Table of contents for August 2016 in SA4x4

Having grown up on a small farm, I probably became aware of the avian species and started noticing individual birds at a fairly early stage in my life. I can’t recall at what age it was, but I think it was most likely before I started paying attention to the opposite sex, so it must have been at a relatively young age. Thinking back now, and trying to remember which bird species stood out above the rest, I am quite sure that it must have been the noisy busy-body Blacksmith Lapwing. These noticeable black-and-white birds stand about 30 centimetres high on long black legs, and spend most of their time on the ground. They are so widely spread over southern Africa, and so loud, that even someone with little or…

AFRICAN INSIGHT African Insight, led by Andrew Anderson, runs the tourism side of Somkhanda and shares a long-term vision with the Gumbi community. They also run a number of different educational programmes, hosting groups of learners as well as interns from overseas and local school tours. 033 234 4466, www.africaninsight.co.za, info@africaninsight.co.za WHERE TO STAY Somkhanda Game Reserve We stayed in the Kudu Bush Lodge, a little camp on a ridge with beautiful views of the hills and bushveld. One great thing about Kudu is that you can book the whole camp, even if there are just six of you. The chalets are en-suite, and there are braai facilities and a fully equipped kitchen. If you don’t feel like cooking, meals can be arranged at the dining room, which is a…

ILLEGAL TOWING If you currently tow anything above 750kgs, you need to read this. It’s commonly assumed that after passing one’s licence, one is automatically qualified to tow. It was an accurate assumption – until the credit-card type driving licence was introduced in 2000. Since then, automatically EB code licences. But, newly-issued standard driving licences are only code B licences, which allow you to tow only a light luggage trailer weighing less than 750 kilograms. This means that, if you’re towing a heavier trailer, caravan or boat, and you don’t have a code EB licence, you are towing illegally and are required to retake your learner’s and your driver’s licence tests in order to qualify for an EB licence. This might seem like an unnecessary, bothersome task; but, aside from…

DENYS DENYSEVYCH MITSUBISHI TRITON DOUBLE CAB 2.5 TDI, 2009 Age: 34 Occupation: Senior Mining Solutions Consultant at ABB Enterprise Software. Modifications: It’s a standard vehicle, apart from the long-range fuel tank and underbody protection plates. Future modifications: Dual-battery system, rock sliders instead of sidesteps and a proper canopy with roof-rack. Dream vehicle: Land Rover Defender 110. (R.I.P.) Most memorable trip: To Victoria Falls through Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This was my first serious African trip. Planned trip/s: Short-term: The next one is definitely going to be a winter trip to Lesotho via Sani Pass. I hope that I will be lucky enough to see some snow there. Long-term: To hit the roads of Southern Siberia (the Lake Baikal and Sayan Mountains area) to pay tribute to my homeland. Although I’d…

POINT OF RECOVERY Ironman 4x4 Recovery Points Off-roading without recovery points is like tightrope walking without a safety net – somewhat risky. Ironman 4x4’s recovery points have been designed to be fitted to your vehicle’s chassis in pairs, and can safely withstand and distribute the loads generated during a recovery. These recovery points allow for the use of an equalisation strap. They are designed for multiple attachment points, and painted red for better identification in murky and muddy conditions. Hooking up is compatible with your standard recovery kit (holes suit a 4.75t shackle). Available for the Toyota Fortuner 2015+ and the Hilux Revo 2016. R949 per set of two (011) 634 7600 / www.ironman4x4.co.za 4X4 LUNGS TJM Wedgetail Airtec Snorkel Give your 4x4 cleaner lungs with the TJM…

I’m sure everyone reading this fine magazine would all raise their hands in unison if offered a choice between a week in the office, and a week away. But mid-winter camping is often less than comfortable; and, with a deadline of ‘yesterday’, I needed to find a route that would not only test the new Fortuner but also give me some R&R. Also, the trip needed to be technically challenging, but not difficult enough to be likely to damage the test-car – and we certainly didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Having floundered about in traffic for two hours, failed to find a gas cylinder, failed to pack properly and failed to get the fridge’s dodgy 12V socket working reliably, we were finally off. Though hissing…

A buffalo lumbers out of the mist. It’s a muted spectre emerging just metres in front of us, crossing the road and fading away again within seconds, disappearing with that typical, slow-motion gallop of the species. Its muted hoof-steps fade away quickly; the whole episode surreal and fleeting. We’re somewhere in Somkhanda Game Reserve. Exactly where is hard to say, because, although we aren’t lost, we also don’t know where we are or where we’re headed. The mist doesn’t help matters. But you’re not lost when you’re exploring, and Somkhanda is an exploring kind of place. Not that we hadn’t been lost... earlier that very morning we had headed out of camp before dawn to visit the opposite side of the reserve, made a number of definitely correct turns, and…

Sleek lines, luxurious styling, and… well, that’s about it, I’m afraid. With its price tag of R454 900, you’d expect the Renault Kadjar to have more to offer the aspirant gravel traveller aside from its sleek design and diesel economy, when it’s placed next to its competitors. It’s not all bad news for the Kadjar, though. With 96kW of power and 320Nm of torque, the Kadjar does still offer a good dose of acceleration and overtaking thrust. Then again, so does the R40 000-cheaper Nissan Qashqai 1.6 dci AWD. The Nissan and Renault share AWD systems, engine and chassis. The Renault’s extra cost comes courtesy of a few nice-to-haves like the plush leather seats (Nissan gets cloth) and a reversing camera. However, for R15 000 more, you could take home…

