Rig Dashboard

The constraints have moved

Three of the Discovery’s four binding limits are gone. Two new ones replace them, and they’re geometric rather than about weight. Figures below are from your owner’s manual via the Drive doc, not from reviews.

The legal towing check

Weights are from the owner’s manual. Still worth a weighbridge ticket, because a fitted bullbar, tray, canopy and gear all land on top of the running mass.

Does it all fit? The four checks

Payload binds before GCM here, which is the healthy way round. GCM − GVM gives 2,000 kg of trailer allowance and you’re using 1,500 kg of it, so nothing forces you to trade vehicle load against camper weight.

Pik-Up S11 — payload budget

Like the Discovery’s EEC kerb figure, running mass already includes a driver — so 795 kg is for everyone else plus everything you carry. It should also already account for the fitted bullbar if the figure came from the compliance plate rather than the generic manual. A weighbridge run settles which.

How ball weight trades against payload

With no ESC, ball weight is your main sway defence, and 15 kg of payload is a cheap price for it. Aim high in the band, not low. This is the exact opposite of the advice that applied with the Discovery.

Simpson X — payload budget

All figures

Pik-Up S11 — off-road geometry

From your owner’s manual. The comparison column is the Discovery’s factory data, kept because it shows exactly which way each number moved.

What the Pik-Up brings that the Disco didn’t

Watch items specific to this drivetrain

Fluids and capacities From your manual

Bulbs, for the spares kit: low and high beam H7 55 W (2 each) · front indicators 21 W ×2 · fender indicators 5 W ×2 · reverse 16 W ×2 · rear stop 16 W ×2.

Simpson X — chassis & systems

Range estimates Part measured, part extrapolated

80 L is the smallest tank of anything considered here, and towing range is the one area where the Pik-Up is no better than the Discovery was. No published test covers towing consumption, so the bottom two rows are extrapolation — log your first few tanks and replace them, and note the odometer now under-reads by ~4%, which flatters your L/100 km. A long-range tank or jerry can capacity is the highest-value upgrade for desert work. Don’t forget the DEF tank needs range planning too.

Remote / outback pre-trip checklist

STOP means don’t leave until it’s resolved. PREP means book it well ahead. DONE is something already crossed off. Your own to-do list from the Drive doc is the first group, with notes. Print the page and tick the boxes by hand.

Your own to-do list, with notes

• ☑  DONE Replace the spare tyre — 28 Aug 2026Replaced along with the other four: 265/75R16 BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO3 ×5, all matching. The mismatched highway-terrain spare is gone.
• ☑  DONE Trailer brake controller — 28 Aug 2026Redarc Tow-Pro Elite V3 (EBRH-ACCV3), exactly what Austrack recommends, so their mandatory-controller condition is met. Its manual override is now your only active sway tool — it brakes the trailer alone, without the vehicle.
• ☐  STOP Re-torque the ute’s wheel nutsNew tyres went on 28 Aug 2026. Re-torque after the first 50–100 km, and again before any long trip.
• ☐  STOP Set and record the brake controller gainEmpty gravel road, camper loaded. Wind the dial up until the trailer brakes just short of locking, then back off. Write the number down — a battery disconnect loses it.
• ☐  PREP Read the rim width and load range off the new wheelsBFG approves 7.0–9.0″ rims for 265/75R16; yours are on file as 6.5J×16, under the minimum. And note whether the KO3s are load range D or E — that sets every pressure decision.
• ☐  PREP Check the speedo against GPS and put the correction in the gloveboxThe taller tyres make the speedo and odometer under-read by about 4%: an indicated 100 is a true 104 km/h. The odometer under-records too, so capped-price services fall due ~400 km late per 10,000. Service by the earlier figure.
• ☐  PREP Re-derive tyre pressures for 265/75R16The placard is for the old 245s. Work from the load tables against a four-corner weigh, solo and hitched, then confirm with a chalk line.
• ☐  STOP Fit the jackNo jack listed as fitted. Check it suits the ride height and that you have a base plate for soft ground — a bottle jack sinks in sand. Now size-critical: it has to lift a 31.6″ tyre clear under a laden tray. The camper comes with no jack at all, and Austrack says to lift it under the suspension swing arm because the chassis is too high — so pick a jack that suits both.
• ☐  STOP 12 V to rear — heavy-gauge fused feed to an Anderson plugDid this go in with the brake controller? That wiring run has now been done, so if the cable wasn’t pulled at the same time it means opening the same trim twice. No DC-DC needed in the ute — the camper has its own RBC50D1S (label photo, Sep 2026). Feed it properly: 6 B&S minimum, 4 B&S better over a ute-length run, 60 A fuse or breaker at the vehicle battery, connector rated for sustained 50 A. Confirm whether the mHawk alternator is conventional or smart before wiring.
• ☐  Install spotlightsYour bullbar has 720 × 190 mm of space, 140 mm deep with the bar, 60 mm in front of the top bar. Measure the housing depth against those numbers before buying.
• ☐  PREP Install winchBudget its weight against the front axle. The Disco taught us front-axle headroom is the number nobody publishes — Mahindra doesn’t either, so weigh the front axle before and after if you can.

