Yet another tyre question....and other club stuff...

[nstg8a]

ok, i wanted to join up to the local 4wd club so i went and saw the guy at the local 4wd shop and picked his brain a bit...

turns out theres a lot of stuff i have to do to my truck before i can join.
1/ Rated hooks, now i knew this, and i have rated hooks, but i didnt know i needed rated bolts as well, and apparently the ones that came with the hooks arent good enough... bugger.
2/ Fire extinguisher. check, no problem there.
3/ First aid kit, same as above, not an issue.
4/ Spark arrestor... how do i know if my current exhaust has one?
5/tyres, cant go over 33inch, bugger but already knew that. but they also have to be mud tyres, NO atr's.... shit.

having just paid for a set of new wheels and 2nd hand tyres i cant afford another set, plus i dont really want the hassle of two different sets of wheels, one for town driving, and one for playing. Not when the patrol is only really my toy, a lot of the time i will just shoot out for a quick play in the evening or something, and having to change rims would screw that up.

sooo, when my current tyres wear out, and going by the way my hankook mt's on the back are going that wont take long, what is a reasonably priced hard wearing mud tyre?
i am quite prepared to give away a bit of traction in return for a bit of longevity, i figure that with my diff lock and pto (once working) will help to compensate for any reduction in traction.

While i understand the need for safety, i can certainly see why some dont bother with the clubs...

[tallsam66]

Well i think the guy in the shop was dicking you around abit...the blots for the hook should be high tensile/8.8 if the ones that came with the hook are rated that way youll be fine.
The bit about you tryes having to be muds is a bit steep...i cant see a prob with all terrains..it would just depend on where the trip is going to be....some clubs are making it too hard & are setting the standards too high...sure on some trips youll need a top spec vehicle....but not on all trips & not everyone wants to go on real tough trips..lots of us just want to get outdoors & have a bit of a play

[Smurf]

A spark arrestor is basically just a piece of fine metal mesh over the end of your tail pipe to catch any hot sparks that may come out.

Buy a sieve from the $2 shop and clamp the mesh over your tail pipe with a decent hose clamp.
I would have thought you would be ok with a decent set of AT tyres, it may just limit the trips you are allowed/able to go on with the club though? easy trips you would be fine but harder trips it is usually specified that MT tyres are required to attend.

Nelson club site
http://www.4wdnz.net/

from their site regarding hooks
" Tow hooks securely mounted and accessible on front and rear of vehicle with high tensile bolts no less than 10.9 metric 12mm or or imperial equivalent. Hooks to be upright or else have a rope retainer fitted:- No sharp edges allowed. Before mounting tow hooks check with safety officer first."

[moonhopper]

I would say have a look around are there any other clubs in your area, that dont have the tyre restrictions, i completly agree with all the other things but to have to have a set of muds is a bit harsh.

[nstg8a]

he said something about the bolts only being rated to 8ton and they need to be 10ton...

he did say i dont have to have everything done straight away, i can do a couple of trips to see if i like it first or not.

[DaveM]

I would contact the club directly and find out about the tyres etc, even the bolts, as they would have their own safety officer I would think, so you can get him to check everything over.

[Bulletproof]

I Know how you feel the club you are talking about is over regulated. I used to be president of the nelson club but resigned last year for that very reason.
They kicked up about me running 35s and I had a big argument about bolts in tow hooks. The ones that come on cruisers and hiluxs etc are a Grade 7 on the rating used in Japan and are stronger than an 8.8 metric.
I am also from Nelson and have alot of contacts so we mainly do private trips. You are quite welcome to make contact and if one of our trips is suitable you could join us.
I think the BFGs wear the best but a Nisson needs 35s because of the big diffs and if you have a turbo will have no trouble turning them
Richard barker

[ransom]

not able to run bigger than 33S?
mud tyres only??
latest threads on tyre use kinda explain why and where

over regulation run wild
rules and safety is all good
what happened to run what ya brung?
whatever happened to nearest suitable alternative?
kinda puts people off joining a club really

[nstg8a]

ahh we will see, as people have been saying, there is plenty of un-official 'clubs' around...

[nstg8a]

A spark arrestor is basically just a piece of fine metal mesh over the end of your tail pipe to catch any hot sparks that may come out.

Buy a sieve from the $2 shop and clamp the mesh over your tail pipe with a decent hose clamp.
I would have thought you would be ok with a decent set of AT tyres, it may just limit the trips you are allowed/able to go on with the club though? easy trips you would be fine but harder trips it is usually specified that MT tyres are required to attend.

Nelson club site
http://www.4wdnz.net/

from their site regarding hooks
" Tow hooks securely mounted and accessible on front and rear of vehicle with high tensile bolts no less than 10.9 metric 12mm or or imperial equivalent. Hooks to be upright or else have a rope retainer fitted:- No sharp edges allowed. Before mounting tow hooks check with safety officer first."

ahh, didnt know they had a website....

there is no mention of having to have a spark arrestor, thats interesting.

i have the guys cell, so i will ring him tomorrow and have a chat.

