Newbie questions - 4WD Trip | Your 4WD Trip Companion

23 Aug 2016

Gray jas a uhf is a basic given it makes life a lot easier in the bush Plenty of tracks close to Melb around Bacchus marsh king lake tools hi to Merrimack in the south east

cheers simon

Excellent - thanks Simon!

I'm not too familiar with the surrounding areas as are relatively new to Melbourne, so hopefully I can tag along with a group some time.

Cheers

Jas

Simon (Noturaveragegu)

23 Aug 2016

Ps there are trips all the time just keep looking on here

cheers again

Simon

Jas (Navara_STX)

23 Aug 2016

Simon (Noturaveragegu) wrote:

Ps there are trips all the time just keep looking on here

cheers again

Simon

Will do.

Thanks again mate

Don (Maddon)

23 Aug 2016

hi mate / i got a d22 which is stock except for a one tonne back end and we did some great tracks earlier this year down there / ingeegoodbee - blue rag and billy goats / great fun / i wouldnt use the factory pull points though - AT tyres would be a must minimum - the supercentre has got some well priced recovery gear but dont know the quality and the compressors they have are good too / i got a $59 uhf from aldi and it works a treat although my quality gme antenna has been broken off twice from the road vibrations / so much stuff - a snorkel - extend the breathers - sump guard - blah blah

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24 Aug 2016

Hi Jas ,

Welcome to 4wdtrip -Wow many have replied and it's good to see new members say hello and introduce themselves.

Even though there are seasonal closures , there are still some/many tracks that remain open and at this time of year may become slippery on some parts of the tracks.

You will have a great time here and don't be shy to ask for advice as everyone here are a friendly bunch :)

oh and about UHF radios , GME TX4500WS - it has the normal microphone & a Bluetooth push button on the steering wheel to talk microphone - some online stores have them priced really well - up to $100 cheaper than in store.. They are a top end model but the safety of a button press and having your hands free to drive is a great idea.

On the other scale I bought some extra handheld UHF for $29 for a pair and they seem to work good - at the moment my nieces have taken them and think it's great fun (they have limited range but ok within up to 2klm dependent on terrain).

Hope to see you on a 4wdtrip soon .

Leanne (Highflyer78)

24 Aug 2016

Hi Jas,

i am based in Cairns so not really aware of tracks around Melbourne. From our experience up here a 2 way radio is important with a range of at least 5 km, when travelling in a group you kick up a lot of dust. We have lost our travel partner a couple times as we did not know the road and they did, slowed down due to dust then lost them at a turn and No phone signal

it is a must! Get a radio!

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24 Aug 2016

Don't go and buy a heap of stuff till you decide it's something you really want to get involved in.

If you go on a easy med trip, just ask someone if you can borrow a handheld.

I got one of these recently, these fellas are a lot cheaper than most http://www.gadgetcity.com.au/uniden-uh5060-uhf-radio+-axis-ch5t-5db--antenna-pack-black-whip-p-2021.html?cPath=92_36_113

You will need all terrain tyres, road tyres don't have strong enough sidewalls and are not designed to be used at low pressures (which is what's needed for better grip)

That ebay link to the front recovery points is the right type to get, you could always pop into a local 4wd shop and get them to supply and fit them as well.

The rear one is simply a hitch which slots into the square receptacle of the tow bar.

Recovery kits can get pricey, my arb full kit was $400, but that has winching stuff in it that you won't need.

Snatch straps get put under massive loads, it's the one thing that people should not go cheap on, an arb one will be a bit dearer but the quality is better. But plenty of people get by the the 4wd supercentre ones, it's going to depend on how much load you put on it when bogged, when you are starting out you are probably not going to get in a bad one anyway.

Have a look here http://www.unsealed4x4.com.au/snatch-strap-comparison/

What area are you in mate?

Thurstain (Tcm9669)

24 Aug 2016

Jas (Navara_STX) wrote:

Hi Thurstain

Thanks for your welcome and reply mate.

-When you say snatch straps - do I get these from the likes of Super Cheap Auto or online (eg: ebay)?

-I dont have a winch. Will I need to buy those '......

Hi Jas,

I personally bought a whole recovery kit off ebay from autoplus, never used it yet but quality looks solid. You can buy cheaper ones like https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/hercules-recovery-kit-10022.html, I read good stuff online about this stuff but can't vouch for it. However if you look on ebay you might find smaller and cheaper recovery kits. Since you don't have a winch you don't need stuff like the snatch block. Personally I think your recovery kit should have at least

- 2x 4.75 tonne bow shackles

- 8 tonne snatch strap

- Dampener

- Treetrunk protector or equaliser strap might come in handy to recover off both recovery points and save your chassis :) but to do this you will need more shackles. I recently bought 4 shackles off ebay for $40 delivered. Was a great bargain for 4.75T shackles.

