Far from being a luxury, a collapsible bucket is a must-have for any remote area traveller.
They’re easy to find room for when space is at a premium. They can fit into your toolbox, bug-out bag, fishing kit or back pack. Importantly, they’re also incredibly versatile. A collapsible bucket is an extremely utilitarian addition to your water system in an outdoor survival scenario. Here’s how they come in handy:
1. Collect Water. If you can fill a nine litre collapsible bucket with rain, river water or water from a hole in the ground, you’ve got enough H20 to satisfy an adult male for up to three days (depending on conditions). If you can’t get access to water so easily, stick the bucket under the edge of a tent, tarp, or any other water runoff.
2. Bathe. Morale can be a big problem in an emergency situation. So too is a lack of hygiene. So, provided you’ve got a bit of water to spare, have a bird bath from your collapsible bucket.
3. Laundry. Your clothes protect you from sunburn, dehydration, cold and insects. Maintaining the integrity of your clothing increases your chance of survival.
4. Food and bait. Whether you’re looking at berries, bait or the ‘catch of the day’, you’ll need somewhere to keep them.
5. Dousing fire. Having some extra water around in case your fire gets out of hand is always a good idea. The last thing you want in remote areas is to get caught up in a bushfire you’ve inadvertently started.
6. Filtration. If the only water you can access is contaminated by sediment – you’ll wish you had a collapsible bucket. If you’ve got a canvas version, you can use it as a filter for any water you collect.
If your bucket is made of reinforced PVC material, you can punch a hole in it, fill it with charcoal, gravel, sand and dry grass, and filter your water that way.
You can also use spare clean clothing or coffee filters. Failing that, fill up your collapsible bucket, let the particulates settle and decant it off. Finally boil it before drinking.
7. Particulate separation. If you have a water filter with you, there’s no need to work it too hard. Instead of sticking it straight into a water source, use your collapsible bucket to skim water off the top without stirring up mud or silt. You can let any particulates settle back at camp and then run only the cleanest possible water through your filter to save wear.
8. Eliminate cross contamination. If you get stuck, you may find you only have a few water bottles available (if any). If you use your water bottle for collection, storage and drinking, obviously some of the contaminated water will be in your bottle. Why take the risk? Save your bottles for filtered and sterilised drinking water only. Use your collapsible bucket for the dirty work.
9. Yabbie Trap. Tie a small piece of meat to a rock. Place it in the bottom of your collapsible bucket then fill it with dry grass. Connect a rope or pole to the handle for retrieval and put it in the best spot in a water hole. Leave it for a few hours and, voila, lobster for dinner.
10. Sea or sand anchor. If you’re lucky enough to have a boat, the last thing you want is to lose it. If your anchor has failed, your collapsible bucket can be used as a makeshift alternative. Fill it with rocks, attach a length of rope, and use it as a sand anchor.
Alternatively, throw it over the side empty and use it as a sea anchor. Once ashore, fill it with rocks and sand and it will help moor your vessel.
Shooting Kangaroos and turning them into tucker might be better than hitting them with a car, Ron Moon reckons.
Recently in Victoria, Steph Ryan, the Deputy Leader of the Victorian Nationals, called for action on the large number of kangaroos in her electorate, after she had a collision with a skippy.
RACV insurance data shows that her local shire is high on the list of Victorian shires reporting collisions with animals, with nearly 100 claims made between July 2014 and June 2015. In the same period, AAMI data recorded more than 30 collisions with kangaroos in her shire.
Back in March 2015, the Victorian Labor Government approved the processing and sale of kangaroo hides as part of a two-year trial implemented by the previous state government. This allows western and eastern grey ’roos to be shot and processed for pet food.
Of course, the RSPCA and the Australian Greens oppose the trial. The thing is, the period for the trial is coming to an end, but I think it should be extended and made permanent.
Ooh, I can hear the animal rights people shaking with anger! And lots of animal lovers will hate me. Don’t get me wrong, I love our kangaroos and enjoy watching them in the scrub, but there comes a time when numbers are so high that something needs to be done.
Kangaroos have been culled for years in Victoria and the carcasses are normally buried – a horrible waste, I reckon, in this protein-starved world. So processing them for pet food is a step in the right direction, but allowing processing for human consumption would be even better.
According to official reports (since 1981), ’roo population figures for all of Australia (we’re only talking about the three commercial species – red, eastern and western greys) have fluctuated between 18 and 50 million, mainly because of drought. The maximum allowable quota to be culled each year by rifle shots is around 10 per cent of that figure, but rarely is that quota met.
So let’s state a few points categorically: nobody is going to exterminate the kangaroo in Victoria or any other state; they are not in any way endangered, even after more than 50 years of controlled harvesting; and keeping their numbers in some semblance of control will not only decrease the number of road prangs, but it may save a human life!
Kangaroos hit by vehicles are often left on the side of the road wounded and incapacitated, which is one of my pet hates. I always carry a rifle on bush trips to dispose of any animal I find in this predicament, but in the past I’ve also used a knife or a jack handle, neither of which are particularly pleasant for the job. Still, it’s better than driving past a mortally injured animal and leaving it to have its eyes ripped out by an eagle or crow before being pecked and eaten alive.
Okay, I’m ready to be lambasted. Do your best!
Oils ain’t oils”, right? In fact, fuels ain’t fuels, either.
