Indice dei contenuti per November 2016 in SA4x4

History is a messy thing, but it does seem to be fact that the first vehicle to climb Sani Pass in 1948 was a Jeep CJ-2A. This doughty little vehicle had already gained a special reputation through the Second World War in its military form as the Willys MB. It was the foundation on which the Land Rover was designed, so remains the first true light four-wheel drive. How this legend was born is a fascinating tale of rushed deadlines and cobbled prototypes, with the first viable MB delivered to the US Army mid-November of 1941 – exactly 75 years ago. It’s a fine time to pay tribute, so in this special issue we take a bow to the rich lineage from the first pressured wartime bids, through the Civilian…

4x4 GUM-GUARD 2016 Toyota Fortuner Commercial Deluxe Bull Bar If you want to play a serious game of rugby, you get yourself a gum guard. If you want to enjoy some serious off-road driving, you get yourself a bull bar. The Fortuner Commercial Deluxe Bull Bar from Ironman combines strength and practicality and features the driving light package as used in the Ironman Protector Bull Bar. All Ironman 4x4 bull bars are engineered to please and protect; an observable truth judging by the brand’s popularity within the 4x4 community. R16 495 www.ironman4x4.co.za (011) 634 7600 SHADY CAMPER Front Runner’s Easy-Out Awning When you’re touring through the desert or driving along the coastline, a spot of shade right next to your vehicle is a necessity, not just a nice-to-have. Thanks to…

Answer a simple question about the author’s search in Zambia for the shoe-billed stork and stand a chance to win a Front Runner Spare Tyre Mount Braai Grate. This stainless steel grate (value R995) fits over your spare tyre and takes up virtually no space. QUESTION: Name the area in Zambia where author Liz McGregor finally located the shoebill. Send answer to: editor@sa4x4.co.za , using the tagline Front Runner Shoebill #02. Remember to include your Name, Delivery Address and a Contact Number.…

Are you a victim of Monday morning blues? I know several people who suffer from this complaint. One good friend who has since passed on to greener pastures, where hopefully the days of the week are all equally pleasurable, used to suffer so much from this that Sunday afternoons became unbearable for him. It was so bad that his friends started avoiding him, and his family dreaded the arrival of the end of every weekend. Despite the fact that we were close friends, I could never work out what it was that he didn’t like about the start of the new week. Fortunately this habit did not rub off on me. This was because another acquaintance, who was just a few houses down the road from where I lived, was…

Keeping track of and identifying rhino in the wild has always been very difficult. The animals take on the colour of the mud in which they continually wallow, and therefore are all a uniform colour. Horn-length and body-size can help distinguish individuals, although this is not nearly enough in a reserve where there are hundreds of individuals. Because of their large size and their fondness for wallowing in mud and then rubbing against a rock or log, it has been very difficult to put any telemetry or satellite collars on their necks. Foot collars have had limited success, but need to be very robust - and they cost a fortune. The unrelenting poaching of rhino for their horns necessitated more innovative methods to be adopted for identification. The Department of…

Sodwana Bay in 1974 was a pretty remote outpost of the old Natal Parks Board operations. I began my service as a ranger there, straight from the campus of the Natal University. I was a city boy, although I had grown up in Irene, a small village near Pretoria, and had spent time prowling around the veld there. Sodwana Bay at that time had no telephones, and the only direct communication links with the outside world were a daily radio call-up at 7AM on the big SSB radio set which was powerful enough to link us to head office in Pietermaritzburg, and a VHF link with the office at St Lucia. Neither of these radio links operated after 5PM. The nearest store and police station was at Mbazwana, about 16km…

In this, our seventh and concluding article on how automotive lubricant technology has changed forever, we will discuss brake fluid - which is not something you can use until you notice deterioration. With old fluid, one minute you have perfect brakes; and the next you have none. Many people are complacent about their brake fluid, assuming that it will always do the job. It is a "safety critical item", but how many motorists ever ask to have their brake fluid checked, or when it was last changed? Approximately 70% of vehicles on the road have brake fluid that will boil at 175ºC or lower, severely reducing the efficiency of brakes; and I am hoping that this is because no-one has ever informed the drivers of the importance of brake fluid.…

