Mick's Blog

My thoughts, findings and rants.

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Disclaimer

The words and opinions expressed here are my own, and do not, in any way, represent the views of my employer (OnCourse).

Why This Winch Wire Is Dangerous

Published May 4, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Winch Hook Set Up -Bad-Shape

Warn Out This vehicle turned up for a training session recently. It wasn't part of a recovery course, thankfully. We found the clutch in the free spool position which is probably the reason for the rats nest.  Lots of bumpy unsealed roads could do that to the wire. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: Equipment, recovery gear, winch

Why a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System is Important

Published May 3, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Tyre Pressure Monitor System - Monitor

A recent long trip reinforced the importance of having a tyre pressure monitoring system fitted.  The tyre picked up a roofing nail and the system warned of low pressure soon after. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: driving, Equipment, Pressure Pro, road safety, tyres

Raised Air Intakes – Are They Really Necessary?

Published April 9, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Raised Air Intake - 110 Defender

It's hot, it's dusty and it's dry - so why should you consider fitting a raised air intake? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: Mechanical, off-road driving, raised air intake, recovery gear

UAV /CPVs: Consider Armour Overlaps

Published March 25, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Examples of Armour Overlaps

Up Armouring Process: Testing When a vehicle has gone through an up-armouring process, the prototype should be independently tested to ensure zero penetration for its blast and ballistic rating. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 4wd Vehicles Tagged With: armoured vehicles

Wearing Your Seatbelt Correctly Matters

Published March 19, 2015 By Mick Farmer

seatbelt-worn-properly

This post is to address a few points which come up regularly in training.  Wearing your seatbelt and wearing it correctly will have a significant influence on whether you survive a motor vehicle collision or not. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Driving Tagged With: road safety, safety gear, seatbelts

Are Bilstein Shocks Worth It?

Published February 4, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Bilstein-Shocks-Landrover-Discovery

Over the last 15 years we have tried various types /makes of suspension. The only shock absorber that we have found to deal with the rigours of off road and security training and just driving around on East African roads are Bilstein. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Mechanical Tagged With: Mechanical, shock absorbers

Speed Bumps, Hills and Mountains in East Africa

Published January 9, 2015 By Mick Farmer

Aggressive Speed Bump - Kenya

Twenty Years Ago... Twenty years ago I used to push trucks from Mombasa to South Sudan. The main roads at that time were in pretty bad shape. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Rants and Raves Tagged With: driving, road safety, speed bumps

Failed Hill Climb Recovery – 200 Series Land Cruiser

Published November 10, 2014 By Mick Farmer

At OnCourse, we teach a failed hill climb recovery technique that requires the driver to do a "key start" (this only relates to manual / stick shift vehicles).  Over the years of instruction this technique is the only one we have confidence in. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 4wd Vehicles Tagged With: 4wd, failed hill start, off-road driving, toyota landcruiser

Not All Winch Anchors are Equal

Published October 29, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Damaged Winch Anchor - Side View

The first winch anchor (aka ground anchor) we bought was dubbed "extreme". It came from a UK supplier. It was a bit of a monster to carry around but it did sort of work for a while. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: Equipment, ground-anchor, land-anchor, recovery gear, winch-anchor

Free Wheeling Hubs – Automatic Type

Published October 22, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Found on some Nissans and Suzukis. If we look back at the Auto / Lock hubs these hubs are just Auto. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 4wd Operation Tagged With: free wheeling hubs

Beware Nasty HF Antenna Fittings

Published October 16, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Why do organisations insist on putting the HF radio antenna on the front? First, the mounting has destroyed the approach angle and increases the chance of damaging the antenna.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: HF Radio, modifications, winch

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Recent Posts

  • Releasing Axle Wind-Up
  • Example of Tyre Delamination and Tread Separation
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  • Under Pressure – Armoured Vehicle Tyres
  • Still got split rims on your 70 Series Landcruiser?
  • Managing Available Traction

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