The 4WD tick off list - what items make the list?

[blisters]

Be careful with the wire comealong as it's not designed to pull a vehicle out and if the wire snaps under tension you'll be in a world of hurt. If you already have a high lift jack then it can be used as a second winch with winch straps and a chain for adjustment. Alternatively get a vehicle hand winch, but they are heavy.
Jon

 

[nuggetino]

Yeah some great tips wookiee. If I'd have taken the advice on selecting tyres with solid side walls earlier it could have saved big bucks on all the sidewall stakes I had in WA. Sometimes helps to run what's most functional and less so what looks cool. Also agree on buying something you can get parts for. Will throw my Suzuki Jimny on that list. Not quite as prominent as landcruisers but have the benefit of a largely unchanged design since the 90's so parts compatibility when scrounging the wreckers is a big bonus.

 

[blisters]

Modern tyres don't have much ability to resist sidewall stakes so be very careful when travelling off the road, I wouldn't go too far. If you go way off track you really want split rims and rag tyres with a high ply rating, they are much more resilient to puncture and at least you can fix even large sidewall holes.
Jon

 

[davent]

Tools! Always are a must and personally think all vehicles should carry them...Spanners and adjustables, screwdriver set, 1/2" socket set and breaker bar, Allen/hex keys, hammer, pointy, stubby and vice pliers, pry bar probably missed a few good ones but that's all I would need to fix my rig anywhere .. Spare parts are also a good thing too carry like radiator hoses, hose clamps, radiator cap, thermostat even, coolant, engine oil, small arrangement of nuts and bolts if ya keen even stuff like rope, fencing wire, elec wire/terminal kit, tape, radiator stop leak(Never use Chemiweld) and my favorite quick-steel/kneed-it for fuel tank leaks, welsh plugs and busted radiators it does just about anything.

What I have listed should just about set anyone up too be a Bush mechanic! See one too many backpackers and traveler's come into work with cooked and broken vehicles trying too find something to fix it cause they never bothered too put any maintenance or even have any preparation for the worse and hoped that their $500 Gumtree special was going too make it across Australia with no issues.

Cody

so basically you cart a second 4x4 in pieces with you , understandable if your heading to the never never but wouldn't it be easier to park a smaller 4x4 on the roof racks ? :lol:

Just interested in the NEVER USE CHEMIWELD comment, why?

When I was in my 20, s I had a diahatsu rocky, that was my life line to LBG fishing, I was also a bit of a bum, and if I had $20 to my name, it would be spent chasing skirt, beer or fish.
As a result, my car maintenence suffered.
Blew a radiator hose, and cooked the old rocky. Not having enough money to get a reconditioned head for the old girl, I asked a mechanic what I should do. He told me to keep it under my hat, but chemiweld is the best kept secret in the industry, and is way better than everyone is lead to believe. I followed the instructions, and got the engine hot, poured it into my radiator, and drove around for half an hour, then parked her up for the night. A few years later, I drove it from Wollongong to Cairns, where I drove it for another year or so before I sold it. I would highly recommend everyone carry a tin of CHEMIWELD in their kit, if you blow a head or head gasket in remote WA or somewhere, it will get you home.

 

[Jaros]

I think i will add it to my kit as well.
Jaros

 

[casper]

Be careful with the wire comealong as it's not designed to pull a vehicle out and if the wire snaps under tension you'll be in a world of hurt. If you already have a high lift jack then it can be used as a second winch with winch straps and a chain for adjustment. Alternatively get a vehicle hand winch, but they are heavy.
Jon

I agree! - these light duty winches will almost certainly not recover a vehicle that is not on flat ground and unable to roll on its wheels. All normal winch precautions should be observed when attempting to use them. The handle is designed to bend and fold up before the safe working limit is exceeded - in that event it's a throwaway :/

 

[nucopia]

Ok we recently scored a Landcruiser 90 series Prado from the auctions.
It is now registered had a full service and a few parts replaced that needed doing.
It has duel fuel 100litre LPG + 69 litres petrol.
Its fitted with a ARB diff locker system as well as a small compressor with out let hose for pumping up tires or air bed??
Also has a UHF radio.
It has also been lifter 40cm by the previous owner and has brush guards and other under body protection plats fitted.
Unfortunately no bull bar or winch, two things I'm looking for on eBay.
What I'm looking at doing now is make a list of extras I can put together for long haul trips
Puncture repair kit etc
Any ideas suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks

 

[blisters]

When considering a whole bunch of accessories consider the weight and the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. You might find you'll reach capacity quickly and the weight of yourself and your stuff increases this further. The best accessory is a second vehicle but failing that consider realistically where you will be going and then accessorise to a minimum weight. If you are always on roads then I would question the winch requirement for example.
Jon

 

[Jaros]

Ok we recently scored a Landcruiser 90 series Prado from the auctions.
It is now registered had a full service and a few parts replaced that needed doing.
It has duel fuel 100litre LPG + 69 litres petrol.
Its fitted with a ARB diff locker system as well as a small compressor with out let hose for pumping up tires or air bed??
Also has a UHF radio.
It has also been lifter 40cm by the previous owner and has brush guards and other under body protection plats fitted.
Unfortunately no bull bar or winch, two things I'm looking for on eBay.
What I'm looking at doing now is make a list of extras I can put together for long haul trips
Puncture repair kit etc
Any ideas suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks

Should that have been 2 x 100 ltrs fuel and 69 ltrs LPG?