WINNER RUAN STRYDOM Watching the sun set on yet another Easter weekend, Ruan took this snapshot of his 2003 Isuzu KB 300. DAVID KNOTT David Knott regains perspective on life in this photo of his trusty 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee taken on a recent Sani Expedition from Cape Town. After 170 000kms, David is super impressed that his Jeep is still going strong. GERHARD DE LANGE Testing to see how his 2016 new generation Hilux 2.8 diesel 4x4 Auto fared on soft sand, Gerhard took his 4x4 out to Yellow Sands in the Eastern Cape for a bit of fun in the sun. AKMAT KHAN Akmat’s 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0-litre straight six taking on the gravel road to Poenskop in Port St Johns. MORNÉ KARG Taken on a 4x4…

There’s no point in driving around with your roofrack/rooftop tent if you’re not on holiday. Save fuel (and wear & tear) by installing a Fredlin hoist. This proudly South African product solves the problem of where to store your roofrack/ rooftop tent, canopy, or even a sports car hardtop: up and out of the way! The Fredlin hoist fastens securely to your garage roof or carport, is easily installed and can be operated by one person. TO ENTER One Fredlin hoist will be given away every month to the lucky reader featured in Me & My 4x4. Simply send a photograph – 1 MB or larger – and the answers to the categories shown above, to editor@sa4x4.co.za. Vehicle and driver must be featured together in an off-road setting. (No driveway…

Last month, SA4x4 travelled through Angola for two weeks – and wow, what a trip! The terrain, people and history were enthralling. However, we often fail to realise that you can rustle up a similarly epic adventure just a few clicks from where you live in SA. This one, which (in the planning) involved five days of exploring the Karoo and Garden Route, and which ended off at the Jaguar Simola Hill Climb in Knysna, promised to be an absolute riot. Imagine five pimped out 4x4s and five adventure bikes, including me on a largely outpaced old Yamaha XT, blasting our way through a dozen passes. As luck would have it, my dream of joining the bikers was to be smashed by an apparently blind woman in a Clio, a…

Droughts occur in defined cycles which one can trace historically, but climate-change processes have exacerbated the situation and we can expect to see even more severe weather events - ranging from prolonged droughts to intense flooding. South Africa is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades. This is partly due to the El Niño effect which has disrupted usual weather patterns and caused rainfall that is way below the long-term average. This has impacted negatively on agriculture, causing very low crop yields. Protected areas where natural systems depend entirely on the seasonal rainfall to function properly are also being hard hit. Without adequate rain, the vegetation is severely impacted and all available grazing is quickly used up, with no hope of any more food growth for wildlife until…

My co-driver wasn’t impressed with the bumpy suspension of the KB. But we were on a very bumpy, rocky reserve, we were driving a single-cab with no load in the bin, and he did have a cracked rib… (The rib’s another story.) Single cabs are designed for graft, not comfort, and the KB did jolt us around a bit; but, other than that, we had very few complaints. It coped superbly with the rough terrain, with the rear diff-lock coming into play a number of times on steep, rocky climbs. The engine, a 2,5-litre turbo diesel that produces 100kW and 320Nm, is a great unit, but is starting to fall behind in terms of power output when compared to the major competitors. Toyota’s new 2.4 GHD engine produces 110kW and…

If someone told you that your vehicle sounded like a tractor, it probably wouldn’t be a good thing; unless you’re Ray Preston. Tractors, as we know them, are over-engineered for high loads, probably lack maintenance, and do thousands of hours of towing ploughs all day. Which sounds ideal for an overlanding machine, except for one problem – they’re dog-slow. This is not a criticism you could level at Ray’s 1983 vintage Defender. Apparently, this particular Landy was the first prototype 110 model to come to South Africa in the Eighties. It was bought by Ray in April 1990, but was (before then) the special ride of Ron Shires, head of Atlantis Diesel Technologies (ADE) at the time. He had it converted to run on the intercooled and turbocharged ADE 236,…

PLACE: LAKE TURKANA, NORTHERN KENYA. ROUTE: KENYA, UGANDA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CAMEROON, NIGERIA. DATE: APRIL 1, 1987 It is difficult to explain our mood as we drape Mr Michelin over the bonnet and plan the route back, through Uganda, Zaire and the dreaded Central African Republic. Why are we so nervous? The little Landy is running beautifully, and our minimal kit works OK if we imagine that we are backpacking on wheels. True, we don’t like the thought of sleeping on the roof and away from the steering wheel, in case of another attack, but we have no choice. We are sorry to be leaving Kenya again but the memories are deep ingrained. Kilimanjaro, Tsavo, the coast, Lamu, Amboseli, Ngorongoro and the Mara. The weeks with the Pokot, and, of…

It has been a long time since I last reviewed a satellite navigation device, so I thought it good to review one of the latest technologies: the TomTom Bridge. I was recently introduced to this new, rugged 7-inch touchscreen device designed for business-to-business applications, but also suited for the outdoor 4x4 market in southern Africa. I last used a TomTom (the 5000) about two years ago, but the logic and menus have always been very similar, and this one is a naked platform that allows you to customise it to your liking. NAVIGATION The TomTom Bridge has a large screen, which I like, and sits snugly between my dash display, steering wheel and radio so that it does not obscure my view. It comes standard with TomTom lifetime mapping (in…