protection

[SIMON64]

hi all is it worth fitting stearing guards diff guards sump guards and tank guards for normal off roading and green laning if so which and in what order of importance (as funds allow)

kind regards Simon

[DC_]

Hi Simon, I've got a rangey and the first protection i put on it was a front diff guard, Do you have a lift on your car or bigger tyres to lift it?

I used mine first time off road on AT tyres and got stuck in any deep ish ruts.

Next to go on was lifted springs, then mud tyres, then steering guard, only just fitted after i done 2 days in cannock chase offrodaing with no probs, So it's not a major thing to have done, if you have the clearance to avoid most hazards then you should be ok unless you want to go daft when off road.

[DC_]

P.S make sure you fit recovery points as when i was getting towed out i bent all my front bumper due to having to wrap the strope round the chassis....................DOH !!

[DrRob]

As a bare minimum for green laning and play days I would suggest:

Decent tyres e.g. remould Mud terrains £44each

Wading plugs x 2 - pennies. Stops water getting into places it shouldn't

Axle/gearbox extended breather pipes - Mantec do a kit or make your own. Snorkel only needed for deeeep water

Steering guard with built in recovery points/hi lift jacking points - <£100 Paddock

Diff guards x2 £20 each or rock sliders are better (QT are the best) ~£70each

Recovery points essential front and back - jate rings £20 pair are good

Decent recovery ropes (nylon) and rated shackles

I have also added - tree sliders x2 £200pair Guardian; Scorpion tank guard £80; rear bumper with reovery point (Scorpion tubular) £££ , front bumper from Guardian on its way, fire extinguisher, hi lift jack.

Make sure insurance covers "off road"...tell them also of your mods

Can PM pictures if you want...?

Have fun!

[SIMON64]

Hi Simon, I've got a rangey and the first protection i put on it was a front diff guard, Do you have a lift on your car or bigger tyres to lift it?

I used mine first time off road on AT tyres and got stuck in any deep ish ruts.

Next to go on was lifted springs, then mud tyres, then steering guard, only just fitted after i done 2 days in cannock chase offrodaing with no probs, So it's not a major thing to have done, if you have the clearance to avoid most hazards then you should be ok unless you want to go daft when off road.

hi thanks for that, i have put 265/80 16 Colway MT tyres on her which has rasied it a bit i do not have a lift kit on at mo it does have di-carbon shocks on to put a lift kit on would i need to change those as well

regards Simon

[DC_]

have you tested it yet off road? those tyres may rub

[SIMON64]

have you tested it yet off road? those tyres may rub

hi DC i have been off road a couple of times since fitting them i did have to get the stearing stop bar ajusted to stop them rubbing so lost a little stearing lock but thought it was worth the last as i got the part worn tyres free when i brought the car

[Bowie69]

Do those tyres rub? If not then you aren't trying hard enough!

A 2" lift would normally require you to change springs and shocks, though there are places that make up spring spacers meaning you don't have to change anything! I am not a fan of these, but if you are on a REAL budget then they can work for clearance purposes. Next option is to get the Police spec springs, there's a couple of people on here that have used them successfully to lift their Rangie around 2", have a search and I am sure you will find it.

You really should think about relocating your steering damper as well, they are just too vulnerable behind the axle, much safer on the drag link, hidden behind a steering guard.

[SIMON64]

what is invovled in putting a lift kit on would i need to replace the di-carbon shocks and is is expensive

[David Sparkes]

Don't want to get between you and the joys of spending money, but it really does depend on what 'green laning' you are intending to do.

By definition, a 'green lane' is a public highway, to which all the normal Road Traffic acts apply, including speed limits, insured vehicles only, valid MOT, etc etc. Thus you do NOT need to specify any special requirements to your insurance company, although you may find that any recovery insurance you have will not be effective if you are on a non-tarmac road.

Off-Roading is something else entirely, and as you will be off the public highway then the rules of the site apply. Some require valid vehicle insurance, licensed drivers, etc etc, just as a public highway, others have more relaxed rules. These 'relaxed rules' may be no problem to you, in a fully road legal vehicle, but could indicate that on such a site you might meet a member of the looney brigade (with no insurance remember).

Assuming you are starting with a standard vehicle (Classic or 38A?) your first requirement is somewhere to attach a tow rope, front and rear. If you are on standard tyres and suspension you are unlikely to get a big stuck, so recovery will be fairly easy, so armour plate is not neccessary, although the local chassis work will have to be sound. Look to learn how to drive on un-tarmaced roads with some mechanical sympathy, rather than attempt to bash the ground level.