I’ve been chatting with a few good diesel mechanics and diesel engineers to learn more about diesel, including what’s right for your modern engine and what’s available in Australia.
Advanced European diesel-engine design has driven the need for a higher standard of fuel than what’s traditionally demanded in Australia. The majority of compression engines sold here today have modern high-pressure common-rail fuel injection systems that originated in Europe.
So it’s not surprising that the fuel you once used in old low-revving rock-crushing diesel engines is not suitable for the high-performance diesel engines of today. These days the demand is for clean-burning low-emission diesel fuels, and industry standards have changed to meet this need.
While we’ve moved on from the “dirty diesel” of yesteryear, there’s still room for improvement. Yes, we’ve lowered the sulphur content and have met the standards, but Australian diesel still doesn’t have some of the other additives or controls that are standard in European diesel and its supply systems. So the point is, in Australia, high-quality clean diesel fuels aren’t always available, which is why some manufacturers recommend only using premium fuels.
One problem is the death of Australian oil refineries. Unable to compete with Asian mega-refineries, Australian refineries have been closing at a rapid rate, with only four refineries remaining on Australian soil. This is why we import about 90 per cent of our fuel, most of it from Singapore.
It probably makes good economic sense, and no doubt the Asian refineries conduct appropriate fuel-quality checks, but there’s a real and unquantified risk of contamination every time the precious liquid is transferred to ocean-going tankers, holding tanks, drums and station tanks. This is all before the fuel goes anywhere near your four-wheel drive’s fuel tank.
Typical contamination hazards include water, algae, bacteria, fungus and other microbial contaminates, not to mention debris. The majority of these contaminants can be removed with an aftermarket secondary fuel filter.
The other issue is that the majority of fuels imported from Asia don’t include the additional lubricants and conditioners that you’d commonly find incorporated within European diesel.
The combined effect of these factors may include clogged intake valves, reduced efficiency of fuel air flow and degradation of engine performance. You might not notice it now, but repeated exposure to substandard fuel will reduce your fuel efficiency and leave your 4×4 feeling sluggish, at the very least. Premature wear and tear on your engine is almost inevitable.
One method to overcome variability in fuel quality is to use diesel fuel additives such as stabilisers, corrosion inhibitors, deposit modifiers, biocides and lubricity agents. These products help protect the fine tolerances of a diesel fuel system’s mechanical components and ensure the integrity of their design and performance.
In Australia, for the majority of fuels, it’s the consumer who has to add these additives and lubricants. Just be careful how you use them, as some contain hygroscopic (water-attracting/retaining) dispersants/detergents and some of these detergents can hold water in suspension.
I’m sure we don’t need to tell you that water plus diesel equals bad juju for high-pressure common-rail fuel injection systems. So be aware of this risk.
Lubricant and conditioner
On the search for better fuel lubrication, I found an Australian-made diesel fuel lubricant and conditioner that uses nanotechnology combined with good old-fashioned common sense.
Engineer David Webster, in consultation with a chemist, developed and manufactured Responsive Diesel Fuel Lubricant and Conditioner to lubricate moving parts and to provide anti-corrosion protection for diesel fuel pumps, injectors and all fuel system components.
It has been engineered for common-rail diesel systems and is formulated for low-sulphur diesel fuel. The product includes an anti-bacterial biocide and does not contain hygroscopic dispersants.
I’ve been running a 2008 Toyota Hilux with the product for the past six months. After using a tank of fuel treated with the product, I noticed my engine was quieter. After filling the tank three more times, the performance continued to improve, and by the three-month mark the fuel consumption had reduced by about 10 per cent.
Interestingly, the packaging states: “Warning: do not overtreat the fuel.” When I enquired about this, the team told me that the lubricant is a concentrated formula. So they recommend to use the product every second time you refill your tank.
This approach makes the product particularly economical. The fill ratio is 10ml for every 80 litres of diesel, which means that a 150ml bottle is enough for 15 standard tank fills. Using it every second tank, one bottle of lubricant will cover 2400 litres of fuel, or about 20,000km. At $34.50 for a 150ml bottle, that’s value for money in anyone’s language.
The bottle is designed to fit into door pockets, so it’s handy when you stop at a fuel station. The long applicator means you don’t need a funnel to apply the additive, and it has a measuring bowl allowing you to apply the correct amount every time.Available from: Where: Responsive Engineering Price: $34.50 per 150ml bottle We say: State-of-the-art
For more information and tips on Gear, check out our page here.
Coastal travellers heading south to Victoria and hoping to find some great beach drives will be bitterly disappointed.
From the border with New South Wales in the north-east, right around to the South Australian border in the west, there are no public beaches where you can just turn up and drive your 4×4 along the sand, in the dunes, or down to the water’s edge. Not legally, anyway, and excepting private land.
There is one small area of coastal dunes accessible to vehicles and it’s in the far west near the seaside town of Portland. Because it has been using the dunes here for more than 40 years, the Portland Dune Buggy Club has retained access to a limited area within the Discovery Bay Coastal Park, and for a fee you can join the club to enjoy the driving here.
For anyone who hasn’t driven the Portland dunes, it really is a worthwhile experience. The dunes give environmentally conscious and restrained drivers the chance to unleash the beast within, but they can also teach drivers a lot about driving a 4×4 in tricky conditions. Sand, snow and mud share many similarities when it comes to how a vehicle grips. Stop and it’s very hard to get going; start a descent and it’s hard not to go down it – you just have to hope you’ve made the right decision, or have a religious epiphany (perhaps both).
