Nonimouse

The fine stuff is called Feche Feche. It's weird. Very little sand isn't polished, as even quarried sand is old sea bed. We used to have a sand and gravel quarry here in the village - it was used to concrete the runways on the WW2 USAAF/RAF base down the road. The sand was gravel bearing and was good enough to simply mix with concrete (and oak wood chips) to make the hardest concrete I've yet come across. The size difference in the sand was <1mm to 40mm> at about 95%

Amen to that Brother Fridge

My Engine is 30 years old, as is the vehicle. It's 2.3tonnes at the roadside, including all the kit you have hung on and in yours, apart from the bash plate. Added to which I carry extra recovery stuff. My engine isn't tuned, bar a tweak on the pin and 300/200 hybrid injectors. I run 235/85x16 tyres. The engine has about 150k on it - although it was sent off to the factory in it's life to be rebuilt, as it's a Gold Seal lump, with Unipart Stamp It's not rocket, but it eats hills for breakfast and I could pull a sixth gear on the motorway. Putting a 1.44:1 box in it would reduce the cruising speed and drivability of the vehicle I would suggest a damn good service. Check the injectors, check the fuel pump fuel pin chamber isn't full of oil (yes this happens). The injectors are an 80K mile service item. Are you running synthetic oil? If you are change it and run mineral oil - but good stuff Have you adjusted the turbo? It comes on song at 1800rpm with peak torque at 2,200 rpm if standard. Below 1800 rpm you are just a Direct Injection Diesel, no T.

Size difference. Golf course bunkers are filled with AFS90 - 90% same size grains. Virtually never forms a crust, even in the rain 'Normal' beach sand is around 10 to 20% single size Bull dust or Fech Fech is almost 100% super fine, super small particles. Doesn't bond, even when wet Building sand needs to be 2-10% single size, without any salt in it - Sand near your gaff is a much higher level of single size particles

True. I did apologise

I'm up for that... or join up for a while, then separate Rough Route is Chunnel or cheap ferry to Calais, Soissons (Vauxbuin French Military Cemetery, Arjan's gaff in the Auvergne, Bordeaux area, Lourdes(ish), Montpellier, Avignon, Castallane via the Verdun Gorge, Gap Orcieres to remember the Croisierre Blanche, then some other stuff I'd like to go to Chateau De Montfort - because I remember it from age 7. I would also like to fit in Chartres and Chateau Gaillard

It's a great film, but the subtitled one is the best....

I' already getting excited

I'd be tempted to look at other options. If you spin out on sand, that's it, unless you have big BHP and high rpms I would suggest airing down low - say 12psi, front and rear. And taking a long hard look at tyres. Avoid Mud terrains like the plague There are countless different types of sand - all with differing traction characteristics. Two beaches in the same bay can be different

Thank you

After my life changing event earlier this year, I have realised I can no longer wait, to go back to travelling, until I retire, . I had hoped to got to back to Morocco next year, as I have a base to use in Rabat, that comes with garage and mechanics, and some amazing routes into areas well off the tourist routes. Sadly, it's going to have to wait until 2025. As such, I had planned a France/Spain/Portugal route. This is the best part of 6 thousand miles, meaning it will also have to go on the back boiler. Instead I am going to France. I need to visit a grave near Soissons (well a number of graves, but one in particular), as well as visiting Arjan. I have three+ weeks to spend out there, and as such, I am making a list of all the places I want to visit and haven't, along with all the places I promised myself I would go back to (like the Camargue national park near Montpellier) My intention is to take the Discovery (simply because I can) and to camp/B&B. Travel will be limited to a max of 150miles a day, avoiding the toll roads as much as is sensible and as much off tarmac as is possible. At most I will have one passenger (my lady friend) and we will travel light... Taking a thirty year old vehicle, even a well maintained one, is a potential risk. Especially looking at 2.5K miles. So a number of those 'little' jobs I have been putting off will need doing, as well as a very comprehensive service I need another 24 spline four pinion diff, and new half shafts. I won't bother with HD stuff. No point. I'll pull the CV's and take a looksee. I've just re-flanged the T box, so that's done. I could do with fitting an extended T box sump, as I do want to pop over to Spain and back on the pilgrims route, and I'll be driving to Spain in August anyway... Might have a looksee in the bell housing with a borescope, see how the clutch is doing... I've also got this idea to make a swing away spare wheel carrier with a Boullivant Engineering swing away carrier Lots to do

