Why do you drive a 4wd?

[rogerazz]

Well said Chris Stoffa.
My reason for starting this thread was to create some thinking about what any of us might do to make things worse or might do to make things better while driving our tracks. After all it's down to the indvidual to make the call when driving our tracks.
If an individual makes the wrong call, then ultimately one day everyone pays the price.
Saw the blokes from a 4wd show go into the Dargo high Plains area and it was very wet. Won't mention their business only to say that they sell, recovery gear, sell lights, sell chips, sell suspension etc.
They made the decision to go on with their trip and yes you can imagine the damage they did, whilst spending all day and half the night in one section. It was all filmed for our enjoyment? Most were older blokes so they won't be around when the younger blokes come across heaps of gated tracks. I was hoping older blokes would lead by example ???
Sadly younger blokes do it to.

 

[muc the truck]

its definatly marketed for making money.

in the 70s you drove your sandman up the beach to camp ,
towed your van with your kingswood or falcon
used you ute to carry the dirt bikes out in the scrub.
the ute for pig shooting
Kingswood's , valiant and fords were common up cape tribulation and Cooktown area now all you see is 4x4

you can tow a van with a commodore or ford wagon with easy and there very cheap compared to the 4x4 but the 4x4 marketing has convinced everyone that you may need 4x4 and if you don't have it what are you going to do . personaly I don't thing there is a need to buy 4x4 to tow a 30 foot van. this old girl hauled it up and down the gillies range no trouble . retired at over 400,000 hard kms


I was watching tv today and some goon was advertising arb led spot lights. he was saying the lights was even and bright and brilliant to drive with and would prevent driving fatigue and stated there even waterproof to 3 mtrs and had a 50,000hour life . Wow . does this mean you wont get tired and you can drive your land cruiser under water.

It seems most advertisements for 4x4 and accessories use dumb surplus information to sell something and the thing that really annoys me is they drive them in there advertisement's in a manner, jumping it or grounding it out driving fast on a track or in a quary etc that would find any warranty this driving cause a mechanically fault it would be refused . just imagine if every 4x4 driver drove like manufacture 4x4 advertisements . No wonder we have closed tracks

 

[deptford]

I was at lawn hill np in 1995 and a couple turned up in a vl commodore , I asked them how they went in the bulldust that made ruts the size of landcruisers.

they said with brute force and determination , apparently they did some of the telegraph track too and the road from normaton the burke development road

They had some one give them a CIG locker.

My panelvans been in 4x4 territory a few times and have some people shake there head.

Yeah had my vn in a few place's it wasn't ment to be as well.

 

[pbk1776]

Go Darb.
Now we are getting down to it.
Have not heard from those blokes yet????

My first post was a bit short and vague
"Family and explore this country"

However I read the full thread again and got across this part of discussion.

I'm very new in 4wding community with only 1 year of experience and a few trips. I want to explore Australia hence I changed a community car scene. However, since I started 4wding I also enjoy some challenging stuff like rock crawling, mud and others. However this also comes with respect and not just doing it to tear up places I visiting. Everything I do is still within moderation as I am aware of other people's interests and the effect within the whole community. I still yet to do a big trip and I am hoping to do it sometime this year.

Well that's my 2cents and not posting this to open any arguments. Enjoy wheeling guys and hope to see you on the tracks

 

[jimdapom]

I work in a Westfield centre. I bought one to get as far away from people as possible!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[hiluxdriver]

Like jimdapom, I like to get away from people, but I also just plain enjoy driving. Both wide open spaces and narrow winding tracks.
I originally bought bought my LN106 petrol ute to go camping and see parts of Australia that many Australians have never seen. I enjoy the adventure that going on these trips provide - although the more I prepare for these trips, the more adventure is lost.

I have been to a few iconic locations with many more on the list. The weekend just gone was one of the best weekends away I have spent away. We spent a day wheeling some easy tracks on the Saturday, giving some less experienced 4wders some exposure, followed by a night in the bush with another earth member enjoying some beers and the silence that only the bush can provide.

I enjoy the time I spend modifying my 4wd to take me places where I don't need to rely on a power source or a water supply for a few days, but can still enjoy a cold beer and a perfectly cooked rib eye while looking at the ocean. Makes you wonder what the rich people are doing.

