up the tools and gear and headed out of the warehouse, taking Wanda out into the daylight of a beautifully warm summers day, the kind of weather thats she's used to.


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Once signed out Wanda entered out into the busy streets of East London for the first time, on route to the MOT station in Romford. She drove really well, it was a bit strange driving her along roads that I never expected to see through her windscreen, we’re used to seeing the Australian bush when piloting Wanda. She did get some funny looks when people clocked the South Australian license plates!


In the queue at the MOT station.
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She passed just needing a light bulb and a tweak on the handbrake.


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Then it was time to stretch her legs and head home, via a fuel station to add some fuel to the sub tank. During the journey I tested the AC which was working as good as ever, and ran on the sub tank for a few miles to keep everything lubricated.


Once home the reassembly could start (five spiders were dispatched during this):


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So a massive thanks to everyone that has helped ship our great Cruiser half way around the world, its now time for her to start the next chapter of her adventures.


Next step, the DVLA.
 
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Superb, and so lucky no damage in the container with those straps coming loose. You can now Enjoy some new adventures in Europe


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Very nice!

I bet its completely rust-free underneath so I would make sure its given a good coating of underseal (or whatever) before the British weather gets at it.

Bob.
 
Hi Scott well done bringing it back over. I hope you have a more straight forward job registering it than I have with the bike I imported from Canada. The one thing DVLA absolutely need is the date of first registration as well as all the other requirements.
Glad to see it.

Andy
 
Great to see and read it all pretty much went smooth sailing all the way.
I can't believe only five 8-legged hitch-hikers on board, I'd have thought there would be more. :icon-biggrin:
 
Well done Scott glad you saw sense and brought her back. I keep thinking of one as the are so cheap in SA now.
Stu
 
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Scott - was there any obvious reason the straps were loose? For example flat tyres? Can you give me a better idea of what not to do to lash the truck down. I plan to strap each wheel/tyre rather than chassis. Also what was the cost to bring it back from Australia?
 
Looks great, at least didn't pick up a load of damage on its way over
 
Scott - I forgot to say that i haven't heard of having to drain all the fuel tanks for a vehicle in a container - why was that special condition applied? Was it an over zealous customs person? I could understand if there were propane tanks but diesel/petrol??? First I've seen of that condition? Anybody else come across this before?
 
It is my understanding that draining the fuel/battery removal makes this a "Non Haz" cargo with fuel and battery left on vehicle it is a "hazadous" cargo.
 
Fantastic job Scott and well done done FNB coming through once again.

Has to be one of the finest Cruisers in the UK by some margin.
 
Thanks Chris. It is a great set up Scott will enjoy for years.

Yes, we were requested by the shipping company to remove all fuel and disconnect the battery system and sign a declaration to this effect. Meant of course doing tasks in sequence but it all went relatively smoothly. The guys at the yard who did the final container set up queried it, but the logistics company required it to be done.
 
I've done a bit more research since my earlier post and it seems these are rules since 2012 - as above you can elect to be a hazardous shipment and pay the extra or remove the diesel. Most of the shipping companies seem to suggest to keep 25% or less diesel in the truck and even that if you empty the tanks that a vehicle remains hazardous......a lottery
 
Great looking machine - I noticed the two spares not fitted for the container. Did you have them inside the vehicle.
 
That is a very nice 105. Any trips planed now it's back in the UK?
 
Well done Scott. That is a great truck. Looking foward to seeing it up close. I am sure you are looking forward to some great trips.
 
Thanks for all your kind comments guys, she is a great truck.

Very nice!

I bet its completely rust-free underneath so I would make sure its given a good coating of underseal (or whatever) before the British weather gets at it.

Bob.
A full rustproofing of the underside was one of the first jobs done on her before the prep work, so hopefully that'll protect her for a while. She was a good condition truck when bought so we had a good starting point. I plan to do further corrosion protection on her when I get time, but hope to keep her away for the salted roads if I can (for now anyway).

Hi Scott well done bringing it back over. I hope you have a more straight forward job registering it than I have with the bike I imported from Canada. The one thing DVLA absolutely need is the date of first registration as well as all the other requirements.
Glad to see it.

Andy
Thanks for the heads up Andy, I have lots of paperwork for the truck, so hopefully I can satisfy the DVLAs requirements. I've been so busy since I got the truck home that I haven't filled out the forms yet, but its high on my 'to do' list.

Great to see and read it all pretty much went smooth sailing all the way.
I can't believe only five 8-legged hitch-hikers on board, I'd have thought there would be more. :icon-biggrin:
There could be, I keep checking! Thanks again for all your help.

Scott - was there any obvious reason the straps were loose? For example flat tyres? Can you give me a better idea of what not to do to lash the truck down. I plan to strap each wheel/tyre rather than chassis. Also what was the cost to bring it back from Australia?
Steve, I apologise for not posting in your other thread regarding shipping your 100, a had intended to but wanted to start this thread first which has gone someway to answer your questions. I have been working out of the country since the truck arrived, so didn't have access to the pictures which were required for this thread, and explaining the containerisation.

As for the loose straps, the tyres hadn't lost any pressure so I don't think that had anything to do with it. As I wasn't there when they loaded and strapped her down I don't know how tight they were, but they had enough slack to risk damage. They had strapped from the containers lashing point around the nearest chassis leg and back on itself, in doing so they had also captured the wiring and fuel lines in places, so I would avoid this if possible. I had expected to see her strapped from the recovery points.

