Offroad-Express

Good on ya Richard,, Cheers Janet..We would all be lucky to have a chick with her own gumboots.

I'd like to post a huge thanks to ya, Richard...
I've spent hours reading this, watching all the videos
enjoying the debates within this thread
you are good at explaining a lotta details,
thats allows newbies to follow and understand,
it's a thread I visit each time I log in just to keep up to date

so thanks....

hi richard,
how do we find the tailings,totara track?looks really good!
cheers andy

andrew007 wrote:hi richard,
how do we find the tailings,totara track?looks really good!
cheers andy

Hi Andy
If you are staying in Westport, take the main Rd south to Greymouth. After probably 15 mins you will reach the Big Totara river. On the other side of the bridge turn hard left down to the Tailings River. Head up river 50 metres and you will see the track on the other side .Follow the track and then you take a right hand .

Dont go too fast through this section as there are small culverts that will nearly take your wheel off. Also dont go in if it is raining back in the hills as the Tailings and the little Totara become impassable within minutes
I have been caught twice. You have to cross the Tailings and Little Totara 2 times, and once across the Tailings you can be caught between the two rivers.
This video shows the 2nd crossing of the Tailings on normal flow and 15mins later it can look like this.




If you need any more help just say.

Richard

For any one who has done the Tailings to Costello Hill track in the last 18 months it looks like the track has always been there.
Only 2 years ago the track didn't exist.

Here is a clip from aug 2006 of me dropping down to the Little Totara for the first time. Stripping the splines on the front Axle and winching back to the skid site.
The next day Flag and myself did the whole track from Tailings for the very first time.



Cheers Richard

Hi Richard,
wot sort of distance is the track & wot of sort time would allow to do it?Also does it go into some where & return out only the same way?
cheers andy

andrew007 wrote:Hi Richard,
wot sort of distance is the track & wot of sort time would allow to do it?Also does it go into some where & return out only the same way?
cheers andy

Hi Andy
The track is not that long. you come out only a few hundred metres from where you go in on the top of costello hill.

Flag and myself would do the track in 2.5 hours but if you are with a bigger group it will take a lot longer. The rule is double the vehicles double the time.
Last xmas 4 of us did a complete return trip for the first time in about 6 hours.

Cheers Richard

For years I kept getting water into the Hilux Gearbox and transfer case.I fitted breathers that ran back into the cab and still no luck. Seals were all good.
Then one day while I had the gearbox out I put a big and small hose clip around both gear lever rubbers and since then have never had a drop of water in either the gearbox or transfer case.
The rubbers look like they should keep water out, but it don't work in practice.

Cheer Richard

The old debate about long and short goes back to the mid 50s when landrover produced the 107 as opposed to the 86 of the day.
On our 1999 Ramsey Glacier trip the debate arose again. AJ owned a short Crusier with double lockers and he said he would go anywhere I went.
So we set off for some challenges. I found a drop down into the Rakaia river and said lets go over. No Takers.

He admited later he would not take a short down there.



Cheers Richard

and what would be wrong with taking a short down there?

cool__bananas wrote:and what would be wrong with taking a short down there?

Nothing.
You and others probably would, but on that trip no one would and that was the reason I was given.

Cheers Richard

Hi All, I'm not getting into the long short debate, I think it's all about track time and or time on the seat, believing in ones ability and the limits of the vehicle and how far we as individuals are prepared to push the comfort boundaries. It's only after going on trips with the likes of Richard or watching winching or trailing events (or competing) that we become more comfortable with finding new boundaries.

And as this is Richards thread--------he is very comfortable and hell that Lux can climb, most other vehicles would have sat there and dug holes.

KEEP THE VIDS COMING,

FITZY.

The Video of the Ramsey Glacier reminded me of another Modification.

A very bad design of cruisers and hiluxs is the bung in the diff. They have a straight thread and the moment you do rough 4 wheeling you lose all the diff oil.
The hex only needs a sharp rock to loosen it and the vibration of the motor winds it out. Up the Rakaia I drove about 10 ks with no oil in the diff. After it happened 3 times I decided to modify it. All the tractors and trucks on the farm had TAPERED plugs and they never gave trouble.
So I went to the truck wreckers and found a suitable Tapered plug and then taped the hole out.

The plug on the right is the std Toyota and the tapered I replaced it with is on the Left.





Never had a problem since

Cheers Richard

I've had the same thing happen and seen others as well.
These are available for the Toyota's through Jafa.

is it the reduced profile that makes them better? ie less susceptible to getting smacked with a rock?

nstg8a wrote:is it the reduced profile that makes them better? ie less susceptible to getting smacked with a rock?

The reduced profile certainly helps but with a straight thread the bung only has to unwind 1mm and the bung is loose. With a Tapered thread it takes nearly take 2 complete turns to loosen it.

With the tapered thread you dont need the protection ring welded to the diff which only restricts diff clearance . Quite often when the diff is dragging an imprint is left in the ground where the ring is dragging .So removing this and fitting a tapered thread is far superior to a straight thread and makes the truck more capable.

Cheers Richard

Hate to say it boys, comes standard with NISSAN
Al

Bulletproof wrote:

nstg8a wrote:is it the reduced profile that makes them better? ie less susceptible to getting smacked with a rock?

The reduced profile certainly helps but with a straight thread the bung only has to unwind 1mm and the bung is loose. With a Tapered thread it takes nearly take 2 complete turns to loosen it.