A large grassy camping area at the back of the dune complex has flushing toilets and a hot shower, but being set in low coastal scrub there is little shade or protection from the prevailing winds coming from the Southern Ocean. Spring is arguably the best time of the year to visit Portland, before the hotter months of summer.
There is only one way in and out of the dune complex and that’s a wide track up a moderately steep dune.
It’s generally at this point that people find out whether their choices of tyre pressures were correct or not. The general rule seems to be to start at 16psi and work on down from there as necessary – but remember to be gentle with directional control because it’s easy to roll a tyre off a rim at low pressures. Reseating a tyre is relatively easy with a good compressor, but emptying the tyre of sand can be a bigger job.
Once on the dunes, you are very much left to your own devices and if you’re among the first vehicles out for the day, there probably won’t be any tracks to guide you.
The bulk of the dune complex is to the east towards Portland, but perhaps the best place to start exploring is the smaller area to the west, accessible via a short and very steep climb up the face of a soft dune – probably after a further reduction of tyre pressures.
Diff locks are of little help in soft sand; in fact, they’re possibly a disadvantage, because when you do get bogged (and you will), too much right foot will have all four wheels digging holes.
Farther west is a football field-sized depression called ‘The Bowl’. While it’s not a manoeuvre recommended for 4x4s, specifically made dune buggies circle the inside of The Bowl halfway up its wall with relative ease. Apparently, they need to maintain 130km/h to defy gravity on the 30-degree slope of soft windblown sand.
There are a couple of short tracks that have been cut through the dunes to provide controlled access to the beach – a top place for fishing, by the way. While it’s illegal to drive on the beach, anyone who thinks they won’t be caught might have more to worry about than a fine, as the sand is exceptionally soft and there is very little beach left at high tide.
The eastern end of the dune complex includes a continuous wide strip of sand as far as the eye can see. Powering your 4×4 up hundreds of metres of unbroken sand dune is thrilling but perhaps not as thrilling as getting to the crest and finding the only thing on the other side is a view.
The lee side of the dunes are often much softer and steeper than the windward side and, while gravity will get your vehicle to the bottom one way or another, it is quite possible you won’t be able to drive back up. The lesson here then is to not drive into a low area that you can’t drive out of.
Speaking of getting down dunes – descend as slowly as possible to avoid the risk of burying the nose of the vehicle into terra firma at the bottom. However, you need to drive down so that your wheels are turning faster than the sand is sliding past them. To do otherwise can see your vehicle getting sideways in a soft patch of sand, and a top-heavy 4×4 sliding sideways down a dune isn’t something likely to have a happy ending.
Getting up dunes requires appropriate momentum – the difficulty is that appropriate momentum for one incline may be insufficient or excessive for another.
Excessive momentum has the potential to culminate in two ways: it will suddenly stop when your vehicle’s nose gets buried in the face of the dune, or your vehicle will do a couple of things that 4x4s were never designed to do – fly and land!
No matter how careful you are, glare from the bright white sand makes it difficult to see small undulations in the surface and at some time during your exploration of the dunes, pilot error will undoubtedly lead to a manoeuvre that could get you in to trouble.
The Portland Dune Buggy Club area is a great place to have a bit of fun while exploring the capabilities of vehicle and driver. If you get tired of driving on the sand, there are tracks to explore in the nearby forest reserves, or you can go fishing off the beach.
Whatever catches your fancy – this is a top location to take the family to for a few days’ getaway.
Portland Dune Buggy Club
The Portland Dune Buggy Club has operated on the Portland Coastal Park for almost 50 years and has access to about 18km² of tall, white dunes. While the idea of vehicles legally tearing up dunes inside a reserve may seem a bit incongruous, the proliferation of wind turbines on the park’s skyline hints at why it’s allowed.
These are live dunes, continually moving and shifting, with almost no vegetation to be damaged by vehicle activity – even a light breeze quickly erases your vehicle’s tracks forever. Anywhere there is vegetation, vehicle access is closely restricted.
To drive on the dunes you have to be a member of the Dune Buggy Club, but temporary four-day memberships are available by arrangement, for the princely sum of $50.
While it’s usually 4×4 clubs that acquire access for organised trips to the area, members of the public may also apply.
Naturally, the club is very protective of its privileged position, so anyone who thinks that they can get out there for a hoon without respecting the club’s rules or the environment is likely to be quickly shown the exit.
Travel Planner
- WHERE: The Portland Dune Buggy Club is located near Mt Richmond, 50km west of Portland in Victoria’s south west.
- WHEN TO TRAVEL: To avoid cold gales off the Southern Ocean in winter, and the oppressive heat of summer, spring is an ideal time to visit.
- STAYING THERE: To access the sand dunes and the campground (with its fire pits, toilets and showers), visitors need to acquire temporary membership from the Dune Buggy Club, before they arrive.
- SUPPLIES: Visitors need to be totally self-sufficient in respect of food and drinking water (bore water is available on tap but it is unsuitable for drinking). Portland is the nearest source of supplies of food and fuel.
- ROAD CONDITION: Access from Portland is by way of a bitumen road to Nelson. From the Sea Lake turnoff there is about 5km of gravel road where some care is required if towing. The road is not considered suitable for large vans.
