Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i SA4x4

What sparks an epic overland trip? It could be that classic braaiside challenge, an image in a magazine, or, often enough, one specific vision: an endless desert looking over the bonnet of a Series III Land Rover, or the lapping of a calm, aquamarine stretch of tropical water as you glide over it in your water craft. I threw in those two because the one relates to Peter and Mandi Middleton’s finale in this issue, as they enter the Sahara desert. The other is a key part of Evan Haussmann’s foray into southern Mozambique to discover the wonders of its coastal waterways, of which there are many. He drove the brand-new Fortuner (which impressed as we knew it would), but what helped immensely was that he carted along a pair…

PREMIUM SUSPENSION TJM XGS Series 4000 Suspension kit 4WD’s have factory-engineered suspension, but it’s usually only enough to accommodate a boot-load of gear and general road driving, or limited off-road driving. The TJM XGS Series 4000 suspension kit will immediately transform your vehicle’s ride, -handling, load-carrying and towing capabilities. Just for starters, the nitrogen-charged twin-tube shocks feature a 20mm hard chrome piston rod, a 40mm big bore piston with a Teflon seal, high oil volumes for cooler operation, and highly durable bushes. The XS range aims for ride comfort, while the heavier-sprung XT range aims for superior body control. Available for Nissan Patrol (Y61), Navara (D40) and Prado 150 models. Also available soon for Ford Ranger T6, Land Cruiser 80 and 200 Series, Nissan NP300 and Hilux models. From R26…

I was sitting in a bird hide in the West Coast National Park a while ago, when the two exceptionally striking birds in the image above made a fly-past and offered me the opportunity of shooting them with a Canon. They probably noticed that I was a bit slow the first time around, so they turned and made another fly-past. In fact, it turned out that they were either chasing each other in some sort of relationship squabble, or that they were just having some fun in the sun, because they continued to make several fly-pasts - and I had all the time in the world to shoot at them like a crazy gunner mounted on the back of a pick-up truck somewhere in Afghanistan. The show lasted quite a…

South Africa is one of the conduits for illegal trade in thousands of wild fauna and flora species, both dead and alive. This trade is threatening the survival of many species, not only in Africa, but across the world. The well-reported rhino poaching for their horns and the ongoing slaughter of elephants for their ivory is but the tip of the iceberg. No species is exempt, and if the syndicates controlling the trade perceive that a certain species has value and can be traded, they will stop at nothing to exploit it just to make a quick buck. Often, the smaller the species, the easier it is to smuggle, and many ingenious but cruel ways have been devised to beat controls at international borders. Reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects and succulent…

• QUAD AND DIRT BIKES R150 per route per vehicle • 4X4 ROUTES R200 per vehicle • KOENIESKRAAL 4X4 TRAIL ±25 km, and follows the 4x4 trail through the Karoo. • WINTER TREK ROUTE 4x2 friendly. ±30km on the farm Zoutrivier. • ZIP LINING R300 per person – call for booking. Open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Six safe, harnessed zip lines up to 90m high with speeds of up to 80km/h possible. Karoo Adventures Zip lines are some of the safest in the country, thanks to emergency brakes and expert instruction. • MOUNTAIN BIKING Phone for more info. Tackle the hilly gravel roads or test your climbing skills on the rough mountain trail.…

In the past five articles, we have discussed how automotive technology has changed forever. In recent years, the number of different motor oils available to consumers has multiplied exponentially, in order to keep up with the lubrication requirements of all the different vehicle manufacturers. Oil specifications can also vary; not only from one car manufacturer to another, but also by the year, make, model and engine of the vehicle. And, no matter whether we are referring to engine oils, manual and automatic transmission oils, differential and transfer case lubricants, power steering fluids, coolants or brake fluids, the technology has changed. Many of these changes will be of little concern to most owners of motor vehicles, who will simply deal with the results of having trusted a private workshop, or the…

