Not a big surprise, but there is very professional truck washing service offered by industrialized company. Almost unused and forgot by most of the population, truck washing service is not bad at all. Unlike car washing and go, truck washing service is much better, more careful, more patient, and more time consuming.

If you ever saw or even experienced one truck washing, you knew what I am talking about. Tacoma truck and fleet wash is fantastic! I have seen their carful presentation of what they did to a dirty truck. I just can’t believe my eyes. They don’t concede any dirt. I saw them making their best effort to remove a little stain on theexhaust . The finished touch makes your truck really sparkling shine. If it doesn’t say there is the same truck before and after, I won’t recognize it at all!

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Along some 4×4 routes, farming communities even offer facilities where you can stay overnight, for example the magnificent Hex River Valley 4×4 route in the Western Cape. A few of the older, gravelled passes, such as the Montagu Pass and the Swartberg Pass, both in the Western Cape, should not present too many problems except if it has rained and the roads are slippery. Use 4×4 mode without hesitation.

Off-roading in the mountains requires that you apply the same techniques used for driving on rocky ground. When faced with very steep terrain and hairpin bends, drive slowly, never be impatient and remain calm in difficult sections. Do not hesitate to use the lowest gear and diff lock. If your vehicle starts pendulating sideways, stop and wait for the swaying to subside, then continue slowly forward. However, if it is becoming dangerous, off-load your luggage from the roof carrier.

Passengers should remain inside the vehicle as this serves to stabilise it, but, if the vehicle angles too much to one side during a bad stretch, get some of the passengers to hang on to the high side of the vehicle. Drive dead slowly and see that you do not crush anybody against the side of the mountain! Off-road vehicles are notorious for their wide turning circles, which can be quite unnerving when you have to negotiate hairpin bends.

If you find yourself in such a situation, inch the vehicle forwards and backwards very slightly, as you may not have much space in which to manoeuvre. Remain calm and be patient — you will get around it.

As the road surface can be very slippery if snow has fallen, drive slowly in low range with the diff lock on, and deflate the tyres to the same pressure you would use for sand and mud driving. As is the case for mud, tyres with more aggressive (i.e., deeper) lugs are better suited for snow.

In snow, the vehicle will respond as it does in slippery mud, with the tail breaking away and the front wheels failing to respond to the direction of turning. If the vehicle starts to slide, turn the front wheels in the opposite direction to which the nose is moving; if they do not follow the turn, slow down immediately and stop, reverse two paces and then slowly accelerate. In very snowy conditions, it is advisable to have at least one set of snow chains around the back wheels. However, these are difficult to find on the Southern African market.

In sub-zero temperatures, special steps should be taken to ensure that the engine will start — especially diesel engines, as diesel fuel tends to become waxy in cold conditions. Gadgets are available from Europe for pre-heating the engine, but, if you do not have one of these, you could cover the bonnet with blankets and take turns to start the engine every hour to retain the heat, or you could drain the diesel into jerry cans and store these in a warmer place. Closely monitor your heat gauge and, if your engine remains cold, cover the front of the radiator with cardboard or anything that will lessen the flow of air. I have seen people removing the vehicle’sfan belt, but I do not advise doing this as you may unwittingly also remove the belt that drives the water pump. Fortunately, most 4×4s can handle extreme cold, provided that the thermostat is in good working order.

• The glass-fibre canopy: Colour- toned to match your vehicle, the glass-fibre canopy looks very smart, is light and cool, and prevents most dust from getting into your luggage. However, a glass-fibre canopy is not suitable for carrying items on a roof carrier as the brackets which fasten the canopy to the loading box are not made to support heavy weights.

Although there are various types of brackets available, none of them seem to be strong enough to support a roof carrier loaded with heavy items. On occasion, the canopy has become separated from the loading box because ferry cans and spare tyres were packed on top. If you do not pile a large mass on top of the canopy — a maximum of 50 kilograms, usually — you should not run into any problems.

However, if you still intend putting a roof carrier on top of a glass-fibre canopy, you will need to ensure that the canopy frame has been sufficiently strengthened. I recently installed a hefty roll bar inside the glass-fibre canopy of my Toyota Land Cruiser bakkie. To do this, I first had to drill holes through the canopy so that I could attach the roof carrier to the steel tubing of the roll bar. In effect, the roof carrier rests on the sturdy steel frame inside the canopy and not on the canopy itself.

