September 2019

SA4x4

Overland Adventure

SA4x42 min readAutomotive
Ed’s Letter
Do go chasing waterfalls. And if there’s one place where your chase will be rewarded, it’s the Wild Coast. Unlike the words of that original TLC song, we reckon you should take a break from the standard fare of rivers and lakes, and – like Micky Bake
SA4x46 min readAutomotive
Forum
Having read the July 2019 issue of SA4x4, I will most certainly be picking up a print edition more regularly. I have found that competitor magazines are more about 4x4 vehicles and the testosterone that goes with it. Most certainly you do need a fair
SA4x42 min read
Overlander’s Code
In response to a growing number of complaints about how we conduct ourselves in the wilderness, we decided to draw up and promote a code of conduct for overlanders. We’d like to include your input, comments and debate, so please send your suggestions
SA4x43 min readNature
Just Winging It…
Having concentrated, for several months now, on some of our larger mammals I thought it was time to shift the focus to our incredible bird assemblage. South Africa is home to approximately 850 bird species, of which 50 are found nowhere else on earth
SA4x42 min read
Know Your Gears
• Crossed Axis Helical Gears – Used in vehicle transmissions to transmit power between gears not intersecting on a non-parallel axis, such as the crown wheel and pinion of a rear differential. Teeth are cut at an angle so two gears can mesh smoothly,
SA4x46 min readAutomotive
TRAIL SAVVY: Off-road Driving Tips, Skills & Practices Torque-sensing Differentials
As four-wheel drive systems have evolved over the years, many different variants have surfaced to do essentially the same job: distribute power to all four wheels. How this is achieved through various systems affects vehicle dynamics on- and off-road
SA4x43 min read
Gear
Perfect for removing stubborn nuts or studs on a rusty wheel, or when you need to change tyres in the field, the Mac-Afric ½” Drive Cordless 24V Impact Wrench delivers a potent 450Nm of torque while tipping the scales at only 3kg. The wrench is suppl
SA4x44 min readAutomotive
Driving the Legend
Toyota is known for their over-the-top launch events and this one, to unleash two new special edition Hilux models, was no different. Catching the dreaded redeye flight from Cape Town to Lanseria and on to Kasane in the far north-eastern corner of Bo
SA4x44 min readAutomotive
Update
While the rest of the world has been getting Prados with Toyota’s super-smooth 2.8 GD-6 since 2015, we’ve been stuck with the grumbly (but reliable and overland-friendly) old 3.0 D4-D until now. From 2020 onwards, local models will receive the new en
SA4x43 min read
What We Got Up To
To showcase the new Hilux we took them on what Toyota dubbed the ‘Legendary Road Trip’. This entailed several hundred kilometres of gravel travel through Zimbabwe and Botswana, as well as a quick trip over the border to Zambia while sampling the best
SA4x45 min readAutomotive
Calm In The Khwai
Car launches are carefully managed events that show off a vehicle’s best qualities. While they do usually take place in spectacular locations, the emphasis is nearly always on the car, with little thought given to the actual travel experience. But fo
SA4x412 min read
DO go chasing water falls EXPLORING THE FAR REACHES OF THE WILD COAST
It’s a long drive from Cape Town to the north coast of the Eastern Cape. It’s more than 1 000km of Garden Route meandering that quickly deteriorates into pothole-ridden, fatigue-inducing trundling, and that’s exactly why it should never be done in on
SA4x41 min read
Taming The Wild Coast
It seems as though the very wildness of the Wild Coast is under threat from several fronts. On one hand, the Wild Coast Toll Road project seems set to cut a tarred path more or less along the coast between East London and Port Edward. This seems like
SA4x41 min readHome & Garden
Where We Stayed
Clean, shaded riverside campsites in the shadow of sheer rock faces. Buffalo, baboons, kudu and reedbuck in the area. Cost: R380 p.n. excl. conservation fees Ablutions: Long drop Electricity: No Water: No T: +27 43 492 0881 W: bookonline.ecpta.co.za
SA4x42 min readAutomotive
Driving Impression: Isuzu D-max 3.0td Lx
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with our strikingly blue long-termer, and this trip gave me the opportunity to properly put it through its paces. Although not new by any means, the good old 3.0-litre turbodiesel still does the business, and it
SA4x410 min readAutomotive
A JOURNEY OF Discoverys
In 1984 a young man with a full black beard was driving his clapped-out Merc 450SL ragtop down a dusty dirt road on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. In the back was a cold box, filled with the sort of things that are useful when wooing. Beside him was