I enjoy challenging my skills as a driver and the limitations of my vehicle, but it does not appeal to me to be the one who makes it up the gnarliest hill. I will try to a point, but am not shy to admit defeat when either my skill or vehicle has reached it's limit.
I enjoy spending time with other people who share these veiws, discussing ways to improve vehicle capabilities and driving techniques, as well as talking about trips done in the past and trips planned for the future.

Australia has a very diverse landscape that at the moment we can still access by 4wd. We can drive snow topped mountains, rugged mountain ranges, pristine remote beaches and arid deserts - all within a couple of days drive, or a couple of weeks. I intend on driving all these and more before I am too old and too poor to enjoy it. I hope you do to.

 

[peterfermtech]

Wheel ruts got deeper and ground clearance on cars got lower. Unfortunately the wheel ruts are still getting deeper.

Its a freedom thing. Even when your not using it you know all you have to do is chuck in the ice box, fuel it up and your off, enjoying your yourself.

regards

 

[Whinging_pom]

To see all this amazing country, hate it when people say why don't you just fly to Queensland or Perth, why drive? these people really don't understand what there missing out on just travelling and seeing the places in between which are a lot more exciting than the cities they want to spend time in.

 

[arjayeff]

No end to the road

Why do I drive a 4x4? My Fairmont Ghia will get me to the end of the road in quiet, efficient, relaxed comfort, but the end of the bitumen is the end of the journey. In my Range Rover, there is no end of the road, you hardly even notice leaving it behind. What`s over that next hill? Lets find out.......!

 

[arjayeff]

I agree. It`s all about the journey. It`s about who and what you can see on the way.

 

[pbk1776]

To see all this amazing country, hate it when people say why don't you just fly to Queensland or Perth, why drive? these people really don't understand what there missing out on just travelling and seeing the places in between which are a lot more exciting than the cities they want to spend time in.

Exactly why fly if you can enjoy the scenery

 

[Toddyh]

I used to tow my boat with a Mazda 6. One day at a boat ramp the tide was right down and the concrete was covered in sand. Long story short I needed 4 blokes to push the car while I pulled the boat out. Didn't want to do that again so I bought a small 4wd (X-Trail). After owning the first one for about 2 years the bug bit and I upgraded to a newer diesel X-Trail and started modding that with an outback trip planned. Just recently have upgraded to the Challenger to allow even more trips (Fraser on the immediate horizon). So I guess a bought my first 4wd for reasons completely unrelated to 4wding but my last 2 have been because of places I want to see and trips I want to do.

 

[muc the truck]

Wheel ruts got deeper and ground clearance on cars got lower. Unfortunately the wheel ruts are still getting deeper.

Its a freedom thing. Even when your not using it you know all you have to do is chuck in the ice box, fuel it up and your off, enjoying your yourself.

regards

I had a mate in a vb commodore follow a group of 4x4 into bewah state pine forrest near Brisbane in the 90s . he never got bogged running HQ STEEL RIMS ill fitting on the rear with 195/14 lt truck tyres . he was constantly sideways and he smoothed out all those wheel ruts . the next day we looked under is car and every mm2 of irregular space was filled with mud and the bottom was as smooth as a surfboard . he had to take it to work to use a gerni to get get it out . I was very surprised were you could take a car . They vb comadore has more suspension travel then most 4x4 sold today . compresses about six inches and has about six inches of drop. my Colorado has about 6'' all up in the front .

 

[RoughNReady]

I had a mate in a vb commodore follow a group of 4x4 into bewah state pine forrest near Brisbane in the 90s . he never got bogged running HQ STEEL RIMS ill fitting on the rear with 195/14 lt truck tyres . he was constantly sideways and he smoothed out all those wheel ruts . the next day we looked under is car and every mm2 of irregular space was filled with mud and the bottom was as smooth as a surfboard . he had to take it to work to use a gerni to get get it out . I was very surprised were you could take a car . They vb comadore has more suspension travel then most 4x4 sold today . compresses about six inches and has about six inches of drop. my Colorado has about 6'' all up in the front .