Considering the price of such adjustments, it may be a better idea to buy a steel canopy, as these allow you to secure fuel and gas bottles, as well as other heavy items, on the roof carrier.

• Steel canopies: The disadvantage of buying a steel canopy is that inferior makes can be prone to rusting. Steel canopies are also considerably heavier than the glass-fibre type.

On the plus side, steel canopies are usually bolted down — unlike the clamp-on brackets that are used on glass-fibre canopies. Consequently, steel canopies seldom come loose.

• Both glass-fibre and steel canopies need to be fitted with air intakes or ports, which can be opened or closed at will, at the front and top of the canopy. These ports create a slight over-pressure within the loading box, which prevents dust from getting inside. They can be closed in rainy conditions.

• Canvas canopies: One other canopy that must be mentioned is the canvas-clad type. Sometimes, the canvas is stretched over a frame, and often the canopy has a steel roof with the sides and back enclosed by canvas. A canvas canopy is not ideal, though, especially in dusty conditions, and the use of canvas has really been eclipsed by the above-mentioned.

A few other points about the loading box:

Most bakkies have hard suspensions, so it is advisable to cover the floor of the loading box with polyurethane matting or PVC blocks to lessen the shock. PVC blocks also make wonderful mats for the shower or for the entrance to your tent.

It is also advisable to have brackets or eyelets installed in the loading box. You can attach a ratchet tie- down to the brackets in order to keep your load pinned to the floor and lessen breakages.

There is no doubt that both leaf and coil springs perform well. In the past, the leaf spring has been more reliable, and of a better quality, than the coil spring, but the latter has become equally reliable, with some manufacturers recently changing from leaf to coil springs. In station- wagons, for example, this change was probably implemented to enhance the comfort of the ride.

Both systems are good enough for the most arduous terrain, but you should be aware of the following:

• The coil spring gives a smoother, softer ride than the leaf spring. Coupled with free-moving or independent axles, coil springs allow for a long up-and-down movement which stabilises the vehicle under adverse conditions. The body is kept level, which makes for easier driving.
• The smoother and softer ride provided by coil springs also hides the hammering that is sustained by the suspension. A smoother ride could encourage faster driving on bad roads, increasing the likelihood of component or tyre damage. Leaf springs, on the other hand, force people to slow down, resulting in longer component life.
• Coil springs very seldom snap, whereas leaf springs are more prone to this. Much depends on the vehicle’s load and the type of terrain, but the fact remains that leaf springs tend to break more easily.
• Many 4×4 owners are unaware that the bushes on leaf springs will wear out with time. However, these days, you can buy nylon or PVC bushes which last much longer than rubber bushes.

Sometimes, due to the terrain and the load the vehicle has to carry, it becomes necessary to strengthen your vehicle’s suspension by adding another blade to the existing ones. This inevitably results in a bumpier ride, especially if you are carrying a smaller mass.

An alternative is to fit a special rubber ball between the axle and the chassis; the ball acts as an auxiliary blade and shock absorber. Before going on the trip, this ball can be pumped up according to the mass that the vehicle will be carrying. This works well, and enhances the stability of the vehicle. Before you implement this system, though, pay special attention to the housing into which the rubber ball fits. This component, I believe, was designed for vehicles travelling on normal graded and tar roads. Consequently, the ball tends to slip out of its housing when driving in serious 4×4 country. If the housing is strengthened by a professional, this system will definitely enhance the suspension of your vehicle.

Another recent innovation for leaf-sprung vehicles is a type of strong spring that sits between the bush housing and the axle. This simple attachment connects these two points and pulls up the front end of your leaf spring to give it more firmness. But, unlike the extra blade, this spring does not strengthen the system. This impression of strength could lead you to overload your vehicle, and

Cause the leaf spring to break much sooner when off-roading, with dire consequences for you and your companions. This gadget works well on good and moderate roads.

• A final tip on leaf springs: If one of the springs on your 4×4 ever breaks, nearby farms, towns or mines (if any) often have welding equipment that you can use to effect repairs. Do not weld the two broken ends together in a straight line across the break, as it could easily break again. First, cut out a diamond-shaped piece from another old spring — a little advance preparation really pays off in this situation — then grind out a diamond shape on your broken spring. Weld the diamond- shaped piece into place, and then cover the newly welded spring with sand for an hour to cool it.