- CONTACTS: Portland Dune Buggy Club: www.portlanddunebuggyclub.com.au Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 5529 2468
When Dodge launched its supercharged Hellcat Challenger and Charger twins, it ignited a three-way fight for the hearts of muscle-car fans in America.
Vote for Wild Boar Off-Road’s 6×6 Hellhog to decide this year’s Custom 4×4 of the Year.
Chevy and Ford had long beaten Dodge in the horsepower wars, but the two 707hp (527kW) Hellcat brutes scored a coup when they took the title of having the most powerful production V8s on sale in America.
FCA, the Dodge brand’s manufacturer, has been smart about capitalising on this PR win, publicising crate engine options for punters who want their own slice of blown-Hemi insanity.
There were plenty of Hellcats on show at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in November, 2015, but not one of them was more insane than Wild Boar Off-Road’s Hellhog.
The Wild Boar crew are Jeep specialists from Huntington Beach, Los Angeles. They’re well-known for sticking Chevy LS, new-generation Hemi V8s and diesel powertrains into models that were never made for them.
The Hellhog is their range-topping masterpiece; a proper 6×6 JK Wrangler boasting the first running Hellcat V8 swapped into a Jeep. It’s also the first example of the JK6, which the Wild Boar guys hope to sell to punters as a running, driving, turn-key product – if you’re in America and have more than 300,000 Yankee clams, you could pick one up.
The Wild Boar boys say several variations of the JK6 will be available for purchase. The base version uses a stock 3.6-litre PentastarV6 engine and drivetrain, with a powered pass-through diff and an upgraded suspension package. Available options include Chevy LS V8s, Gen 3 Hemi V8s, and diesel engines. The range-topping Hellhog has a supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi that’s been shoehorned into the tight confines of the Wrangler’s engine bay.
The Hellhog Wild Boar unveiled at SEMA has been developed in conjunction with Dakota Customs, another US-based shop that knows a lot about jamming fuel-injected Gen 3 Hemi V8s into JK Wranglers. The Hellcat motor swap is a more difficult beast, however, thanks to the complexity of the wiring system, height of the motor and packaging of the nuclear-tough drivetrain.
Custom heavier-duty engine and transmission mounts, a whole new wiring loom, and a custom-made Borla exhaust are all essential to get the Hellcat donk into the JK, let alone make it drive reliably. An engine swap that’s as detailed as the Hellhog’s also means customising many other facets of the car you might not think of – for example, Dakota had to include a custom-made auxiliary fuel tank.
The Hellhog’s blown Hemi pushes out 754 horsepower (562kW) and 915Nm, up a healthy 47hp (35kW) and 35Nm on stock performance thanks to Dakota Customs’ minor fettling of boost and tune, plus the custom Borla exhaust. This adds up to ferocious performance: Wild Boar claims the Hellhog does 0-130km/h in just 8.1 seconds!
But the performance work doesn’t stop there. The stock Hellcat automatic has had a Dakota Customs Stage 2 Viking-spec build, meaning it can now handle more than 1000Nm of punishment, which is handy, given the Wild Boar Wrangler has six driven wheels.
Wild Boar stretched the JK6’s chassis 915mm so they had enough room to squeeze the third powered axle and a pass-through diff. One extra benefit of this new wheelbase length is an extra storage bed found under the tonneau cover at the rear of the Jeep.
While stock diffs and axles could have handled a 3.6-litre V6, they had no hope of working with 750hp and 900Nm of high-performance V8.
So Wild Boar fitted heavy-duty Mopar Dana 44 differentials at the front and rear ends, working with a Ford nine-inch pass-through diff, all fitted with heavy-duty custom axles and tail shafts, and filled with 4.10 final drive gears.
The Huntington Beach Jeep builders also specified custom-valve adjustable King 2.0 dampers, in conjunction with a two-inch suspension lift, sourced from Under Pressure Fabrication.
The addition of the 2.3-litre twin-screw supercharger from IHI, as well as a pair of intercoolers, jacks up the Hellcat Hemi’s height and plays havoc with the Wrangler’s stock bonnet line. So, inspired by the Hellcat Charger’s styling, Wild Boar included a custom vented ‘bad boy’ bonnet, which covers the tops of the headlights for a far more aggressive look.
With SEMA being the biggest show to debut new parts and models, Wild Boar knew they needed the Hellhog to stand out, so fatter guards and a fibreglass top by FinCo Fabrication were sourced from Exotic Custom Car & Design.
A 9500lb Seal 2 9.5 winch from Come Up Winch was added to the front, and Wild Boar also had Under Pressure Fabrication whip up some roof racks, side rails and a tube front and rear bars of Wild Boar’s design. The fat JK body was coated all over in two-tone matte-grey stoneguard-style paint by Exotic Custom Cars & Design – so the Hellhog won’t be scratched when it sees off-road use.
And the angry 6×6 has been set up to see plenty of tough terrain. Because of this, a 2WayAir on-board air supply system has been fitted to the JK to allow the driver to inflate and deflate the 35-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tyres as a set of six, all at once. The rubber is wrapped around Fuel Lethal multi-spoke bead-locked wheels.
