PEOPLE say I’ve got the best job in the world, and in many ways it is.

I’ve said plenty of times the best thing about this job isn’t the cool new cars we get to drive or the amazing places we get to drive them. No, it’s the people we meet along the way: the characters I’ve come across in my travels and the hard-working geniuses who make our aftermarket industry so bloody great and exciting.

Sadly, I lost one of those great folks recently. Ian Glover was a mate and mentor and someone who I have learnt a lot from over the years. Ian lost his battle with cancer in July, and from the amount of tributes that have flowed in I won’t be the only one to miss him.

Ian was the second editor of Overlander 4WD Magazine back in the early 1980s and went on to be the editor of Four Wheeler Magazine. He also spent time working in public relations for both Land Rover and Mitsubishi in Australia.

I first met Ian when I was working at Federal Publishing and the then editor of Overlander, Fraser Stronach, sent me on the launch of the TDI Defender in Far North Queensland. This was during Ian’s time at LRA. I was young and didn’t know many people in the industry, so when all the journos paired up with each other from the drive program I was the odd one out and ended up in a car with Ian.

I learnt a lot over those few days: 4×4 driving techniques as we travelled up the Bloomfield Track, bush skills, and a bit on how the 4×4 industry works.

In later years when Ian was at Mitsubishi and I was editor of Overlander 4WD, we had a then new NP Pajero on test and were planning a long distance trip with it. Ian proposed we search for David Carnegie’s Patience Well in the Gibson Desert and he would join us, and that trip remains one of the most memorable I have done.

We’ve remained mates ever since and I’ve often called on Ian for advice, as there wasn’t much about 4x4s or the Australian deserts he didn’t know.

Ian was on my mind as I was driving though the Simpson Desert last week, referencing his books on the deserts for information. It was almost as if he were still riding shotgun, just like that Defender launch back in the day.

Rest in peace, old mate. You’ll be sorely missed.

I CAME across this recipe on a trip to Southern Africa last year.

Check out more bush cooking recipes

The original recipe used a loaf of bread, but I’ve adapted it to use round rolls that are a little denser in texture so that it better holds the curry mixture. Originating in the Durban Indian community, a ‘bunny’ is basically made from half a loaf of bread, with the inside scooped out and used to dip in the gravy.

The hollow loaf is then filled with delicious curry. There are a few spicy ingredients, but don’t be put off. It doesn’t take long to make the curry once you have everything you need, and it has a wonderful flavour. Plus, it’s a one-pot dish.

INGREDIENTS Serves: 4 to 6 Oil 500-750g lamb – cut into small cubes 2 medium onions – finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic – crushed (or use 2 tsp crushed/minced variety) 1-2 tsp minced ginger (paste variety) 1 chilli – finely chopped (or one or more tsp of crushed chilli or dried chilli flakes) 1½ tsp ground fennel 1½ tsp ground cumin 1½ tsp garam masala 1½ tsp ground coriander 1½ tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp curry powder (add more to taste) 1½ tsp paprika powder 4-6 cardamom seeds – lightly crushed 400g can tomatoes – chopped or crushed 2-4 small/medium potatoes – cut into cubes ½ tbsp vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 cup peas – optional (any variety) Salt and pepper to taste 4-6 bread rolls – any crusty roll will do.

DIRECTIONS Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 45-60 mins 

• Heat oil in your camp oven or large pan over a high heat.
• Add the meat and stir until browned. You should do this in batches so you don’t ‘stew’ the meat.
• Remove the browned meat from the pan and set aside.
• Add a little more oil if needed and then add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Sauté until softened.
• Add all the dry spices and sauté for a few minutes, stirring continuously. The aroma from the spices will be released.
• Return the browned meat to the pan, along with the tomatoes, potatoes, vinegar and sugar. Stir to mix through.
• Season to taste.
• Bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for approximately 45-60 mins, or until the meat is tender and the potatoes are soft.
• Add peas about five minutes before serving (optional).
• Pull the centre out of the rolls and put aside. Use this bread to dip into the curry and soak up all the delicious gravy.
• Fill the hollowed-out roll with the hot lamb curry and serve with the extra bread. HINTS • Garlic, ginger and chilli in tubes are easy to use and store in the fridge.
• Instead of making up all the spices, use your own favourite Indian curry powder or paste mix and add enough to suit your taste.
• You could serve this curry on a bed of rice.
• Measure all of the dry ingredients at home before you leave and store in a small, airtight container or clip bag and pack away for your camping trip.

For more interesting and delicious African and Caribbean recipes, check out Immaculate Bites: www.africanbites.com

THE top three on the 4×4 monthly sales charts remains unchanged from last month, with the Toyota Hilux again outselling the Ford Ranger in its attempt to claw back the overall lead.

Sales of the Hilux 4×4 increased 31.9 per cent when compared to July 2017, while sales of the Ranger 4×4 jumped 29.7 per cent. Mitsubishi’s Triton remains steady in third position with a dramatic 63.7 per cent increase in month-to-month sales.

The Holden Colorado and Toyota Land Cruiser wagon round out the top five.

The only change from last month’s top 10 is that the Volkswagen Amarok has slotted in with a 60 per cent month-to-month increase. It replaces Mazda’s BT-50, which only showed a 0.6 per cent increase month-to-month.