If you are planning a very long trip, it is advisable to carry at least one spare leaf spring.

• Shock absorbers: A crucial part of your vehicle’s suspension system is its shock absorbers. These do not enhance the carrying capacity of your vehicle; they simply absorb the road shock from the wheels and pull the vehicle down when it jumps. In the process, shock absorbers eliminate the rapid up-and-down movement of the vehicle’s body, as well as its pitching and rolling movement. This contributes to better vehicle stability and a smoother ride.

There are three types of shock absorbers: oil-filled, gas-filled and an oil-gas combination. Whichever type you choose, it is important to obtain off-road shocks. Do not even consider using other types, such as those which can be inflated. Your best option is to use the ones that were supplied with the vehicle, as these have been strenuously tested under all kinds of conditions.

Although improved shock absorbers (especially gas-filled ones) are available on the market, they are expensive and I doubt whether they will give you better performance in the long run and so warrant the extra cost. Gas-filled shock absorbers do provide a softer ride, but this could encourage drivers to drive too fast on corrugated roads, with the result that the gas becomes superheated and the seals blow. You could argue that a softer ride promotes faster driving, but bear in mind that this could lead to component damage.

Finally, a few more points about shocks and springs:

• Have the shocks and springs thoroughly checked before a trip.
• Cover the bottom end of the shocks with a piece of PVC water pipe, about 10-15 centimetres in length, so as to prevent damage from flying stones.
• Carry at least one front and rear shock as spares.

My advice is as follows:

• When you are faced with a fast- flowing river or stream, and are in any doubt, simply stay put. You will have to wait for it to subside. On more than one occasion in the Namib, I have come up against raging rivers occasioned by rains falling far off in the hinterland. To judge whether it was right to cross, I would sink a stick into the mud at the water’s edge to serve as a reference mark; after an hour, I could tell how fast the river was rising (or falling). If it was afternoon, I prepared to camp until the next morning. If the river was receding quite quickly in the morning, I knew that I would be able to cross by the afternoon.

• Rivers always leave a quagmire. In certain cases, it is worth the effort to scout up- or downstream to find a place where the shore is made of rocks or flat stones and use this as a ford. If you cannot find a harder surface, you will have to wade into the mud and receding water to test the viscosity of the mud, as well as the strength and depth of the stream. With this knowledge, you can decide whether to cross.

Before you cross, ask yourself certain questions: Is my vehicle’s air intake high enough so water won’t be sucked in? Is the mud too viscous (or too deep)? Is my vehicle (and, perhaps, the trailer) heavy enough to withstand the force of the water? If the water is up to your waist and you have to struggle against the flow, then you must not ford the river; wait it out for another hour or so and then test it again.

• Once you have decided to make the crossing, see to it that your tyres are deflated as you would for sand to give your vehicle more flotation and grip, select 4×4 mode — normally low or secondgear (depending on the size and torque of your engine) — and do not attempt to change gears until you reach the other bank safely. If you change gears in deep mud, the momentary loss of power may be enough to bog you down.

When crossing a body of water that reaches halfway up your door sills, a wave builds up ahead of the vehicle as the mass of water is pushed away. This wave is a good sign, as it helps to keep the engine bay relatively dry. If it starts foaming or breaking over your bonnet, it isa sign that your speed is too high and you should slow down — it should be a smooth pressure wave in front of the vehicle.

It is vital to keep up a steady speed, so as not to allow the tyres to break the crust of the river bed and sink in. Do not apply too much fuel, as this could lead to the tyres spinning and bog you down.

In places where there is a lot of standing or very slow-moving water, such as the Okavango in Botswana, other factors come into play. There may be crocodile and hippo in the area, and, if you wade barefoot into the river to test it, you could end up as lunch for a crocodile! In most bodies of standing water, sediments have settled and even become quite hard. However, if you can’t wade in to test the water and mud, or if the water is so murky that you can’t see the bottom, my advice is to stay away. In such cases, I’ve always followed existing tracks without a problem — and I’ve always found existing tracks. If there really are no tracks to follow, you will have to bite the bullet and test the water — after spending some time to see if there are crocodile or hippo about.

