Offroad-Express

Started work on the new truck, a 92 Paj LWD exceed thats been doing duty as a tractor on a dairy farm !!!

Borrowed the industrial water blaster from work, spent 3 hours on saturday under the new truck cleaning off the mud and cow crap. Checked out the damage, fuel tank "missing" about 10 litres, front skid plate bent, diff guard bent - so some work to do to get her ready for action.

Removed all seats, removed carpet and binned (has been covered in cow shit for months I think ), removed centre console , bolted front seats back in.
Removeb rear bumper, front bumper and bash plates, spent another 45 mins with the waterblaster removing more muck. looks good on the 32" swampers would post a photo but mikes having problems with the gallery.

It started out tame, just a little bit of getting the wheels wet, but turned into being a bit stuck in the soft shingle, as the better half put it "Dumb Ass".
This is what it looked like.






The rescue vehicle just happened to fall to the same fate.




But with a stoke of luck we had the ultimate in recovery gear available, it looked like this.



My better half has asked what I have learned from this couple of hours in the river bed, that's easy, I need bigger tyres. LOL

At least I now know how soft is too soft for the road tyres.

What river were you guys in? and is that a ford territory beside you in the photo?

Just the tame Selwyn river (Canterbury) and no not a Ford but rather a Toyota Landcruiser (Late)

So you guys heading out with the lads on next weekends trip?

billyvanboheman wrote:My better half has asked what I have learned from this couple of hours in the river bed, that's easy, I need bigger tyres. LOL

At least I now know how soft is too soft for the road tyres.

Can be a bit decieving those round river stone's

The Selwyn aint a tame river dude,
It has swallowed many a so called tuff truck, The water may not ne deep, but the pea shingle goes on 4 eva.

If you are ever looking like getting in truble in it, You pull 1st low and just let it idle (well just enough so the engine doesn't stall). As long as u are moving all is good. As soon as you stop moving, pop reverse and back the hell outa there.
Pea gravel is the worst thing to drive on, even worse than dry sand, because it fills in behind you almost instantly.

Sounds like what I was doing right up till the point when I lost momentum, as always the male who knows best sees what he wants to see, if there are other tyre tracks in here and an entry and exit point it should be all good.
Oh well no try no learn, A.

Manage to put thoughts into action, got the grinder out and cut up my rear wheel arches to make room for the chains to fit on the 33's. Should have been a panelbeater, $500 quote to do this from the shops, one guy wanted $1000. A full days work, $5 cutting disc and $10 worth of bog and you wouldn't know it wasn't meant to be like that.
Al

Posted: 2006-09-04, 00:37:39

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Manage to put thoughts into action, got the grinder out and cut up my rear wheel arches to make room for the chains to fit on the 33's. Should have been a panelbeater, $500 quote to do this from the shops, one guy wanted $1000. A full days work, $5 cutting disc and $10 worth of bog and you wouldn't know it wasn't meant to be like that.
Al

i cant wait to see this

cheers rik

Put my new low profile drain/fill plugs in, refitted my axle with new bearing and seals and filled with new oil.

Matt.

Hack Sawed old bumper mounts and 5mm plate to shape, while watching the rest of my new bumper being expertly welded - man - I hate being told that I am not allowed a new Hack Saw blade until I start a new cut - bloody engineers

Well i too had an encounter with a canterbury river. Took the dog to the waimak on friday arvo. Played in a little mud to test the newly fitted front diff, then thought id drive through a puddle to wash mud off. What a mistake . Ended up stuck up to the chassis rails in shingle, stones jammed front breaks on and mandaged to snap the short side axle and destroy the bearing in diff housing . This was after spending till 3am wednesday installing the new diff
So within three weeks i have fu**ed 2 diffs at the waimak.

Went down to the Selwyn on sunday arvo, it was very soft and even with 34 inch super swampers still got stuck a couple of times.

Cane accross a Prado stuck in the middle of the river with no tow hooks, ended up ripping my snatch strap getting them out.

The guy was good and gave me some money to replace it though. :thumleft:

Suprasurf and I spent all yesterday (Sunday) arvo at the Waipara Mouth......PLaying Golf!
Was bloody excellent to have a day off from all the other mundane shit that catch's up with you.
Fawking long way to walk tho.... (think we should be allowed to take at least one truck aound with us lol).. mind you it probably isn't if you can hit that stupid little ball in straight line.

Burnt 2 houses down yesterday morning
had a damn ball

hosehustler wrote:Burnt 2 houses down yesterday morning
had a damn ball

Perhaps we should arrange an appointment Tim

went hunting up the rangitata river on friday morn - follwed my mates up the river they had a landrover defender 110 and i had the thirsty old v6 surf. Got up there no worries but fu*&ed the right rear rancho shock she's pissing out oil now so some new ones will be ordered soon.

on the way home on sunday every 100kms there would be a heavy vibration and it felt like pulling the vehicle to the left. this would last a couple of mins then stop. The last hill coming up to my house in queenstown i had to chop 1st gear to get up and when i got out the left front wheel rotor was glowing red hot

Dont suppose any of you other surf drivers have had a similar problem? maybe a stuffed wheel cyclinder or caliper / loose brakes or something? cant rip the wheel off for a look tonight either cause i left my bloody keys at work!!

rokhound wrote:The Selwyn aint a tame river dude,
It has swallowed many a so called tuff truck, The water may not ne deep, but the pea shingle goes on 4 eva.

If you are ever looking like getting in truble in it, You pull 1st low and just let it idle (well just enough so the engine doesn't stall). As long as u are moving all is good. As soon as you stop moving, pop reverse and back the hell outa there.
Pea gravel is the worst thing to drive on, even worse than dry sand, because it fills in behind you almost instantly.

When driving on Pea gravel like this is it best to run low tyre pressures(like in sand 15-18?psi)so the tyre has a larger contact patch,less chance of sinking down?

Shane

Close Shane, But if you really want to be in the hunt on that shit 8-12 psi works better. This is the pressures we run on the rocks.
Can't be going to quick though, because you can very easily, and do, roll tyres off rims.