With the tapered thread you dont need the protection ring welded to the diff which only restricts diff clearance . Quite often when the diff is dragging an imprint is left in the ground where the ring is dragging .So removing this and fitting a tapered thread is far superior to a straight thread and makes the truck more capable.

Cheers Richard

ahhh, i see.... cheers, learn something new every day

albundy wrote:Hate to say it boys, comes standard with NISSAN
Al

Quite right Al. But we never said Nissan got everything wrong

Do these just wind into a std tap Richard? And what tap did you have to use? Like many others here, my front bung has been removed totally (diff shave) and you drain it through the bottom diff head bolts, but the rear one is still the ugly std unit. And although it has never come loose, that is only because th ring is flattened over the bung Draining it is a real mish!

albundy wrote:Hate to say it boys, comes standard with NISSAN
Al

My old suzuki 413 had those (not tapered though - I think) so maybe Datsun copied the little guys...

rokhound wrote:

albundy wrote:Hate to say it boys, comes standard with NISSAN
Al

Quite right Al. But we never said Nissan got everything wrong

Do these just wind into a std tap Richard? And what tap did you have to use? Like many others here, my front bung has been removed totally (diff shave) and you drain it through the bottom diff head bolts, but the rear one is still the ugly std unit. And although it has never come loose, that is only because th ring is flattened over the bung Draining it is a real mish!

I think we should call the Nissans BUNG trucks because that is the only good thing about them, and secondly they certainly fill holes up well.

On a serious note now. The tapered plug is a std half inch BSP tapered which measures a bit over 21mm where std plug is about 18mm. I didn't drill at all and just retaped it with a tapered tap with grease on to stop metal getting into diff.

I then mig welded part of the old plug holding the magnet on to the tapered plug as the picture shows.

Cheers Richard

Bulletproof wrote:I think we should call the Nissans BUNG trucks because that is the only good thing about them, and secondly they certainly fill holes up well.

but that means your front suspension isnt good, you contridicted yourself

cool__bananas wrote:

Bulletproof wrote:I think we should call the Nissans BUNG trucks because that is the only good thing about them, and secondly they certainly fill holes up well.

but that means your front suspension isnt good, you contridicted yourself

You are too serious. Al is a mate of mine and I am only having him on.

cheers Richard

Bulletproof wrote:
You are too serious. Al is a mate of mine and I am only having him on.

I think Mitch was pretty serious coz he managed to spell all but two words correctly in that sentence

I think we should call the Nissans BUNG trucks because that is the only good thing about them, and secondly they certainly fill holes up well.

Don't know about that Richard. Last weekend in a Kopara there was one particlur toymota that couldn't but help itself to fill the holes in. Could have sat round getting drunk that's how many holes he filled with it, but I was driving.
Al

To get back on topic, here is another pic of Hilux




Richard

Bulletproof wrote:To get back on topic, here is another pic of Hilux




Richard

Have ya ever considers shortening the deck to improve ya departure angle?

DBWRacing wrote:
Have ya ever considers shortening the deck to improve ya departure angle?

I have mentioned on this thread before a hilux with the back cut off doesn't go as well as one with the overhang.

Having the overhang on a hilux is a huge advantage because with weight in it right at the back the suspension works much better and there is miles more traction on the rear wheels. Also it lifts the front and helps in bogs and climbing banks. Just like a see-saw.
We used to have Nissans ,hiluxs and cruisers come for our enduro with the back cut off and they just didn't perform

In all my years of 4 wheeling the overhang has never made me get stuck.

The picture shows my specs and you will see the rear bullbar is 850mm high with the weight on it. As the suspension drops the rear wheels are still touching the ground if I go over a vertical drop over a metre high.



Cheers Richard

Bulletproof wrote:

DBWRacing wrote:
Have ya ever considers shortening the deck to improve ya departure angle?

I have mentioned on this thread before a hilux with the back cut off doesn't go as well as one with the overhang.

Having the overhang on a hilux is a huge advantage because with weight in it right at the back the suspension works much better and there is miles more traction on the rear wheels. Also it lifts the front and helps in bogs and climbing banks. Just like a see-saw.
We used to have Nissans ,hiluxs and cruisers come for our enduro with the back cut off and they just didn't perform

In all my years of 4 wheeling the overhang has never made me get stuck.

The picture shows my specs and you will see the rear bullbar is 850mm high with the weight on it. As the suspension drops the rear wheels are still touching the ground if I go over a vertical drop over a metre high.



Cheers Richard

That shackle angles steep cant have too much down travel on those springs

haynzy wrote:That shackle angles steep cant have too much down travel on those springs

Hi Haynzy
You are very observant and brought up a point I dont think I have mentioned. The shackle angle is not exactly true because there was no weight on the back at all when the photo was taken, not even a spare wheel so it does move back a little bit more but not much .
Over the years I have had arguments with people about wheel travel . I have been out with many people who have massive articulation but on the track don't cut the mustard. Most of these have Coils. There travel up is 50mm and the travel down 300mm.

The problem with this is ,that as the wheel drops it has less weight on the wheel and therefore less traction and I drive past them nearly every time.

I work the exact opposite as you have observed and nearly all my travel is up. Therefore the traction on the wheel increases.

The leaf springs on the side at the back have no overloads and are quite flexible and the spring in the middle of the diff at the back stops it sagging and at the same time puts positive pressure on the side that is dropping and pushes it down as the other wheel is forced up.
The system works really well as many have observed.

Cheer Richard