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) continue to be a contributing factor to strong sales growth, with sales of pick-up and cab-chassis 4x4s up 23 per cent compared to August, 2016 – two-wheel drive models also increased by 2.7 per cent.

Many new LCVs were snatched up by private buyers, with private LCV sales up 23.4 per cent compared to August, 2016 – LCV sales to business also jumped 12.8 per cent.

As expected, diesel engines continue to surge in the market, with sales of diesel-powered LCVs to private buyers rising 26.3 per cent (diesel sales also rose 18.8 per cent to non-private buyers) compared to the same month last year.

Overall, Australians are buying more new cars than ever, with August sales totalling 96,662 sales, a 1.8 per cent increase on August last year. Year-to-date figures are also strong, with 4588 more new cars finding homes compared to 2016.

According to Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the strong growth of the industry is due in part to the rising popularity of SUVs and LCVs.

“More new models coming into the market in both these segments is creating strong consumer interest and helping to fuel the industry’s momentum,” Weber said.

“This August result provides confidence that should all the positive contributing factors within the economy remain in place, sales during the back half of the year will keep us on track for another record year.”

When combining 4×4 and 4×2 variants, The Hilux and Ranger lead the overall sales charts for the month. The five best-selling vehicles from August are: Toyota Hilux (4287), Ford Ranger (3588), Toyota Corolla (2948), Hyundai Tucson (2206) and Mazda3 (2163).

FOLLOWING a great deal of on-road research – and many prototypes later – the Piranha 30 Second Kitchen has been released on the Australian market.

This is advertiser content

Designed and manufactured in Australia, the 30 Second Kitchen turns the back of a 4×4 into a mobile kitchen and stores all essential kitchen kit in one handy spot.

Many people like to tour this vast continent with a 4WD/tent/rooftop combo.

However, these people can get a bit envious of those with a camper trailer who pull up roadside and slide-out the kitchen for a quick roadside cuppa or lunch. Now, 4WD owners can pull out a fridge and kitchen, all from the back of the vehicle.

The innovative product from Piranha Off Road is the ideal companion for a 40- or 60-litre Piranha fridge slide, and it’s designed to fit to the passenger side of most 4WDs.

Tucked away beside your fridge, the 30 Second Kitchen takes up very little room and can also slide out to provide a generous work area, with added sliding legs for stability.

The Piranha 30 Second Kitchen comes with a two-year warranty and is available for $595.

Visit www.piranhaoffroad.com.au for a full list of features.

FOUR of the flashiest utes on the Australian market – Hilux TRD, Ranger Wildtrak, Colorado Z71 and Amarok V6 – draw swords in an attempt to claim the top-of-the-range throne.

WE also cast an eye over three modified beauties: A supercharged Tundra, a neat Colorado Z71 and a capable Everest Trend. Plus, we ride shotgun with Merc’s all-new X-Class and test-drive a prototype Haval H9 that’s been given a 50mm lift by Ironman 4×4.

Get your copy of 4X4 Australia from newsagents or by subscribing to 4X4 Australia in electronic or print format.

What you’ll get this month:

MERCEDES-BENZ X-CLASS: RIDING SHOTGUN First look at the new X-Class… from the passenger’s seat.

PROTOTYPE HAVAL H9: FIRST DRIVE Prototype H9 gets a 50mm lift kit from Ironman 4×4.

CUSTOM TOYOTA TUNDRA Toyota Yank tank has 284kW/543Nm of V8 fury

TOP-OF-THE-RANGE UTE COMPARISON Toyota Hilux TRD v Ford Ranger Wildtrak v Holden Colorado Z71 v Volkswagen Amarok V6.

CUSTOM HOLDEN COLORADO Z71 A loyal Holden tragic builds his dream rig.

CAPE YORK IN A Y62 PATROL Some might think we’re crazy, but we take the petrol-powered Y62 to the Cape.

CUSTOM FORD EVEREST TREND The already-capable Everest wagon gets loaded with trick aftermarket gear.

PEOPLE LIKE US: JESS ‘JILLAROO’ EDWARDS We chat to ones of the outback’s biggest social media icons.

BULLBAR BUYERS’ GUIDE Why a bullbar is essential, and why it needs to be top quality.

SECRETS OF THE FLINDERS RANGES, SA Unearthing a few gems in the hot and dry Flinders Ranges.

4WD PARKS GUIDE, NSW & QLD SE Qld and NE NSW’s 4WD parks are ideal for weekend retreats.

WOLLONDILLY VALLEY, NSW An abundance of unsealed tracks and picturesque locations.

TRANSMISSION REMAPPING EXPLAINED An ECU remap can make an LC200’s transmission work smarter.

THE REST This month, Ron Moon advises punters to tackle the toughest tracks, Deano ponders the age at which one should grow up, Fraser reckons the Defender will live again, and Roothy continues to rebuild Milo 2.

Readers’ Rigs includes a 2006 Defender 130, a go-anywhere GU Patrol and a highly modified JKU Wrangler.

Plus, we test a bunch of cool kit this month: Primus Portable Power Pack, Coleman HyperFlame stove, Falken Wildpeak tyres, and an Amabilis Dave Duffle. The October issue of 4X4 Australia is in stores Thursday, September 7.

