Table of contents for October 2017 in SA4x4

SOFT vs HARD SHACKLES Somebody gets stuck; you take out the snatch strap, connect it to the stuck vehicle with a pair of rated steel bow shackles and complete the recovery. It’s the way it’s been done since the first Datsun 1300 was still proudly displayed on showroom floors. The problem comes in when a recovery point fails or the shackle was incorrectly attached, and now you’ve got a heavy piece of metal flying through the air at speed similar to a bullet. People have tragically lost their lives or sustained horrific injuries this way. It’s why we keep beating on the ‘safety first’ drum here at Wild dog 4x4. Soft shackles are designed to be a safe, lightweight and easy-to-use alternative to conventional steel bow shackles. By using a…

Although the previous Pajero Sport was getting long in the tooth, Mitsubishi’s latest offering is set to stick it to the Everest and Fortuner with a combination of new tech, safety features, style and capability. The vehicle has been completely redesigned from the ground up, and is based on the ladder frame of the latest Triton bakkie. Capability and drivetrain Like the Triton, the Pajero Sport uses a heavily turbocharged 2.4-litre diesel mill, in this case with 133kW and 430Nm. Unlike the Triton with its five-speed auto, the Sport uses an Aisin 8-speed auto, and, thanks to that quick-shifting box, a low fuel-consumption of 8 litres/100km is made possible. The low-range transfer box enables it to tackle the slowest climbs. One of the most anticipated features of the new Pajero…

A log crumbles. Sparks fly, drifting up in the breeze and disappearing into the sunset. The sun continues its descent into darkness, gently sliding behind the horizon; its colours reflect off the river, with the burnt-oranges merging with the campfire. A pearl-spotted owlet has already started to call, a ‘Tu-tu-tu-tutu. Tu-tu-tseeutseeu-tseeu-tseeu.’ My mate Greg pauses from his fire-stoking. “What’s that? I know it.” He repeats the call and the owl responds. Pretty soon it’s closer, calling frenetically. “It’s a pearl-spotted owl,” he says. Then he tells me a story about why he remembers that particular call. And that strikes a chord with me. Birds are memories. Seeing them, hearing them – they steal a spot in your mind. I can’t remember who was in my class at school, I forget…

THE COPS This is the question I was asked the most, and the issue I was most nervous about. How was it? For six days we had nothing but positives to say about the police. We were stopped often (up to 10 times a day), but the cops did their jobs by checking our licences and safety equipment. But, on day seven, the good times turned bad. As we got closer to bigger towns, the cops got more brazen, stopping us and trying to ‘fine’ us for indiscretions that were frankly invented. Using the vehicle’s headlights was one, not having enough reflective tape on the car was another, and speeding was a third, even though I had been careful to slow down to below the speed limit when I saw…

Giraffe are among the most recognisable large species of wildlife in Africa. Even the majestic African elephant is looked down on by the giraffe. Tourists seeing them for the first time are truly amazed by these strange-looking creatures with their characteristic elongated neck. Sometimes as long as 2.4 metres, this is made up of just seven cervical vertebrae, just as ours are – not more, as one would think. The scientific name Giraffa camelopardis comes from ancient times when the animal was aptly, if incorrectly, described as a camel wearing a leopard’s coat. Its closest living relative is the Okapi of central Africa. Being able to see from a height of up to six metres has advantages when it comes to spotting danger. I recall walking past five giraffe about…

I have always been mildly obsessed by rocks of all kinds. Apart from the purported ‘New Age’ healing qualities of some of them (particularly quartz crystals), I just love the way they look and feel in my hands. But they also contain detailed stories of how the landscape in which they were found was formed. A man who knows this better than most is Kobus Van Coppenhagen, our host at Daberas Guest Farm - a conservation area and veritable treasure chest of geomorphic wonders on the western border of the Augrabies National Park. “Here’s a good example of how various types of rock come together in one place,” said Kobus at one of our numerous stops in the sandy riverbed we were driving through — the Kwaaiputs se Loop. “You…