CAMPMOR SLEEP EASY 3-DIVISION MATTRESS Size: 75cm x 195cm x 7cm Weight capacity: 150kg Pack weight: 3kg Covering Material: Ripstop canvas Foam: SABS Approved High Density foam Features: We’ll admit that this is a bit of an expensive option, but it is constructed out of high-density foam and it uses high-quality material to ensure its durability and longevity. Best suited for: A frequent camper who wants to invest in something that is comfortable and will last. Price: R865 Available: Outdoor Warehouse TENTCO 3-DIVISION FOLD-UP MATTRESS Size: 70cm x 195cm x 6cm Weight capacity: 150kg Pack weight: 3.24kg Covering material: 600D Heavy-duty waterproof oxford nylon Foam: 23 Density foam (medium density) Features: This is a great value-for-money option. It’s comfortable, and well-constructed. Best suited for: Regular, all-season campers. Price: R370 Available:…

ADELE PRETORIUS Adele drives amidst the clouds in her 2014 Toyota Fortuner 3.0L over Sani pass in May earlier this year. PATRICK NORMAN Putting the Super Select Gearbox on his Gen3 Pajero V6 to good use, Patrick climbed his Pajero up and down “Gert se Klip” at De Wildt 4x4. CLAUDE GERAL This image reminds us of something that might have appeared on a poster on our bedroom walls as a kid. On a recent trip to Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana, Claude took this iconic image of his 2011 Land Rover Defender, Limited Edition (RAW Edition), with Roofrack, RTT, Bash plate and snorkel (to name a few extras). DAVID VAN DER WESTHUIZEN David and his friends gave a whole new meaning to “Top Deck” when they drove their…

There’s no point in driving around with your roofrack/rooftop tent if you’re not on holiday. Save fuel (and wear & tear) by installing a Fredlin hoist. This proudly South African product solves the problem of where to store your roofrack/ rooftop tent, canopy, or even a sports car hardtop: up and out of the way! The Fredlin hoist fastens securely to your garage roof or carport, is easily installed and can be operated by one person. TO ENTER One Fredlin hoist will be given away every month to the lucky reader featured in Me & My 4x4. Simply send a photograph – 1 MB or larger – and the answers to the categories shown above, to editor@sa4x4.co.za. Vehicle and driver must be featured together in an off-road setting. (No driveway…

ROCKET LIVES ON (From the original owner, former ADE MD Ron Shires) Thank you for bringing a lump to my throat with your feature on “Ray’s Rocket” Land Rover 110 in the July edition. Ray has done an amazing job of keeping the ‘Rocket’ in such great condition and improving its mechanics. This vehicle, of which many, many people have fond memories, could not have gone to a better home. I’ve met Ray a couple of times over the years and have always been impressed by his enthusiasm and his engineering skills. The gearbox was always going to be a potential weak link - but, at the time of the conversion, the budget was severely limited. In fact, the project was financed by my forgoing a new Mercedes company vehicle…

The original idea was just to get a ‘first glimpse’ of Botswana. It was only the two of us in the Jimny; no ‘rescue’ vehicles, so we planned to go where the tourists go, and see what the tourists see - while trying to stay on main routes as far as possible. This was to be more of a road trip than an ‘overland’ experience. The rough plan was to drive north on the western side of Botswana, detour to Maun for an overnight Mokoro trip, then go north along the Okavango panhandle and into Namibia, to camp at Ngepi. From there, we would take the trans-Caprivi highway to Katima Mulilo, then back into Botswana to Kasane for a sunset boat cruise, and then possibly on to Victoria Falls before…