Weights and legality

• ☐  STOP Find the towbar’s compliance plate and read the ball ratingThe last unknown in the whole weight picture. 250 kg is a towbar manufacturer’s figure, not Mahindra’s, and the plate on your actual bar governs.
• ☐  STOP Weighbridge: vehicle alone, vehicle + camper, camper aloneThree tickets give you real running mass, ball weight, GTM and axle loads. The manual’s 2,190 kg won’t include your bullbar, tray fit-out, gear or the heavier tyres.
• ☐  STOP Photograph both compliance platesPik-Up and camper. Keep them in the glovebox.
• ☐  Fill in the VIN and engine number in the Drive docBoth are blank. You’ll want them for insurance, parts and any warranty claim.
• ☐  Set ball weight at the top of 9–11% and verify with a ball scale~150–165 kg at ATM, Austrack’s band. With no ESC this is your main sway defence — the brake controller’s manual override is the only other one. Weigh it with the water tank full and empty: the 120 L tank sits behind the axle, so water lowers ball weight.
• ☐  Weigh the front axle after the winch goes onNo published GAWR for this vehicle. A winch bar plus winch is typically 100–125 kg all ahead of the front axle.

Servicing before departure

• ☐  STOP Camper 6-month / 5,000 km serviceDue ~24 Sep 2026 (the 1,000 km service was done in June). For warranty it must be AOE RV Service Centre or a technician holding Cert III MSM31022. Keep the invoice.
• ☐  STOP Camper brake run-in — gentle for the first 500–1,000 kmAustrack’s requirement, and live now that the controller is in. Use the brakes gently and often over the first few hundred kilometres rather than saving them for the first steep descent.
• ☐  PREP Verify the warranty terms from the bookletSources give 3yr/100k, 5yr/100k and 5yr/150k. Call Mahindra on 1800 241 467 with the VIN if the booklet is unclear. Roadside assist is conditional on servicing compliance.
• ☐  PREP Confirm the service interval from the logbook10,000 km or 15,000 km — sources disagree. This one matters for warranty compliance, and the odometer now under-reads by ~4%, so work to the earlier figure.
• ☐  Extend the diff, gearbox and transfer case breathersTransfer case breather leaks are a reported Pik-Up issue. Same job the Discovery needed. Do it before any water crossing.
• ☐  Inspect tailshaft UJs and centre bearingReported premature wear.
• ☐  Check the front auto-locking hubs engage and disengage cleanly
• ☐  Nut-and-bolt check over the underbodyReviews report a pattern of fasteners working loose, attributed to poor pre-delivery inspection. Worth doing once, thoroughly.
• ☐  Sustained highway run to confirm DPF regen behaviourLearn what it feels like before you’re a long way from help.

