Firstly I want to answer this, have you ever had to change a tire in the bush? If you answered
yes, then you probably don’t need to read on, as you’ve already purchased your second spare.

If the answer is no. please read on

What I want you to do is grab your spare, grab your tire changing tools from your recovery kit
and attempt to remove and refit your tire from the comfort of your back yard. At the end I’m
sure you’ll agree, IT’S A PAIN IN THE ARSE!

So – consider this — you’re mid way thought your trip, bang, you get a puncture (and it will
happen). Cool — you put your spare on — and off you go. Another hour in, bang, there goes
another. What would you rather be doing – spending 20 minutes fitting your 2nd spare, or a
couple of hours fixing your puncture?

Unfortunately your rig won’t run on three tires, so having that extra safety need in a 2nd
tire is well worth it. Otherwise — be ready for a long, hard, and frustrating day in the bush.

Whatever your reason for looking to hire a 4X4 there are a few things to look out for other than just the cost. Here are some of them.

• How new is the 4X4?

  For the inexperienced off-roader, the newer the fleet the better. New 4wd’s are less likely to have issues, come equipped with all the latest driver assist technology, and, in most cases, are nicer to drive.

• What type of 4X4 is it?

  These days there a so many cars claiming to be 4X4’s. If you’re hiring a 4X4 to do a trip across the dessert, make sure it’s equipped to do the job. If you’re unsure on a particular type of 4X4 ask here, or look to the stacks of great 4X4 forums.

• What gear does it come with?

  Hiring a 4X4 doesn’t necessarily come with all the gear you’ll need. If it’s not included in the package, you’ll need to provide it yourself, or worse, be stuck somewhere without it. You’ll need a recovery kit, first aid etc. Most hiring agents with include this as an added cost. Make sure you choose it. Check out our camping checklist for more ideas.

• What insurance does it include?

  4wd’s are expensive machines; you don’t want to be paying for damage out of your own pocket. If you owned the car would you go off-road without being insured? Don’t do the same with someone else’s. Check what you are covered for too. If you’re going off-road, it needs to be included in the policy.

• How far can you travel?

  Make sure you’re aware on if there are limits on the number of km’s or miles you can do with your hire car. If your needing a 4X4, it’s probably for a long trip and you don’t want to be surprised with a big bill for exceeding your distance limit or find out that you were not covered by insurance because you were to far from home.

These are some of the important questions to ask yourself and the company hiring out the 4X4. It’s 4X4 is a little more involved that hiring a car, so it’s important you make an informed choice. Don’t be afraid to ask silly questions or you’ll wind up putting a hire car into a scenario it can’t handle.

A lot of these suggestions are common sense, but the procrastinator that waits until the middle of winter to get maintenance tasks out of the way could find themselves stranded off-road between a rock and a cold place! First, do a front-end inspection while lubing everything that needs it. Lubing hood/door hinges, latches, axle joints, and anything else that may get frozen shut will save your butt eventually. Make sure the motor oil and filter have been changed recently—if not change it today!

Check coolant levels and viscosity. If things are looking rusty, go ahead and flush the cooling system, then add in new coolant. Belts and hoses, being one of the major complications in cold weather, should all be checked/replaced as needed. This is also a good time to go through rear and front brakes, as driving over icy roads is already risky enough without having the brakes fail on you! Load testing the battery is also a good idea, to prevent any untimely power failures that leave you stuck out in the cold.

Going through your lights is also a good idea. Check to make sure they all work, especially if your area is known for having snowstorms that make visibility difficult. Automatic windows are also vulnerable to getting stuck or frozen, so try troubleshooting them now before you have problems with them during the winter. Same goes for exhaust and muffler systems—you don’t want to mess with these things in the middle of a snowstorm. Similar to the windows, wiping down door gaskets with Armorall is a good protection method to avoid having your doors frozen shut, especially if you don’t often use passenger side or rear doors. Pre-winter preparations is also a good time to get the interior cleaned one last time, before the torrent of dirty snow and the pungent aroma of wet clothes fills up your vehicle! Also, carry two window scrapers instead of one—someone ALWAYS manages to lose theirs when they really need it.