“In many ways the 2015 SEMA show is a major celebration for Wild Boar Off-Road, as we have been undergoing a transformation as a company,” Wild Boar CEO Mel Haughton says. “This program was started by Chris Duncan, the founder of Wild Boar, who passed away this August, and we are proud to have brought his vision to fruition.”
However, Haughton is quick to point out that it wasn’t all Wild Boar’s work that got the Hellhog to this stage. “This project simply could not have been pulled off without the technical prowess of Dan McKeag and his team at Dakota Customs,” he says.
Haughton is bullish about the company’s future and the role Hellcat-swapped Wranglers will play in that. “We set out to capture the industry’s attention with something big that has never been done before, and I’d say we hit the mark with the Hellhog,” he says.
“The new JK6 6×6 conversions for Jeep Wranglers are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Wild Boar can do a JK6 six-wheel-drive conversion for anyone with US$30,000 and, while they didn’t confirm a production-ready price at SEMA, they have hinted that a turn-key ready-to-go Hellhog will cost about ten times that much. That US$300,000 price tag puts it firmly in the same territory as a Brabus 6×6 – or you could buy five brand-new Challenger Hellcats.
But if you’re trying to rationalise why you need a 750hp supercharged V8 six-wheel-drive JK Wrangler, then you are probably going about things the wrong way.
Air Force
Wild Boar Off-Road have made a name for themselves inventing many products for the JK Wrangler, including fibreglass fastback canopies, extended guard flares to allow more flex on stock suspension, and sharply angled bonnets for more aggressive appearance. But the 2WayAir tyre pressure management system has been a real coup for the company, affording off-roaders a lot more luxury.
The premise of the system is that the tyre pressures are managed as a system, with all four (or six) tyres inflated and deflated in unison from one inlet and outlet point. What this means is you don’t have to get down and dirty managing pressure in each tyre.
Air points are plumbed to each corner of the vehicle, with a separate control point. The driver connects air lines from each tyre to the point under each guard, then can deflate each tyre in a uniform amount from the control point using a stopcock system to bleed air out.
For inflation, the control point has a Nitto-style input for a workshop compressor, a jack for mobile compressors and a tyre valve to monitor pressures. Wild Boar also has a kit that uses a hardwired compressor, gauge and pressure vent that allows for automated inflation.
Kit prices range from $340 ($USD239.95) up to $650 ($459.95USD) for the full compressor-equipped model. See how the system works at: www.wildboaroffroad.com
Vote for Wild Boar Off-Road’s 6×6 Hellhog to decide this year’s Custom 4×4 of the Year.
Planning a big four-wheel drive trip? These 10 how-to videos will show you almost everything you need to know. From taking a dump in the bush to radio communication in a convoy, this is your crash course on 4×4 adventure…
How to poo in the bush
This is a great place to start. This is something everyone should watch before they even think about heading bush. Unfortunately, the proliferation of human poo in the Aussie bush is such a problem that one 4x4er took to YouTube earlier this year to toilet train careless campers. We all think we know how to go number two, but this bloke has a few extra tips – especially for the grubs among us.
How to prepare for a 4×4 trip
Once you know how to take a dump in the bush (see above), you can start planning a trip to take said dump. Our mate Macca, 4X4 Australia’s regular expedition cook, has done his fair share planning for large expeditions. He shares some tips on fuel, water, saving space and having the right attitude.
How to plan food for a 4×4 trip
Following on from Macca’s general preparation tips, he goes into more detail on planning meals for 4×4 journeys like his recent trip with 4X4 Australia across the Great Australian Bight. Where does he start? With a menu for each day.
How To: Vehicle Preparation
So, you have your provisions and gear packed and you know how to poo in the bush. But there are still a few things you need to do before you leave. Not least of these is making sure that your vehicle is in good working order. A full service is always a good idea before embarking on a lengthy journey but, even for smaller trips, it pays to have a look under the bonnet before you leave – and while you’re on the road. Our mate GT tells us what to look for.
How to 4WD in a convoy: radio communication
If you are planning a large expedition, you’ll need to know how to communicate to keep things running smoothly. 4X4 Australia travelled smoothly along the Great Australian Bight this year thanks to correct convoy procedures and reliable communications. Macca discusses the ins and outs of travelling in a convoy.
How to beach drive
You’re almost ready to roll. But once you start rolling you don’t want to stop – at least not unintentionally. 4X4 Australia Editor-At-Large Ron Moon gives a few pointers on avoiding disaster when 4x4ing on the beach.
How To: Dirt Road Driving
It’s not a real 4×4 trip until you get some dirt under the wheels. 4X4 Australia’s Glenn Torrens shares his tips on driving on dirt roads.
How to use Maxtrax recovery boards
No matter how good you are at driving off-road, you are eventually going to get stuck. Recovery boards are a great way to get out of trouble before more serious recovery techniques are needed. Here’s the right way to use Maxtrax recovery boards when bogged in the sand.
How to leave a campsite
Once you’ve been off-road and had a good time, it’s important to leave the environment, including your campsite, in the best condition possible. After Jim McNabb’s success teaching people ‘how to crap in the outback’, he shows us how he thinks four-wheel drivers should leave campsites.
Great Australian Bight expedition
Technically this hour-long epic isn’t a how-to video, but it does go a long way to show you the type of fun you can have with the right know-how. Enjoy!
For better or worse, lots of us who remain hard-wired into society’s rigid work and school calendar are stuck with taking our major annual vacation breaks during the aptly-named “silly season”.
