brutal weekend offroad.

[bud]

went for a bit of a day trip today.....turned out to be the whole day though

The Taurarua ranges here in nz stand 1500 meters above sea level and for the most part is fractured rock and shingle from fault lines deep in the earth, there are some great tracks in and around this area, long forgotten logging roads and tracks to farms that now lay abandoned and over grown.

started out alright 40 kms in and 600 meters up my mates hilux surf snapped a front CV rendering it pretty much useless as a 4wd....but it got better(sarcasm) , this is where we found it that it didn't have a LSD in the rear.

SO snatch after snatch with my mistral, a winch or two and another snatch i ran out of room on the narrow track and hit a protruding rock, putting a kink in the rim, snapping a tie rod end and bending the idler arm right up against the chassi. :doh

needless to say it took for hours more to get both trucks out to the road ,winching myself around corners all while having a hilux hook to the back of the mistral for the difficult obsticals the momentum and a heap of right foot couldnt get it through.

The hilux had to drive home in 4wd on tarseal as the 4wd engagement is ADD and as full time hubs, other wise it would have ground the damaged axle to bits.
We spent an hour extracting the broken tie rod end and using the winch around a pulley block and back to the bent idler arm to get it straight enough to clear the chassi so i could steer it enough to get home. the joys of offroading.
So here are some photos and a link to a view vids of our misadventure. .

 

[bud]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvdPx-4S_qQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ir1nmsUtPM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLIHiNBmfxU

 

[AlexD333]

Oh dear, sounds like you had a bit of a hard time, still you got it out and home :sly

 

[bry]

Some great pics, sounds like you had a hard time of it.But that's part of off roading.Finding solutions to problems/breakdowns that you encounter.Plus you had the kit, and knowledge to keep yourselves on the move..

 

[Banshee]

The things I'd do for that winch bumpier!!!

 

[Banshee]

Ooohhhhhh just realised as well, they look like the wheels I've just had and am currently getting powder-coated :thumb2

 

[makeitfit]

Sounds like my kinda day out Well done though fo working through it:thumbs
That winch bumper is a proper tidy bit of work, did you make that ?
Fantastic trails by the look and oops are those dead landies there :lol

 

[Ianinessex]

I am very jealous of the scenery and also of the availability of parts for the Nissans. Every time I find something I want for the 'Trol it is on your side of the world.

Oh what it must be like to live somewhere where 4x4 is not automatically associated with Landrovers! :clap

Ian

 

[Sweety]

I'm another one who loves your front bumper:thumb2 for some reason I thought you had a SWB not a LWB:doh

 

[makeitfit]

I am very jealous of the scenery and also of the availability of parts for the Nissans. Every time I find something I want for the 'Trol it is on your side of the world.

Oh what it must be like to live somewhere where 4x4 is not automatically associated with Landrovers! :clap

Ian

LIKE :clap

 

[exosteve]

Love them pics.
The third one looks an awesome assent.
Nothing I wouldn't tackle.bit to do it in such remoteness takes nerve.skill and an understanding how to get out of trouble.
I don't know how you didn't tip your truck in the fourth.pic.that's a very severe angle:lol

 

[bud]

Problem solved 5 ml thick alternator braket split down the middle with the grinder and a couple of holes drilled

Bend now ya prick.

 

[jims-terrano]

Clever fix Ive seen several supports for that idler.

As for the offroading that looks really good fun and fantastic scenery. It appears from the outside looking in that NZ is a lot more freedom than over here in the UK.

Whats the two wrecks, have they been dumped or do they lay where they fell.

 

[bud]

Clever fix Ive seen several supports for that idler.

As for the offroading that looks really good fun and fantastic scenery. It appears from the outside looking in that NZ is a lot more freedom than over here in the UK.

Whats the two wrecks, have they been dumped or do they lay where they fell.

lay where they fell. where i was standing for the photo the track(loose shingle) takes a very steep and sharp 90 degree bend toward me and is steeply cambered down into the gulley with the 4 meter drop to those two wrecks.

Coincidentally they are both toyota hilux's one was a 1kz 3litre manual and the other an 3l V6 automatic. they got left in there as were too costly to recover and written off anyway.

 

[jims-terrano]

UK authorities would never allow that, you'd get a fine for fly tipping.

 

[bud]

UK authorities would never allow that, you'd get a fine for fly tipping.

it is prohibitive for NZ's department of conservation to extract the vehicles.

they go in drain the oils and fluids/ remove the batteries and leave the rest to passers by to strip for parts or rust away.

with a population of only 4 million and probably only two thirds of them taxpayers you'd be looking at a 20 grand bill to get a logging helicopter in there to lift them out, you have to remember that this area is only just passable by even well eqipped vehicles let alone general joes in there mainly road going suv's etc.

and that's only two, I think we spotted about 6 wrecks in there on sunday.

 

[bud]

I am very jealous of the scenery and also of the availability of parts for the Nissans. Every time I find something I want for the 'Trol it is on your side of the world.

Oh what it must be like to live somewhere where 4x4 is not automatically associated with Landrovers! :clap

Ian

L/R (chelsea tractors) have a bad rep over here, only soccer mums use them as school buses and shopping carts as they tend to have alot of A eletrical issues B mechanical issues.

you want to go off roading here in nz you need either a nissan or a toyota.

 

[jims-terrano]

When I win the lotto guess where Im going?

 

[makeitfit]

Problem solved 5 ml thick alternator braket split down the middle with the grinder and a couple of holes drilled

Bend now ya prick.

Oh it will :lol
Chocolate parts are for toy cars. What you need there is another power steering box. Cut it about a bit and make a proper one, as even though you've supported the idler body, the arm can and will still bend

That'll fix it

 

[bud]

nah I ain't spending money on doing up the steering... I have a system that will even trump your idea. lol

just got to get my hands on the right transfer case.

and the best bit, the rear is already LSD and my current LSD will fit in the front one.