Mick's Blog • Page 3 of 10 • My thoughts, findings and rants.

Are Bilstein Shocks Worth It?

Published February 4, 2015 By Mick Farmer

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...]

Speed Bumps, Hills and Mountains in East Africa

Published January 9, 2015 By Mick Farmer

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...]

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...]

Not All Winch Anchors are Equal

Published October 29, 2014 By Mick Farmer

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...]

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...]

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...]

Free Wheeling Hubs – ‘Lock or Auto’ Type

Published October 5, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Usually found on Nissan Patrols. This type of front hub gives you the option of LOCK or having it in AUTO. … [Read more...]

What’s This Button Do? “Hub Lock”

Published October 3, 2014 By Mick Farmer

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. … [Read more...]

Taking Care of Your Tyres

Published September 5, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Take care of your tyres and they will take care of you. … [Read more...]

OnCourse Promo Video

Published August 25, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Here is the new OnCourse Promo video. … [Read more...]

OnCourse Training Site – Then and Now

Published August 24, 2014 By Mick Farmer

Not only has the site grown, but the technology used to capture the photos has changed. In 2003, we chartered a plane for the aerial shots and a 800 kb photo size was considered pretty good. In 2014, Skyworks Africa captured videos and photos using a drone and 7 mb is a pretty decent photo size. … [Read more...]