 

[nucopia]

Thanks blisters
Things im thinking of listing are ,puncture repair kit , duel battery set up , and not sure what else.
Bull bars for the 90 series are hard to come by 2nd hand ARB has them new for $1,465 winch compatible then more $$ for a winch but a winch was not a priority for me any time soon ..
Maybe a manual come along and some straps and shackles is good enough to get me out of any problems i might get into. Im not planning to go off road any where to extreme just yet..
Gday Jaros
Yeah unfortunatly the previous owner when they put in the LPG removed the main tank and replaced it with the 100 litre LPG tank.so that left me with the sub tank for petrol from what the manual says, the sub tank holds 69 litres.
My Au ford is factory LPG and it gets about 700ks per tank 610 if Im towing a box trailor with camp gear , walbanker water pump ect in it.
I gues what im trying to do is accumulate things a little at a time and have them here ready for when we need them later on.

 

[condor22]

When considering a whole bunch of accessories consider the weight and the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. You might find you'll reach capacity quickly and the weight of yourself and your stuff increases this further. The best accessory is a second vehicle but failing that consider realistically where you will be going and then accessorise to a minimum weight. If you are always on roads then I would question the winch requirement for example.
Jon

Very true - I have, bulbar, driving lights, roof rack, roof rack insert, awning, 2 x Maxtrax and rack, Engel, 100AH aux, box system and recovery gear 2" lift and bash plates. All up it adds 260kg to the Tare add me and the wife and I have about 80kg spare without luggage and my van ball is 140kg.

How do I handle 60kg over GVM, the suspension lift has an extra 300kg capability over OEM, so not a problem now, I'm happy how it handles.
But had to give installing a winch a miss, getting too heavy, lol.

 

[blisters]

Thanks blisters
Things im thinking of listing are ,puncture repair kit , duel battery set up , and not sure what else.
Bull bars for the 90 series are hard to come by 2nd hand ARB has them new for $1,465 winch compatible then more $$ for a winch but a winch was not a priority for me any time soon ..
Maybe a manual come along and some straps and shackles is good enough to get me out of any problems i might get into. Im not planning to go off road any where to extreme just yet..

These discussions are great around a camp fire as usually there are a lot of scenarios to nut out and so assumptions are made in text. If you stick to tracks and avoid the extreme you should be able to pack light. Good maintenance of the vehicle will get you through but inevitably a damaged vehicle will need good communication. Tyres and battery are from my experience the main culprits to stopping you.

With a diff lock you have a very capable vehicle, the locker is worth more than a winch but just use it to get out of trouble, not to get further into trouble if you know what I mean. You are not going extreme so your vehicle will get you to most places and back without issue.

To add to your list above:
Quality first aid kit
tyre pressure gauge
WA police survival booklet (linked in the survival topic)
torch
greenlight matches/flint
more than enough water
spanners/sockets/drivers/multimeter/electricals

Taking more than basic tools really depends on where you are at mechanically, the less you are the more reliant you become on communications, you'll know where you are at in this regard.

I no longer take spare belts/hoses but they are light to pack, it depends on my maintenance schedule more than anything. You can still limp out with a leaking cooling system or busted belt. I'm not talking about going 100's of km off track in the desert with these suggestion by the way

I'd wait for a 2nd hand bullbar to pop up, consider a cargo barrier or roof rack first to keep the nasties at bay but no requirement if you still use your trailer.

If you are using a pull along then maybe look at double or triple pulls using pulleys, I really don't like the idea of a pull along as if you are stuck and you get hit by a snapped wire you will be severely injured with a stuck vehicle. I have a tirfor hand winch I almost always leave at home depending on rain/location etc. Taking a strap for someone else to pull you out is a good investment.

Communications and survivability are foremost in my mind, someone should know where you are and be able to find you alive in the time you are noticed missing. I got stuck overnight once in the Brindabellas in late November and it was seriously very cold. I'm big on water and basic warmth/shade which should be provided by your camping gear. UHF should not be relied on in my opinion as a get out of trouble card.

Jon

 

[stalker]

My advice for new 4x4 owners .

Tyres are the most important thing to buy first then suspension but its best to do both in one hit . Also plan ahead and get the right suspension if you plan on fitting a steel bullbar and adding a winch at a later stage or plan on decking out the rear of your vehicle.

Recovery gear and a basic tool kit would be next .

Recovery gear i wont go into its just a big list and you can buy a basic kit at super cheap or any 4x4 store .
also most new vehicles these days don't come with recovery points to snatch from . only tie down points and I've seen these fail .

Tool kit a basic tool kit would include a decent gimpy hammer no claw hammers in my kit . 1/2" breaker bar and sockets to suit the largest nut on the vehicle and must be hex sockets . Nothing worse than rounded nuts . So avoid using multi hex sockets. Pliers and vice grips ring spanners and spare fuses .