The wood nailed to the container floor fore and aft of every wheel and alongside the outside sidewall of the tyre is the most important part to prevent the truck from moving during transit, as done correctly the wood isn't going to move anywhere. This kept Wanda from moving within the container. With the movement of the axles (and therefore the truck as a whole) taken care of by the wood, the ratchet straps are used to minimise the body roll side to side within the container as it bobs along on its journey.

For ratchet strapping I would cross strap from the recovery points to the container. By that I mean if you stand in front of the container with the front of the truck facing you (as mine was loaded), a ratchet strap would go from the left front lashing eye of the container to the recovery point on the righthand chassis rail (passenger side of the truck (RHD truck)). Then I would put a second ratchet strap going from the right front lashing eye of the container to the recovery point on the lefthand chassis rail (drivers side of the truck), crossing the first ratchet strap. I would then repeat this at the rear of the truck. So the ratchet straps would stop the trucks body rocking from side to side, but wouldn't stop any movement due to compression of the suspension (as mentioned earlier by Stu). Strapping of any other gear within the container (RTT, spare wheels) I would use at least two straps for redundancy.

Your plan to strap the wheels as well could work, but access might be very difficult on the passenger side of the truck, due to its proximity to the side of the container. As a belt and braces approach I can't see that it would hurt.

Costs: Just shipping from Oz to UK (including the road move to the devanning (unloading) warehouse) was: £2485.14
Transit insurance was £371 which I arranged this end. As I was importing the truck from Oz I also had to pay Import and VAT (the benefits pot doesn't fill itself!)
There is more to this story, this was actually the second attempt at shipping her back, I can fill you in on the other details when we next meet up.

I know from your other thread that you are trying to work out how tight it will be to squeeze your 100 into the container, if I was in your position of being pretty tight on getting through the door, I would also have the back up option of removing the RTT and putting it separately within the container (I know you incorporated this in your build design). If this approach is taken then the total length available has to be taken into account, these are long trucks once bumpers and spare wheels are taken into account, so fitting a RTT into the container can be tight. As I didn't have access to my truck I had to rely on my research and Chris' skill with the tape measure to plan the loading (Chris was a great help with this). You have your truck in front of you, so with some measuring or mocking up of the loading you'll be able to gauge how it'll all fit in, and whether you'll need to unbolt things like rear mounted spare wheels. My spare wheels were stored within the truck, a full loaded trip ready truck is unlikely to have the space for this, but they could be strapped underneath the front or rear of the truck, during transit.

Scott - I forgot to say that i haven't heard of having to drain all the fuel tanks for a vehicle in a container - why was that special condition applied? Was it an over zealous customs person? I could understand if there were propane tanks but diesel/petrol??? First I've seen of that condition? Anybody else come across this before?
She was shipped as non hazardous cargo, I was informed shipping as hazardous cargo would incur additional costs and the cost/hassle was something I was trying to keep under control. As Chris has mentioned the office bods were very clear on the prep work that had to be done to the truck, fuel tanks drained, engine ran until it stalled, batteries disconnected and the cables secured against shorting (cable tied safely away), so this work was done.

Upon arrival the loading team then question why you have done this, and why the truck can't be driven into the container! So who knows, it really depends on who you deal with, what their conditions are, and what happens on the day.

I don't know if the number of containers with hazardous cargo are limited on a vessel, or if they all have to be loaded above deck, just a pure guess on my part. But they incur additional charges.

All camping gas, food and spare fluids where removed from the vehicle as well. If I was doing it again I think I would leave the sealed new spare fluids stored in the truck.

I have seen evidence of other people refuelling their trucks and bleeding the fuel system to get them going again post shipping.

Fantastic job Scott and well done done FNB coming through once again.

Has to be one of the finest Cruisers in the UK by some margin.
Thanks Chris, yes she is a pretty nice truck. Drop in when your next in the area, you can give her the once over.

I've done a bit more research since my earlier post and it seems these are rules since 2012 - as above you can elect to be a hazardous shipment and pay the extra or remove the diesel. Most of the shipping companies seem to suggest to keep 25% or less diesel in the truck and even that if you empty the tanks that a vehicle remains hazardous......a lottery
Different people say different things! A full petrol tank is less hazardous from an explosion point of view than a drained one, but a drained one won't leak if something was to happen during transit.

Great looking machine - I noticed the two spares not fitted for the container. Did you have them inside the vehicle.
Thanks. The spares were removed and strapped down inside the truck, you can see them if you zoom in on the picture with the tailgates open. The sand ladders, hi lift, fox wing, dirty gear bag and number plate bracket were all removed from the rear and safely packaged and secured within the truck. The solar panel and its housing were stored in the RTT.

That is a very nice 105. Any trips planed now it's back in the UK?
Thanks. Nothing specific yet, life and work are getting in the way at moment, but we have a few places that we'd like to revisit. So hopefully the Cruiser will find its way into some nice scenery and onto some tracks at some point. For this year it'll be staying in the UK, no time for a proper trip until next summer at the earliest.

Apologises to all for the delay in replying to your posts, just been super busy these days, both in and outside of work, plus spending time out of the country doesn't help the 'to do' list. I might even find time to give the truck a wash at some point!!
 
Great looking truck - glad you've successfully got your hands back on her. You can sell the Disco now ;)
 
Very nice truck there Scott. Well done for bringing it back. I look forward to seeing at Lincomb.
 
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