Get the latest info and all things 4X4 Australia by signing up to our newsletter.

AUSTRALIAN company EFS recently expanded its range of products to include Adventure barwork, snorkels and an electric winch.

This is advertiser content

The EFS Recon R13 winch, in particular, is a stand-out, with the boffins at EFS spending more than two years developing and perfecting the big-bopper.

With a 13,000lb (5900kg) rated single-line pull, the Recon electric winch is among the top of its class in terms of capacity. It includes a full load automatic brake and a 265:1 gear ratio, while the 6.0-horsepower electric motor is waterproof (as is the gearbox).

The 25m, 18,000lb, 10mm-diameter, syntuff synthetic multistrand rope is abrasion resistant and includes anti-bind technology.

The full load auto brake is designed specifically to work with synthetic rope and this, combined with the gearbox’s three-stage zinc-plated, hardened planetary gears ensures a virtually indestructible winch. Operation is via a wired remote (with 3.6m lead) or a wireless unit.

The Recon winch was put through its paces by the All 4 Adventure team. James Don, EFS 4X4 Accessory Marketing manager, explained: “We knew if it comes back with flying colours with them – and they are just brutal on gear – we are on a winner.”

“We had no problems,” James said of the winch testing. “With previous suppliers, they’ve had to replace many winches – they didn’t have to replace the Recon at all, so that’s a really good thing.”

Initially, the Recon winch will be available for all popular dual-cab 4×4 utes and Toyota’s Land Cruiser 200 Series.

The EFS Recon winch is on sale now. Check out www.efs4wd.com.au

IN THE last few years, we have heard more and more about irresponsible 4×4 use. In some states, this has eventuated in national parks closing their roads to the public.

This was originally published in the March 2014 issue of 4X4 Australia.

While many 4×4 drivers, bushwalkers, grey nomads, hunters and birdwatchers marvel at the ecological wonders surrounding us, ‘cowboys’ are blamed for much of the environmental and infrastructure damage.

But how many of us could be unwittingly helping to perpetuate the spread of noxious and invasive species into our favourite spots, leaving a trail of environmental vandalism that will only come to light in the future?

I can hear your screams of protest already, but hear me out.

Have you ever walked across a paddock to have your shoes and socks impregnated with farmer’s friends? And how many of us have complained about the invasion of the cane toad, the burrs in our swag and the encroachment of blackberries and lantana into our once pristine and favoured tracks, fishing holes and campsites?

I don’t think it would surprise anyone to know that seeds and spores of invasive species can be carried in our clothing. But how many of us think about how they can also be carried on our vehicles – sticking to the mudguards from the last bog hole that we traversed. And did you know that cane toads have been proven to hitch-hike in trucks and cars across borders – hiding in the nooks and crannies while waiting for the sun to go down and the vehicle to stop?

While you might think there’s nothing that individuals can do about these sorts of occurrences, I’d like to offer a different opinion. We can all do our bit to reduce the impact we have on the country we profess to love so much.

When we talk about weeds and seeds, one of the most effective measures we can take is to avoid going into infested areas in the first place. But I acknowledge that’s not always practical.

So, failing that, I would say that everyone of us has a fundamental obligation to try to minimise the risk of spreading noxious weeds by properly washing down our vehicles after a road trip – whether into the scrub, or across regions with different biological characteristics.

While I recognise that some people wear the mud and detritus on their ‘truck’ as a badge of honour, there are three main disadvantages to this sort of practice. 1. It promotes corrosion thereby reducing the longevity of your vehicle. 2. It provides an excuse for our urban-dwelling associates to brand every 4×4 owner that uses it for its general designed purpose with the ‘cowboy’ label. 3. Importantly in the context of this discussion, you may have unwittingly transported an invasive pest to a brand new home.

You may think that simply driving your vehicle through the automatic car-wash on Sunday afternoon will address your environmental obligations. But, regrettably, this isn’t the case. Far from it. And if you don’t believe me, take this little test. I dare you…

After you’ve driven through the automatic car-wash, go back around to the hand-washing bay. Point a water hose (preferably high pressured) down your chassis, or at least into one of the access holes along its length. Turn on the hose and watch the deluge.

The water will find its way out via one of the many holes and ports along the chassis length and I bet you it will be brown as mud. Because that’s exactly what it is. It’s the dust from your last trip down the Oodnadatta, mixed with the mud from last weekend’s escape.

And if you hadn’t washed this out now, in the controlled cleaning environment of the car wash, the mud and dust (including the seeds and spores) could wash out on your next creek crossing.

How would you feel, if it was you that transported a noxious weed from the southern regions of Australia, the whole way to Cape York, and for it to wash out from inside your truck as you crossed one of the many creek beds en-route.

You leave the weed to germinate along some lovely sunny bank so that, in 10 years’ time, it has suffocated every native and endemic species that actually belongs there, choking what was once a favourite fishing spot.

If issues of environmental aesthetics don’t resonate with you, think about the effects of invasive weeds on our agricultural industry. Statistics indicate weeds cost Australian farmers around $1.5 billion a year in weed control activities and a further $2.5 billion a year in lost agricultural production.