There are a few technical aspects to bear in mind before crossing mud, streams and rivers:

• If you have to travel through large bodies of standing water, it is worth investing in a snorkel, as well as watertight covers for the distributor and spark plugs (petrol vehicles only; diesels don’t use spark plugs and have no distributor).
• There is no doubt that a broad radial tyre, preferably with very aggressive lugs, and well deflated, works the best in water or mud.
• Finally, if you frequently have to cross rivers or bodies of standing water, it is a better idea to remove the vehicle’s fan belt so as not to damage the fan. I wish to stress that this should only be done where removal will not interfere with other important engine functions (such as water pump circulation). Fording will cool the radiator and oil sump, but it is very important to put the fan belt back on as soon as you finish the crossing. Most fans nowadays have a viscous coupling, which means that, if the fan is immersed in water, the coupling will slip and even stop. If this is the case, it may not be necessary to remove the fan belt if you will only be making one or two crossings of smaller bodies of water.

DUST

The worst dust imaginable must be on the banks of river systems running through the Namib Desert. This dust is as fine as baby powder, and acts just like water once it gets into the engine, effectively causing your vehicle to stall.

If you have been driving in extremely dusty conditions, take out the air cleaner’s element and gently tap it to remove the dust particles. This will help to clean the element. If you have an electric air pump, simply blow the air cleaner element from the inside. A word of advice: paper filter aircleaners are superior to oil-pan types in these conditions.

• To make the tyre surface as broad as possible, deflate your tyres even further than you normally would. Many drivers are cautious about making the tyres nearly flat, but you can deflate them to 0.7-0.6 bar in front and 1.0-0.9 bar at the back without damaging them. They will also remain safely on the rim, so long as the wheels don’t start spinning. As soon as you are out of trouble, inflate them again.
• Try to rock the vehicle gently backwards and forwards a few times by releasing and depressing the clutch slightly. This rocking motion sometimes compacts the surface enough to get the vehicle free.
• If you are an over-eager driver, then your vehicle could easily get bogged down to the chassis, or worse, to the floorboard. If this happens, the only course of action open to you is to use your high-lift jack to jack up the front and back of the vehicle, and to pack stones underneath the wheels. Make sure that the track between the front and back wheels is also packed with stones, sticks or whatever hard material you can find. Dig away all humps that may have developed in front of the wheels.
• It is essential that you include a broad, thick piece of timber as part of your vehicle’s basic equipment. If you are stuck in mud or soft sand, the weight of the vehicle will merely press the jack into the ground once the vehicle is jacked up. The timber acts as a larger base for the jack, and serves to stabilise it.
• Sand plates are a wonderful aid if you are stuck. Once I got stuck in a place where there was absolutely no vegetation or stones to pack under my wheels, and I decided from then on always to carry sand plates.
• Use your shovel to clear away the ‘dune’ of excess sand in front of all tyres. Make a furrow, level with the area of the back tyres and in front of them, into which the sand plates will fit. Make sure the end of each sand plate fits tightly underneath the tyre, start the engine, and gently — very gently — pull away so that there is no wheel spin. Once on the sand plates, the vehicle will soon pick up momentum.

When I’m in a hurry, I don’t even bother with all the preparations: I simply slip the high-lift jack onto the back bumper, jack up the vehicle, slip the sand plates under the back tyres and Bob’s your uncle.

Finally, a word about winches: A winch can be an extremely useful piece of equipment to have. However, you could easily overtax the winch if your vehicle is completely bogged down. To prevent this from happening, ensure that you dig away all humps that have built up in front of the wheels, and use snatch blocks for extra torque.

The lids on jerry cans have a tendency to become leaky after a while. Replace the rubber seal once a year and, in case of leaks, always carry a piece of inner tube to cover the cap before closing the lid to stop the leak. Always attend to a fuel leak! Try to buy jerry cans that have a safety pin on the cap.

Spare battery: This is usually kept in the engine compartment (except in Land Rovers, where it can be placed under the front passenger seat). It is essential to have a ‘deep cycle’ battery as the spare, especially if you have a fridge or freezer which uses a lot of power. The benefit of this type of battery is that it can hold more electricity for longer periods of time and can be run flat several times with no ill effects. Normal car batteries seldom last if they are run flat more than three or four times. As a general rule, however, you should avoid letting any battery run flat.

