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Post by danie on Jan 12, 2010 20:46:35 GMT 2
Anyone who might be interested in very useful tips about serious 4 X 4 driving, 4 X 4 trips to remote areas, etc. could have a look at monthly editions of the magazine "Leisure wheels" : www.leisurewheels.com/content/latestissue/index.aspBy the way - this month's (January) edition has very interesting tips and warnings about dune driving. One of the tips: "When you attack a dune you must be very careful not to fly over the top. Not that flying is a problem - the real problem is the landing ! This is when your vehicle can be damaged, often needing expensive repairs." Good to know that the more expensive 4 x 4's on the market often fail to survive this way of driving as well.......... Regards Danie
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Post by ronnie on Jan 13, 2010 15:21:26 GMT 2
Danie
You look at these expensive 4 x 4`s and wonder how many owners take them into THE BUSH and accept the very large amount of deep scratches to the paint work. In the car parks they all look as if they have just left the factory.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by danie on Jan 24, 2010 7:34:20 GMT 2
I found these comments on the USA website - this owner has blown two Lada Front diffs by "flying" over a dune:
I've blown two... I'm assuming when you launched dunes you were moving forward when you landed.
Well, if you're not moving forward when you land, and your wheels are spinning like mad, KABOOM
And this owner has blown three Front diffs by "flying" his Lada:
OK I blew my 3rd gaw damn front diff today at the photoshoot, and I was'nt even giving it. And I JUST did an oil change...kill me !
Danie
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Post by hotstuff on Jan 25, 2010 21:36:45 GMT 2
lol people i did a sand dune trip this holiday unfortunetly no pics as camera was left at home. the lada handles well with the tyres at 1.2 bar was exciting untill i got stuck in a corner that i entered to slow lol. but luckely i had a tow rope and manual winch. tireing stuff i tell you.
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Post by danie on Jan 26, 2010 17:58:59 GMT 2
Mike, has the manual winch been mounted permanently on your Lada ?
If so, a pic would be welcome.
Regards
Danie
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Post by danie on May 16, 2010 9:57:52 GMT 2
I found these useful travelling 4 x4 tips in a Leasure Wheels magazine (April edition) :
Keep in comms: Invest in quality two way radios if you are traveling in convoy. Make sure that everyone is on the right frequency, and that no one sits on their mikes.
GPS : In the Caprivi, a combination of GPS programme cards (Garmap, SA Streetmaps, and Tracks4Africa really helped. At any unmark fork in the dirt road, we use the correct one time and time again thanks to the advise of a GPS.
Follow the leader: Let the vehicles that are'nt towing anything drive in front to create a solid track. Avoid the tracks of bigger, heavier vehicles - they tend to create a sandbank in the existing track that makes driving difficult. Every vehicle must have its own tow rope.
Early birds: Morning sand is more compact and dense than sand that has been baking in the sun for hours. Deflate your tyres to 1.4 bar. Yes, the trailers and the caravans too.
Easy does it: If you get stuck, don't spin. Dig the sand walls away from the front wheels, gently roll back at a tad and try again.
Keeping afloat: When driving through deep water, change to low range, second gear, and keep the revs steady and high. The seam of the water should gently move away from the body of the car as you move through.
Crocodile tears: The rule of always walk through the water before driving through it becomes a bit of a challenge in crocodile water.
Can't touch this: If the vehicle stalls in the water, don't touch the ignition. Don't even try to start the engine when being pushed. Get someone to tow you out with the engine switched off, and take it to someone who knows how to get water out of an engine.
Pick the bones clean: Make sure there is no trace of food left lying around that could attrack hyenas.
Sour grapes: Taking citrus to elephant area is not such a good idea.
Crossroads: Don't pitch your tent under a sausage tree and steer clear of hippo highways - especially when on foot !
Thanks to Leasure Wheels - an excellent "value for money" magazine, for an excellent sourse of information.
Danie.
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Post by ronnie on May 16, 2010 13:01:34 GMT 2
Hi All
As mentioned by Danie Tracks 4 Africa is invaluable in the bush. It shows all the tracks in the remote game reserves. Needless to say it is not cheap and if you intend to buy, it should be left till nearer the time then you will get the latest info otherwise you need to purchase updates. As far as 2 way radio`s go stick to 29MHZ.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by danie on May 26, 2010 20:53:10 GMT 2
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Post by ronnie on May 26, 2010 21:04:27 GMT 2
Hi Danie
This is where a diesel is best no spark to worry about.The only time you need to worry is when the water reaches your eyes ;D
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by danie on May 26, 2010 21:10:46 GMT 2
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Post by lada & korean parts on May 27, 2010 1:44:39 GMT 2
if you go through crossings with red hot diffs/transmissions,just sucks water straight in through the seals..........
we removed the caps off the breathers,ran hoses from them into the car,and stuck the end of the hose out the vent in the rear...........(using fuel filters up there as breathers)
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Post by ronnie on May 27, 2010 8:47:54 GMT 2
Hi Danie
As mentioned by Andy I always modify the breathers and pipe them to high level. I have already started doing the Lada ;D.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by marius on May 27, 2010 10:14:48 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie With all the heavy rains this summer I did a lot of swimming - so please when you do - post pics When you're finished with all the mods on our Lada and you get restless you can always come and do mine ;D The syringe trick to check for water in the oil is quite neat - thanks Danie.
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Post by ronnie on May 27, 2010 17:00:51 GMT 2
Hi Marius
I always thought Farmers also had plenty of spare time so I expected you to be also doing mods to your Lada ;D
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by marius on May 27, 2010 17:10:49 GMT 2
Yes Ronnie I thought so too ;D
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Post by danie on Oct 31, 2010 8:31:38 GMT 2
Another warning at the latest (November edition) of the Leisure Wheels magazine - page 86 :
"Keep the (all four) wheels down ! "
"A loss of traction makes any 4 x 4 obstacle very difficult to negotiate, and it has an unfortunate tendency to damage vehicles. This is why it is very important to keep all four wheels on the ground. If you don't, you could be left with a very expensive repair bill.
