Toyota Hilux in its natural habitat
Discussion
Enjoy Mr P
Hey guys cheers for the comments, These are possibly the worst batch of Hi luxes I have ever had they are shockingly unreliable the CV joints are lasting roughly 3000kms as well as the alternators and the ground clearance is Rubbish and the suspension snaps they are driven pretty hard though but compared to the ones a few years back they were hard as nails, The hill in the pictures is near Kaiam which is classed as low lands lol this was roughly about 16% incline. We are are now just hitting the highlands roughly 100km from where this picture was taken we have just hit a big one 3 weeks ago which has a 87% incline according to the TOPO guys we have been trying to blast it since but it is solid rock and it is taking some amount TNT to shift it we are just welding the roll cages on the side booms in advance. With regards to the mud we some areas are a no go I have seen a excavator disappear beneath and as for the roads we make them all out off rock blasted from the mountains as half the areas we go through are virgin so we have to build the roads as well as the pipeline the picture on the hill again is on the ROW next to the pipe these are unpredictable as if you will sink or get stuck in clay even the hearty hi lux fails in 70% of the locations we are in so we normally ditch them in the bush and take a walk through the jungle with a bush knife, There is absolutely nothing to do in PNG we have no TV,s no Alcohol no GYM the Internet Is that slow I seriously considering investing in a homing pigeon to send messages to the OH I am doing 10 weeks on and 2 weeks off it always gets the adrenalin pumping when guys with spears and bush knives are threatening to kill you unless you give them a job also the oil company's policy of no Alcohol on site for Expats but you can give a guy who lives in a tree 2 hours training then give him a car please bare in mind cars are known to the locals as 5th elements as before we got here they had never seen one before nor had some ever seen a white man but that's a different story. Also it is ridiculously hard trying convince people in emails when speaking about cars for sale that I am not from Lagos and I genuinely do work offshore/abroad 

MR00PEA said:
MR00PEA hope you don't mind just made it slightly easier to read...
Hey guys cheers for the comments.
These are possibly the worst batch of Hi luxes I have ever had they are shockingly unreliable, the CV joints are lasting roughly 3000kms as well as the alternators and the ground clearance is Rubbish.
The suspension snaps as they are driven pretty hard though but compared to the ones a few years back they were hard as nails.
The hill in the pictures is near Kaiam which is classed as low lands lol this was roughly about 16% incline. We are are now just hitting the highlands roughly 100km from where this picture was taken.
We have just hit a big one 3 weeks ago which has an 87% incline according to the TOPO guys. We have been trying to blast it since but it is solid rock and it is taking some amount TNT to shift it we are just welding the roll cages on the side booms in advance.
With regards to the mud some areas are a no go. I have seen an excavator disappear beneath and as for the roads we make them all out off rock blasted from the mountains as half the areas we go through are virgin so we have to build the roads as well as the pipeline.
The picture on the hill again is on the ROW next to the pipe. These are unpredictable as you will sink or get stuck in clay, even the hearty hi lux fails in 70% of the locations we are in so we normally ditch them in the bush and take a walk through the jungle with a bush knife.
There is absolutely nothing to do in PNG we have no TV's, no Alcohol, no GYM, the Internet is that slow I seriously considering investing in a homing pigeon to send messages to the OH.
I am doing 10 weeks on and 2 weeks off, it always gets the adrenalin pumping when guys with spears and bush knives are threatening to kill you unless you give them a job.
Also the oil company's policy of no Alcohol on site for Expats but you can give a guy who lives in a tree 2 hours training then give him a car.
Please bear in mind cars are known to the locals as 5th elements as before we got here they had never seen one before nor had some ever seen a white man but that's a different story.
Also it is ridiculously hard trying convince people in emails when speaking about cars for sale that I am not from Lagos and I genuinely do work offshore/abroad
Hey guys cheers for the comments.
These are possibly the worst batch of Hi luxes I have ever had they are shockingly unreliable, the CV joints are lasting roughly 3000kms as well as the alternators and the ground clearance is Rubbish.
The suspension snaps as they are driven pretty hard though but compared to the ones a few years back they were hard as nails.
The hill in the pictures is near Kaiam which is classed as low lands lol this was roughly about 16% incline. We are are now just hitting the highlands roughly 100km from where this picture was taken.
We have just hit a big one 3 weeks ago which has an 87% incline according to the TOPO guys. We have been trying to blast it since but it is solid rock and it is taking some amount TNT to shift it we are just welding the roll cages on the side booms in advance.
With regards to the mud some areas are a no go. I have seen an excavator disappear beneath and as for the roads we make them all out off rock blasted from the mountains as half the areas we go through are virgin so we have to build the roads as well as the pipeline.
The picture on the hill again is on the ROW next to the pipe. These are unpredictable as you will sink or get stuck in clay, even the hearty hi lux fails in 70% of the locations we are in so we normally ditch them in the bush and take a walk through the jungle with a bush knife.
There is absolutely nothing to do in PNG we have no TV's, no Alcohol, no GYM, the Internet is that slow I seriously considering investing in a homing pigeon to send messages to the OH.
I am doing 10 weeks on and 2 weeks off, it always gets the adrenalin pumping when guys with spears and bush knives are threatening to kill you unless you give them a job.
Also the oil company's policy of no Alcohol on site for Expats but you can give a guy who lives in a tree 2 hours training then give him a car.
Please bear in mind cars are known to the locals as 5th elements as before we got here they had never seen one before nor had some ever seen a white man but that's a different story.
Also it is ridiculously hard trying convince people in emails when speaking about cars for sale that I am not from Lagos and I genuinely do work offshore/abroad