This trail listing is designed to be an easy reference guide to trails in and around South Africa and southern Africa. All trails have been rated by their owners according to the grading system alongside. We recommend you phone the trail operator to check conditions as weather and other factors can easily change a trail’s difficulty rating. COOPER TYRES SOUTH AFRICA wants to promote your trail, and has offered to pick up the advertising costs. So, if you are a trail operator, this is a great chance to get 4x4 owners driving your route. To include your trail in this listing, or to update or amend any details, simply send all the required information to editor@SA4x4.co.za, or speak to Kayla Cloete at SA4x4 (phone 021 702 4200). In addition, if…

MAGDA JACOBS 2011 JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON 3.8-LITRE V6 4-DOOR Age:60 Occupation: Retired Modifications: • Full Rubicon Express 4.5-inch, four-link long arm lift kit suspension • Mickey Thompson Baja 17-inch rims • 50mm wheel spacers from Smittybilt • Mickey Thompson 37-inch MTZ tyres • Extra-long-distance fuel tank fitted • Old Man Emu steering damper • Custom-made rear axle stabiliser from 4x4 Mega World. • American Expedition Vehicles snorkel • Mopar 10th Anniversary Rubicon hood with functional vents • ARB front bumper • T Max 9-ton winch • Modular 120W LED light bar • Smittybilt side step bars • Smittybilt rear bumper • Tail light protectors • Big Country drawer system fitted complete with all recovery equipment • Dual-battery system from 4x4 Mega World • National Luna intelligent solenoid split-charging system for…

TECHNICAL QUESTION SLUDGY TRITON I have a problem with a Mitsubishi Triton 2.5 DiD, 2009 model. I have noticed a brown oily sludge in the radiator and in the expansion tank - it accumulates on the radiator cap. During a service at the Mitsubishi dealer, the dealership did a chemical test on the radiator to check whether the head gasket was blown, but the test was negative. The dealer suggested that the problem was old antifreeze. I had the whole system flushed and put in new antifreeze, but the sludge re-appeared. I then took the vehicle to a RMI workshop which suggested that I change the oil cooler. I did, but the problem is still there. There is no water in the oil; just oil in the water. The vehicle…

It seemed a long shot. By this time of year, most shoebills have migrated to the DRC. We had heard reports of European tourists spending long days trudging through the Bangweulu Wetlands in pursuit of this rarest of African birds, with no success. The road, we were told, was awful; the campsite basic. But, what the hell. This was our big adventure and we were up for a challenge. My partner, Alan, and I were planning to spend almost four weeks touring Zambia in the company of three other couples. The first big decision was transport: hire or buy? We were travelling in high season: late July and August; and Bushlore, the company we’d finally decided on, wanted the deposit a full 12 months in advance. At the same time,…

Ken and I needed to get back to the Kalahari – just one more time for him. Ken measures his time in months before he literally shuffles off this mortal coil. He has 18% lung capacity and needs to be hooked up to oxygen day and night. A walk of ten steps without being connected is the equivalent of a marathon for him. Despite everything that weighed against him, he agreed to join. His friend Corlé would tag along to be his arms and legs; a hewer of wood and a carrier of water; a pitcher of tents and loader of vehicles… what could go wrong? All I had to do was get the old Pajero fitted with a roof-rack that would hold the two 80kg oxygen bottles. This would…

The Kgalagadi Lodge, located near the border of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It offers a variety of accommodation opportunities, from serviced campsites to luxury self-catering chalets sleeping 2-6 people. Because of its position, the lodge is perfectly suited for an overnight stop before entering the park – and was a haven after our 10-hour drive down from Gauteng. Amenities at the lodge include a restaurant, bar, pool, room service, a kitchen in all rooms, parking, and even laundry services. Address: 29 R360, Mier, Askham, Kgalagadi, 8814 GPS coordinates: S 26° 31’ 28.0’’ E 20° 36’ 15.1’’ Phone: 082 303 8768 Email: info@kgalagadi-lodge.co.za Visit: http://www.kgalagadi-lodge.co.za/…

November 2016 marks the 75th year of Jeep production. US General Dwight Eisenhower regarded the Jeep, the C47 Dakota, the GMC 6x6 truck and the bulldozer as being the four most important pieces of equipment used during World War Two. Built by Willys Overland Motors of Toledo, Ohio, the jeep was the progenitor of the classic light four-wheel-drive vehicles that roam our world today. The Jeep had its genesis at the outbreak of the Second World War, when a highly mechanised German Army overran Poland, Holland, Belgium and France. At the declaration of war by Britain and her Commonwealth and European Allies in early September 1939, the US President made an emergency proclamation increasing the size of the US Army. The US Army Quartermaster subsequently issued specifications for vehicles to…