That’s $4 billion, just because of weeds that we know of in our agricultural community. This cost is then inevitably passed on to all of us via the price of fruit and vegetables, and the cost of the humble steak.

Our soldiers, sailors and airmen are well-attuned to these sorts of risks and take active measures to mitigate against them. Every time our military conducts an exercise in a different biological region, it conducts a ‘Weed and Seed Clean-down’ program. This involves washing down the vehicle so it looks clean and new. In my time observing this practice, if you are not as wet as the vehicle when you’re done, you’re not done.

Similarly, customs officers are continually on the look-out for such hitch-hikers on anything coming into the country.

How do you wash your car?

WEEDS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Based on their invasiveness potential for spread and environmental, social and economic impacts, 32 Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) have been identified by Australian governments. A list of 20 WoNS was initially endorsed in 1999 and a further 12 were added in 2012.

The List of WoNs to look out for while you’re out 4x4ing, fishing, birdwatching, hunting or bushwalking is: African boxthorn Alligator weed Athel pine Asparagus weeds Bellyache bush Bitou bush Blackberry Bridal creeper Brooms Cabomba Cat’s claw creeper Chilean needle grass Fireweed Gamba grass Gorse Hymenachne Lantana Mesquite Madeira vine Mimosa pigra Opuntioid cacti Parkinsonia Parthenium weed Pond apple Prickly acacia Rubber vine Sagittaria Salvinia Serrated tussock Silverleaf nightshade Water hyacinth

NATIVE PLANTS CAN BE WEEDS

Not all of Australia’s weeds have come from other countries. Australian native plants can also become weeds when given the opportunity. This usually occurs when species are moved from within their natural habitat into new areas where they have a competitive advantage over indigenous plants, allowing them to establish naturalised populations.

Native plants can also become weeds when characteristics within their natural habitat change, enabling them to better compete with other species and increase their population size and/or density.

All Australian states and territories have experienced native plant invasions. For example, in Victoria around 200 species have naturalised outside their native range. A common example of a native plant establishing itself outside its natural range is the cootamundra wattle Acacia baileyana.

A WINCH represents the epitome of self-recovery.

It’s the true essence of a ‘get out of jail free’ card for every genre of 4x4ing; whether it be remote travel, weekend rock-hopping with your mates, competition use, or even with many school pick-up 4x4s – you know, the shiny ones that have every conceivable accessory bolted on like it’s a badge of honour.

A winch is the quintessential must-have accessory that screams to all who will listen that you are a fair-dinkum 4x4er, regardless of how often you’ll really need to use that lump of dead weight bolted to your bullbar.

For those who do use them, a winch provides a huge chunk of security, elevating your chances of getting out of the poo, almost, regardless of depth.

So, in true 4X4 Australia form, we have assembled seven of the best electric winches available off the shelves in Australia, for a no-holds tug-o-war.

We have enlisted a test method to ensure total fairness, and we’ve made sure the environment used for each winch remains the same. We’ve taken a gaggle of measurements of each winch while working right up to and beyond their maximum loads, ensuring we could evaluate each winch by the data.

During our testing, we had a couple of minor failures, one smokin’ winch, plus uncovered a flaw many winches exhibit, which may encourage winch makers to redesign that key component.

Plus, of course, we are able to serve prospective customers the perfect information for when it comes time to choosing a winch.

THE CONTENDERS

WE SETTLED on utilising 9500lb (4309kg), or as close as possible, electric winches fitted with synthetic rope from each supplier. This equates to a size winch that most family-orientated 4x4s would expect to use successfully. There are larger, heavier duty winches, but the size we’ve chosen opens up a range perfect for most 4x4s.

For this test, we compared the Sherpa Mustang 9500, TJM Torq Winch 9500, Thunder 9500, Bushranger Seal 9500, and Runva EWX 9500. Also included are the Warn Zeon 10,000 and Warn Magnum 10,000 winches, being the closest size winch available.

Opposite Lock declined, given it was on the verge of changing its complete winch line-up. Ironman 4×4 also declined to be included.

There are a number of emerging big brand names being imported from various countries, as well as the plethora of el-cheapos, but we simply weren’t interested in those for a number of reasons.

SYSTEMS AND STRATEGIES

IN A TEST as complicated as this, we wanted to ensure the testing method was fair and equal across all products, regardless of how many pulls were required of the winch. Finding the right conditions was paramount. We had to cross off sand dunes because they differ considerably after every single pull. Likewise, with a mud pull and most other surfaces other than hard-packed dirt or gravel.

We trialled steep, dirt hills with constant and ever-changing slopes using my own winch fitted to my Troopy with the handbrake on, and we tried winching dead weights up those same hills.

The problem was that the incline was either too easy or too hard, not to mention the many other technical reasons why it wasn’t an even playing field and therefore unsuitable to help us find the real winner of our test. Enter the ‘sled’.

Anyone that has been to a rural agriculture show will have heard of a Tractor Pull. This is where tractors attempt to pull a sled the furthest distance along a flat, graded, dirt track. The trick to the sled is that as it moves forward along the ground, the weight advances (or slides) from the rear end to the front of the rails, making it harder and harder to slide along the ground as the tractor advances along the track.

I figured if we replaced the tractor with a winch, we’d get reliable results. All I had to do was source the sled.

