Arriving by camel train

You realize Australia is a big country and Perth is the most isolated city in the world when you buy an item that has to come from somewhere else.  We were obviously spoilt in the UK where items were delivered within 24 hours.

Ten days ago I purchased a 12V air compressor for use (or hopefully not) on my outback trips.  It takes three days for the freight train to cross Australia and the courier company website indicated delivery would take seven days.  I assume they hold onto freight until there is enough to fill a container and make the journey financially viable.  However by Day 8 I was starting to get grumpy.  By the ninth day I knew the air compressor could have made the trip twice!  Obviously it was crossing the desert by camel train.

It’s the largest (and cheapest) 12V compressor I could find online.  The supplier had to be Australian to ensure I received a 12 month warranty.  It’s twin cylinder with a maximum output of 300 litres per minute and 150psi.  The manufacturer is unknown to me but in all likelihood, Chinese (as is almost everything these days).

There were smaller and cheaper 12V air compressors, but the 4x4 has large tyres and if you physically remove the tyre from the rim to do a major puncture repair the tyre frequently doesn’t reseat on the rim bead afterwards.  This means you need a large volume of air into the tyre very quickly to pop the tyre back onto the bead.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a carry bag included along with a complimentary puncture repair kit.  Actually I’ll probably discard half the repair kit.  The thought of a plastic handle breaking and the steel shaft puncturing my palm brings tears to my eyes.  I’ve already started looking for replacement tools that have metal handles. 

 

Of course I’m going to do some modifications to the compressor.  The 12V power lead isn’t very long and I’ll need to replace the battery terminal “alligator” clips with an Anderson plug.  Hopefully some of the items I’ve ordered from China for the trailer modifications will start arriving shortly.