We take 'un-armoured' vehicles down Stanage Edge, so you don't need to fit a thousand pounds worth of kit before leaving your home. Take it steady, observe and learn as you go, and you will soon answer your own question.

Do us a favour and update your Forum profile with your location, then you may get useful information that is relative to your area.

Cheers

[SIMON64]

sorry asking a questions after you have already answered them. what are rock sliders and those air beathers

some usefull info thanks guys

regards simon

[DC_]

Those size of tyres should rub on the rear arches at least. I had to adjust my steerings stops also on my 265/75/16 as they were rubbing on the radius arms but thats any easy job to do.

Depends on where you get your kit from if you can afford one. I was lucky enough to have a very kind chap up my way who gave me scorpion racing heavy duty 2" springs and also was good enough to fit them for me. I then could get the bigger tyres on which makes a huge difference. I can go just about anywhere and i only have standard shocks on at the moment. I will get Shocks to give me more articulation when i get more funds together.

If you can have fun offroading with what you have just now then enjoy it and then take it from there, you dont need to go crazy straight away. Some people just over do it

[SIMON64]

Those size of tyres should rub on the rear arches at least. I had to adjust my steerings stops also on my 265/75/16 as they were rubbing on the radius arms but thats any easy job to do.

Depends on where you get your kit from if you can afford one. I was lucky enough to have a very kind chap up my way who gave me scorpion racing heavy duty 2" springs and also was good enough to fit them for me. I then could get the bigger tyres on which makes a huge difference. I can go just about anywhere and i only have standard shocks on at the moment. I will get Shocks to give me more articulation when i get more funds together.

If you can have fun offroading with what you have just now then enjoy it and then take it from there, you dont need to go crazy straight away. Some people just over do it

THEY ARE NOT RUBBING TO MY KNOWLAGE DONT KNOW WHY THEY ARE NOT?

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET A TWIN ELECTRIC KENLOWE COMPLETE FAN KIT (BRAND NEW) OF E-BAY LAST WEEK FOR £70 SO THAT IS MY NEXT JOB TO HAVE THEM FITTED THERE IS SO MUCH I WOULD LIKE TO DO TO IMPROVE THE CARS OFF ROAD ABILLITY ITS JUST HARD TO KNOW WHERE TO START AND WHAT I NEED TO DO AND IN WHAT ORDER TO DO IT

THANKS GUYS FOR YOUR HELP

REGARDS SIMON

[DrRob]

sorry asking a questions after you have already answered them. what are rock sliders and those air beathers

some usefull info thanks guys

regards simon

Simon

Rock/tree sliders protect the sills and door bottoms and are really only needed for severe off roading. As David Sparkes points out most lanes are "flattish" and you shouldn't need all the kit...

I've added a bit of protection as I do play days and want to protect the vehicle as much as "bolt on" will allow.

Rob

[Orange]

In terms of recovery points for the front - buy a steering guard with integral recovery eyes. It kills two birds with one stone.

For the rear, a pair of JATE rings will be more than adequate for the type of stuff you are talking about doing. They are a one piece U shaped bar (forged) that mount through the stabiliser points for the tow bar at the rear of the chassis (lowest part of the main chassis rails behind the axle). They don't cost a lot and are very effective. Avoid the welded ones like the plague!! If you run a search for JATE Rings on here, a load of info will come up.

Of course, we can't talk about bolting stuff on without mentioning that it all be fixed with suitable rated bolts.

I am sure there are loads of bits of information in the Tech Archive in relation to recovery. Have a read - it'll be well worth it.

[geoffbeaumont]

My Range Rover had JATE rings front and rear for recovery points. They always did the job for laning, though I think I'd want something more robust if I was likely to get properly stuck at an off road site. On the Discovery I've fitted a heavy duty bumper with decent swivel eyes mainly for this reason.

I started laning without any underbody protection, but even being careful it isn't that hard to thump the front diff on a rock or tree stump (rear is harder and you're less likely to have much momentum when you do it). Cheapo diff guards can have a tendency to fall off when you hit them, but by that time they've done their job so it's just a nuisance having to stop and put them back on - if that's all you can afford I'd still get one. I have a full Southdown axle guard on the front, which is pretty much the last word in protecting the front diff/steering, but at the expense of making it significantly easier to get stuck in deep mud. Depends on your priorities - I put keeping the truck in one piece over keeping moving. They aren't cheap, either, though not bad value for what they are. I've never run a steering guard and it's never caused me a problem.

I'd fit decent recovery points first (at least JATE rings front, and rear if no tow bar is fitted).

Then front diff guard.

Then rear diff guard.

Of which only the first is essential.