I have a swag, an Orbis, and a stretcher camp bed. I put it under a large basher (3.5x4m) with poles, or a ridgeline. I've also got an old wind break (pretty heavy duty) that I use for added privacy, if needed. I do a lot of wild camping and it's a great short term set up. Anymore than a few days and I move up to my 3m bell tent

Thank you Mike

A friend is just about to sell what is believed to be the only Volvo BM600 in the UK. He's not after stupid money either. It runs beautifully and is particularly nice to work Alternatively I know of a working Allis Chalmers Model B up for grab

23 years ago, I joined a forum (that I still admin) called Off Roaders Rant Page. I was writing for a couple of magazines at the time, neither of whom wanted to be associated with ORRP, as it was known. So I chose the name Nonimouse as a play on Anonymous On here I have been David Lovejoy (kicked off by the management), Honiton Hobbit{because I lived near honiton and have hairy toes} (forgot my password) and now Nonimouse

Forgot to say, ignore the bit that says they don't sell into the UK. They do!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004070172239.html Try this - it should cover all the Alpicool covers

Thank you all for the kind words. Daisy is on the mend. I can't praise the NHS highly enough for their mental health support for her. In fact I can't praise the NHS enough for saving my life. One of the positives with being in ICU and plugged up to lots of machines is the fantastic weight loss. I was able to lose over a quarter of my body weight in a few short weeks (helped by the truly appalling hospital food). I shall be writing a diet book, called 'Die or Diet' Joking aside, Sepsis is a killer. It's not just cuts, grazes and such. I picked up a Strep A infection in my throat, which turned into an abscess, which I, being a man of a certain age, completely ignored, thinking it was just a swollen gland. This abscess tore open whilst I was coughing, flooding my body and my lungs with Strep A. My kidneys shut down and my lungs were on the way. This literally happened in the time it took my (ex)wife to go home form the hospital and back, with an overnight bag. She arrived to find me fully plumbed in, in an induced coma and a bloody great big wound across the rhs of the my throat. Even my registrar thought I wasn't going to make it. Since then I have been diagnosed with PTSD (when you are unconscious with a big old infection, you are locked into nightmares that you can't wake from), which is a battle I still have to fight. One of the highlights of my hospital recuperation was a visit by Charles Bishop and Matt Neale. I was having a bad day. Seeing these two was a huge help. If you feel carp and show any of the symptoms of Sepsis, get down to A&E....

Those nice chaps in Chinashire are now selling a decent insulated cover for the CF range.

I'm back... A few of you know, but most don't, I was hospitalised at the end of April, with Sepsis. ICU unconcious for most of May, then some time in recovery ward. Been out since early Jun, recuperating at my Mum's, until I was fit to return home. First day back at work today on a phased return. Good things: I'm not dead, a bonus I feel, I also lost a lot of weight. I also appear to have no major long term damage. I have a whole new appreciation of life Bad things: Damn but it take a long time to get back fit - and I still not there. My middle daughter was so traumatised by seeing me in ICU, that she took and overdose. She's okay now though.

Mike I've heard these boys are ok https://safari-engineering.co.uk/contact-safari-engineering never used them though Winching. Run Shell Rimula 15w40, it's awesome. Up the tickover a snadge to about 900-1000rpm - that will almost double the hot oil psi What RPM do you cruise at?

I shall never buy a new vehicle again. Although, in fact I haven't bought a new vehicle since 1989 and that was a Mk2 Golf GTI 8 Valve. The huge loss on every new purchase is ludicrous. What I shall be doing is leasing. When the vitara hits 100k (in 60k/three years) I'll be looking at a lease hybrid. Probably a Toyota or a Honda. Then every three years after that. My mileage rate is excellent and will more than cover fuel, lease and insurance. Obviously I will still have the Disco, I may pick up an MPI because they are huge fun, but obviously it will need a turbo. I may pick up a Dutton for reliability trialling, or an Austin 7. Petrol and Diesel won't be phased out in 2030, nor will the cost go through the roof. The world is ready for that, just as it's not quite ready for domestic hydrogen or electric. And I'm going to by an electric bike.

Not enough cars but no money

I firmly believe that if you rang John up he'd do a deal. He's fond of this old barge

Thank you