Not so long ago, I’d have defined this period as a single mad month extending from Christmas Eve until the Tuesday following the Australia Day long weekend in late January. However, over recent years, the boundaries of the silly season have blurred and blown out considerably.
This crazy, busy, stressful and often expensive time of year now seems to run right through December and well into February. In fact, it could reasonably be argued that a certain degree of “silliness” nowadays extends from early October until at least the end of the Easter holidays in March or April!
This is the time of year when every second person in the country seems to be out and about, many of them wielding a fishing rod. Secluded spots that were blissfully peaceful and unpopulated a few months earlier are now buzzing with people, pets and powered contrivances of every ilk – from boats and jet skis to trail bikes and 4x4s… It’s a jungle out there!
Catching fish in the middle of this cacophonous summer melee of heaving humanity can sometimes feel akin to wringing blood from a stone. It seems as if the fish have donned their metaphorical stack hats and ear muffs. Their heads are down and their jaws are clamped firmly shut, refusing even our juiciest baits and sexiest lures. Empty Eskies are all too common.
There are a few sneaky tricks I’ve come to rely on for producing fish at this trying time of the year. Most involve doing my best to avoid the worst of the crowds by exploring a little farther and seeking out those paths less-travelled.
It’s amazing the difference it can make to your angling results by pushing upstream a few more bends in the river, or walking half a kilometre farther down the beach beyond the final public access point. Modern day folk are lazy beasts, and those who make even a modicum of extra effort typically reap rich rewards.
Going fishing early and late in the day, or even under the cover of darkness, can also pay handsome dividends at this time and help you to dodge the heat, sun and nagging sea breezes of high summer. After all, fish still need to eat… they just become a little choosier about when and where they do so.
At least as important as these basic tricks of space and time, is honing your skills, sharpening your subterfuge and using your angling nous when it comes to fooling fickle fish. More than ever, it’s well worth seeking out the freshest local baits (preferably alive and kicking). It’s also worth employing the lightest, finest and most subtle tackle, practical for any situation you encounter. In my opinion, finesse always pays off in fishing, and that rule is multiplied during the silly season.
In the end, what you get out of any endeavour is typically a reflection of the investment you put in. Understandably, not everyone wants to do the harder yards. Many summer fun-seekers are happy to smear on the zinc cream, crank up the cricket on the radio and drown a frozen prawn among the splashing swimmers while sucking on an ice-cold beverage. Good luck to them!
But if you actually want to score a few prime fish at this time of year, you might need to try just a tad harder than that. In the end, it’s your call.
There’s no denying the increasing demand and popularity of recreational off-road vehicles (ROVs, UTVs, SxSs, or any of the other names they go by), not only as workhorses on the land and in the bush, but also as fun recreational and racing machines.
Australia has been slow to the ROV party, mainly because access to public land and beaches for such (non-registered) vehicles is limited. That could change with a push for recreational-vehicle permits in some states, but many buyers just can’t wait.
Yamaha is a company that isn’t sitting around waiting for bureaucrats to make the call. It has just launched two exciting all-new models for its ROV range and has updated its quads and sports quads line-up. Yamaha showcased its 2016 line-up of vehicles and dirt bikes at a bush bash held at a motocross track outside of Mackay in North Queensland.
In the interests of preserving old bones, 4×4 Australia stuck to the four-wheeled machines and had plenty of fun on the new Yammies.
Yamaha YXZ1000R The hero of the new Yamaha ROV range is the company’s first ever sports ROV, the YXZ1000R. It’s set to compete with the likes of the Can-Am Maverick and Polaris RZR, and after our recent run in the RZR racing championship, we were keen to sample the Yamaha beastie.
The YXZ doesn’t go on sale in Australia until early 2016 and, with only two of the buggies in the country, Yamaha wasn’t prepared to let us loose in one – much to our disappointment. They did, however, have Australian motocross legend and multi-Mr Motocross winner Stephen Gall suited up to take us for a blast around a tight little off-road track.
What makes the YXZ1000R different from its competitors is the sequential-shifting, five-speed manual gearbox and clutch set-up that’s used instead of the CVT that the others have. While this does add a bit more complexity to the driving experience, it also makes it more engaging and, most importantly, delivers a more direct drive to the wheels. A conventional manual gearbox should also prove more reliable than a CVT – which uses a belt to drive the transmission – but only time will tell.
The YXZ1000R is powered by a high-revving 998cc, three-cylinder engine backed by that five-speed manual ’box and a transfer case that offers 4×2, 4×4 and locked 4×4 drive options. The triple screams, but it would benefit from a more open pipe to let it howl out loud.
The drive is instant, a result of the manual gearbox, and the Yammie accelerates out of corners like a scalded cat. Over the bumps and jumps of the track, the long-travel, full-independent Fox Racing suspension soaked up the landings and allowed Stephen to get straight back on the power
It was a short but exciting teaser of the YXZ1000R and we can’t wait for the chance to drive it when it arrives here next year. It will be interesting to see how the Yamaha goes against the other buggies of this ilk in events like the Finke Desert Race.
Pricing is expected to be around $29,999 for the blue/white model and $31,999 for 60th anniversary yellow YXZ1000R as seen in the pics.
