It’s always a good idea to make sure there’s enough traction available to change speed and direction; under control. And … keep the vehicle moving.
4wd Buttons and Dials – Land Cruiser Prado
Overview of the Land Cruiser Prado’s 4WD buttons and dials including centre diff lock, rear diff lock, H4 /L4 operation, multi-terrain selection, crawl control.
Releasing Axle Wind-Up
Axle windup is the build-up of drivetrain tension when cornering with 4wd engaged (part-time) or centre diff locked (full-time). Possibly damaging.
Under Pressure – Armoured Vehicle Tyres
It’s not a good day when you have to drive on a run-flat ring. So, minimise risk by ensuring the tyres fitted are up to the job. Some basic knowledge of reading sidewall markings is important, as this gives the load and pressure limitations of the tyres.
Managing Available Traction
Wheel printing and the ability to identify when to drive as slow as possible but as fast as necessary.
If You Have Free Wheeling Hubs; Consider Pro-active Operation
Lock and Go: Just to add on a few points to an earlier article I wrote about the purpose of free wheeling hubs and my thoughts on them. Setting any manual or automatic free wheeling hub to “LOCK” enables the proactive use of the four-wheel drive system.
Why You Should Care Which Handbrake System Your 4wd Has
There are two common types of handbrake systems fitted to 4wd vehicles: A handbrake which works on the rear brake shoes. A transmission brake that is fitted to the rear output of the transfer box.
Free Wheeling Hubs – Automatic Type
Found on some Nissans and Suzukis. If we look back at the Auto / Lock hubs these hubs are just Auto.
Free Wheeling Hubs – ‘Lock or Auto’ Type
Usually found on Nissan Patrols. This type of front hub gives you the option of LOCK or having it in AUTO.
What’s This Button Do? “Hub Lock”
Electronic FW “Hub Lock” Button. Some Landcruisers come with electronic free wheeling hubs. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. They have got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever seen on a 4wd vehicle.
What Do Diff Lockers Do? A Brief Explanation
To understand what diff lockers do, it helps to understand how differentials work. In a nutshell,