Recovery and self-recovery

• ☐  Rated recovery points front and rearNot tie-downs. Check what’s actually rated on the bullbar.
• ☐  Snatch strap + rated bow shackles / soft shackles
• ☐  MaxTrax or equivalent recovery boardsMore relevant than usual: 15° departure and 18° rampover mean you’ll get hung up on geometry, not just traction. The KO3s move those to ~15.6° and ~19° — not enough to change the plan.
• ☐  Long-handled shovel
• ☐  Air compressor + accurate tyre gaugeTyre pressure management is the single biggest factor in sand and corrugations.
• ☐  Tyre repair kit — plugs, valve tool, spare valves
• ☐  TWO spares — one 5×160 for the ute, one 6-stud for the camperStill a hard incompatibility — no shared wheel exists, so budget the weight and space. Since 28 Aug 2026 both run 265/75R16, so the tyre is common: one carcass fits either rim at a tyre shop, and pressures and tread planning are now one conversation.
• ☐  Jack base plate for soft ground

Pik-Up-specific spares

• ☐  AdBlue / DEF top-up, sealed16 L tank, spec IS 17042 or ISO 22241-1. Running dry can derate the engine or stop a restart. Don’t decant into an open container in the heat.
• ☐  Engine oil 5W-30 and a filter6.0 L for a full change.
• ☐  Coolant — RED long-life7.5 L system.
• ☐  Diff oil: Castrol EPX 80W-901.25 L per diff.
• ☐  Aisin ATF NWs9638 if a service falls due mid-tripA specific fluid. A country workshop is very unlikely to stock it — source it beforehand.
• ☐  Spare UJ for the tailshaftReported wear item.
• ☐  Bulb kit: H7 55 W ×2, 21 W, 5 W, 16 WLow/high beam H7; front indicator 21 W; fender indicator 5 W; reverse and rear stop 16 W.
• ☐  Fuel and air filters
• ☐  Fuses, relays, wire, crimps, self-amalgamating tapeEngine looms are a reported weak point — carry enough to bodge a repair.
• ☐  Belts and hoses
• ☐  PREP Source a workshop manual for the Pik-UpYou had two for the Discovery and they were the best data in the whole project. Ask Mahindra or look for a factory service manual — with the model discontinued locally this is worth doing sooner rather than later.

Power, water, comms

• ☐  STOP Find where the rear Anderson goes before using the solar blanketStraight to the battery: the blanket’s regulator stays on. Into the RBC50D1S’s MPPT: the blanket’s regulator must be off or bypassed. Only one regulator in the path (Austrack manual V3.1, p. 137). Check which DC-DC terminals the cable lands on.
• ☐  Set the shunt capacity to 230 Ah and calibrate from a full chargeRenogy Battery Shunt 300. The system can’t detect battery size, so the charge percentage is only right once the capacity is entered by hand and a full charge resets it.
• ☐  Test the camper battery holds charge over 48 h with the fridge runningCan be done at home now.
• ☐  Test the Anderson under load and check the charge currentWatch amps on the Renogy monitor, not just volts. If it is well under 50 A on a healthy battery, the cable is the bottleneck, not the charger.
• ☐  Water: 120 L onboard + jerry cansPlan 4–5 L per person per day plus reserve. 120 L is about 12 days for two — no margin for a breakdown.
• ☐  Fuel range: 80 L is the constraint~400–460 km towing with a 20% reserve. Jerry cans or a long-range tank for desert work. Plan DEF range too.
• ☐  Satellite comms — PLB, inReach or StarlinkPhone coverage ends well before the interesting country does.
• ☐  UHF radio, tested
• ☐  Offline maps + paper backup
• ☐  Leave a trip plan with someone, with dates and a check-in schedule
• ☐  No grey water tank — plan for thatEspecially where dumping is restricted.

