Thompsons track

[mercutio]

wow you managed to find quite an old thread to resurrect the easiest place to go for a learner is up the te aroha side to the summit best to go with a couple of other 4wds just incase you get into trouble

[dazza85]

So Whats the go with it? whats the best side to try for a 1st timer?
Time to get my buggy dirteeeee!

Oh and howdy

Talk to "Wopass" or "XJ" if you are considering going over the KatiKati side and I do not believe the either side is a suitable track to go solo

[nzhunter]

So Whats the go with it? whats the best side to try for a 1st timer?
Time to get my buggy dirteeeee!

Oh and howdy

Hey mate, katikati side i wouldn't bother with going alone but You should make it up te aroha side piece of piss if you're buggys pretty set up. If you do go up solo go up on a sat or sun cause theres always alot of traffic up there, but I would really recommend taking another truck up if its your 1st time.

cheers, DAN

[wopass]

dont ask me, i havent been up there in ages

Te aroha side is the easier side and not ideal if new to the sport to go solo, if you have experience then not so bad but still not advisable

[410]

is the te aroha side good to go atm ? even just to the summit ?

im wanting to take the suzuki offroad. its pretty much factory 30x9.5x15 atx tyres with round 4mm tread

please advise, thanks

iv never been to thomsons track so have no idea of what to expect

[Big-AL]

i did thompsons 1.5 weeks ago in suzuki with 30-9.5 muds, made it to summit and back fine. it was very wet up there tho, i wouldn't recommend doing it alone.

[Fergy]

you would be pushing it on those tyres mate, im going up sunday tho if you wanted someone to tag along with, or get you out of the shit there should be plenty of traffic up there this weekend tho. PM me if your keen

[DieselBoy]

is the te aroha side good to go atm ? even just to the summit ?

im wanting to take the suzuki offroad. its pretty much factory 30x9.5x15 atx tyres with round 4mm tread

please advise, thanks

iv never been to thomsons track so have no idea of what to expect

Dude, a 410 with 30 X 9.5's will sail up their!!!!

You have the diff clearance of a Cruiser running 35's with those tyres so you'l be driving circle's around everyone up their as you are super light weight also

We took a Safari on 31 X 10.5 A/T's up there last weekend and he needed 1 tow.

Have fun

[410]

thinking bout going up to the summit today. can some one give me directions to the summit track ? cheers

[coxsy]

easy start at the bottom and drive up to to the top of the track
there are some places on the side of the track to play but only on way up or down

[410]

went up today. had soo much fun. had a play around in the playground areas. pretty dam capable truck haha, thought id get stuck in somestuff but it just pulled though.

im hooked, now all i gotta do is get tow hooks put on the front and back, raise it 2", get lock diff, look into better mud tyres and look into a winch so i can actually atempt some real hard stuff. was mint day overall, prob bout 10 trucks up there when we were there from 12-3pm.

[Fergy]

going up this Sunday, would be cool to meet some ORE guys if any one wants to join me. Cheers

[coxsy]

thinking of going up the track on sunday been awhile since i have driven it nice a cool up the top for lunch

[coxsy]

maybe a few trucks coming with me anybody else up for a drive up to the top

[92 safari 17]

went up there today had a good time ended up with a smashed side window, new dent in drivers door and farked my front auto hubs. went for a hike to that 100 acre block thing, think im goin to do a weekend wrk on the track then give it ago.

[Kimbo]

We took 5 trucks up there last weekend, shot up the summit and then wandered over the other side to the long bog. The other side is for sure not to be taken lightly or for granted. It has shit holes the size of houses but I love going there. Ray Webb posted some photos on face book of the trip. I am the dumb arse on my side and while with my lockers I still had drive, it was a lost cause.
After leaving one truck in there over night due to a steering arm breaking, 2 of us went back the next day to replace the steering arm and had another great day.

[Fergy]

Sorry guys, have to bail out this weekend... work calls

[coxsy]

had a drive today
the marks of the ute over the edge






this quad cracked the block my mate tow him down to the bottom

[phraza]

Looks fairly dry by the state of your trucks, looking at heading down late nov/dec to go up again

[410]

when does the track close ? if at all ?

[coxsy]

never

[fiddy]

Anyone got an update on the condition of the track on te aroha side. My mate wants to go hunting weekend after easter. Never done thompsons before but not planning on going the whole way.
Would I get at least half the way up or into some deeper forest with my set up alone.

98 suzuki samurai
1600cc escudo engine
30x9.5 mud tyres
suspension and body lift
9500lb winch

ill try upload a pic cheers

[92 safari 17]

My Brother was up there last weekend with the BOP club, said that the digger has been up there so the clay is loose but you should get up there no worries in your suzuki

[fiddy]

Thank you.
Its just I hear it can be quite nasty.
Here's some pics

[fiddy]

[Swamped]

That truck should be sweet to get to the top any time of the year be down to the driver really with the ruts that can form in winter. I was 2wd the whole way a couple weekends back. I heard its a bit more slushy at the moment but still easy.

Just randomly too your front flex will be being limited by your swaybar aye. Don't know how it affects road manners in a coily but my cart spring models are far better without one offroad and little effect onroad.

[fiddy]

cheers but i actually took the sway bar off about 10 min after that photo so ive been trialing it for the last week with out it. Haven't actually noticed too much difference on road so far but im gonna have a run up at wood hill this weekend to make sure everything is as it should be.
Do you guys use your truck on road with out the sway bar?

[Swamped]

Well I do. Theres a thread about it if you want to see peoples thoughts.

[410]

whats the track looking like atm ? just brought a 93 single cab flatdeck 4x4 navara and thinking bout taking it up

[coxsy]

should be in reasonable nick