As for recovery points there are 2 different ones. Front and rear recovery points. Without a winch definately I would suggest you get those L shaped plates for the front, they should bolt straigh onto your chassis. The stock "tow points" are not "recovery points" whilst some people use them, I personally wouldn't.

As for rear recovery points, in case you need to be pulled back, hopefully you have a tow bar. If you do I'd suggest you get a tow hitch recovery point. This replaces your tow ball and can be used for someone to snatch you out. Something like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/121818664325 - NEVER use your tow ball for a recovery... look on youtube great damage can be done.

Another thing you might need to join trips, is a compressor and a tyre deflator. This allows you to deflate your tyres for more grip once you go offroad and pump them up when you are back on the bitumen, however, some people just drive to the nearest servo to pump up tyres but I find it that for about $85 it's a great piece of equipment and saves my tyres. Definately you will need something to deflate your tyres with though and measure the pressure of the tyre.

Aside from all the above I would reccomend you get good tyres, road tyres won't get you anywhere offroad especially with mud. Definately need minimum all terrains (agressive ones) or mud tyres.

It's a lot of stuff I know, but welcome to offroading haha. People that aren't prepared to go offroad and just do it without proper gear do massive damage to their 4x4. However buy the essentials first and like Mark said, don't go spending too much $$$$ without being sure your into this stuff.. however, if you like camping and outdoors.. this is the best form of exploring. I am completely hooked and been upgrading my truck and buying new gear bit by bit and loving it.

Aside from that, I hope to see you on the tracks! When tracks reopen again there will be loads more trips! Although there are some really good trips on at the moment (border track, big desert etc...) but most of them are full.

Sam (Cas_Triton)

24 Aug 2016

Andrew (my truck) wrote:

Hey bud I v got a 5 watt 2 way in my truck but I also carry a couple of hand held 2ways for other people who don't have a 2way in there truck. There cheap and they work well or u could buy a small 2wat between & 220 to $ 450 there's......

Same here

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24 Aug 2016

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Andrew (whipit)

24 Aug 2016

Hi Jas, good to see another Navara !! get some rated recovery points front and rear, a recovery off the factory tow point could go pear shaped even result in serious injury or death up grade tyres to a decent set of all terrain the good year wranglers don't have a strong enough side wall for 4x4.. I have Bridgestone dueler At's and can't fault them as for recovery gear like some others mentioned stay away from the cheap and nasty stuff..

Andrew.

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24 Aug 2016

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24 Aug 2016

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Yeah, frigg yeah, I must admit I'm not a fan of super centre stuff, but those are indestructible. 2 of them have the output of a 2.5 hp 240v unit.

I'm setting up two in my rig to fill a tank to run a compressed air dust gun for my work. Much handier than getting power to every job site, NB I only need it for 5 min use, running nailguns all day wouldn't be practicle.

Allan (allanmac)

24 Aug 2016

Jas, you have received some great suggestions/advice from forum members and do yourself a favour and look back through the many trips that have been done to get an idea of the great areas we have available for us Victorians to go 4wding. Without writing a novel, I'll be perfectly blunt in saying that be prepared to spend some $$$$ to set yourself up with the 'basics' before you join any trips. You can get 'information overload' on what is good and what is crap, but there are many cheapish items that will do the job, In saying that there are a few items where it is best to spend the extra money on items that are 'proven and tested. Anyway, below is a short list of 'must haves'.

1. Basic Recovery gear. (snatch strap, shackles etc as a minimum)

By good quality snatchstrap from reputable 4x4 shop. Doent take the chance going cheap on a snatchstrap.

2. UHF Radio

Pick up some cheap handhelds to start with. Can decide later on if you want a incar unit, but imo every 4wder must hae a uhf to communicate with the group.

3. Rated Recovery Points.

Again, a 'must have' and many available for your vehicle.

4. A/T tyres.

You will find few if any trips on the forum will cater for a vehicle with normal road tyres. There are cheap ones around, but if possible stick with the well known brands if possible.

I could add alot more, such as compressor etc, but the above will be the absolute minimum you will need to get started. If you really get into 4wding, you will find the 'money tree' in your backyard will be bare in a very short time, just ask some of the members here.....

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24 Aug 2016

Allan (allanmac) wrote:

What tree? I cut down all the trees with my budget conscious Mitre10 Rockwell chain saw for testing :) btw the chainsaw is cheap but performs well once it's started , used regularly and maintained properly.

just to let you know - I got heaps of things from that 4wd magazine who often bundle 4wd products and camping gear with a subscription . So far their products do stand up to their claims .