“Continue straight! Turn right onto Avenida 25 Setembro! Turn left now!” The Google GPS lady’s terse commands and staccato pronunciation of Maputo’s Portuguese street names had made us laugh at first. But, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to get to a restaurant on the city’s waterfront in the dark, I was becoming somewhat tense. The dead-end and boom-gated streets of the unfamiliar city rendered the increasingly irritating digital navigators’ commands useless. I was becoming ‘hangry’, and hunger-induced anger is seldom useful. Luckily, my co-pilot Claire then took navigating into her own hands. Soon cold beers were flowing and a feast of peri-peri frango (chicken) and batata frita (fries) rendered it ‘situation normal’. In the morning, weary (and now wary) of the city bustle, we loaded our Fortuner and inched slowly through…

Accompanied by a large group of Wildrunner and Richtersveld Tours’ support staff driving a diverse fleet of 4x4s, fifty determined trail runners trotted out of Sendelingsdrift and into the desert at the start of a challenging Richtersveld adventure: one that would see them average a marathon a day for five days. The new transfrontier route was designed to expose competitors to the very best the Richtersveld has to offer – on both sides of the border – with deep canyons, rocky ravines, boulder-strewn mountains and stony desert plains being the order of the day. Taking place under a scalding sun, the adventure proved tough-going not only for the trail runners, but also for some of the accompanying vehicles. Despite the trials and tribulations, it was hard to tell whether the…

When it comes to strong vehicles, nothing really compares to a Nissan Patrol; so, when one such brute gargled up into our driveway two years back, twin tanks full, I needed a place to test it properly. The obvious nearby 4x4 trails surrounding Cape Town came to mind, but a seemingly overlooked spot between Touwsrivier and Montagu cropped up on my mud hunt – Wagon Wheel 4x4, or Karoo Adventures, as it’s also known. Upon my arrival, the rain had turned to ice, sheeting down like gravel dumped from a plane and easily defeating the Patrol’s feeble wipers. A nervous warning from Danie Le Roux, who would be hosting us, said it all; unfortunately, Wagon Wheel 4x4 was out of the question for us. We , by clay soil and…

The trouble all began when I read the May 2015 issue of SA4X4, which contained an article about a Defender called ‘Boris’. Peter Middleton had Boris constructed in the UK for a cold trip he was planning to South America, for which he needed insulation, security, cab access, strength, easy rigging, water- and wind-proofing. I had been wanting to replace my (Howling Moon) Rooftop Tent and Annex for some time, but every new idea seemed not a lot better than what I already had… until I saw Boris. We had been at a bush camp called Witgat on the Nossob Eco Trail, where five lion had kept us in our vehicles for over two hours before we’d managed to sneak into our tents. The next morning, they were still there,…

“No. Not happening. Not a chance,” my mother replied, cutting my father off mid-sentence. He was proposing that we extend our usual two-night, weekend camping trip into a glorious five-night, six-day vacation. My mother was having none of his argument. “If you think I’m going to have you snoring in my ear on a deflated jumping castle disguised as a mattress for more than two nights, you are sorely mistaken.” Whether my mother’s objection was directed towards the sleeping equipment, or towards the snoring hulk that was to sleep snugly beside her, remained beyond the grasp of my six-year-old mind. Whichever bugged her more, the point still remained – a bad night’s sleep would ruin whatever fun a trip away had to offer. Choosing the best-suited mattress for your off-road…

In the era that offers even the humble toothbrush in automatic guises, it seems only appropriate for Ford to add the 2.2 TDCi Automatic range to its new Ranger line-up. The Auto models are available across all three body styles (Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab) and are offered in both 4x2 and 4x4 derivatives across three different specification levels: XL, mid-range XLS and high-spec XLT. The new 2.2 Duratorq TDCi Autos are fitted with the same six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission that is used on the 3.2 models, with identical ratios (1 – 4.171, 2 - 2.312, 3 - 1.521, 4 – 1.143, 5 – 0.867, 6 – 0.691, Reverse – 3.403, Final drive – 3.73). With 118kW of power and 385Nm of torque, the 2.2 Duratorq mill is…