WOLVERINE The other exciting new ROV from Yamaha – this one we did get to drive – is the Wolverine. It’s a more traditional working buggy, but with a sporting character, and it’s the smaller sibling to the three-seat Yamaha Viking.
It has seating for two people in a spacious cabin, plus a cargo tray offering a 188-litre, or 136kg, load capacity. It’s more comfortable and relaxed than the high-performance-focused YXZ1000R and should appeal to hunters, anyone with property to explore, and those looking for a lightweight, capable off-roader.
The Wolverine is powered by a 708cc V-twin engine backed by a CVT and 4×2/4×4 and 4×4 locked transfer case. Suspension is again fully independent, this time using KYB piggyback shocks and 26-inch Maxxis Bighorn tyres to make clambering over obstacles easy. The underside of the Wolverine is flat with heavy-duty skid plates designed to allow you to ‘slide’ over rocks and such without damaging the chassis or other components.
The Wolverine is more than just a purposeful workhorse; it’s also a lot of fun and very capable in the rough stuff. We did more than our allocated share of laps on the dusty off-road course, where the buggy crawled over fallen logs, scampered up steep ascents, mowed through bulldust, and was very controlled on the downhills.
The Yamaha ROVs employ a clever system that gives positive engine braking on descents without having to use the throttle, unlike some other vehicles. Four-wheel disc brakes do a fine job, too.
The Wolverine R-spec is available in three levels: Yamaha Blue, $19,599; EPS (electric power steering) Yamaha Blue, $20,599; and EPS Camo, $21,599.
KODIAK/GRIZZLY QUADS We also spent some time on the Yamaha quads, which are powered by the same 708cc engine and CVT found in the Wolverine. The Kodiak is the smaller of the pair and is available as a basic, non-power-steering model, or with EPS.
The big Grizzly, however, offers more space and capacity and all of its three variants have EPS. All also have two- and four-wheel drive and locked 4×4 modes.
If you’re unfamiliar with the way quad bikes steer and ride, then it takes a bit more to get used to them than the ROVs, but it’s not rocket science. With a bit of practice you’ll soon get the hang of it; the key is to drive to your ability and keep the speed down. We were soon crawling over logs and manoeuvring around the tight, twisty track that was set up for us.
The Kodiak and Grizzly are the quads for riding around the farm, but if you want a flat-out sports quad, the Raptor 700 takes fun to another level. The Raptor is the hoon in the quad range, as is the YXZ100R (compared to the other ROVs). It will take a bit more time in the saddle before we can master its capabilities and performance.
Kodiak: non-EPS Yamaha Blue, $11,999; EPS Yamaha Blue, $12,999; EPS SE Carbon Metallic, $13,599.
Grizzly: EPS Yamaha Blue, $13,999; EPS Camo, $14,599; EPS SE Carbon Metallic, $14,599.
Check out the full range of Yamaha ROVs and quads at your local Yamaha dealer or online at: www.yamaha-motor.com.au
At 4X4 Australia we love a good custom, so we’ve put together a list of some of our favourites for 2015 – some for their ‘wow’ factor, some for their practicality, some just because…
This Hilux has it all. Even though it was made for touring and camping, it still breaks traction at 80kms/h, with its 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine pumping out 200kW at the wheels. The D4-D’s standard turbocharger was been flicked in favour of a Garrett Stage III GT turbo, and the top-mounted intercooler was replaced by a larger and more efficient front-mounted unit with custom piping.
Since the demise of Nissan’s venerable 4.2-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, GU Patrol buyers have had to opt for four-cylinder power in the form of the ageing ZD30 3.0-litre turbo-diesel. But, weighing more than 2300kg, the GU Patrol is no lightweight and, for most, the ZD30 simply doesn’t cut it. So, other than looking elsewhere, what’s the solution for GU Patrol fans? How about an AM General 6.5-litre Optimizer V8 diesel engine? Yeah, the one that’s used in the US Military’s HMMWVs and Hummer H1s.
The owner of this Amarok Dark Label ute handed the keys and an almost-open cheque book to the Wolf 4×4 crew at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane. The idea was to turn the dual cab into a more capable and more stylish machine – mission accomplished, we reckon. The job ended up costing close to $28,000, including an engine remap plus a custom three-inch exhaust from the turbos back.
On first glance, this Ram Ute appears like any other lifted truck with a cool bumper and big tyres. But closer inspection reveals a stack of stuff that separates it from the Bigfoot crowd. First, though it rides on 41-inch Interco IROK Super Swamper tyres, the Ram actually isn’t very high. In fact, the suspension system raises the vehicle just three inches. It does this with a Ram DualSport system that uses a custom bracket on the axle to raise the panhard rod and maintain its original geometry. The idea is to make the vehicle think it’s not lifted. The benefits of this are obvious to anyone who as ever turned a corner.
When you have a boat and trailer combination that weighs close to 3500kg, you need a vehicle that won’t raise a sweat pulling the skin off a rice pudding. A Land Cruiser double cab is a good place to start, but it ain’t perfect. For starters, it’s only available with a manual gearbox. So, to make towing easier, the owner of this Cruiser swapped the five-speed manual ’box for a GM 6L90 six-speed automatic. The transmission is now suited to the owner’s towing requirements; it’s rated to 1200Nm of torque with a GVM of 6803kg and a GCM of 9525kg, and it also features three selectable shift modes designed to make towing a breeze.
