love2learn Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 ive never been off road and to be honest my vehicle has had no extras that you would associate with an off roading vehicle its just a factory setting 110 county. today i went up a tiny forest track thats not off road by any stretch of the imagination. its covered in snow and when i got to the end i didnt fancy the drop in front of us so i decided to go back. ^but i thought use the lock in case you start to loose grip, so.... i engaged it and the little light came on. i put it in reverse and ????? no bite from the clutch why? i try to undo it and it wont go off??why then i try to use the low box and it went in reverse so i thought ha ha im fine but when i tried to go forward nothin again after a while i mustve done something right but what did i do wrong in the 1st place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 First of all, dont underestimate where a bog-standard Land Rover on "factory setting" will get you! As the "little lever" is used so little in comparison to the main gear lever, it wont engage gears as smoothly, and you may have to give it a bit of a push forward which may feel quite alarming at first, as the amount of pressure you are applying is a lot more than when changing gears normally. Try to use the little lever more often, just to keep things moving freely down there. When I first used my low range, I thought I had engaged the gear correctly (it felt like it had gone in properly) but in fact was still in neutral, and I was unable to move and had a moments panic. Whenever I engage Low Range now, I always push hard to make sure its in properly and after doing it a few times, you will begin to learn if its in right or not. If its not going to go in, I just dip the clutch & try again. Some people will tell you, and I even think its in the LR manual somewhere, that you cant change between Hi & Lo range whilst moving, but this is nonsense! It can be done, and as always you just need to know how & then practice. It can be a very useful technique in certain situations, but does require practice. I think with regard to your diff-lock scenario, you had fully engaged centre diff, but perhaps moved into neutral? Remember, when engaging diff-lock, it is just straight to the left in either Hi or Lo, and you can do it when moving or stationary; dont push slightly forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 to engage the diff lock just push it across to the left. you can do it on the move as long as all the wheels are rotating at approx the same speed. to engage Low, it is preferable to come to a stop to engage high you can do it on the move. Diff lock works in high and low. To engage Low, i suggest Come to a stop, engine running leave the main gearbox in gear foot brake applied clutch in. move the little lever forward, it should go through neutral (ie 2 slots/pauses, if its not used regularly it may not do this, or if the gear are out of synch. to check its in low, or help alignment, keeping one foot on the brake, slowly lift the clutch pedal a small amount, whilst simultaneously keeping fwd pressure on the low range lever, as the lever moves fwd into place, push the clutch back in. If its already in low (having gone straight through neutral) you will feel the vehicle try to move (front LHS of bonnet rise) as you lift the clutch slightly as above. Its now in low. Select the main gearbox for the condition ahead and off you go. to go to high, i would recommend coming to a stop (until you get the hang of it) and doing the same as above but pulling the lever backwards. Engaging Difflock (middle diff) - push the lever to the left in high or low, stationary or moving, the lift will come on to show you are in diff lock. the light shows difflock only not range selection (less the first few 07MY vehicles which have a separate low range light) Lastly don't under estimate what a LR in standard form can do. Such as this on: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 thats a mental picture its now my screensaver its good to know that i havent damaged anything and that its a more robust monster then i assumed. i only have the basic set up and i knew its the best out there but im not the best out there so thought id busted something. maybe a basic off roading course might be in order. thanx anyway its a help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardAllen Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I would really really recommend doing a half day off-road driving course with a qualified instructor in your own vehicle. I did a whole day with a BORDA instructor and learned what all the bits do, how to tackle most situations either safely or not at all, l and had massive fun as well. Finally, having shown me I could do a route I would earlier have thought impossible, he then showed me I still had a lot to learn, as I needed 7 attempts to get up an innocuous, but slippery slope that did not look hard at all and the instructor in his unmodified 90 did with ease. Thgis instruction gave me confidence in the vehicle and a reasonable amount of understanding of how not to get stuck. I am going back later in the spring for another whole day, this time including recovery techniques, for when I do get stuck, or a friend does. I did my course at Whitecliff in the Forest of Dean. I cannot recommend them highly enough. (No interest to declare other than a very satisfied customer) Reagrds Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 You could even Ask JST? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 have any of you seen this? and i wondered if any of these landys are basic set ups? i mean one of em is pretty old!! is any of these people a user of this forum? id love to try something like this and wanna get to know what i can expect to tackle without destroying my baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 find your nearest local Land Rover club, even in your part of europe there will be more than one. one here in your area http://dlrc.org/default.asp?l=16&b= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 ive spoken to this bloke a few times they meet the 1st wednesday of each month, they mett and drink coffees and talk but,,,,they are germans!! i dont know if they go green laning on any of their meets or even organize anything among themselves. i suppose theres only one way to find out eh western. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 have any of you seen this? and i wondered if any of these landys are basic set ups? i mean one of em is pretty old!! is any of these people a user of this forum? id love to try something like this and wanna get to know what i can expect to tackle without destroying my baby. All of those look standard, albeit with AT or MT tyres. Quite honestly a freelander would do most of that if you were careful about picking the lines. People are very quick to blame their tools and "upgrade" things when they should really just learn to use them better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 ive spoken to this bloke a few times they meet the 1st wednesday of each month, they mett and drink coffees and talk but,,,,they are germans!! i dont know if they go green laning on any of their meets or even organize anything among themselves. i suppose theres only one way to find out eh western. Yep, only one way to find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 this looked pretty severe to me but im a complete know-not. wheres this on a scale of 1 to 10 i mean if one was absolute novice with ordinary vehicle (by the way i like your reference to tools and workmanship and i agree too) really im not saying that i all of a sudden wanna climb kilamnjaro but my little scare earlier this evening and the cars response kinda wet my appetite a wee bit. im just dipping my feet in the water to see whats realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 have any of you seen this? and i wondered if any of these landys are basic set ups? i mean one of em is pretty old!! is any of these people a user of this forum? I know where some of them keep in touch with each other. The "old one" is a pretty standard Series 3 109. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I would say on average that video is about 4 or 5 out of 10. It can look fairly hair-raising when it gets a bit bumpy, but its not after a bit of practice choosing the right lines. Nothing in there that a standard Land Rover would not be able to tackle easily. Did you notice how the lead camera vehicle had no problem getting over that rock on the right of the track about 1:40 in, but when he got out to film, the 3rd vehicle (the one after the old LR) stalled and messed it up resulting in a bit of wheel spinning & bouncing back & forth at 3:00. I dare say if he had gone a foot to his right, he would have breezed over that obstacle. Also, dont let the fact that they were repairing a vehicle frighten you! He still had anti-roll bars fitted which are OK for road use, but kill axle articulation when off tarmac. He only bent his steering rod. For an example of "axle articulation" see the Defender at 7:47. The guy who films these videos is "Widget" on another LR forum & he has done quite a few, they are all good watching. As has been said, your best bet is to go out with someone in your own vehicle & learn what everything does, how & when to use it & how to "read" the terrain. If you know what you are doing, you would have to go pretty far to destroy a Land Rover! You will notice all sorts of clonks & strange sounds when your off-road, but dont worry, its just all the suspension parts working away - although it can be alarming at first. Pity your all the way in Germany, as I bet there would be a load of people here that would spend half a day out with you for the price of a beer and a Ginsters. I would! Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 well when im in england again and have a crate of good german lager to give away ill take you up on that assuming you available. bedfords up the road from shepherds bush so...yeah id like that. and thanx again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 People are very quick to blame their tools and "upgrade" things when they should really just learn to use them better. i couldnt agree more, there are far too many that assume you need lockers, insas, and lord knows what else just to get across a wet grassy field! a bit of forethought and knowledge will get you alot of places in a std vehicle. a bit of practice choosing the right lines. Nothing in there that a standard Land Rover would not be able to tackle easily. Well said, and too true. We have lots of examples, nornally on DRDs of tricked up vehicles struggling with sections that a std vehicle has just cleard or does clear easily afterwards. Its not so much which 'goodies' you have on the truck its more how to drive the ground in front of you considering all the options. If you do have the goodies thats great but you need to know when to use them. they can just get you further into trouble rather than out of it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tychoS Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 ive never been off road and to be honest my vehicle has had no extras that you would associate with an off roading vehicle its just a factory setting 110 county. today i went up a tiny forest track thats not off road by any stretch of the imagination. its covered in snow and when i got to the end i didnt fancy the drop in front of us so i decided to go back. ^but i thought use the lock in case you start to loose grip, so.... i engaged it and the little light came on. i put it in reverse and ????? no bite from the clutch why? i try to undo it and it wont go off??why then i try to use the low box and it went in reverse so i thought ha ha im fine but when i tried to go forward nothin again after a while i mustve done something right but what did i do wrong in the 1st place? Try holding the little gearlever in position for the first couple of meters driving after switching between low and high range. I've found in several Land Rovers that the reduction box would jump back into neutral if this was not done. Also keep in mind that the central lock will usually not engage or disengage at the moment you move the lever, but only after a couple meters driving. Therefore you have to think ahead and engage it shortly before it's needed. Make sure you do not drive with the central differential lock engaged while on hard firm ground. If there's no Land Rover club in or near Hamburg, then consider driving north and joining The Danish Land Rover Club we do offer beginners offroad driving courses for new members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 If you want a guide as to what a standard vehicle can do, type "Camel trophy" into YouTube. Those trucks have mud tyres, a snorkel and roll cage but apart from that they have nothing that improves their off road ability from the factory - in fact they're so heavily laden with other stuff they are probably less capable than a less kitted out truck. I don't suggest driving like they do though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2learn Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 yeah that says it all. they make ya proud dont they! thats as severe as youll ever see anyhwhere, and more then prooves your point. my next question would have to be what would be the best wheels as in tires for the average 110 lightly loaded ? i love the outdoors and know a fare bit about survival etc but using the vehicle in this kind of terrain is new to me and im gonna love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Mr Widget is a top guy = and a good driver to boot. Its a cracking lane that one too. One strange thing about the video's is that they always seem to visually flatten out the terrain? not sure why that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defender dinky Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 hi, found this post interesting, i to have never being off road as such, bit of shooting with the dog flat feilds, glad to learn about difflocks high and low ratio, seen the clips very impressed , i was 50 xmas,hooray, and my eldest bought me a day at silverstone 4x4 track yet to book it up next month i hope has anyone done this trek, and is there anywhere near the west midlands where i could possibly spectate at one of thee events, have a chat and get to know more about it perhaps get some advice on my truck from you guys cheer's defender dinky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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