As you may, or may not, know, Land Rover Defenders are soaring in value right now... but nowhere as fast as in the USA. In fact, some people on that side of the pond are willing to spend between $70 000 and $100 000 USD for a good Defender – a truly preposterous amount when translated into the approximate Rand terms. Even more insane is that no imported Land Rover Defender is legally allowed to drive on American roads unless it’s at least 25 years old. The Defender was sold in the States between 1993 and 1998 only, at which point the US Government decided that it wouldn’t pass crash tests due to a lack of airbags, among other things. Land Rover then pulled the model from American shores, citing…

This is a story from the old days when the tar road stopped at Nata and it took the whole day to drive through to Maun, where you would emerge from your vehicle at the Duck Inn looking as old as I do now because of the white dust that leaked into your Land Rover and coated you from head to toe. The Nata-Maun road There were no fresh vegetables in Maun back then, and visiting the ‘butcher’ involved going into a shack and selecting your favourite cut from a fly-covered carcass hanging in the corner. You could get beer in Botswana but wine was virtually unobtainable, so the women tended to drink Crossbow cider - which, for some reason, wasn’t freely available back in SA. Fridges were rare so…

WOENSDREGT BASSON Willys Jeep rebuild (2000) Age: 44 Occupation: Policeman Modifications: Bought it as is with dual shocks, 33-inch Cooper tyres, Ford V6 engine. Future mods: Beefy V8 engine, front and rear differential locks, soft top. Dream vehicle: 6x6 AMG 62 Gelandewagen or Unimog. Most memorable trip: Swellendam to Gansbaai in torrential rain, July 2016. Future trip: Beach clean-up Hermanus to Arniston. I never leave home without: Two full Jerry cans and Toyota recovery gear.…

MURPHY AT WORK For my 50th, we planned a three-and-a-half week trip around Botswana during August. All was going well, and then, with 315 000km on the clock of my 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the vehicle was attacked by a piece of firewood in the bush at Chobe. The piece of firewood had been used by dumb drivers who had got stuck in the sand - then left the wood buried in the sand. As Murphy’s Law would have it, the piece of wood went through one of the breather holes in my aftermarket bash plate, and then through the radiator, resulting in the engine overheating. Apparently the temp sensor on the Prado does not register overheating when there is no water in the system, until it is too…

At the recent Cape Town launch of the 5th generation Honda CR-V, I had the privilege of getting up close and personal with the new models on offer. Honda has certainly done something right, as the CR-V has sold about 9 million of these units since its inception in 1995. The Honda brand has always been associated with top-quality vehicles, yet there has been some discussion of late as to the effects of farming out the build of certain vehicles to other countries such as India possibly having a bearing on quality issues. That being said, the CRVs that I drove during the launch were superb in their build quality, but that’s what you expect at a launch … flawless vehicles. The new CR-V range is a complete redesign, delivering…

Living in southern Africa certainly has its ups and downs. At times it requires the attitude of an eternal optimist to stay focused on the ups, and not be drowned in the multitude of negatives that seem to have become the topic of almost every conversation around the braai. From a bird lover’s point of view, fortunately, the ups outweigh the downs by a fair margin. For example, consider the fact that of the approximately 9000 species of birds on the planet, something like 950 are found in southern Africa. That is more than ten percent, right here on our doorstep. It’s more than the United States of America, which has around 780 species, and almost double the 570 species found in the United Kingdom. And, anyway, who wants to…

Good old Gaborone may not really be at the top of your mind when you plan a mountain-biking or 4x4 holiday, but that will all change once you experience the bush near the Botswana capital over the handlebars of your bike. Cranking this southern Kalahari region will deliver way more than you expect, as I found out after having had the privilege of riding and shooting the Kalahari Challenge MTB Stage Race a couple of months ago. There’s superb single-tracking to be had in and around this burgeoning African city, but what is even better are the 4x4 exploration opportunities from there. When on the bike, you should expect the occasional patch or two of sand - it’s the desert after all, right? The locals call these ‘Kalahari Flat Mountains’…

