Minimum Vehicle Requirements

[Offroad 4x4 Accessories]

Alloy C/T i am sure i have heard your story about your wife and i am sure that some one has already told you this but i will say it again- NOT EVERYONE TRAVELS ON THE MAIN ROAD LIKE THE LOCALS DO. And yes i was on last years Cape Trip I saw the damage that occurs, the recoverys that had to be under taken and the equipment that had to be used and what has been written for Minimum Vehicle requirments is not over the top....

[McGirr]

Minimum Requirements ? = Can of worms , stock standard anything will get to Seisa on the cape depending on road used ,,, minimum this and that reminds me of when the wife  pulls up at the Middleton Pub midway between Winton and Boulia in her Kia Rio with all of 2 inches ground clearance and parks between  modified to the max Nissan patrol and a 100 series ,  loud comment from one woman to her husband ? " Tell me again why we had to spend thousands of dollars to modify our car for a trip to Boulia to see the camel races ?? "

Agree to a certain amount. I have done 4 trips to the Cape and have hired out campers for 4 years sending them to the Cape.

I have seen a Nissan pulsar drive up the main rd to the Cape and yes a stock standard car can do it no problem traveling at a safe speed. We travel the OTL track which requires high vehicle clearance ,  good tyres, quality shocks and springs, some spares etc. This is required to avoid costly damage to a vehicle.

I have seen vehicles roll , chassis bend and snap, bullbars fall off , shockies snap, bearings collapse plus minor breakdowns where having the simple tools will fix the problem and it does depend on the driver. To be towed from the Otl to any where costs well over a thousand dollars.

The list is a guide and some enthusiasts do have a well kitted out vehicle. Always better to be safe than sorry.

Do not feel I have taken offence to your post but just giving my response to the post and talking from experience.

Mark

[Symon]

Minimum Requirements ? = Can of worms , stock standard anything will get to Seisa on the cape depending on road used ,,, minimum this and that reminds me of when the wife  pulls up at the Middleton Pub midway between Winton and Boulia in her Kia Rio with all of 2 inches ground clearance and parks between  modified to the max Nissan patrol and a 100 series ,  loud comment from one woman to her husband ? " Tell me again why we had to spend thousands of dollars to modify our car for a trip to Boulia to see the camel races ?? "

Not sure if you are trolling or not, but there is a big difference between travelling a well maintained dirt road (which is what the Cape development road is) and the Old Telegraph track.  Sure you can get a Kia up the development road to Seisa, but I'd really like to see you get past Palm Creek.

Yes we managed to get stock standard vehicles through the track last year, but the risk of damage was quite high.  Far better to be prepared than to cause major damage or injury just because someone on a forum says that they got a Kia to Boulia.

[jaycamrie]

Minimum Requirements ? = Can of worms , stock standard anything will get to Seisa on the cape depending on road used ,,, minimum this and that reminds me of when the wife  pulls up at the Middleton Pub midway between Winton and Boulia in her Kia Rio with all of 2 inches ground clearance and parks between  modified to the max Nissan patrol and a 100 series ,  loud comment from one woman to her husband ? " Tell me again why we had to spend thousands of dollars to modify our car for a trip to Boulia to see the camel races ?? "

  I am sure i have read that quote in a mag or somewhere

[jetcrew]

Post removed.

Jetcrew

[McGirr]

Let's not turn this thread into an electrical thread 

If you want to discuss, comment or have your opinion noted start another thread elsewhere please. If you want to discus my recommendations on what is required on this trip not a problem.

Thank you.

Mark

[Symon]

A lot of situations like pulling another vehicle through a creek can be done with a winch extension strap which are longer and do not stretch giving a better pull and do not create a surging effect on both vehicles .the right lb strap will need to be used

A snatch strap is designed to free a vehicle from a bog or sand or to create a lifting effect on a stuck vehicle. in pulling or towing instances they can be dangerous as they create a surge between the 2 vehicles ,making it difficult to regulate speed in order to have both vehicles moving at the one speed .

I have sometimes when stuck just needed a little pull from a recovery vehicle ,prob is when you use a snatch strap ,the recovery vehicle must first take up all the tension on the snatch strap before my car will obtain the little pull it needs. So this means increased speed on the part of the recovery vehicle.

I am not suggesting for one minute that a snatch strap is not the go to strap for most situations but sometimes stretch is not required and a pull is all that required. The combined stretch of 3 snatch straps joined together to pull a vehicle through a creek is an unneeded amount of stored energy which upon failure will travel some distance imho?

In a recovery you must first establish what you are trying to achieve pulling a vehicale is best done at a constant speed with the joining strap gradually loaded and maintained at the load without jerking a stretch in the strap makes this very difficult.

If you use a snatch strap as a tow strap you get a lot less surging, not more.  Try it.

We used snatch straps at Nolans as it was highly likely the vehicle would get stuck halfway through.  Hardly the kind of situation where you want to change straps when water is coming in.

[yogi]

Every recovery if different and in my humble opinion

I like snatch straps if your lazy or potentially need that extra snap / pull ...... IE boggy sandy river river beds / boggy muddy crossings / sandy beach bogs ect They are good for inexperienced 4x4 drivers as you will get the extra pull exactly when you need it ...... though they can be extremely dangerous due to the extream load placed on your strap and vehicle ..... extream caution should be used during any recovery.

Every other recovery is best performed via a singal / double / triple line recovery using the winch ............... slow controlable ect But on a river crossing you will take on water :'(

A 4x4 with trailer is a very heavy beast to recover and you need to start with the extream recovery techniques and go from there. 4.5T+of static weight is a lot different to your mates unladended 4x4 truck. Plus if it get's soaked  / the 4x4 goes under water....... your in the **** with everyone

I have used most recover bit's and pieces and I have seen winch extension straps almost double under extream loads so they two will also offer some snatch strap characteristics.

Using a snatch strap when winching in a very boggy situation can be very usefull ... load up the strap with the winch then use a little go pedal and you will concur what was previously unachievable. It all takes practice and starts with getting your self stuck

All I can say is play it by ear and do what works for you with what gear you have. There is always more than one way to do anything ..... do what you are comfortable with

yogi

[jetcrew]

Let's not turn this thread into an electrical thread 

If you want to discuss, comment or have your opinion noted start another thread elsewhere please. If you want to discus my recommendations on what is required on this trip not a problem.

Thank you.

Mark

Understood ,post has been removed just in case it continues on

Jetcrew

[yogi]

Understood ,post has been removed just in case it continues on

Jetcrew

I thought we were just having a healthy discussion

yogi

PS(I profess to be neither perfect or a recovery experts ........ just ask Tim or the wife ... Oh and not in that order either )