The spare battery should be fitted into a sturdy bracket, which has been installed by a professional auto-electrician. A solenoid switch must also be installed; when the solenoid is on, the excess power from the main battery flows into the spare, keeping it charged. When you switch off your vehicle at the end of a day’s driving, the spare battery is isolated from the main battery. This will prevent your fridge, if you have forgotten to switch it off, from drawing all the power from both the spare and main batteries. All the better if this is done automatically when you switch off the vehicle. Manual switches are available, but I do not recommend them, purely because you could easily forget to switch off the battery.

When buying a normal (i.e., not deep cycle) battery as a spare,

I recommend the sealed units that are manufactured in South Africa. They are expensive, but they do last and are virtually service-free.

Air pump: An air pump has a multitude of uses, apart from the obvious one of inflating tyres. It can be used for blowing open clogged fuel lines, inflating rubber ducks, blowing out dust from inside the car and even inflating air mattresses. Like the spare battery, the air pump can also be mounted in the engine compartment of your vehicle. There are several types of air pumps available. I don’t recommend those which operate from the car cigarette lighter as they are noisy, overheat quickly and seize up in hot weather. The more expensive electrical unit, if installed correctly, works much better. Some types of pump are driven by the fan belt, which is very efficient and long-lasting.

You could make a very handy air pump from a small steel carbon dioxide (CO₂) bottle that can be purchased from Afrox. If you fit this bottle with a valve, you can inflate the tyres several times, and very quickly, with CO₂. When the CO₂ is depleted, you merely take it back to Afrox for a refill.

However, if you prefer to use the old manual tyre pump, rather buy the truck pump manufactured by Vetsak (and commonly known as a ‘Vetsak pump‘), as it has a large capacity and requires less effort to inflate a tyre.

Snorkel: A snorkel is a necessity if you are planning to be constantly fording rivers or crossing swampy terrain. Apart from the Okavango, in Botswana, we do not really have that much water in Southern Africa. Most 4×4s have a fording depth of between 750 and 1 200 millimetres, depending on the position of the vehicle’s air intake. However, you may sometimes have to exceed this depth; this is where a snorkel is essential, as it prevents water from getting into the engine. However, you will also have to ensure that the distributor and spark plugs have special watertight covers.

Since air cleaners and the air intakes in 4×4 vehicles are situated in the engine compartment, where they are protected against excessive dust, fitting a snorkel will increase the amount of dust sucked in, especially if the snorkel does not have its own air cleaner. In very dusty conditions — which covers most Southern African off-road routes — the dust from passing vehicles is more readily sucked in if a snorkel is fitted. If you insist on having a snorkel, make sure it has its own air cleaner (like that on a farm tractor).

Running boards: These have become quite popular, as they help to deflect mud and dust, and

Prevent stones kicked up by the front wheels from damaging the paint on the sides of the vehicle. On the one hand, I’ve found that running boards work just fine on vehicles such as the Toyota Raider, but that on lower-slung vehicles, like the Isuzu bakkie models, they quickly become damaged in rough, rocky terrain.

I have sometimes seen running boards that had to be removed after sustaining damage from rocks and stones. Even the side steps of a Land Rover can be damaged if you forget to pull them up before driving off.

Sand plates: I have always been surprised that nobody in Southern Africa has copied the wonderful sand plates first used by German troops in the North African desert campaigns during the Second World War. (Incidentally, this is also where the term ‘jerry can’ was coined.) Sand plates are a real asset in sand, as well as in muddy conditions. There are South African-made aluminium plates which roll up like caterpillar tracks and work quite well. I have also seen people using a type of PVC sand mat, which is useful but simply not strong enough.

At one time I used 0.5-metre ribbed drainage covers, which were efficient but very heavy. The best option is still the thick, aluminium German sand plates, which can be fixed either to the side of the vehicle or to the roof carrier. Be warned, though, that they are difficult to procure and quite costly.

lack: No off-roader should be without a high-lift jack. This can be neatly fixed to the roof carrier, bush bar or back of the vehicle. For vehicles with leaf springs,

I advise taking a small bottle jack as well. This will be of great assistance if you have to replace or mend a blade. Remember that you must also carry a jacking plate (generally a stout piece of wood) so your jack will not get pushed into the ground.