Yeah, I spent about 1.5 million rand on my Jeep before I sold it. Of course, I never got the money back, but hey….” His voice trailed off as if losing a million bucks was the most ordinary thing in the world, barely worth elaborating on. My co-driver (we’ll call him Bill) was test-driving my Jeep Cherokee at the time; I was looking to sell and he was the first buyer on the scene. Bill’s remark got me thinking back to my very own Jeep journey, back when I swore that I’d never need anything bigger than a 30-inch tyre. Looking back, my naivety was laughable; I clearly didn’t know myself. A trip to Dr Phil would’ve been a cheaper move. My Jeep was stock standard when I bought it…

Whether you’re rock crawling or overlanding, the added safety that underbody protection provides may be a lifesaver for you and your vehicle. Just picture the scene: driving through the Namib, you hear a ghastly CLUNK - and you realise that the middelmannetjie was harbouring a jagged rock. There’s a hole in your sump and oil is gushing out. You wouldn’t be the first person to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a damaged vehicle, and you won’t be the last, but all this could easily be avoided with a decent bash plate. As standard, all 4x4 vehicles come with underbody protection in some form or another, but not all of it is effective beyond warding off the odd flying peanut-sized stone. The Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, for instance, comes…

Owen Kitchin A trip from Saldanha through Namibia and Botswana in their trusty Pajero nicknamed Ganda Ganda had Owen and his wife Yvonne in a state of bliss. Says Owen: “Our first night’s stopover was at Garas Park, just north of Keetmanshoop. The quiver tree forest and quiet open spaces really helps to clear the mind and gives an opportunity to experience the beauty that Namibia offers. Yvonne was still in dreamland in the rooftop tent but I was lucky enough to enjoy a really special sunrise.” Divan Hamman Divan and a couple of his mates recently enjoyed a 15-day, 6800km tour which took a roundabout route up the West Coast and through Namibia, to places like Verneukpan, Noup, Kleinsee, Sendelingsdrift, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Outjo, before they exited through Botswana…

SA WINS SPIRIT OF AFRICA Team South Africa has once again claimed the gold medals and defended their title of international amateur 4x4 precision driving champions in the Spirit of Amarok Trophy which took place in the Kalahari Desert on 13-19 August. The South African duo of Juan Grant and Marius Henn came out tops as the overall winning team against stiff competition from 20 other teams, from Australia, Botswana, Germany, Namibia, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The participants contested several speed and technical challenges in extreme off-road conditions over four days in 132kW manual 4Motion Amaroks. This year, awards totalling over R200 000 were handed out to the top team per country, the top three countries, the most spirited team, and the top three driver/navigator teams overall.…

After a few years’ break, the Fiat Panda has returned to SA with aggressive pricing, making it SA’s cheapest AWD vehicle. This third generation Panda was originally revealed in 2011, although the ‘Cross’ version has been around since 2014. Utilising a 66kW turbocharged two-cylinder engine powering all four wheels through a clutch-based AWD system and manual gearbox, the Panda offers added practicality over rivals in the A-segment like the Kia Picanto and Toyota Etios Cross. Lower-spec Easy and Lounge variants get front-drive only, while the ‘4x4’ version uses clutch-based AWD and traction control to distribute power. The Cross version, while sharing the 4x4’s drivetrain, goes one step further and includes a ‘Terrain Control’ selector with an Auto mode for normal driving, and a Lock mode with a 50/50 torque split…