Edited by TallbutBuxomly on Sunday 5th August 23:07
These are not even off road spec I think we got them on the cheap. They all come with the toe boards and stupid flared wheel arches and asphalt tyres.
All have CB's installed but they don't come spec'd that way same as we put the MUD tyres on and Rip off the toe boards and wheel arch extenders.
Be warned when this job is finished Australia will be flooded with 300 white absolutely knackard Toyota Hi luxes going cheap I would advise not to buy one;) Although I have a love hate relationship with mine I am seriously thinking about shipping back to the uk.
I have now changed laptops
All have CB's installed but they don't come spec'd that way same as we put the MUD tyres on and Rip off the toe boards and wheel arch extenders.
Be warned when this job is finished Australia will be flooded with 300 white absolutely knackard Toyota Hi luxes going cheap I would advise not to buy one;) Although I have a love hate relationship with mine I am seriously thinking about shipping back to the uk.
I have now changed laptops

Cheers, Tree Felling started in 09/10 Main line welding started around 13 months ago and will be running for another 18 months at least, then they we have to do the commissioning ready for the gas which will take around 12 months.
Soon as the last weld is finished inspected coated and backfilled we will start de-mobbing the construction team to the next project Either Iraq,Columbia,Kazakstan, or another project here which I hope wont be the case either way it will still take around 6 months to get all the Equipment back to Port Moresby Side booms excavators etc.
All the minor things like vehicles, containers, kitchen equipment, anything else of minor value will be sold or left behind.
Soon as the last weld is finished inspected coated and backfilled we will start de-mobbing the construction team to the next project Either Iraq,Columbia,Kazakstan, or another project here which I hope wont be the case either way it will still take around 6 months to get all the Equipment back to Port Moresby Side booms excavators etc.
All the minor things like vehicles, containers, kitchen equipment, anything else of minor value will be sold or left behind.
MR00PEA said:
Soon as the last weld is finished inspected coated and backfilled we will start de-mobbing the construction team to the next project Either Iraq,Columbia,Kazakstan, or another project here which I hope wont be the case either way it will still take around 6 months to get all the Equipment back to Port Moresby Side booms excavators etc.
PNG is so bad you'd rather be working in Iraq or Kazakstan?!i guess there are no head hunters there.
I do have a method to my madness the salary for Iraq is 2.3 times what I make now for doing nothing different well apart from the I.E.D's and the lunatics with the bombs strapped to them, although we should have private security with us anyway,
Hope everyone's enjoying reading the thread I will try upload some more pictures sometime tomorrow.
Hope everyone's enjoying reading the thread I will try upload some more pictures sometime tomorrow.
Ah pipeliners eh? Salt of the earth, mostly.
My first expat assignment was as a QS on an 80 odd click 36" line and 100 + click 40" line across the desert eastern territories of good old KSA, what a learning experience that was.
We all had Chevy and GMC trucks in those days, Ford (and Coca-Cola) were banned then in Saudi.
Those trucks went on and on, apart from when the odd wrinkley from Oklahoma would roll them in the dunes.
How long is that spread, looks to have the makings of a long one?
Surprised it's not trenched!
What's the dia, looks to about 30"?
Any valve stations, etc?
We weren't allowed to use pigs in KSA, had to use scrapers instead!!!
Good luck, be safe and be careful with that second rate eqpt!!!
Feckin bean-counters!
My first expat assignment was as a QS on an 80 odd click 36" line and 100 + click 40" line across the desert eastern territories of good old KSA, what a learning experience that was.
We all had Chevy and GMC trucks in those days, Ford (and Coca-Cola) were banned then in Saudi.
Those trucks went on and on, apart from when the odd wrinkley from Oklahoma would roll them in the dunes.
How long is that spread, looks to have the makings of a long one?
Surprised it's not trenched!
What's the dia, looks to about 30"?
Any valve stations, etc?
We weren't allowed to use pigs in KSA, had to use scrapers instead!!!

Good luck, be safe and be careful with that second rate eqpt!!!
Feckin bean-counters!

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