SA4x46 min read
A Khaudum ADVENTURE
Minouw and I are back after an amazing trip through Botswana and Namibia where we spent nearly a month in the bush. Getting out into nature, camping, relaxing and getting by without all the technology and clutter of daily life is something we constan
SA4x42 min read
Bush Lapa Offroad Caravans Baobab 4 sleeper
Equipment list standard: Bush Wing awning 90° x 270°, sides for Bush Wing, draft skirt, kitchen with stainless steel working table, stabilisers/jacks/high lift jacks, wheel spanner, lockable spare wheel, cupboards for clothes with canvassing and zips
SA4x42 min readAutomotive
Conqueror Conqueror Comfort Platinum
Equipment list standard: 2.5-ton axle with greaseable eye-to- eye shackles, 16-inch aluminium alloy rims and 245/70 R16 tyres, nose cone with 3 access doors, 4 aluminum side steps, laser-cut aluminium decals, 2 heavy-duty support legs fitted at rear
SA4x44 min readAutomotive
10 Towable Treats
Before entertaining the purchase of an off-road or gravel road trailer or caravan, it is important to decide what you will use it for. Will it be used predominantly on tar and good gravel roads, or will it be subjected to difficult off-road terrains
SA4x41 min read
Echo 4X4 Kunene
Equipment list standard: Independent suspension, Micro Dot (compulsory), fitted Atlas gas geyser 5.5-litre, EPP MK2 power panel, 10 amp 12V DCDC charger, 10 amp 110/240V AC charger, 3.1 amp twin USB ports, 250 watt 12V DC PWM solar regulator, DC auto
SA4x42 min read
Q & A
Are there any unique design and special features you can tell us about? The Conqueror Comfort trailer has remained a popular choice for serious campers. The Conqueror Comfort offers a large quick setup tent with massive king size bed and dressing roo
SA4x41 min readAutomotive
Metalian Metalian Maxi
Equipment list standard: Metalian Maxi 4x4 Trailer base unit includes 2 100mm x 1 500mm main body, 1 600kg braked axle, 2-ton 950mm leaf springs, Gabriel shock absorbers, Knott surge coupling, 2 internal cupboards and adjustable shelves, carpeting in
SA4x42 min readAutomotive
Q & A
Are there any unique design and special features you can tell us about? The trailer is a true monocoque design. The advantages are a lower centre of gravity, which increases safety and tow stability – it also provides more pack volume per kg of trail
SA4x41 min readAutomotive
Q & A
Are there any unique design and special features you can tell us about? We use a timberless side wall structure for our units with a multi-ply one-piece laminated floor with Birch ply underside for greater weatherproofing. The unique Duplex steel cha
SA4x41 min readAutomotive
Q & A
Are there any unique design and special features you can tell us about? The Bushy Rhino Ranger is a solidly built trailer. The big rectangular main compartment ensures optimal use of space and does not limit you with empty corners. It comes standard
SA4x43 min readAutomotive
ONCA OFF-ROAD Rock Sliders
One of the many casualties of my Baboon’s Pass trip a couple of months back was the stock side steps on my Hilux Legend 45. They received a proper hammering from the rocks of Lesotho and were badly out of shape at the end of this trail. These steps a
SA4x41 min readAutomotive
Readers’ Rides
Brent’s 2.8 GD-6 Hilux proudly looks over the great Tankwa expanse after a day in the Western Cape’s notoriously rocky micro-desert. To cope with the Klein Karoo’s nastiest terrain, Brent has fitted Burnco front and rear bumpers as well as rock slide
SA4x42 min readAutomotive
Q & A
Are there any unique design and special features you can tell us about? The concept of the Invader Quattro originated back in 2010 in a caravan park during a December holiday. The challenge was to design a robust and compact off-road camper that will
SA4x42 min readAutomotive
SEEN & HEARD
Local company 4X LIGHT can now supply the southern African market with 4x4 LED lights from STEDI, one of Australia’s best-known 4x4 LED light manufacturers since 1983. Available through 4X LIGHT’s online platform and selected dealers, the 100% Austra
SA4x41 min readAutomotive
ME & MY 4x4
2011 Volkswagen AmaTrok 2.0 BiTDi Occupation: Production Print Field Engineer Modifications : Suspension Upgrade (EFS Elite), Snorkel (Safari), Rock sliders (Stofpad... the best), Roof rack (Big Country 4x4... also the best), and the Klipspringer R
SA4x41 min read
Bookshelf
Heritage Site situated in the heart of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve is the jewel in South Africa’s evolutionary crown: an area ‘of outstanding universal value’. The area has attracted worldwide interest and furnished key evidence about where, w

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