G'day guys, well, I've got ten four wheel drive tips that could potentially
Save your life. Let's see what they are
So, how do you make sure that your vehicle is prepared for your next off-road adventure?
Because the Outback can be a harsh environment that is punishing and unforgiving for vehicles and their drivers
So what would you equip your vehicle with to make sure that you returned home safe and sound and full of adventurous stories
So let's go through some of the basics in preparing your four wheel drive for the next off-road adventure
So number one is service your vehicle regularly now
It doesn't matter if you're going away for two days or two weeks
You need to make sure that your vehicle is in a sound mechanical condition before you head off
So have your vehicle serviced regularly?
by a qualified mechanic
And if you're heading away on a big trip into remote areas you want to make sure you have your four wheel drive
Serviced at least two weeks before you go that way it gives your mechanic plenty of time to fix any major problems
Just in case they've got to order some parts in
So number two is tyres now
There's no point heading away on a big trip in the Victorian High Country or so across the Simpson Desert on highway tyres
now a good set of all-terrain tyres or mud terrain tyres is
Absolutely essential and if you're not going to get a new set of tyres for the big trip
You want to make sure that your current set?
Still has plenty of tread left on them
And for some remote areas
you might consider taking two spare tyres and a punch of repair kit and
Even maybe a few tools like tyre levers and beed breakers just in case you do a repair on the side of the road
so number three is
bullbar now a bull bar is a vital piece of protective equipment for your four wheel drive an animal strike could result in expensive damage or
Potentially end your trip now a good strong
Professionally fitted bull bar is an absolute must for any vehicle. That's heading out of the CBD
Okay, so number four is fuel now
it's really important that you
Understand and know the fuel consumption of your full drive
Because it wouldn't be fun having a sit on the side of the road and wait for help to come along if you run out
Of fuel and if you're heading off-road your vehicles going to use a lot more
Why are you driving in four wheel drive and even more so if you're driving on the sand now?
I know that more Patrol gets around 830 Ks from a hundred and twenty litres
Which is what this has got from standard now that equates to around about fourteen liters per hundred say worst case
Scenario if my fuel range blew out to say 20 litres per 100 while I'm out four wheel driving
I still know. I've got around 600 Ks on that 120 litres that this comes with standard
so
Take at least 20 litres more than what you plan to use because I'd rather have more than what I need then have to go
Looking for it. I'd much rather come home with half a tank of fuel still in the tank then run out somewhere on my trip
You're carrying a lot of fuel can be difficult and probably the safest way of doing so is by having a long-range fuel tank
Fitted to your vehicle now while carrying diesel in jerrycans either on the back of your four wheel drive or inside
Finding somewhere safely to store petrol is difficult
It's illegal to carry petrol in
jerrycans
And have a mounted to the back of your four wheel drive because in the event of a rear-end collision
These could explode and as far as the dangerous fumes go. Well, you shouldn't really carry them inside your vehicle
So, where do you carry jerrycans?
Well, you can certainly carry them up on your roof rack
But then you've got to be also
careful about how much weight you do put up there because that will affect your vehicle center of gravity and how it handles on the
road, ok
so number 5 is packing your roof rack now packing your roof rack correctly is very
important to ensure that your vehicle handles safely while you're driving down the road and doesn't place any undue stress on your vehicle and
Make sure your roof rack and roof weight
Restrictions are not exceeded and that the load is spread evenly across the roof and tied down securely
So what do I mean by roof rack and roof carrying capacity? Well, there's two things you got to take into account here
I know this roof rack is engineered and designed
to carry
150 kilo and I also know that my Patrol with this gutter design here is
Also designed to carry a 150 kilo now
I've got to take the weight of the roof rack off that and the roof rack itself is 26 kilo
So that leaves me, I know i can carry up there
124 kilo, but that's at its max limit. So there's a couple of things to think about when you're loading up your roof
so number six is
Suspension now your suspension is going to get a severe workout when going offroad. So it's a great idea to get some aftermarket suspension
Shocks and suspension in good working order will have a huge effect
How your vehicle handles both on and off the road?
So ensure your suspension is adequate to carry the extra load of your gear and the terrain that you plan to drive
Number seven is driving lights
Now if you're planning to drive
Into the night or even in the early mornings a good set of driving lights is a valuable investment
And not only with a good set of driving lights allow you to see further and wider along the road
they'll also help to stop your eyes from getting tired and
squinting into the distance lit up by your standard high beams is
not good for your eyes or your safety now driving lights will allow you to see animals before it's maybe too late and
Also, you'll be able to see upcoming road and track conditions
Number eight is spare parts
Now a good range of spare parts should be carried to suit your vehicle
Particularly, if you're going into remote areas now depending on where you're going you're also may consider carrying spare shocks and springs
Particularly, if you're towing a camper trailer and if you're a bit unsure, we'll have a chat with your mechanic
He'll be able to give you some advice on what spares you should carry for your vehicle
But there's a range of spares that you could certainly take from a good quality toolbox
You know with all the spanners and sockets and that sort of thing that's going to fit your vehicle
but if you actually you might like to take a jumper leads and hoses and belts and wire and
Zip ties and duct tape and actually don't leave home without zip ties and duct tape because they fix everything
Okay. So number nine is secure the items that you've got in the back of your four wheel drive
Now this is where a cargo barrier comes in very handy because it's going to secure all the items. I've got in the back
of my four wheel drive here and stop them going forward
Into the passenger area in the case of heavy braking or even worse of rollover and the other good thing about having a cargo barrier
in the back of your four wheel drive
It gives you so many tie down options so you can secure your load in the back here
So it's not going to move
While you're driving and if you have to store any gear in the passenger area of your four wheel drive
And you've got some spare seats well take advantage of those empty seats and use those seat belts
To help secure any items that you need to carry in there?
Ok. So the last one in this list is number 10, and that's first aid gear and safety devices now
You would not leave home on any sort of a trip without at least a good quality first aid kit and know how to use
It it's a great idea to do a certified first-aid course where you will learn emergency first aid and procedures
Here's just a couple of first aid kits that I carry in my Patrol now
This one here is a fantastic kit lightweight and it's well designed for snakes and spider bites, you know
You can throw it in your backpack
If you're going out there hiking or you know
You could a couple strapped, you could certainly attach it to your belt doesn't take up a lot of room but a fantastic kit
Then I just got my bigger one up here
well
You know got all my bandages and all that sort of stuff tucked away in that one
And the last one that you would not leave home without and that's one of those sort of items here. And now that
PLB fair dinkum, you're crazy. If you haven't got one of these again, I've got a video
I'll chuck up there the difference we talked about the PLB and the EPIRBs but these are a fantastic keep again lightweight
Waterproof again attached it to your belt
Fair dinkum you want to get one of these if you go on any sort of remote sort of?
exploring get yourself a PLB and then you could also look at you know SAT phones and and
HF radios provide your license because the license is required to use a HF radio, but look they're guys
That's the list that I've put in 10
Safety items that could potentially save your life if you're going to start doing some remote travel, but that's only ten for starters
I'm sure there'll be a stack other items that we could put into this list
So throw them down in the comments down below and that way
Everyone can learn off my ten and then the others that you might want to add into the list
So until then guys, I look forward to seeing you out in the bush someday
You