[gazza]

The demands that you run mud tyres,plus no bigger than 33,s is a joke. would highly advise you to look elsewhere for a decent club. They look like there in danger of disappearing up there own arse. I,m running 37,s and thats only cause i could,nt find 39,s at the time,my truck Would look stupid with 33,s. good luck with ya 4x4ing

[MNC]

Don't be too hard on the clubs guys... I'm a member of a club up here and would say joining it is one of the best things I've done. Up here access to farms and 4x4 tracks is much more of an issue than you guys probably experience but being a member of a club means we can get access to private farms which is fantastic. It is also awesome to get together with like minded guys & girls and talk mud and mods. Would agree that you should look for a club that has people you get along with as makes it more fun...

Back on topic, the 33" limit is something that is trying to be introduced NZ wide. The idea is that if tyre size is limited to 33" it will limit rutting caused and mean we will likely maintain access to more areas (due to less damage). Also guys that cant afford big rubber would get stuck in our big ruts. This issue comes up every now and again at our club and we always vote against limiting tyre size (most our club members have already spent $$$ on bigger rubber).

I'm right behind the tow hook thing but think is is going a bit to far at the moment. I had been running much bigger tow hooks (could easily look at them and see they were much thicker/stronger) than basic rated hooks but had to down grade to meet requirements (that is a joke).

The spark arrestors are a requirement for bush runs imposed by companies who own/operate the forestry's - if it means we get access to more areas - for a couple of $$$ just fit them.

Re - which tyres to buy. You mentioned you wagon is more a toy than a daily driver? If that is the case then just get some aggressive muds - Simex or the like. If you mean you don't go hard 4x4 then try the BFG mud terrains which apparently last for ages.

[Nailz]

Talk to cornfarmer about those bfg's. Aparently theve got alot of them at work and he's never seen so many punctures. Well at least I think thats what he said...though i may've been intoxicated at the time...im not sure...cant remember too well....
I could flick you some buckshot mudders REEEEEal cheap once I find some more mickey t's.
Theyre hard wearing.

[nstg8a]

Talk to cornfarmer about those bfg's. Aparently theve got alot of them at work and he's never seen so many punctures. Well at least I think thats what he said...though i may've been intoxicated at the time...im not sure...cant remember too well....
I could flick you some buckshot mudders REEEEEal cheap once I find some more mickey t's.
Theyre hard wearing.

yeah il be keeen on your buckshots dude, my hankooks are getting torn to bits down the appleby, they dont like rocks at all lol

Don't be too hard on the clubs guys... I'm a member of a club up here and would say joining it is one of the best things I've done. Up here access to farms and 4x4 tracks is much more of an issue than you guys probably experience but being a member of a club means we can get access to private farms which is fantastic. It is also awesome to get together with like minded guys & girls and talk mud and mods. Would agree that you should look for a club that has people you get along with as makes it more fun...

Back on topic, the 33" limit is something that is trying to be introduced NZ wide. The idea is that if tyre size is limited to 33" it will limit rutting caused and mean we will likely maintain access to more areas (due to less damage). Also guys that cant afford big rubber would get stuck in our big ruts. This issue comes up every now and again at our club and we always vote against limiting tyre size (most our club members have already spent $$$ on bigger rubber).

I'm right behind the tow hook thing but think is is going a bit to far at the moment. I had been running much bigger tow hooks (could easily look at them and see they were much thicker/stronger) than basic rated hooks but had to down grade to meet requirements (that is a joke).

The spark arrestors are a requirement for bush runs imposed by companies who own/operate the forestry's - if it means we get access to more areas - for a couple of $$$ just fit them.

Re - which tyres to buy. You mentioned you wagon is more a toy than a daily driver? If that is the case then just get some aggressive muds - Simex or the like. If you mean you don't go hard 4x4 then try the BFG mud terrains which apparently last for ages.

yep, i understand where your coming from, thats why i wanted to join a club in the first place.

i dont have a problem with the 33 inch size limit, even though it means il have far less clearance than a hilux on 33s, hell even the mud tyre thing isnt too much of a drama, i just dont understand the blanket ban, certainly some runs would be mud tyres only, same as hard yakka runs require difflocks etc etc.
they used the firestone rmt as a minimum, il have to have a look at them to see how aggressive they are.
same as the spark arrestor, thats no biggie, but it dosnt mention it on their site anyway.

while my truck is more a toy, it is also a bit of a daily because its a hell of a lot cheaper than my ute to run, plus i dont wanna rack up the km's on my ute.

i do think the rating requirement for the bolts is a bit over the top, i would have thought the ones that came with the hook would be matched...

anyway, im off paintballing, so il give the man a ring after that and see what he reckons.