By this point you'll probably have driven your truck enough and seen enough other vehicles in action to have a clearer idea what suits your needs

[bishbosh]

I would agree with Geoff's order of equipment with the exception that between front and rear diff guards I would insert track rod protection / replacement.

If you are laning you need to get home again. With both front wheels pointing in diffeent directions that is pretty difficult. The track rod is also very weedy and with the steering damper attached to it is a big target for rocks and stumps to leap up at.

[DC_]

and also a lot to do with it is driver skill !!!

[geoffbeaumont]

I would agree with Geoff's order of equipment with the exception that between front and rear diff guards I would insert track rod protection / replacement.

If you are laning you need to get home again. With both front wheels pointing in diffeent directions that is pretty difficult. The track rod is also very weedy and with the steering damper attached to it is a big target for rocks and stumps to leap up at.

Fair point - the full axle guard I have does this job as well, so I didn't really think about that.

and also a lot to do with it is driver skill !!!

Which, by definition, you don't have as much of when you're starting out

It also depends on what you're going to do with the car - a good driver is probably not going to disable their truck when laning (but mistakes happen, and even the best get caught out occasionaly - most off us don't fall into that category anyway). If you're going to off road centres you may well be quite intentionally testing both your and the trucks limits, and then, sooner or later you are going to cock up. You're also likely to be doing things like driving through deep mud where you could hit unseen obstacles with the rather vulnerable diff - if you're laning you obviously won't be driving anything that's in that condition (I hope...).

[muddy]

track rob and front diffgaurd would be my first two, if you can get hold of some gas pipe you can sleeve it over your trackrod, cheap and effective.

Will.

[bishbosh]

Not on a RR you can't - steering damper would get in the way........

[FridgeFreezer]

Decent tyres e.g. remould Mud terrains £44each

Or, if you do road miles BFG MT's do everything and last for 50k.

Wading plugs x 2 - pennies. Stops water getting into places it shouldn't

Yes, yes, and yes.

Axle/gearbox extended breather pipes - Mantec do a kit or make your own. Snorkel only needed for deeeep water

Again - yes. Parts are about £15 for the whole vehicle from a hydro/pneumatic supply shop, have a search it's been covered before.

Steering guard with built in recovery points/hi lift jacking points - <£100 Paddock

Don't agree with that being a "bare minimum" or even particularly useful for green laning, if a lane is that severe you shouldn't be on it.

Diff guards x2 £20 each or rock sliders are better (QT are the best) ~£70each

Personally I don't see a great need for diff guards - look where you're going and drive round things seems to work fairly well. If you want insurance, do what Geoff said - a cheapo front one should suffice, the rear will only be following the front so if the front went through OK the rear will survive.

Recovery points essential front and back - jate rings £20 pair are good

Yep - a solid tow point on the back should be OK for laning, JATE rings on the front or all round.

Decent recovery ropes (nylon) and rated shackles

Yep - don't buy a kinetic (you shouldn't need one and they can be dangerous if not used with extreme care) and don't use webbing strops for recovery.

I have also added - tree sliders x2 £200pair Guardian; Scorpion tank guard £80; rear bumper with reovery point (Scorpion tubular) £££ , front bumper from Guardian on its way, fire extinguisher, hi lift jack.

Tree sliders are non-essential

Tank guard is handy if you've removed the tow pack

Rear bumper is non-essential but those that protect the rear corners are good if you're bothered / likely to clout them

Front bumper is non-essential although a stock bull-bar can help protect lights from the scenery

Fire extinguisher is a very very very good idea - I keep two in the truck, you want a decent size not the piddly lemonade-bottle sized ones you get from Halfords.

Hi-Lift jack is also a good idea, I hate them (they are rather unstable) but they are incredibly handy and can be used to get yourself out of almost anything with a bit of time & elbow grease.

Make sure insurance covers "off road"...tell them also of your mods

Tell them your mods but green lanes are public roads so you're not off-road.

[SIMON64]

thanks guys this is valueble info

i have seen landys with wire running from the bonnet to the roof on each side what is that for

regards simon

[bishbosh]

They are called brush wires for guiding overhanging branches away from your windscreen.

Not really necessary in my opinion, more for the "Camel Trophy" look.

[FridgeFreezer]

thanks guys this is valueble info

i have seen landys with wire running from the bonnet to the roof on each side what is that for

regards simon

Bush/brush wires, they deflect low-hanging scenery from hitting your screen/snorkel. You can DIY them with wire & fittings from B&Q or the local chandlers, although adding the word "marine" and "stainless" to anything seems to multiply the price by about 5-10x