Unlikely as it may seem, this vehicle is a Mazda BT-50 GT dual cab. Thankfully, this BT-50 has had its largely unpopular ‘smile’ wiped off its face thanks to the fitment of a colour-coded ARB Sahara Bar, Intensity LED driving lights and a strategically positioned control box for the Warn Magnum 10,000kg winch. With its potent 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine mated to the six-speed automatic transmission, the BT-50 offers strong performance both on and off the road.
Saving an old 4×4 from the scrapheap and turning it into a champion vehicle is on every man’s bucket list – and if it isn’t, it should be. This 1993 model petrol-powered 80 Series was anything but expensive. In fact, the owner picked it up for just $3500 with a popped petrol engine. A good engine was sourced for just $500 and then the owner sold a few parts to recover some of the cost. It then got a cut ‘n’ shut job that would make a brain surgeon’s work look amateur.
This stretched Hilux is a tribute to the great Aussie tradition of making the best of a bad situation. It began when the original Hilux’s chassis was badly bent out bush. Instead of writing the Lux off, though, the owner decided to repair it – but with a tweak: a chassis extension. By lengthening the chassis, more weight is now carried over the rear axle, rather than behind it, with less stress on the chassis. Of course, a chassis stretch such as this includes modifications to the tail shaft, exhaust, fuel and brake systems, and the wiring harness (including the ABS).
In this cotton-wool world of molly-coddled SUVs and computer-chipped four-wheel drives, it’s refreshing to head scrub in a brutish bush-and-beach buggy built just for fun. The Bush Ranger may not be the most civilised of machines, the quietest, or the most loaded with fripperies, but it is a 4WD of great competence and it’s loaded with go-anywhere character. This particular reborn example sits on a shortened 1995 Land Rover Discovery chassis with the 300TDI 2.5 litre diesel and four-speed automatic transmission.
Forget Hiluxes and Rangers, this custom-built Jeep Wrangler ute would be the duck’s guts – if Jeep had the smarts to build it. Alas, Jeep has no plans (that we know of) to build such a rig, but the Wrangler JK-8 you see here is a kind-of official Jeep product – it comes via a JK-8 pick-up conversion kit from Jeep’s performance and accessories arm Mopar. And although the kit is damn good value – at less than $US6,000 – you’ll also have to stump up for freight, a Wrangler Unlimited and the rather extensive labour and know-how required to fit it. Nevertheless, if you’re a Jeep fan and you want a usable ute, then the JK-8 is certainly a good way to get one.
Returning from a four-wheel drive launch several years ago, I glanced across at a colleague who was seated next to me and noticed him jotting something down on his boarding pass.
Barry Lake, ex-editor of Modern MOTOR, one-time journo at Off Road Australia and contributor to many other titles, was a senior automotive journalist who’d been in the game since the early 1970s.
I asked him what he was up to and he told me that he was writing down the title of the vehicle launch, the name of the hotel we stayed in and the type of plane we were flying on. He then told me that he’d been doing this for many years, and that he kept all of his boarding passes, as well as all of the press kits he’d been given over the years, and many other things relevant to each and every trip he’d ever been on.
In fact, Barry kept so much stuff that he said it had all but filled his home and garage in the Sydney suburb of Greenacre, and that he was in the planning stages of building a huge shed on a block of land near Yass in southern NSW so that he’d have enough space to store all of his books, magazines, motoring memorabilia and, no doubt, boarding passes.
I’ve never kept old boarding passes, but my office is still chock-full of the many magazines that I’ve either edited or contributed to in the past 20 years. There are literally hundreds of them. I also have many books in my office, most related to four-wheel driving, outback travel, motorcycling and adventuring.
And then there are the car and bike models that I’ve picked up along the way, and some other select motoring memorabilia that I’ve decided to keep, mostly (but not entirely) related to Land Rovers. (I like ’em, OK?)
In fact, if I were to say that my office is full of junk, it would be an understatement, but I certainly haven’t reached the stage where I have to move to a big block in the country to store it all. Barry’s collection was next-level; he kept everything.
Despite being a hoarder, I never fully appreciated what would compel a man to keep what was essentially a complete record of one’s own life.
Until recently.
I was on a photo shoot the other day, which saw me spend the night in a caravan park in Mansfield, Victoria. As I opened the door to my cabin, I immediately knew I’d been there before, in that very room, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the vehicle launch I’d been on the last time I’d stayed there. This incredible feeling of déjà vu hit me, and I tried in vain to search the old memory bank in an effort to remember when I’d last been there, and why.
As the saying goes: “The older I get, the more I forget”. This feeling of déjà vu has hit me several times in the past year or so; whether it has been in a caravan park, restaurant or pub, or even when rounding a corner on an undiscovered track to see an eerily familiar vista before me. But it was entering this cabin in Mansfield that made me think of Barry Lake, and all of a sudden I wished I’d kept a better record of the launches I’d been on, and all the places I’d stayed, and all of the planes on which I’d flown.
Barry passed away in 2012, just a day shy of his 70th birthday. Despite his passing, he’s a bloke who will be remembered fondly by many people. Anyway, there’s a very detailed written history of his life out there somewhere.
What I can’t remember, however, is what launch we were on when Barry first told me about his penchant for writing down every tiny detail of his own life, or where we stayed, or what type of plane we were flying on.
I should have written it down.