Hi Swaggers
Although some of these ideas (which we use) should probably be in the mechanical section, they are not strictly mechanical.
Obviously where I live, the conditions are dustier, rockier and frequently extremely wet and muddy, and there are small things that we do which most people find quite foolish, but they save heaps in replacements and repairs.
Green shade cloth......I have always put a bit of green shade cloth on the head of my snorkel during dry times, as it stops a lot of dust from getting into the air filter, as well as leaves and such, which willy willies like chucking around. During the wet it also stops water, but if it gets too wet (the shade cloth) the air intake can be reduced. Shade cloth in front of the radiator also stop spinifex seeds from clogging it up. On the workmate, I made a small frame up, and put it in the slot on the bonnet with shade cloth, it has stopped water and rain from getting into the cooling system.
Garden hose......A lot of us use garden hose and plastic ties around our under vehicle fuel lines, brakes lines and the like, it stops stones from putting holes in the lines and causing grief. Cheap and easy to do, and can save heaps of grief and replacements.
CRC or WD40....We use this when changing our wheels, on the wheel studs. By spraying the studs, it allows easier removal of tyres when required, prevents the studs from getting rusty and keeps the dirt out of the studs, which often locks the studs and makes it really hard to loosen them.
250mm x 250mm board....I always carry a piece of wood this size, with a steel plate attached of the same size. When I have to lift the vehicle to change a tyre, even on fairly soft sand, or a wet dirt road, this stops the jack from sinking into the ground or sand. Obviously when using a small trolley jack, which we now have, the board and steel plate are a bit larger, to suit the base of the jack.
Small piece of chain and D shackles.......I welded a couple of small eyelets on the bottom of the bull bar, so that if I am driving through spinifex, I can use the D shackles, and fix the chain hanging a bit to the bottom of the bull bar. If there are nasty little ant beds in the spinifex, the chain will break the tops off them before they can do damage under my vehicle, and many times that bit of chain has prevented damage.
500 mm flat bar....I carry a small piece of flat bar, as when I have to change a tyre, I can put the tyre near the hub, line the studs up, and with the flat bar under the the tyre, simply lever the tyre up instead of trying to pick the tyre up, which can be hard work after a long day on the road. I have wrapped some string and duct tape around one end of the flat bar to act as a handle, and if it is damned hot, the "handle" prevents my hand from getting burned.
There are obviously other things I do and carry which I have not thought of at the moment, but I will add them later.
Regards
Tjupurula
