Unbiased gear review thread. - 4WD Trip

20 May 2018

Glossy marketing and deceptive/fraudulent sellers can make gear choices very difficult, especially for those new to 4wding and those of us who don't have a massive budget to play with.

So I thought I'd start this as a general thread for everyone to post their own experience with gear they've bought. Good, bad or downright ugly, give us a detailed description of some of your kit. Anything from suspension to electrical to recovery to camping equipment.

I'll kick start this later today with a review of the 4wdsupacentre Thumper (Dumper) Max compressor.

Mick (mick_a_m)

20 May 2018

Keen to see the reviews from people truly put this gear through its paces!!!

Cheers

Mick

Neil (2005Hilux)

20 May 2018

Mick (mick_a_m) wrote:

Keen to see the reviews from people truly put this gear through its paces!!!

Cheers

Mick

Great idea! Looking forward to the reading & hopefully contributing to the reviews.

Neil

()

20 May 2018

Like the idea! What about a section in the forum, with a thread per review for easier navigation?

John Mcleod (Posijohn)

20 May 2018

Hi Winston. Good idea.

OK. I have a compressor from Supercheap that they had on special at 55% off. Great unit and will inflate 4 tyres from 20lbs to 40lbs without cutting out. I have also inflated 2 tyres from flat to 40lbs again without problems. Tyres are 750X16 with tubes on spilt rims. Only negative is that the compressor is heavy on the battery consequently the vehicle motor needs to run to keep battery charged.

I also have a full recovery set largely purchased from Ebay which worked out a lot cheaper than fom 4x4 shops and other outdoor places. Being a membber of another 4WD club we do a lot of recovery training and my gear has all passed the tests. Gear includes 1x10000 Tree Protector, 2x8000kg snatch straps, 3x4.25kg shackles, 2x10000kg snatch blocks, 2xDamper Blankets, 1x5000kg rear recovery hitch. Other gear purchased as thought necessary.

Posijohn

Andrew (Range Rover V8)

20 May 2018

Everything I have bought from 4wd Supercenter has worked as should. People can buy from anywhere and occassionally get something faulty but happy with all accessories from this store and the price is always good.

()

20 May 2018

Hi,

I am a bit worried about people posting their "review" of recovery straps / shackles. A basic "I bought brand X stratch strap at shop Y for some $ and its great" could litterally be fatal if someone buys it and it's not appropriate for their vehicle or situation.

For recovery (stnatch) straps, please always stick with approriate lab tests and consider what is right for your vehicle and situation.

For snatch blocks, don't only look at the KG number on it - many don't specifiy a standard, buy one that has WLL xyz KG - otherwise that number means nothing (WLL = working load limit). Another factor is what size/type of cable/rope you use. Your block needs to match your cable/rope, if not it can jam or damage the cable/rope.

Please think about the audience when posting about recovery gear, they don't know your vehicle, recover points, winch rope, etc ...

Thanks
Andre

Eric (Jnr66)

20 May 2018

John Mcleod (Posijohn) wrote:

Hi Winston. Good idea.

So what model, how much $ and how much use has it had?

Ray (Ray)

20 May 2018

Over the years I've done a lot of stories/reviews about 4WD products, mostly things that I've fitted to my Patrol, like an electronic throttle controller or Runva winch, and I've been slowly adding such things to my blog under the technology section in the site map. All of these are far too detailed to write about or copy to here unfortunately.

Isaac (BT50)

20 May 2018

I bought the ALDI air compressor, can't remember price but it hasn't let me down yet. I did change the screw fitting to a press fitting to make things quicker. Yeah it uses some power, but I leave the car running and complete the top ups in under five minutes.

Isaac (BT50)

20 May 2018

Suspension upgrade and vibrations.

Was pretty dissapointed by Iron Man after a lift kit was installed. Had a severe vibration at 60k/hr. They didn't understand the root cause of the issue, took the car to Pedders, they advised the pinion angles didn't match which likely caused the vibration. They wouldn't fix it unless they could undo everything from iron man and I bought all their products.

So after a couple visit back to Ironman, some leaf changes etc the issue still wasn't resolved. I ended up fixing it myself with a couple 3 degree wedges, pretty dissapointed I spent 5g all up (suspension, winch, snorkel etc) and they didn't understand the engineering concepts of the work they did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idk3BVDVHq4

Ray (Chook)

20 May 2018

I like this idea but I'm with @Andre, if there were a specific sub-forums for items e.g. winches, compressors, tyres, camping equipment et al and maybe a miscellaneous category.

This would make things much easier to find when researching your next purchase, getting first hand testing information is sometimes difficult given the number of different brands of the same item.

Cheers

Ray

Konrad (Koni)

20 May 2018

I have a few items from 4WD supercentre

The winch (7.2hp) I have had no problems & every bit as good as my Runva 10000 when I had it plus a lot cheaper to purchase.

The Thumper; I have the single version and it does a great job at bringing tyres back up to tarmac requirements.

John Mcleod (Posijohn)

20 May 2018

() wrote:

Hi,

Hi Andre,

Many thanks for your comments to my post and appreciated. I do agree with you regarding markings and ratings. All of my recovery gear is rated as WLL. This comes from experience within the transport indusry and also having to do many slinging operations as with heavy lifting.

My winch is fitted with a 10mm Dyname rope and my Snatch Blocks have a 13mm pulley each. Both rope and pulleys have been used many times with no issues.

One point I feel needs attention is that after each trip where the winch is used and dirt is around the rope, I always remove the rope from the winch, drop the rope into a laundry trough to soften the dirt then hang the rope over the clothes line and blast the rope with the garden hose. I leave the rope to drip dry then replace onto the winch drum while still slightly damp. The reason to me is that any moisture will help the rope settle onto the drum more evenly as I always have some tension on the rope while winch winding.

Steel Cable is an issue best left with the users.

My vehicle is a 2002 Troopy full time loaded with outback travel requirements so it travels heavy. I mentioned earlier that I run 750x16 split rims and tyres. Never had a problem either in the Bush or Beach, provided pressures are adjusted to suit.

Sincerely, Posijohn

Paul (Sir_luxalot)

20 May 2018

Isaac (BT50) wrote:

Suspension upgrade and vibrations.

Was pretty dissapointed by Iron Man after a lift kit was installed. Had a severe vibration at 60k/hr. They didn't understand the root cause of the issue, took the car to Pedders......

I had the same problem with a lift kit and suspension upgrade, I got mine done at a workshop who stock Ironman. I suggested the wedges and after a few visits and them not being able to sort it out they put them in and what do you know the vibration disappears.