Given I could alter the weight on the sled, both on the mechanically geared, moveable tray section as well as the front pad, it proved the ideal method to test the winches. It took half a day of trial runs to find the correct setting for the weights. Eventually we settled on a fixed weight of concrete at the front, combined with the sliding section set in place with two 1000-litre water containers. Nothing would change across the testing for all seven winches in the test.

We tested the pulling force – weight of the concrete and the actual sled, combined with the friction on the ground and the slope we were winching up – and we came up with an overall pulled mass of approximately five tonne. That’s 5000kg pulled by 9500lb (4309kg) rated winches, which would put them to the test, hopefully without destroying the winch.

For dead weight or an anchor point, there was the option of winching from my Troopy and tethering it to a tree, but the risk of chassis damage from twisting or stretching was too much. Instead, we copped a 6.2-tonne telehandler to resist the pulling forces. We hitched a removable winch cradle – to which each winch was bolted – to slide into a hitch receiver on the mammoth telehandler.

Then we chocked the wheels and jammed the hydraulic blade into mother earth, so it couldn’t move anywhere!

While some winch manufacturers provide a duty cycle, many don’t mention it or just provide the warning “do not exceed duty cycle” without actually saying what the cycle should be – a fat lot of help that is. No wonder many people have no idea they can’t just “keep winching ’til she’s out” and end up damaging the winch.

As suggested by some suppliers, we settled on a duty cycle of 60 seconds constant winching, followed by 10 minutes cool down, 60 seconds constant winching, 10 minutes cool down. We repeated this process until each winch had pulled as close to 20 metres as possible.

At the start and end of each 60-second winching period, we recorded gearbox and motor temperatures with a non-contact thermal gun, minimum and maximum amperage draw with a clamp meter, as well as distance pulled with an electronic distance measurer – to aid in calculating winch speeds for each 60-second session as well as an overall speed in metres per minute.

All of these measured figures allowed us to monitor winch performance in real time while keeping an ‘ear’ on the winches to know how close to stalling and how easy each was tackling the huge loads of the sled. With this method, there could be no denying which winch pulled fastest, furthest, consumed the most power, or got the hottest.

After we’d tested each winch for real-life pulling ability, we also looked at standard included accessories, specifications and ease of operation. Given stalling a 12-volt winch is generally a no-no, as is overly-extended winching times, it’d be reasonable to expect we would damage some part of each winch, so we didn’t.

There is no reason to winch to destruction to test a winch; that is simply not how a winch should be treated in real life. Setting up the correct weights to be hauled, with even, fair and repeatable conditions is the perfect way to test a winch and a great way to separate quality from crap.

SAFETY

WINCHING is dangerous. We’ll repeat that… winching is bloody dangerous.

While we always adhere to taking as many safety precautions as possible in a real-life winch situation, this testing posed additional safety threats given we needed to be close to the winch to take motor current draw and temperature readings.

I knocked up two walls of 12mm sheets of ply with relevant slots cut out to thread the winch rope through. The walls were angled such that if a rope broke and flicked back at us, it would be blocked and deflected up and away from us.

Instead of a simple air brake hanging over the winch rope, we’ve attached a dedicated, weighted sliding dampener close to the hook end and tied it back to the sled. If anything were to break, the dampener would stop the heavy hook and arrest the dangerous rope re-coil. As a side note, synthetic rope is much safer than wire rope if it should snap under strain, but we weren’t taking any chances.

POWER

12-VOLT winches churn through a heap of power. Generally, your winch is hooked up to your main starter battery which is charged via your alternator while winching. If that battery is anything less than 100 per cent, a winch’s ability to pull is diminished. Given we were attempting longer than usual winch pulls, as well as multiple pulls, there was no way a standard battery-in-vehicle set-up would cope.

Having had past experience with a mob who, along with their father, manufacture the venerable Outback Battery Chargers via their company Christie Engineering, I figured they would be my saviour for battery charging. They kindly loaned us a top-of-the-line 120amp petrol-powered battery charger.

Australian manufacturer Century Batteries provided four 105amp deep-cycle AGM units, which were wired up in parallel with high grade battery cabling. This huge battery bank and wiring system remains a 12-volt system, but the Amp hours were bumped up to a huge 420amps (4x105amps) to ensure we had plenty of grunt in reserve.

We ran the Outback Battery Charger during winching, as well as the 10-minute winch cool periods. This is one part of the test that is not ‘real life’ given we mostly only have one battery to run a winch from, but, given our want to test the winch to maximum capacity, we bulked up on the amperage power to be sure all went as planned.

THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT

LOOKING at the specs of each winch, there are only a few technical differences that can make a difference to a winch’s ability to perform: motor horsepower, final gear ratios, drum diameter and amperage draw.

Let’s get one thing straight, a fast winch is not necessarily the best winch! It may be fast in trying to extract your bogged 4×4 from danger in the beginning, but if it can’t maintain that speed due to high current draw (flattening your vehicle battery), cooks your winch thanks to high motor temps, or stalls the overloaded vehicle via high gearing, then what’s the point being fast for a short period?

You want a winch that gets the job done, even if it takes a bit more time. So for the purpose of this test, we’ve ignored that quoted-but-useless specification.

