What gives a car the biggest off road advantage?

[8ob]

Having had a Def110 and still got a Willys Jeep, I much prefer the Willys it's far more capable offroad and having got both stuck up to their axles in mud I'd rather tirfor the Willys as it's so much lighter. Mind you a Chinook helicopter is useful when you have nothing else to hand....

Fixed that for you I dont recall a single occasion when I have had anything to hand when up to my nuts in it, its always hell unless the vehicle has a winch

Bob

 

[Rannsachair]

Fixed that for you I dont recall a single occasion when I have had anything to hand when up to my nuts in it, its always hell unless the vehicle has a winch

Bob

Suppose that brings another answer - a big winch, ideally front and rear, selection of strops, ground anchor and lots of kevlar rope and waffle boards....

Funny enough since fitting a winch to my Defender I have used it far more to help other folk than self recovery

 

[fizzy]

I had a great winch on my old Defender - 150bhp - front capstan winch.
Talking of which they used to be really popular with the coastguard for cliff rescues. Then they said it gave an unfair advantage to Land Rover as nobody else had them. They changed the specs - started buying Jap pickups - then had to source portable petrol capstan winches - doh!

 

[nickk]

I used to run Peugeot 504 p/u,when they were loaded they were fantastic in mud (& more stable on the bends on tarmac).

 

[wookie]

I dont recall a single occasion when I have had anything to hand when up to my nuts in it,

Funnily enough I had left a chain block in one of the storage bins on my jeep and a bunch of lifting straps in the other, so I got lucky and was able to drag myself out, now I always leave a chain block and some straps in it. The straps make excellent tow ropes.

I'd love an original capstan winch on the front but the prices are stupid money and a modern one wouldn't look right.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Noticed a little Styer Puck Hafliger in a field, so found out who owned it (It had been used for gas deliveries and had a big BP logo on the cab) and banged on his door. He showed me in through his garage, where there was another one ... So I bought both for very little money. They only had a little flat twin in the back, but diff locks on both axles, the front axle, when engaged with the diff lock made steering a bit tricky. But they could reputedly out climb a LR. Swing axles at both ends with, IIRR 12" rims and skinny tyres. But what fun!! Sold them on a bit later, to a local big wig, who had the one decent one modded to carry two jetskis down to the beach with twin rear wheels. Philistine!

 

[Kent]

The right tyres for the job at hand beats all . its that easy

 

[colnerov]

Noticed a little Styer Puck Hafliger in a field, so found out who owned it (It had been used for gas deliveries and had a big BP logo on the cab) and banged on his door. He showed me in through his garage, where there was another one ... So I bought both for very little money. They only had a little flat twin in the back, but diff locks on both axles, the front axle, when engaged with the diff lock made steering a bit tricky. But they could reputedly out climb a LR. Swing axles at both ends with, IIRR 12" rims and skinny tyres. But what fun!! Sold them on a bit later, to a local big wig, who had the one decent one modded to carry two jetskis down to the beach with twin rear wheels. Philistine!

Hi, Yes they acquitted themselves very well in trials for the All Wheel Drive Club back in the day, rarely got themselves stuck unless the clerk of the course was being particularly vindictive with the section.

Colin

 

[Gritineye]

Hi, Yes they acquitted themselves very well in trials for the All Wheel Drive Club back in the day, rarely got themselves stuck unless the clerk of the course was being particularly vindictive with the section.

Colin

Driven by Dave Geech

 

[nickk]

Hi, Yes they acquitted themselves very well in trials for the All Wheel Drive Club back in the day, rarely got themselves stuck unless the clerk of the course was being particularly vindictive with the section.

Colin

well "they " wouldn't get themselves stuck-it would be the driver what did it.

 

[8ob]

Suppose that brings another answer - a big winch, ideally front and rear, selection of strops, ground anchor and lots of kevlar rope and waffle boards....

Funny enough since fitting a winch to my Defender I have used it far more to help other folk than self recovery

I have always thought a winch is far more use fitted to the back of a vehicle, it can be used to pull you back out of a mire rather than further in and handy for pulling deaduns on to a trailer.

Bob

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I have always thought a winch is far more use fitted to the back of a vehicle, it can be used to pull you back out of a mire rather than further in and handy for pulling deaduns on to a trailer.

Bob

I find a winch generally gives you the over confidence to get even more stuck oh, and you have a pm mate!!

 

[fizzy]

I am a Tirfor fanatic. I have them ranging from 300kg lift to 3000kg.
I carry the little one - called a jockey winch hoist - in an aluminium brief case. Very James Bondish! To give you an idea of it's strength I once used it to pull a stuck American stretched limo up a very steep drive. I used a Nissan Bluebird as the anchor. The Nissan was in gear and we used bricks to chock the wheels. The baby Tirfor pulled the anchor car over the bricks! We used more bricks and got the limo winched where it needed to go.

 

[MrFluffy]

The right tyres for the job at hand beats all . its that easy

Will do jack if the rest of the vehicle isnt suitable also... Exhibit B, this vehicle was beached on its skidplate at this point because although it has fiddle brakes and fat tractor tyres, it has sod all ground clearance, no rear axle articulation at all and a big flat underneath. I can always get it out afterwards, but certainly not using its wheels or driving it out of sticky situations... I dunno how you recover them if you cant get the machine itself out under its own power. One time it had injector issues and we tried to pull it out with a 4x4 mullholland big wheel tractor and it wasnt having any of it and ended up getting it running standing knee deep in slime.

To be honest, I'm going to say the driver is the biggest overall difference. Because a good one wouldnt take the wrong vehicle into the wrong situation that they couldnt get it out of, being aware of the vehicle's limitations and driving it accordingly.

 

[Kent]

Will do jack if the rest of the vehicle isnt suitable also... Exhibit B, this vehicle was beached on its skidplate at this point because although it has fiddle brakes and fat tractor tyres, it has sod all ground clearance, no rear axle articulation at all and a big flat underneath. I can always get it out afterwards, but certainly not using its wheels or driving it out of sticky situations... I dunno how you recover them if you cant get the machine itself out under its own power. One time it had injector issues and we tried to pull it out with a 4x4 mullholland big wheel tractor and it wasnt having any of it and ended up getting it running standing knee deep in slime.

To be honest, I'm going to say the driver is the biggest overall difference. Because a good one wouldnt take the wrong vehicle into the wrong situation that they couldnt get it out of, being aware of the vehicle's limitations and driving it accordingly.

Take a 2 wheel drive lightweight beach buggy thing buggy with the right tyres against a chelsey tractor with more switches than the space shuttle for off road conditions but on low profile tarmac tyres or try driving the very best off road specialist vehicles yet put them on racing slicks and see how you get on then

 

[Kent]

I find a winch generally gives you the over confidence to get even more stuck oh, and you have a pm mate!!

My mate put his on the back. Logical if you want to get out of a situation rather than deeper into it! Was also rather better for getting the bigger species of deer in the back

 

[8ob]

I build anchors and a pto hydraulic winch into the back of my landy cherry picker, its 3tons so needs a bit of help every now and then The winch with the spades dug in is the muts.



Bob

 

[Agrismith]

Obviously its speed and commitment

If in doubt drive flat out
But if u cant hold her ur gonna roll her

 

[wookie]

If in doubt drive flat out

I thought Colin McCrash was dead ?

R.I.P. Colin, you're sorely missed.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, Some think the amount of forward motion is directly proportional to the amount of sh...muck chucked backwards.

Colin