Modifications Which Affect Off-Road CapabilityBelow are some really bad mods for high lift jacks points. Some bent when used and some are obvious killers if they hit a pedestrian! … [Read more...]
Total Recovery & Extraction Device (TREDS) – Work Well.
Been using these on our recovery course; they work very well. Especially when you have difficulty reversing out of the situation you've just driven into. … [Read more...]
Pressure Pro 2014 Update: Back on the Road Again
Peace of mind again!We've been using the pressure pro tyre pressure monitoring system for a while now (see previous article).We had to decommission them all for a bit because the rubber depressor started to leak.I contacted the team at Pressure Pro for a solution and they immediately came back with the answer. Great service. … [Read more...]
Safety Belts and Vehicle Rescue Tools
Convincing folk to wear seat belts has been a big issue for me over the last ten years of being a 4X4 driver trainer. Some people come up with the most ludicrous excuses not to wear them.I asked one expat, living here in Uganda, why he doesn't wear his seatbelt. And he replied, because he's a better driver than all the nationals! If we take into account that the emerging nations have about 80 percent of the global death tally from road traffic incidents his rationality seems a little … [Read more...]
Switching to Synthetic Winch Rope
We recently decided to fit synthetic winch rope to our winches. The decision was made from a purely safety stand point. Winch wire tends to get easily damaged especially when you've got a class full people who have never used a winch before. We were getting increasingly concerned of the consequences of one snapping. The probability of it happening was pretty low as we maintain the gear well. But..... you never know. … [Read more...]
A High Lift Jack is an Invaluable Piece of Equipment
A while ago I wrote an article on winches and asked the question as to their viability. In the article, I discussed that unless you were a complete 4wd nutter like myself or working / living in an environment where you are likely to get stuck on a near daily basis then -- pretty much a waste of money.One piece of equipment that is, in my opinion, invaluable is the high-lift jack. There are various makes including hi-lift and jack-all but they all do much the same thing; only some have a higher … [Read more...]
Do You Need a Winch?
Picking recovery equipment for your vehicle is a bit like selecting a 4wd. First, you need to examine where, when and what you are going to be doing - then selecting the equipment most suitable.I tend to overkill on the equipment I carry around, mainly because I have been stuck in situations where I had wished I had brought such and such along. But then again I go looking for it. Its my job and my hobby!!Why Fit a Winch?A lot of people want to get a power winch. Why? Because they look … [Read more...]
Pull-Pal Review – Product Tested in Uganda
First impressions were "why would anyone want this monstrosity in the back of their vehicle?" Just unpacking it from the box was an ordeal in itself! Only joking. Although, it does take up a lot of room in the back of your 4x4.When you start to use the beast, you can see why it's a popular piece of equipment. We had the use of an 11,000 lb Pull-pal; there is a smaller 9,000 lb version available. We put it through it's paces by first getting our Land Rover stuck in our mud strip (the Congo … [Read more...]