For the Easter weekend, my father and two of his friends had decided to do a trip in the Karoo. So, that was one Landy Lightweight (Etienne de Kock), a CJ-6 (Ian Nuttal), and my dad (Bobby Peyrot) in his CJ-2A. Early on Good Friday morning, we all met up in Villiersdorp and started the trip. We hit the dirt around about 11:15. And that’s when the fun started. All was going well, smooth sailing, until Sunday morning. We had spent the night at Skurweberg, and when we had to leave for Die Mond, instead of taking that horrible pass down, we decided to take a 4x4 route down - and that proved to be the eyeopener for the day. The first bit of the trail was just like Kagga…

PROVINCE Western Cape Nearest town Touws River – 35km Nearest fuel stop Touws River Directions 1. Take the N1 to Touws River 2. Turn right (if coming from CT) or left (if coming from JHB) into Touws River 3. Turn left at the first four-way-stop in Touws River 4. Drive to the railway line (400m), and turn right 5. Turn left over the railway line 6. Travel on the gravel road from Touws River for about 25km 7. Travel 1km past the Nougaaspoort turn-off. Gecko Rock gate is on the left. 8. Take the private gravel road to reception (about 3km) GPS S 33.5314° E 20.1048° TRAIL DETAILS Terrain Steep ascents and descents, rock, and rock steps, with no easy escape routes. Line choice is critical. Guided/Unguided Optional Open/Closed Gates…

The Aussies build great product designed to withstand harsh conditions, but there’s one massive continent to their north where the people are even more 4x4 obsessed, and where the environment is even harsher. Yep, the Russians take no prisoners; and now South African company Raw Africa Expeditions is importing their tougher-than-tough 4x4 armour under the Tuffstuff name. The armour is made by Russian company Rival, which manufactures up to a million bash plates and bumpers a year; and they do things a little differently. Unlike anything else we have in our market, these underbody armour plates and bumpers are hydraulically pressed out of 5mm sheets of 6061 (T6) grade aluminium; and where there are seam lines, they are robotically welded. The reasons for using aluminium are simple – it’s three…

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…

“My daddy’s Toyota is tougherer than yours.” Hmmm. Once it has had a few mods for overlanding, perhaps... I am fortunate enough to have owned numerous Land Rovers and Toyotas in the past, and had recently –just prior to a trip through the Central Kalahari and Botswana - traded my brilliant Discovery 4 V8 HSE in on a new Toyota Hilux 2.8 manual DC 4x4. I’d wanted something that was comfortable around town and overland-capable when needed, and felt that a 70 Series was too agricultural, and a 200 too fancy. I knew that I would need to fit a long-range fuel tank and dual-battery system, as well as a roofrack for the canopy and real AT tyres. This leads to my first observation: to fit a roofrack to the…

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 5 Launched in its current shape in 2004, the Land Rover Discovery can’t hide its age - no matter how strongly Land Rover believes that more chrome will fool us. As times change, a need for a lighter, more luxurious and more efficient model becomes necessary: welcome the Discovery 5. Powered by a supercharged 250kW V6 petrol engine, a 190kW V6 diesel, and with the possibility of two 2.0-litre four-cylinder options, the new Disco is set to make a big splash in our market when it lands mid-2017. Speaking of splashes, a 900mm wading depth (200mm deeper than before) and a Terrain Response II system ensure off-road capability is dialled in. The stepped roof line, generous accommodation for seven, and air suspension is (as before) standard fare;…

The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia. They stretch for about 200km in a northerly direction from Port Pirie in the south, to Strzelecki Track in the north. A large, crescent-shaped amphitheatre, Wilpena Pound, is one of the landmarks in the Ranges. It is about 80 square kilometres and looks very much like the Magalies Mountain Range. In the north is the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, owned and run by the Sprigg family, and that was where we were heading. We had to make a stop at the coal-mining town of Leigh Creek to fill up, and to replace our fancy gas stove that had proved not able to stand the rigours of travel. From there, we drove around the Vulkathunha Gammon Ranges National Park to Arkaroola,…