When it comes to the horsepower of the motor, generally, the higher the better. It’s like a larger cubic capacity vehicle engine develops more torque than a small capacity version – all else being equal. But, more torque doesn’t necessarily mean faster.

In gearing ratios, the lower the final gear ratio number (eg. 150:1 compared to 268:1) the faster the winch drum will spin resulting in a higher line speed. The motor (or gears) turn 150 times to turn the drum one full revolution, compared to the lower-geared version which has the motor turning 268 times to turn the drum once. So, the higher the number, the slower it works; and the lower the number, the faster it works.

However, the faster the ratio (the smaller the number), the harder the winch has to work and the more likely it is for the whole shebang to stall. Just like labouring your 10-speed pushie up a hill, if you leave it in the highest gear, your legs won’t be able to supply the power needed to keep the pedals moving, so you stop and flop.

A lower winch gear ratio (higher number) is slower, but will get the job done easier… eventually. It’s the old story of the Tortoise and the Hare – we all know how that ended.

As far as amperage draw goes, the more electronic power that little 12-volt motor can consume, the faster it will perform, but the hotter it will get and the sooner it will melt or burn something beyond further use.

Keeping motor and gearbox temperatures down can only be done via short winching times and long rest times – the correct duty cycle – or perhaps, to a lesser extent, fluting or heat soaks built into the winch casing to help dissipate heat. But once the whole casing gets overly hot, there’s little you can do to cool it all down, other than rest.

An often forgotten specification that directly leads to winch ability, or lack thereof, is the drum diameter. The larger the drum diameter, the faster the gearing (but more load will be placed on the winch). Conversely, the smaller the diameter, the slower the gearing, making winching easier.

It really is impossible for average humans (like me) to calculate the exact final pulling power of any winch when all variables are taken into account.

DRUM LAYERS, SURFACE RESISTANCE, DEPTH AND SLOPE

ONE of the common misconceptions regarding winches is that the maximum rated winch capacity is available any time the winch is hooked up. Unfortunately, this is false. Winch capacity is in fact determined by the number of layers of cable wrapped on the winch drum.

While line pull per layer is an often quoted specification, given an empty winch drum affords the smallest diameter and a full drum the largest, it’s easy to presume that as each layer of rope rolls onto the drum, the winching effort increases proportionally.

All winches are maximum rated with an empty drum, while their (mathematical) rating drops dramatically to almost half when full. Yep, a 9500lb winch is only rated at 9500lb when the drum is on its first layer, yet is only (mathematically) rated at about half that (about 4500 to 5500lb) with four or five rope layers rolled onto the drum.

Theoretically this is correct, but in reality it doesn’t exactly work like the pretty diagrams (that are bandied about with nice neat layers of rope) suggest.

Synthetic rope is somewhat flexible (can be distorted and flattened) and the rolls can never be totally pushed up hard against each other as the winch drum rolls in. We found the rope would either mesh into the previous roll, providing similar drum diameters (ratios); or would bunch up on one side for a few rolls, effectively raising drum diameter and ratios.

While you can, at times, help to guide the rope in for a neat roll by pulling the rope sideways from the winch body, you are putting yourself directly in the line of fire if something fails and flings back.

The neater the rope is kept while pulling in, and the straighter the pull is in line with the vehicle, the better the chances are of keeping an even drum roll.

Ideally, any winch pulling a stuck vehicle should be using the first or second roll on the drum to return the best load ratings and maximum pulling power.

Unfortunately, this is not always practical in real life; your tree or winch anchor point will (almost) never be perfectly positioned, so you’ve just gotta use what you have available, or use a double line pull to get more rope of the drum to start with.

Every winching exercise must also consider surface resistance, slope and depth. Resistance of the ground you are stuck in; deep fluffy sand, gloopy wet mud and rocky ledges are all going to add higher winching resistances than a loose, gravelly track. So too will any gradient above dead level.

The depth of the poo you are stuck in will sky rocket your winch’s inability to do its job – the deeper the shit you’re stuck in, the more likely you are to remain stuck in said shit.

WIRELESS VERSES WIRED

SOME winches tested came with both wired and wireless remote controls. Wireless is a great option in the right predicament, which allows the user to stand or sit (almost) anywhere to control the winch, provided it’s safe to do so. In our experience, as great as wireless remotes are, they have a time delay or lag from when you start and stop the winching button or command.

So, when you button off the power, often the winch will run a little longer, which we find a little disconcerting if trying to winch precisely. Wired winch controllers generally don’t exhibit this annoyance, tending to switch on and off much more precisely. We used the wired options on all winches as tested.

WHICH WINCH?

EVERYONE wants to know a single winner, but while we’re happy to give the thumbs up to one winch here, there’s nothing to suggest all the other winches won’t do the job intended.

It’s great to see that every winch on test passed our rigorous test procedure, which is a testament to the quality that’s available if you buy known brands of equipment.

While the overall winner combines the data we recorded with price, inclusions, motor horsepower rating and gearing ratios, the second place recipient sees very different specifications combined with vastly different recorded readings to achieve a similar end result. This proves how different two winches can be, while still offering an excellent outcome at the end of the day.

