For starters it's important to know your vehicle. No I'm not joking! Let's say you bought, only a week ago, a little old Land Rover. Can't wait to driver 'her', 'him' or 'it' (they always have nicknames, don't they?) along that muddy track and up onto 'that' hill.
Before going off-road, get to know the vehicle in all respects. For instance does it steer nicely, do the brakes function properly, is the suspension in good order? Is the transmission working perfectly, i.e. the main gearbox and transfer box? The last thing you want when descending your first steep hill off-road is for either the main gearbox or transfer box to drop into neutral. Oh? It happens to even the tidiest little Land Rover purchased.
If the vehicle is new to you, I suggest you give it a thorough going over from top to bottom. And a good way to go about that is to purchase from the LRe Bookshop (if it is not in the vehicle) the appropriate driver's handbook. In it there will be at least two sections. The controls and operation of them, and maintenance together with servicing schedules.
The first section should tell you everything you should need to know about your new acquisition. What operates what, and why. The second section will lead you through what adjustments should be made to the mechanical side of the vehicle, what needs topping up or changing and above all, what needs checking throughout.
When driving off-road, especially in quite rough conditions, the strain on most of the vehicle's components is enormous by comparison with driving on the tarmac. So without doubt for the sake of safety and reliability, your vehicle must be in first-class working order in all respects.
Perhaps the vehicle you have just bought is only seven or eight years old. But if that vehicle has, to your knowledge, been used for most of its short lift, off-road, then the same thing applies as our little old Land Rover. Simply get to know the vehicle.
All Land Rover vehicles have a chassis. Don't take it for granted that what the towing hook is bolted to is solid.
The rear crossmember could be terribly rusted through, which could cause unbelievable problems if the back of the vehicle parted company when being recovered backwards or when you are recovering someone else forwards, or you may have badly rusted dumb irons on the front at the point where the bumper attaches to the chassis.
Index
[1] [2]
[3] [4]
[5] [6]
[7] [8]
[9] [10]
[11] [12]
[13] [14]
(c)Goodwinch Limited 2006