An ‘air jack‘ or ‘bull bag’ — which consists of a PVC bag that can be pumped up with the aid of your exhaust — is wonderful in marshy ground or deep sand. They take up very little space when deflated.

ferry cans: First, let me offer a word of warning: do not, under any circumstances, invest in PVC jerry cans. They are dangerous and should be banned by law. In the dry, dusty climate of Southern Africa, PVC jerry cans pick up static electricity, which can be sufficient to ignite a spark during refuelling.

I have seen vehicles burned out arid people seriously injured when PVC jerry cans caught fire. If you do choose to carry them, at least reduce static electricity by wiping the can down with a damp cotton napkin before refuelling.

Winch: In the many years that I have been off-roading, I have seldom needed to use a winch, and have always found that a good, broad inertia-type tow rope with proper eyelets was adequate to recover my vehicle — provided that a second vehicle was available. However, it is a good idea for at least one of the vehicles travelling in a convoy to be equipped with a winch. If you are travelling alone in the bush — which I do not advise — you should definitely equip your vehicle with one. The type of winch and its pulling capacity will depend upon the mass of your vehicle when fully loaded. It is best to buy only after consultation with suppliers.

None of the winches on the market are really strong enough to pull out your vehicle if it is completely bogged down. I have seen more than one Ramsey or

Warn winch burn out as a result of over-strain. You can double the pulling power of the winch by attaching an extra pulley to a tree (the modern inertia-type belts do not damage the tree); the winch cable runs through the pulley and back to the vehicle. There are some vehicles — belonging to geologists and others who have to work in difficult terrain — with an additional pulley built into the bumper of the vehicle, so that the winch cable runs through two to three pulleys. This type of arrangement gives the winch enormous torque. However; a single pulley will normally be enough to extricate your vehicle.

Spotlights: Spotlights are important for navigating through the veld at night and for spotting game or other obstructions on the road ahead. On one occasion, without a road to guide me, I had no choice but to drive through the bush at night. Fortunately, the spotlights fitted under my vehicle’s roof carrier lit up the long grass for 10 metres ahead. In this way, I could clearly see obstacles like aardvark holes or rocks, which could have damaged the vehicle severely. Spotlights should be mounted as high as possible on the vehicle, otherwise they will not light up the road far enough ahead to give you enough warning of obstructions or hazards.

Bush bar: It is essential that your vehicle be equipped with a bush bar (also known as a bull bar). This has protected my vehicle against serious damage on two occasions: once when I hit a kudu, and another time when I was distracted and drove into a fence pole.

Some manufacturers’ bush bars are really just a cosmetic aid, and I believe that aesthetics play a bigger role in their design than practicality. Some consist merely of a single A-shaped pipe on the front of the vehicle. In order to protect your vehicle properly, the bush bar should consist of horizontal as well as vertical piping, with mesh added at strategic places — for example, in front of the radiator. The bush bar should also wrap around the front of the vehicle.

Depending on where you live, you may decide to invest in stainless steel bush bars. As I live at the coast, where rust can be a problem, I prefer stainless steel, even though it is more expensive. For inland use, normal steel will do just fine.

Extra fuel tanks: You should be able to travel 1 000 kilometres with the fuel that you have in the main tank, the extra fuel tank and a few jerry cans before you have to refuel. On several 4×4 routes in Southern Africa, especially those in Botswana and Namibia, you may be forced to travel up to 700 kilometres before reaching a fuel stop. Spare fuel capacity gives you peace of mind and the opportunity to do game drives at your leisure.

Your choice of auxiliary fuel tank will depend on the space that is available under your vehicle. Some vehicles have ample space for quite large-capacity tanks, while others do not. Some manufacturers, as well as certain off-road shops, have purposely designed a range of auxiliary fuel tanks to suit different makes of vehicle.

Most auxiliary fuel tanks depend on gravity, assisted by a floor- mounted valve, for the fuel to flow into the main tank. Nevertheless, it is advisable to install an extra fuel pump to pump the fuel over into the main tank. If anything happens to the main fuel pump, the spare pump will keep you going by switching the fuel lines. It is also handy to have a fuel indicator for your auxiliary tank.

A spare fuel tank should always be mounted under the vehicle’s body, both for safety reasons and to improve the stability of the vehicle. Except for jerry cans, it is not advisable to keep fuel tanks on the roof carrier.