What do you use a 4x4 for?

[macabethiel]

The 4x4 addiction it started with Fishing aged 55 !

I took up fishing again in 2003 having not done any since I was about 16 years old.
Went Pike fishing in my Estate Car to a place called Mapperly Reservoir and it started to sprinkle with snow so as I was freezing cold decided to pack up.

The road runs along one edge of the reservoir and basically my 250 TD estate got stuck on a covering of about 5 mm of snow and ice and would not climb up a very small incline into the village. After about half an hour a bloke in a 4 x 4 drove onto the fishing venue who was out walking his dog. It was a pretty new Ssang Yong Musso.

I asked him for a tow as he had a bar on the back and I had a tow rope in my boot. He towed me for about a quarter of a mile into the village where the roads were clear of snow & ice. A few weeks later I nearly got stuck in a muddy field near another fishing lake so decided I needed four wheel drive so bought an old Mercedes 300 TE 4-matic as an extra vehicle.

Then when that started to need money spending on it bought my Terrano r3mR. Although it was my fishing vehicle the wife liked the driving position and basically took it over as her car except when fishing.

We have now owned some sort of 4x4 for over 13 years !

 

[johnb5177]

I have owned 4x4's for years, L/R's of most descriptions, Fourtrak....really liked that one...a few cars..... loved my Volvo740GL, and my VW Transporter.

Stuck with 4x4's though, as I have been in forestry/countryside management seems like for ever, and I need to get into woodlands and forests, across fields, large estates etc.

My T2, is my office, workshop, wardrobe, tool carrier and tractor/timberjack (skidder)...it also scrubs up very nicely, to work as a very comfortable family car when needed.....:thumb2

 

[panelbeater]

my first t2 was because i got stuck 3 times in a caravanning season with my car so got it off my mate who upgraded to xtrail,but i have had to tow him and van off as well.
as i run lots of meets its used for towing motor homes and vans off caravanning meets,even some other 4x4s.
as i go out in all seasons and weather its really usefull.

 

[Mr K]

How do people find running the 4x4 system during winter?

I first got a terrano during the worst of the winter in January 2010, it was my first 4x4 and a bit of a shock.

Picked it up and the 4x4 system hadn't been disengaged properly and was what felt like crabbing up the road a bit, it just felt weird. Stupidly as driving on tarmac I was in 2wd but it was actualy black ice and when coming up to a roundabout I chsnged from 4th to 3rd and as I let the clutch up it locked the rear axel up and sent me spinning down the road but luckily missing everything! No, I think it was now I put it in 4wd all the way home and it was feeling wierd.

It took a while to learn how to exactly use the 4wd system, how to engage and disengage the system, how to have the hubs engaged to be adle to change from 2wd to 4wd and 4wd to 2wd while moving on the fly which is the way I ended up driving on winter roads where it went from wet to snow to wet again. It's never really just snow so driving in winter can be challenging if you are not used to a 2.5 ton truck with switchable 4wd.

 

[Daemo]

I bought my first 4x4 when i was 21, a 1979 T plate two door range rover with full webasto roof and i loved it.. I bought mine becouse my boss at the time owned a newer one "c reg" and he took me to my first billing land rover show and that was me hooked.. I have owned them ever since for the past 26 years and probably had around 40 or more, ive bought and sold more than i can remember. To be honest when i was young i drove at rediculas speeds and very irresponsibly and just did bloody dangerous things. The 4x4 slowed me down instantly and i didnt even want to drive fast anymore however i did have a few golf gti's as a second car for a bit of fun..
I use my trucks for offroading, daily driving and as a hobby modifying and tinkering. i just find cars really confined and all exactly the same with a different badge. Ive also been responsible for getting quite a few people 4x4 obssesed.

 

[don simon]

Currently being used for a house move as the van hire fell through. Even had a 3 seater settee in it today.

 

[Monaro Pete]

At the moment I don't use mine for anything :lol

It will be a work horse like the MG ZT-T that I currently drive.
I'm doing some work on the Terrano, she's had a full service. I need to source a nearside rear door (preferably in the right colour).
The underside (any were else I can treat too) is to be treated with Dynax S-50.

My dad's a retired farmer so we always had a Land Rover.
It's my first 4X4. I've driven it around 70 on a test drive & bringing it home, but I like it

 

[micken]

Like perelaar I got mine to be able to ferry my dog around my shoot before I seriously injured my V70. At the moment I've kept it as standard and not done any major off-roading. I've got a shooting mate who is also a very good truck mechanic who goes green laning, so at some stage I'll join him and I guess I'll get the bug.

 

[Barrbeast]

There were always 4x4s around me growing up and I wanted to get a truck for ages.

Had my eye on a new hilux when I qualified but luckily was talked out of it before committing so big! Then my 206 estate had to be taken off the road and I decided to pick up a swb 2.5 Shogun for a stop gap... after that I was hooked

Had a lwb 2.8 Shogun and then got the Trol intending to do a 4x4 tour to Transylvania (still not done it :doh) and get into offroading properly, the rest is history!

As well as greenlaning and offroading I also use the Trol to tow the odd trailer, as a van on occasion and to jump start the tractor! (now we don't have the sheep it doesn't get as much use so it sits in the shed for long periods).

Love tinkering with it as well when I get the chance!