Whenever a wheel lifts off the ground, and subsequently loses traction, it is very dangerous to apply a lot of power. If the wheel suddenly reconnects with the ground, a lot of strain is placed on the drive train. And this often causes a differential or side shaft to break.
Just ask old Land Rover Series two owners - the models before 1968. They usually carried a spare side shaft wherever they went !
The same problem also occurs when transversing mud. Once a vehicle successfully clears a muddy patch, the sudden increase in traction can cause similar results "
Danie
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Oct 31, 2010 8:46:11 GMT 2
Hi Danie.
Thanks for the info, people tend to forget that you can damage your vehicle very quickly.
The mention of the series Landy's who carries a spare set of sideshafts brings back a lot of memories, as I grew up with the series 2&3 Landy's. The sideshafts were merely changed wherever they break, a fairly easy job and the older generation did it in a flash. What were interesting is the fact that the short er shaft break about 90% of the time due to that the longer shaft can twist far more than the short shaft.
Regards.
Hercules
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Post by danie on Oct 31, 2010 9:18:50 GMT 2
Hi Hercules I must admit, each time I see a pic of a Lada of which all four wheels are not touching the ground, I do freak out a bit . Another incident (damage to a Toyota Land Cruiser ) has also been mentioned at the Leisure Wheels article: "A few years ago, we came across a very intimidating dune. Needless to say, everyone tried their best to scale this challenging obstacle, but to no avail. Eventually one of the women in our group decided to show the men how it's done. She grabbed her husband's keys and powered his Cruiser up the dune at an alarming speed. She not only made it to the top, but send the Cruiser flying over the other side. When the vehicle touched down, the grip was simply too much. When the wheels dug into the soft sand, the differential couldn't handle the sudden strain. The spider gears inside the differential shattered " Danie
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Post by marius on Oct 31, 2010 9:51:41 GMT 2
Hi Danie/Hercules
A good couple of years ago CAR Magazine published a small booklet on 4x4 driving and though very basic I found it to be one of the most usefull publications on 4x4 driving.
I will try and make a summery of the booklet and post it here over time.
Just a quick reminder what off-road driving is all about - " it's all about momentum, slow speeds and low down pulling power. For this you need an engine that develops most of it's torque at very low revs. Engines able to do this make it possible to use higher gear ratios. The higher the gear ratio used, thje less likely wheelspin will occur. Spinning the wheels is one of the big undesirables of off-road driving."
Regards Marius
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Oct 31, 2010 11:47:47 GMT 2
Hi Marius.
Thanks for the summary of the booklet. I am sure a lot of members on this forum will found it very handy and usefull.
Regards.
Hercules
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darryn
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Post by darryn on Oct 31, 2010 12:29:50 GMT 2
If my wife did that to my Lada I'd tell her to walk home!
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Post by ronnie on Oct 31, 2010 15:16:53 GMT 2
Hi Hercules I tried to scan a photo of my first Landy but the photo`s are so old I could not get a decent scan. It was a 1948 1600 model with a ring pull box. I had it when I was an apprentice, probably 1963. Very slow and in those days things link a passenger wiper, spare wheel etc were optional extra`s. And a heater no such thing. Even the doors did not lock. Ronnie
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Post by Charles on Oct 31, 2010 15:26:15 GMT 2
Ronnie i am so jelous!
Charles
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Oct 31, 2010 18:57:47 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie.
All our Landy's also never had any heaters in. The first Landy I saw with a heater in was a Defender 110 V8 in the middle 80's.
A friend of mine got an 1967 imported Landy left hand drive station wagon and that is fitted with a heater. What a contraption of boxes and pipes all over the inside.
Regards.
Hercules
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Post by ronnie on Oct 31, 2010 18:59:11 GMT 2
Hi Charles
It is nice to see you are interested in really old 4x4`s. The original ones like mine were permanent 4x4, they had a freewheel unit for the front wheels. The "ring pull" locked the freewheel. believe it or not mine had a PTO which powered a winch which was under the floor at the back. It also had a crane unit which you simply bolted on if you needed it. So much for progress. Mine used more oil than petrol and my Friend who had a repair shop kept me supplied with old oil he drained from his customers cars. I always had a 5 gallon drum in the back. ;D ;D ;D
Ronnie
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Post by ronnie on Oct 31, 2010 19:06:05 GMT 2
Hi Hercules
We will need to watch if we mention the "L" word on LOCSA too often ;D. When I was an appy, nothing had a heater, only the very expensive cars and Scotland is a very cold place in Winter. Minus degs for days on end. I know how lucky I am to live here now.
Ronnie
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Hercules
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Post by Hercules on Oct 31, 2010 19:14:05 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie.
Luckly the Lada got one of the best heaters in I saw in a vehicle.
Regards.
Hercules
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Post by Charles on Oct 31, 2010 19:20:25 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie
I am intrested in older cars in general, but i have a passion for Jeeps (espesially cj2) and the series Landys. The first 4x4 i ever drove in was a 88inch series 1.
Charles
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Post by ronnie on Oct 31, 2010 19:37:23 GMT 2
Hi Charles
The very early L----`s were 80 inch just about the shortest vehicle I can remember driving
Ronnie
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Post by darryn on Oct 31, 2010 22:25:18 GMT 2
Jeepers Ronnie... Are you Scottish?
There's a guy in Centurion who rebuilds/restores old Landys. I've seen them and they're pretty well done.
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