FISHING FRIEND Ironman 4x4 Travel Master Multi-Rod and Multi-Reel For the travelling fisherman struggling for space, Ironman 4x4 has the perfect solution. The patent-pending carbon-fibre Travel Master Multi-Rod offers 36 combinations in nine different rod styles, giving the ideal setup at a moment’s notice for any demand from river to surf fishing. It all packs up into a compact carry tube. Complementing the Multi-Rod is the Multi-Reel, which features three pre-lined spools colour-coded to match the rod tips, pinion gears, 9 + 1 ball bearings, a 5.5:1 gearing ratio and a silent anti-reverse. R3315 011 634 7600 www.ironman4x4.co.za BOOSTER PACK Mac-Afric jump starter This portable battery-less jump starter does not require a charge before use; instead, it uses ultra-capacitor technology to harness power from a weak battery to…

Everyone is talking about the VW Amarok 3.0 TDI. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the one we took to Zim, much as we would have liked to. Instead, we took the updated 2-litre biturbo, capable of producing 132kW and 400Nm. It feels great on the open road, even with a load, but at low revs it still suffers from a little of the perennial small-capacity problem – turbo-lag. And it’s quite easy to stall. That aside, it is a cracking engine, both frugal and powerful, and we used an average of 9.6L/100km of diesel on our travels, which included a fair bit of off-road driving and with a roof-top tent adding significant drag. We achieved a range of about 830km from the 80-litre tank. Claimed average fuel consumption is 8L/100km, so we…

This was a journey of hope and expectation. I had the privilege of tagging onto an elephant-and-lion research team on its inaugural expedition, which was ostensibly to discover how many elephants and lions exist in Banhine National Park. This is one of three national parks in Mozambique that make up the Mozambican side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). The team also wanted to find out whether the animals migrated within the greater TFCA zone, and specifically between the Limpopo National Park and Gonarezhou in neighbouring Zimbabwe. However, what was meant to be a well-planned and relatively straightforward incursion to count elephants and lions turned into a chain of events that bordered on the extreme side of endurance and dogged perseverance. To cap it off, despite our persistence…

Our pearly white, long-termer Mazda BT-50 was never going to have an easy life. After all, SA4x4 and our sister magazine Caravan & Outdoor Life are all about 4x4 trails, camping and exploring the great outdoors. In the last few months the BT-50 has driven to a number of resorts around the Western Cape, tackled a long drive to the Richtersveld, and completed a dusty odyssey through the Northern Cape which included a number of rocky, scratchy 4x4 routes, some of which turned pretty nasty – for a production car, that is. Sure, the Mazda has the advantage of great overlanding kit, including an RSI stainless steel canopy with a fully fitted kitchen including two stainless steel tables for prep and washing up, which are stored just under the roof.…

THE TRAILER The XT140 from Jurgens is an extremely well tested trailer in South Africa, and is both a hardy off-road companion and a practical daily-use trailer. The XT140 features rubber torsion beam suspension, which helps it to be one of the most stable trailers both on the road and on gravel – also helped by all-terrain tyres and a strong ladder-frame construction. We used it on our recent road trip to Botswana, and it endured many kilometres of harsh towing conditions in sand, dust and in extremely muddy conditions at times, without taking strain. So that’s a vote of confidence in the trailer’s build quality. The trailer comes with various accessories such as battery box storage, two 20-litre Jerry cans with mounts, a tailgate with two hatch slides, corner…

Send a hi-res photograph of your ride to SA4x4 and stand to win a Mac-Afric workshop kit worth a total of R1365 from Adendorff Machinery Mart. The prize consists of three items: A professional quality 19-piece chrome vanadium steel socket set (sizes 8mm to 32mm) and ratchet with ergonomic handle (worth R495); an eight-piece ratchet spanner-set (sizes 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17 & 19mm) with a 72-tooth gear system for smooth action (worth R495); and a 19-piece kit of the most popular DIY garage tools in a handy carry bag (worth R375). TERMS & CONDITIONS: Email your entry to editor@sa4x4.co.za. Only hi-res images (1MB or larger) will be considered – no cellphone pics. Please provide a description of the vehicle and the place. Remember to include your Name,…