COVA BEACH LODGE, Macaneta Email: info@cova.co.za Tel: + 27 82 576 4940 (South Africa) or + 258 82 602 3123 (Mozambique) www.cova.co.za COMPLEXO PALMEIRAS, Bilene Email: palmeira@virconn.com Tel: +258 282 59019 Cell: +258 82 304 3720 complexopalmeiras.blogspot.co.za SUNSET BEACH LODGE Email: info@sunsetbeachlodge.com www.sunsetbeachlodge.com NAARA ECO LODGE, Chidenguele Tel: +258 84 321 2209 Email: reservations@naaraecolodge.com www.naaraecolodge.com CASA OITO, Pomene Tel: 082 570 0933 Email: patevans@global.co.za POMENE LODGE Tel: 011 465 3427 E-Mail: reservations@pomenelodge.com JOLLY ROGER, Inharrime Tel: +258 84 702 2300 www.jollyrogermoz.com VILLA N’BANGA, Bilene Tel: 00258 84 611 7261 +258 82 382 1290 Email: info@villanbanga.co.za www.villanbanga.co.za EL PASO, Macaneta Email: elpasomoz@hotmail.com Tel: +258 84 483 3048 www.facebook.com/ElPASOMozambique…

Having finished the Great Central Road which took us from Perth to Uluru, we were ready to go to our next goal – the Oodnadatta Track in the northern parts of South Australia. We planned to go to King’s Gorge near Uluru for one night, but put it on the back burner because of the flooding and the rain and the fact that we’d stayed one night longer at Uluru. Still going east, on the tarmac of the Lasseter Highway, we went past the impressive Mount Conner, to Erudunda where we turned south on the Stuart Highway, connecting Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south of Australia. We crossed the border into South Australia and made camp at Marla behind – you guessed it – the roadhouse. This…

Clichés can come in various forms, but more often than not they stem from a modicum of truth. And in the context of the red Samurai here, dynamite does indeed come in small packages. Bought in 2013 as an el-cheapo project car, Hendri Mouton’s SJ413 ‘Zombie Response Vehicle’ quickly got out of hand, becoming an all-consuming passion for the young engineer in training. As with many projects, this one will likely never be completed. Call it a constant work in progress. I have known Hendri for a while now, and it’s clear that he’s a perfectionist – at least when it comes to his vehicles. And, instead of building his 4x4 the easy way, he’s stuck to the mantra that if you want something done right, you’ve got to do…

“A Fiat bakkie?” I hear you say. Well, yes and no. Manufactured on the same Taiwanese production line as the new , is the very essence of badge engineering, but with a twist. By using the previous-generation Triton 2.5l engine (as opposed to Mitsubishi’s new 2.4), and keeping the recipe fairly simple, Fiat is offering the Fullback at prices somewhere between those of equivalent Chinese offerings and mainstream products, yet using proven hardware from the trusted brand that is Mitsubishi. The Fullback is offered in three variants: a petrol 2WD single cab, a low-output diesel double cab, and what we have here - the top spec high-output diesel double cab. The Fullback will be distributed by the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) group together with Jeep and Chrysler products, and wears…

CHARL NIENABER Removed spare wheel and converted to a 60-litre reservoir with an external tap. Front Runner Cheetah roof rack with tyre-, gas- and jerry-can holders. Attached to the left side of the roof rack is a Bushwakka 180 degree Batwing with sides and floor, which serves as a sleeping and accommodation facility. The Weca Carrier, attached to the tow bar, is where all the tents and chairs are stored. Future modifications: None; it has all we need to camp anywhere, with or without electricity. Dream vehicle: The New Amarok V6, available only in September 2017 Most memorable trip: Namibia: Epupa Falls, Opuwo, Puro, Sesfontein, Swakopmund, Twyfelfontein, Messum Crater, Brandberg, Lüderitz, Aus, Ai-Ais, Norotshama Planned trips: Richtersveld, Caprivi Strip, Serengeti, Tanzania and Botswana I never leave home without: My…