UHF is a common analog television transmission signal, generally providing the frequency band for channels that are numerically higher than 13 (the major local networks like NBC, ABC, FOX, etc.—which are all part of Very High Frequency—VHF—bands). Many UHF stations ended up becoming translator signals for a VHF station that could not be broadcast signals decently in a smaller broadcasting area. UHF also saw increased usage with the popularization of modern mobile phones, which transmit and receive signals inside UHF frequencies.

CB radio, in comparison to UHF, saw much more amateur usage in the consumer area. A CB radio transmission occurs between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27 MHz band, and carries no license requirements (unlike amateur radio on UHF bands.) CB radio transmissions can be used for business, or personal communication, and has been the method of choice for transmitting 2-way voice exchange over a range of several miles.

Class C CB radio transmissions are also reserved strictly for remote-controlled device usage (i.e. remote control cars and model airplanes). However, serious R/C enthusiasts tend to avoid CB radio frequencies due to the risk of illegal operators using voice communications on these reserved channels (which serve to provide interference and possible radio-controlled device failure, and presents a safety issue for model aircraft operation.) These enthusiasts tend to use an alternate Class C channel in the 72/73 MHz range.

The major differences of CB and UHF radio involve regulation. CB radio is lightly enforced, and has only minimal rules and regulations for operation due to the smaller range of transmission. This also serves as one of the major complaints of using CB radio, as the FCC’s lax enforcement of CB radio encourages illegal freebanding activity. UHF has a stricter set of rules, and thus more structure, security, and commercialization in its many uses of radio bandwidth.

It didn’t take long for the spanners to come out and the mods underway. And the rest, as they say, is history…

Pictures – click to view

 

Owner Profile

Name: Shayne Tilley
Nickname: Tils
Place you call Home: Lilydale, Victoria, Australia
Years Driving Off-Road: 10+
View Shayne’s Full Profile

 

The Rig

• Make: Toyota
• Model: Landcruiser Sahara FJ62
• Year: 1986
• Color: Gun Metal Grey

The Mods

• 3 Inch Suspension Lift
• 2 Inch Body Lift
• 35 Inch Goodyear MTR;s
• Custom Drawer System
• 350ci Chevy Engine Conversion
• Custom Rear Drawers
• ARB Bull Bar
• DBR Slotted Brake Rotors
• SAAS Bucket Seats and Harness
• Front and Rear ARB Air Lockers
• and much much more…

How did the project begin?

I was happy playing around with a pretty standard truck. Then one hot new years eve the piston bearings went bang in the old 3F. So my long term plan for the chevy engine conversion got put on fast forward and the rest just snowballed from there.

How long has the project taken?

It’s still very much a work in progress, but I’ve owned the truck for about three years with most of the work being completed in the last two. I drive the cruiser to work every day so I’ve got to try and limit time off the road… Anything I can’t do in a weekend I tend to leave alone.

How did you go about the build?

To start of I rebuilt all the running gear, this included everything from the shocks, suspension to smaller stuff like new bearings, brake rotors, tie-rod ends, and bushes. From there I moved to the engine. It took quite a while to complete the conversation but I’m extremely happy with the result. Next was the interior, new seats, harness, roller drawers and so on. As I mentioned it’s still a work in progress, but it’s tough enough to hit the bush pretty hard and comfortable enough to drive an hour to work each day.

What’s been the mod that’s make the biggest difference?

I’m sort of split between two major mods. The 35 inch rubber made a huge difference. I’m extremely happy with the MTR’s. Second would be the ARB Lockers. On an old truck with no LSD the difference it makes is massive!

What was your biggest challenge

I’d have to say the engine conversion… No wait.. convincing my fiancee to let me spend the money. Yeah that was a challenge!

If you could go back in time, what would you change?

In hindsight, I would have probably opted for the chevy diesel. Don’t get me wrong, the power of the 350 is awesome but I ending up having to run straight LPG to satisfy the engineer so it’s limited the truck to weekenders rather than long journeys.

What was your build budget?

I’d say around 20K including the cost of the truck.

What’s next?

good question, I’m probably going to need to freshen up the shocks and springs, I’m considering a coil conversion but I’m not convinced it’s the way to go. I also need to fit some sliders and a custom rear step. Lastly a winch is on the agenda, when I can afford it…

If your interested in more information on the chevy conversion it’s available in a separate article

Don’t be fooled by some smart companies putting out bowed shackles that are not high tensile. Look for the rating not the shape of the shackle!