Also, given both the winner and runner-up suck awful high currents, you’d need to be sure your battery system is in good condition. Wading through the collected data table, you’ll find some other winches consumed far less amps, so perhaps one of these winches would better suit your set-up.

So, drum roll please… the winner of our ultimate ‘Pull Power’ winch test is the Runva EWX 9500 winch, while the TJM Torq Winch takes out a very close second place. We’d be happy to bolt either of these winches to our bullbars, and we’re positive both would get us out of strife in almost any off-road situation.

Congratulations to both brands and thanks to all who have participated in this world-first 12-volt winch shoot-out.

THANKS

THERE is absolutely no way we could have completed this test without a few sets of willing hands to help with time, expertise and equipment. Special thanks must go out to:

Todd from Momentum 4×4 in Wauchope, NSW, for lending us a hand and bringing your 4×4 knowledge;

the team at Maitland Steam & Antique Machinery Association, for their willingness to supply people, the sled and other machinery;

Century Batteries, for supplying four deep-cycle 105ah batteries to form our huge battery bank of power;

Christie Engineering, for the loan of its 120amp petrol-powered battery charger to keep our battery bank in tip-top condition; and a huge thanks to the manufacturers and suppliers of the winches.

YOU can’t help but be impressed with the Runva EWX’s huge horsepower rating of 8.6. That’s a clear winner amongst this field.

The Runva winch also has the fastest final gearing ratios, combined with the highest current draw. This is a good example of high motor power (and torque) combined with a fast winching speed, but it uses a lot of power to do it – over 400amps sucked from our battery bank, which is above our ammeter limit.

It’s all well and good being this fast, but if you don’t have the battery capacity to feed the hungry winch, it’ll all stop with a buggered battery. Winching sensibly with plenty of rests will get you out of trouble faster than all of the other winches.

Impressively, motor and gearbox temperatures stayed very low, suggesting this winch did the job fast and with ease. It only needed four pulls to drag the sled 20 metres – that’s one pull less than its nearest competitor, and up to three pulls less than the slowest winch on test.

It must be noted that Runva has a huge range of winches and, indeed, has other versions of 9500 pounders with lower horsepower motors somewhat similar to other brands tested here. However, given this winch is the cheapest winch of the seven on test, it returns huge pulling power for your buck.

A unique rope-securing method sees the start of the rope pass through the body of the drum, while a flush-mounted grub screw secures the rope-end within. There are no sharp, protruding edges or crimps, and there’s no chance of the rope being damaged by the securing system. It isn’t designed to withhold high loads, so the standard minimal wraps of rope on the drum must be adhered to.

The rope pulled out of the end at the retaining bolt, even though there were many wraps and more than two layers of rope on the drum at the time. The rope must have been slightly and slowly unfurling under the load of the sled, given the slipperiness of the synthetic rope. Most suffered from the same – we had three ropes slip and break their mount on this test.

A protective sheath is fitted to the hook-end of the rope but not to the drum end, thereby needing more caution while unspooling.

It comes with both the aforementioned wired hand control, plus a wireless version. The advantage over all the others is the wireless receiver is inbuilt within the control box, so it doesn’t need to be wired separately.

A separate manual isolation switch is included to mount under the bonnet, to prevent thieves from operating your winch.

Looking for any negatives with this winch, perhaps the second shortest rope at 26.5m is the only thing worth mentioning.

INCLUDED Wired hand-held remote control; alloy hawse fairlead; open hook with spring-loaded safety catch and removable clevis pin; safety strap; wireless remote control with integral wireless receiver; sheath protection for hook-end of rope; manual isolation switch.

THE JK Jeep Wrangler has always provided the Jeep community with a plethora of customising alternatives.

This was originally published in September 2014 issue of 4X4 Australia.

In fact, the JK range has given Jeep a mighty boost within the off-road fraternity, as well as with the bitumen-based gang. There’s no shortage of off-the-shelf custom options for the Wrangler, both practically and aesthetically, but no-one could have imagined the creativity behind Neil Goodridge’s modified JK.

Neil, owner of well-known Jeep specialist company Marathon Spares in Tamworth, New South Wales, decided to have a crack at re-creating a Kaiser M715 with his own additional styling cues. A group in the US also attempted the project and spent almost $US200K doing so. While it was a great job, it didn’t quite hit the nail on the head.

Cue Neil. In his nonchalant way, he figured he’d have a go, but with a much lower budget and fewer people involved. He aimed for a more usable finished product and based it on the mighty JK Wrangler platform, with an inter-cooled 2.8-litre turbo-diesel and a six-speed manual gearbox.

He is planning on installing a Sprint Booster, which basically allows for adjustable throttle delay or response to make the most of the already brilliant diesel engine.

Neil wanted to give people an idea what a modern day army Jeep ute would look like, but he admits his creation is not an exact replica of the 1960 M715. The rear ute tub is modelled on a ‘deuce and a half’, a two-and-half-ton army M35 truck.

Neil got creative to ensure the finished product’s loo’ was the right proportion and shape. While he had an original M715 to copy, he tossed the tape measure and replaced it with instinct and experience.

When working on the mud guards, Neil utilised a set of ‘flat fender’ style Hurricane Rugged Ridge units on the front end. Down back he fabricated his own squared-off rears to match, instead of going for the original rounded version. Initially piecing together a cardboard model to shape the templates, the finished guards use 2.1mm steel, which also double as a great foot-step into the tray.