A4x4 is a brilliant thing. Take it to the shops and it scares hatchbacks out of parking spaces; take it off the tar and it becomes our mobile home. A 4x4 provides an excuse to leave the house and go camping, which is a good thing. What you choose to drive really shouldn’t matter. So, the four vehicles chosen for a recent Front Runner trip to the Kalahari covered as wide a spectrum of size and type as possible. There was a Mitsubishi Pajero SWB 3.2 DiD, well known for its overland ability; a 3.8-litre Jeep Wrangler Rubicon of 2010 vintage, best known for climbing over big rocks; a Suzuki Jimny 1.3, known for being the size of a shoe; and, finally, a shiny new Kia Sorento 2.2CRDI, best known…

An Australian purveyor of all-things-powered, a nature-lover and an off-road explorer since before he could remember, John Rooth has been there, got the T-shirt, and then covered it in oily mud. From writing women’s astrology columns under a pseudonym, to testing bikes, building trucks, digging mines and exploring Australia in an old 40 Series Land Cruiser, ‘Roothy’ has done it all. Here he gives a (very) honest opinion of the four vehicles we took to the Kalahari. Suzuki Jimny Barely enough room me and the fridge under normal circumstances, but when you bolt on this excellent Front Runner rack, and bung in the shelves, suddenly the Vitamin Vitari is a touring weapon! Yep, it almost made me gag to say that, given the ‘big block’ 1300, but the fact is…

1940 Willys Quad Willys Quad (1940) The firstborn in the Jeep legacy was affectionately named the Willys Quad. Jeep created this model as its prototype 4x4 reconnaissance vehicle to present to the U.S. Army. According to the army’s specifications, the new vehicle had to have four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, generate 115Nm torque, seat three passengers, have a wheelbase shorter than 75 inches (190cm) and be no taller than 36 inches (91cm). In the summer of 1940, Jeep was contracted by the U.S. Army to construct 70 sample vehicles. In March 1921, the U.S. Army asked for a further 1500 Quads before making it the official vehicle of the army. This was the start of the Jeep lineage which…

Rushing to get things done is never good, and when our freelance journo in KZN was minus a vehicle to do a trail review, the task was dumped on my desk. “Find somewhere beautiful you’ve never been to before, and have fun.” That was my brief. Yeah. Life is tough. I have been burned before, though - driven hundreds of kilometres, only to find a place that’s no more than a few gravel roads masquerading as a 4x4 destination, or one somewhere with terrible accommodation. This time, though, luck was on my side: after five or six phone calls, I settled on Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve – and wow! – what a place. It’s some 35km from Touws River on the N1 axis between Cape Town and Johannesburg, so…

A70 Series Cruiser is a tough workhorse. You’d be hard-pressed to find a production vehicle with this level of stock-standard ability. If one were to build a superb overlanding and trail-crushing rig, with more space than a Jeep Rubicon, there is probably no better starting point. But they do have a few shortcomings. Forget the Spartan interior and its woeful lack of stash places; how about the low-slung axle hardware which hangs up on rocks, or the handling which is on the crude side? Heavy-duty rear leaf springs ensure that the Cruiser bucks about without a load, on corrugations, and gets out of shape when you hit a corner at speed. And speed is a real possibility when you’ve got that lusty 4.5-litre V8 diesel with 151kW and 430Nm under…

The stainless steel canopies made by KZN-based company Rock Solid Industries (RSI) have always been highly regarded, but now the quality and fitment process has been stepped up a notch. After completing an order for 2000 canopies for the Telkom and Bidvest fleet, the company has shifted its focus to streamlining the production of its leisure canopy range. An important achievement has been acquiring ISO 9001:2008 certification, which involved a full revamp of their 4000-square-metre Westmead factory. This included new flooring, mezzanine decks, streamlined assembly stations, and, significantly for us end-users, three state-of-the-art Aero-Cure Spray booths. The new paint process means that custom-painting options can include both a wide range of colours to match most vehicles, and the possibility of different panel colours. The biggest and most prominent improvement, however,…

The SA 4x4 & Outdoor Show is a highlight on the calendar for many off-road and outdoor enthusiasts, and this year moved to the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria, where the crowds gathered on August 27 and 28. The relocation to a bigger venue made it possible to include a wider range of exhibitors and activities. More than 300 exhibitors displayed their latest products and services at the show, and these displays ranged from versatile tools and the latest in 4x4 equipment, to off-road trailers & caravans. Modified vehicles were also on display and available for the public to purchase. Hobbies such as hunting and fishing were also showcased. go-karting, performances, camel racing, and more. Those who preferred to be a part of the action could test out their off-road skills…