0
0
So you own a single cab and your day to day transporting destinations are to the high rise office or the shops or any other destination besides the magical 4-wheeling experience you had in mind and the very reason you decided on a single or double cab. Well what happens when you do decide to go on that 4×4 experience with your single cab bakkie and realise the terrain and skills needed to be able to enjoy the 4-wheeling experience is a lot harder than initially expected. The learning curve can be a pricey one, especially when damaging your single cab to the point where its irreparable, or losing it over a steep cliff or having it washed away in a river crossing. 4-wheeling doesn’t have to be that expensive.
It isn’t about how big your vehicle is or how much torque your vehicle has, but it is ALL about finesse. Below are some tips and hints on finding and acquiring this so called finesse when it comes to off road madness.
1 – You need to be aware of your speed at all times. Some softer terrains like sand your speed needs to be moderate and flotation through mud and snow needs to be kept up, meaning, as fast as necessary. If your speed is moderate and flowing, you are able to react better in certain situations, for example moving rocks etc. Going slow helps when you have a ground clearance deficiency resulting in less hard knocks and bumps when driving over large rocks along the path.
2 – When you are in doubt with what lies ahead for you on the path, get out and walk up ahead to survey the path. Make sure you go through the obstacle checking to see what is beyond the obstacle too, making sure you have a run off area or space afterwards when going through the obstacle. Surveying the path ahead also gives you a better idea of the obstacle and where to place the tires. Once you have committed to the obstacle, follow it through.
3 – When going up or down hills, make sure you are going directly up and directly down. If you attempt these at a diagonal position, you can easily get the single or double cab to rollover.
4 – Reducing the tire pressure improves traction in all terrain conditions, especially sand. Remember that ground clearance has been compromised.
5 – When crossing over ditches or logs at an angle make sure that one wheel at a time goes over the obstacle; the other three help the one wheel to climb over.
Following these easy steps will improve your 4×4 experience and keep your single and double cab in good shape ready for you to get back on the road and return safely to your home.