The tray utilises a spare WWII Jeep army trailer Neil had laying around in the paddock. The standard trailers ribbed floor was widened and lengthened to provide a very usable 1.8×1.5m tub with external guards. The standard fuel filler which resided in the rear quarter of the JK was repositioned just forward of the wheel arches.

Army-style hooks were added to hold down the drab green tonneau cover, which was custom fabricated by Goodridge Industries in Tamworth.

Neil imported a set of black 17x9in Rugged Ridge alloy rims wrapped in aggressive 315/70R17 directional Baja Claws. To provide clearance from the body work and tyres, a set of raised two-inch TeraFlex coils combined with TeraFlex gas shocks and JKS sway bar disconnects provide a flexible off-road package combined with good on-road manners. Neil isn’t a fan of huge lifts; he’d rather go low and wide to enhance stability in all driving situations.

The standard front Dana 30 has been strengthened via an axle tube kit and braces to prevent breakage during aggressive off-roading, and the RCV axles are chromoly steel and warranted (in the US) to withstand abuse from whopping 42-inch rubber.

The rear Dana 44 has been left as is; although, both diffs have ARB AirLockers installed to help with traction. The air compressor is tucked away behind the passenger’s seat, while the switches are roof-mounted in a custom box that also houses the matching forward lighting rocker switch.

With the larger diameter rubber, the ‘overdriven’ final ratio with standard diff ratios saw both fuel economy and performance go out the window, so Neil has changed diff ratios to 4.11, making room for the 35-inch tyres to provide a ‘close-to-factory’ final drive.

A Currie steering arm and heavy duty tie rod, adjustable TeraFlex lower control arms (to adjust caster angles), combined with a high mount drag link kit (to allow for parallel steering geometry) enhances the off-road flex of the five-link front end and sharpens on-road steering while eliminating steering wobble at speed.

The rear adjustable panhard rod (or track bar) allows the whole axle assembly to be centralised laterally, given the suspension lift can slightly offset the whole axle to one side.

CHOP CHOP

THIS ute started life as a four-door JK Jeep Wrangler, had been painted in sky blue livery, and was well and truly used by the previous owner. Once the rear end had been chopped with the angle grinder, a half-height rear wall was handcrafted with 1.2mm sheet to match in with the handmade side walls and roof line.

Neil was adamant about using a canvas roof and top half of the rear wall to emulate the original M715 Jeep and selected original US army issue drab green misled canvas to fulfil the task, which Goodridge Industries dutifully completed. They utilised standard JK soft top roof bows along with the original roll bar to form an original roof line. Factory seat belts, seats and front doors have all been retained.

A rear clear panel was incorporated into the canvas work to allow easier rear view, while small lower vents have been installed to prevent the canvas ‘ballooning’ at higher speeds.

While Neil could have fabricated the ute tub to match the standard chassis length, he figured it just wouldn’t look in proportion with the rest of the vehicle, so he opted to lengthen the chassis. This was completed by chopping the rear chassis section, grafting in a strengthened 400mm chassis section and then re-connecting the original rear chassis to the rest of the vehicle.

This has allowed for fitting of rear bar work, as well as incorporating the standard towbar mounting and recovery points, which made final engineering easier. Neil consulted an engineer before laying a finger on his Mauler project, together with follow up and final checks to ensure total legality.

To help ward off rock rash, Neil also installed a set of Rugged Ridge sliders from a four-door Wrangler. These longer sliders also help protect the clever custom foot step into the ute tub and are connected directly to the Wrangler chassis for maximum strength.

Up front, this Wrangler sports a single hoop design Rugged Ridge bar fitted with a 9000-pound winch with Dyneema winch rope and alloy Hawse fair lead, and a whopping pair of D-shackles for securing recovery gear.

While this type of bar doesn’t offer maximum ’roo strike protection, taking a glance from the side of this Wrangler shows the (almost) 90-degree approach angle – hence the use of this type of bar for maximum off-road advantage. The rear bar, which incorporates the towbar, also sports a set of recovery shackles to help hook up the winch or strap.

The standard rubber bonnet latches have been replaced by more secure, adjustable aluminium versions. A Wrangler-stamped snorkel keeps the diesel engine sucking cool clean air, while a vented bonnet infill allows a little engine heat to escape.

Having spent some time driving this ute, we can attest to the overall brilliant on-road driveability combined with off-road, go-anywhere ability.

Sure the Claws are a little noisy on road, the soft top allows a bit of road noise in, and there isn’t all that much room behind the seats, but having driven a stack of modified 4x4s over the years, many of which drive like dogs on the road, some that don’t perform off-road and some that just shouldn’t have left the drawing board, we reckon this is one hell of a ute that drives better than stock and would tackle pretty much anything you could throw at it; hence the Marathon Mauler tag.

It looks pretty damn cool, too. Well done, Neil, your hands-on skills are brilliant, your foresight and perception to build a vehicle that not just performs well but looks good is top notch.

We can’t wait to see your next creation. Word has it you’re working on something with more doors than the Mauler, longer than the Mauler, and possibly even more impressive than what the high-budget overseas counterparts have tried to create. Best of luck!