Camper setup

• ☐  Practise the hardshell tent and 270° awning at homeNot at dusk in wind on night one.
• ☐  Practise the brake controller’s manual overrideFind the dial by feel, without looking, while driving. It’s the one thing that will pull a sway straight and you won’t have time to hunt for it.
• ☐  Test the water pump and the portable LPG hot water unit
• ☐  Gas bottle full, and a spare if you’re out for long
• ☐  Pack heavy items low and ahead of the camper axleKeeps ball weight up and sway down. With no ESC on the tow vehicle this is the mitigation.
• ☐  Torque the camper’s wheel nuts to 140 Nm, star patternTorque wrench, not a rattle gun. After any wheel refit, recheck at 50, 100, 250 and 500 km.
• ☐  Camper tyres at 50 psi minimum on bitumenAustrack’s floor for sealed roads. Drop for sand or corrugations, and pump back up before the bitumen.

Paperwork

• ☐  Both registrations currentNeither renewal date is on file. S371CYU and S369TMN.
• ☐  Check the QANTAS policy’s towed-trailer cover limitShannons only covered a towed trailer to $1,500 — incidental cover, not camper cover. Find out what QANTAS gives, and confirm towing a 1,500 kg camper is within the policy’s terms. If the rims changed with the tyres, tell them — a wheel-and-tyre change is declarable on some policies.
• ☐  Insurance certificates on a phone and on paperQANTAS 122869945 01 and CIL RCV029286021.
• ☐  Confirm roadside assist scopeMahindra’s is 5 years but capped at 50 km metro / 100 km rural — a long way short of an outback recovery. Consider separate remote-area cover.
• ☐  Permits for Aboriginal land or desert parksSimpson Desert, Central Australia and many crossings need them and they take time.

Service scheduler

Fluids and capacities are from your owner’s manual. Intervals come from Mahindra’s capped-price table — confirm against the logbook that came with the vehicle.

Fixed dates

Pik-Up S11 — Mahindra schedule

Between services — outback additions

Keep every receipt and log the odometer each time. Mahindra’s roadside assistance and warranty are both conditional on servicing compliance, and with the model discontinued locally you want no argument available to anyone. The Discovery’s records had a two-year odometer gap that made its schedule almost useless — start this one properly.

Simpson X — Austrack schedule

Where the numbers came from

Primary — your own documents

Mahindra Pik Up — S371CYU — 2022 (Google Drive › Overland › Mahindra), compiled from the owner’s manual. Source for every weight, dimension, angle, fluid capacity, fluid specification, bulb type, tray dimension and gear ratio marked Manual on this page — and it corrected the review-sourced figures I’d been using: running mass 2,190 kg not 2,115, payload 960 kg not 1,035, GCM 5,150 kg not 5,175.
Simpson X folder: Austrack Universal Owners Manual V3.1 (Jun 2026) — source for the 120 L tank, 9–11% ball weight, service schedule, torques, tyre pressure, jacking and rear Anderson routing · label photos of the DC-DC, battery shunt and mains charger (23 Sep 2026) · Austrack Universal Owners Manual 2026 (earlier edition) · New Purchase Information · invoice ICAB-31803 · CIL policy RCV029286021.

Secondary — Pik-Up

4×4 Australia — Pik-Up S11 auto review (on-test 11.2 L/100 km, transmission and diff-lock behaviour) · CarExpert 2022 S11 4×4 · Magnum MFG — Mahindra GVM/GCM data · BTA towbar listing (the 2500/250 kg ball rating) · wheel-size.com (5×160 PCD) · ReDriven used review (reliability, parts availability) · ANCAP 3 stars, 2012 protocol · Mahindra Australia ownership (warranty, roadside, servicing) · CarExpert — discontinued in Australia, 2025.

Secondary — Simpson X

Austrack product page · ManualsLib manual (2023) · Camper Trailer Australia · OnlyVans.