Doesn't surprise me. The VB was a rebadged Opel(?) anyway. I had one of those briefly, but the less said about that thing the better.

My beetle had about a foot of suspension travel as does my VW camper.

The fairlane has very little. Its factory ride height is also low enough that I find myself staring at the door handles of other falcodores.

One thing I like about the Niva is it's light enough that even in the wet it barely leaves tracks. What I don't like is the lack of aircon. I really need to find someone's unwanted aftermarket setup to retrofit.
I'm fine without the aircon but it's my family... you know.
One of the reasons was I miss heading out places and for various reasons I can't easily take my family out bush, so a 4wd is helpful in that respect, at least theoretically. Haven't had a chance to take anyone except my son out yet

 

[underdog]

Its a freedom thing. Even when your not using it you know all you have to do is chuck in the ice box, fuel it up and your off, enjoying your yourself.
regards

Exactly why all my equipment and gear lives in my car 24/7. Whenever a situation of leisure or emergency arrives, it's ready to go. Just knock it into 4wd and keep going, freedom is it exactly for me. Everything else is a bonus.

Respectfully,
Ian.

 

[navaranewb]

coz bishes love 4x4s

 

[peejaycruiser]

I always wanted a 4b but was never in a position to buy one. But a few years ago we got evicted for the owners to move back into their house, and then got pinged for having out of state rego when going to see the real estates for rentals. A mate had two gen 1 pajeros for sale and I got them both for a grand. It started out as a cheap replacement for the Regal while I sorted the change of rego, but ended up selling the Regal and keeping the jabber. Once having a higher vehicle I found how much easier it was getting in and out of it it was. Having arthritus just about everywhere it is much easier to get in and out of a 4b. Getting in other peoples cars makes me glad for having a 4b now. But now I've got a lift and 33's I might be going the other way now with getting in and out of it.

 

[nao]

for me its about camping, remote travel and seeing this wonderful country of ours with the family and the fourbie fits the job well.

i hear your environmental message and agree that some people abuse the bush..be it rubbish, digging up tracks, running scrub and small tress down, problem is we seem to go too far one way or the other and we struggle to balance things. e.g..i know most of the national parks I've been in over the last few years you were prohibited from collecting fallen wood for camp fires, now, the last three parks I've been in have allowed it to assist reduce fire risks..

at the same time, nature seems to have a pretty good ability to restore itself

 

[muc the truck]

people say the Stuart highway up the guts is so boring , its only boring because there never take any of the random tracks along the way to see what's there . there is a mountain of history alongside the highways you just need to leave it to find it . the adventure

 

[PJR NSW]

Simply put we love the bush and always wanted to see more than the old HK could take us to. Just never had the time to go nor nor the funds to buy a suitable car. Here is the bad bit. On 23rd Devember my doctor called me in and went over a bunch of reports that mean ZIP to me. Then she said it! "You have cancer" Bloody ouch. Then after we calmed down she threw another spanner in the works. It is uncurable. Double ouch. However she said it can be managed for a while and I should last at least 5 years. But I could also depart this wide brown land at any minute.

We immediately decided that it was time we did what WE wanted. Kids had left home. Finances are fine. Heaps of time on our hands so we looked for a car. Already knew what we wanted and on the 30th December, just a week later, we transferred the funds into the sellers bank account and it was ours. Off to ARB and a recommended 4WD workshop to set it up and in April we arrived in the Kimberley. Even took the car up on the Ghan.

Got it and now we are doing a bucket list. We both love the bush. Canning (July this year) Cape York (done) The Simpson (done) Vic high (lots trips done) Gulf country (done) Kakadu (done) WA south west (done) Tasmania and Balfour Track (just done - see vid)

[YOUTUBE]mUSVBjKBjnY[/YOUTUBE])

Best trip; Five weeks in the Kimberley. Down the bitumen (bungles etc), 8 day ocean cruise and along the GRR (canyons, tunnels, stations, Mitchell Plateau etc etc). Saw everything that we wanted to see.

Waterfalls like this that can only be accessed from the coast.

An d the only way to do all these truips was with a proper, self sufficient, comfortable and reliable large 4WD.

That's why.

Phil