Always take more water than you need and oil .
drive to the conditions and air down those tyres when you you need too .

all the above are just the basics to get you out there in the bush too have fun ...

I am a 4wder .

 

[nucopia]

Thanks blisters &stalker
The Prado came with 5 brand new Yokohama Geolandar A/TS 265/70 R16 112T tires fitted by the previous owner.
The tread looks as if it has not had more then a few kilometers driving.
I've ordered a tire repair kit (has tire gauge) on eBay just waiting its arrival.

I have a couple of good torches and rechargeable lights as well as the UHF/CB in the truck, I have 2x hand held CB radios, a good set of sockets spanners screwdrivers pliers hex keys etc in carry case and a tool box with other handy tools.
We also have flint and steel, waterproof reusable flint steel matches , a hand held compass, a couple of good pocket knives and 2x set of belt with water bottle and pouches , one for me one for the wife.

Still looking for the bull bar 2nd hand but no luck so far i have seen roof carriers on eBay new for $499 but might leave that for later and rely on the trailer to transport our camp and prospecting gear.
Will put a good first aid kit and 2 x jerry cans ( 1 water & 1 fuel) on the list.
Would like to put a dual batter system in the truck or a get a stand alone solar system for the trailer. So we have some power when free camping. But I have zero experience or knowledge on what i need or how to do it, so that's in the too hard basket for now.

 

[Westaus]

I agree with all comments and in general the order of upgrades. One thing you should look for is what is the weakness first, perhaps not what is the first upgrade.

With me I brought a Prado with the Alloy roo bar fitted, you need to be aware of the gap between this and the radiators. It is a massive hole waiting to happen(gearbox cooler) a stick could rupture this either one of them very easily. You need under body protection and more than likely a custom job in this area.

My 2006 GXL 220000k's went like this -
- Underbody protection
- Front Recovery Points
- 2" Lift Tough Dogs... woof
- Airbags in rear
- 5 x New tyres (Maxxis 980AT) 1 x Spare extra on Alloy rim ($50)
- Came with Rhino roof rack which now has solar panel mounted on. For everyday driving I take this off for fuel economy.
- Updated globes in headlights to brighter whiter light
- Have cargo barrier to install

Pull out awning is on the list. Plus a light bar and some working lights for the roof rack, that is about it.
I should be able to handle pretty much most areas without any problem with this setup. Carrying the usual recovery equipment and tools.
Just compare where you want to go and what is needed in mods to get you there. You may find you actually need to do very little, in which case build your spares and accessory base.

If your looking for a great 4WD first aid kit I can recommend this one - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/First-Ai...Workers-/321973844183?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Finally above all else, enjoy your time in the bush. Which is made better with family and friends as that is what is it is all about

 

[nuggetino]

If you have a lot of gear a small lightweight trailer to break up the load is a great idea. Saves a bent chassis , rollovers and gives better offroad ability in the soft stuff. Thinking about setting up a lightweight camper trailer to tow with the jimny. A standalone solar system on a trailer sounds a good way to save hacking about on the 4x4 and you'd have a good platform to mount the panels without having to park the 4x4 in the sun.

 

[stalker]

Id like to share some pics , 4x4's are a part of my hobby

I build toys for others and do complete fit outs . My mate Russ races a GQ patrol here in wa .

Top pic was a customers truck that needed bar work and radiator relocation



this pic is the GQ my mate Russ races has a 400 chev in it



Last pic is my rare GQ dealer optioned extra cab and the company i worked for hilux .

 

[nucopia]

Thanks westaus
I just found out from the mate who is a mechanic and been helping me work on the prado that it has been fitted with after market shocks & springs name is obscured but he recons they are heavy duty..and as I said before its been lifted 40cm over factory.
It has 2 recovery points at the front and a solid ARB tow bar on the back.

The under body protection I have looks like it covers most of the vitals under body areas . The front plates look like they dont expose the radiator or any thing that can be damaged.
My next door neighbore has a 100 series prado with the lighter aloy bull bar he recons its not as strong as the all metal bull bar but for him the better option is to go lighter..
I guess for me its what becomes available and with in a resonable price range .. Beggers cant be chooses ..
Will check out the first aid kit you suggested for me its a must have for the bush something I hope its never needed but better to be prepared.
Seems once you buy a 4x4. The sky is the limit with what you can modify and add on to them ..
The only draw back is every thing cost $$$
Still Im enjoying working on it with the mate learning new things and looking forward to getting oit bush.
And I cant complain as it has only cost me $2,735 so far.

 

[nucopia]

If you have a lot of gear a small lightweight trailer to break up the load is a great idea. Saves a bent chassis , rollovers and gives better offroad ability in the soft stuff. Thinking about setting up a lightweight camper trailer to tow with the jimny. A standalone solar system on a trailer sounds a good way to save hacking about on the 4x4 and you'd have a good platform to mount the panels without having to park the 4x4 in the sun.

That was my thoughts nuggetino
With the stand alone solar system.
Just trying to work out whats a simple idiot proof system for me to do my self me being the idiot lol

 

[nucopia]

Wow stalker
Very nice looking pics