Hilux 4x4 Forum

Does your wife know your 4x4? More specifically, does she know how to drive your 4x4 in offroad conditions? Okay, let's define "wife", and no it's got nothing to do with washing and ironing... For the purpose of this discussion "wife" means female partner, either in a relationship, holy matrimony, or the stukkie you want to impress by taking her on a trip to Moremi. Lets call this person your female travelling companion.

We do have some ladies on the forum who actively participate in the whole 4x4 driving activity, and I have seen some of them in action and am seriously impressed by what I saw.

For the guys, being guys we see 4x4 driving as a man thing, an activity where we can boost our egos and measure up against the other manne. We take our female traveling companions along, but they just sit in the passenger seat and squeek when the wheels come off the ground. Right?

We had a little discussion about this a few years ago, but I think it is time we talk about it again. From previous discussions it became clear that most ladies feel intimidated by the big vehicles. This is indeed true, but that fear stems from not ever getting the opportunity to really familiarise themselves with the vehicle, its limitations, and lack of driving experience taking the vehicle over any kind of off-road terrain.

Now, the reasoning behind ensuring that your female traveling companion is comfortable with driving your vehicle is so that you have a back-up driver in case of emergencies. We camp and drive in remote areas, and sometimes on our own, which means if anything happens to you (the driver), who is going to get your travelling companions to a place of safety? We are not even talking serious injuries like broken limbs, food poisoning, bleeding or other serious injuries, even something as simple as a scorpion sting on your toe could incapacitate you.

Please tell us, do you allow your female traveling companion to drive your vehicle? Is she in a position to negotiate rough terrain? Will she be able to get your vehicle out of a tricky situation when you are not in a position to do so?

Your views? ...............

Myne ken hom nie die 4x4 nie

Maar sy gan die naweek bietjie by Taaibos leer hom die 4x4 ry
Ek stres nogals om haar toetelaat om die stokke te vat as sy my bakkie breek ek!

Maar ja sy gan iewers moet leer en elke sport het maar sy beserings so as daar skade kom is dit hopelik tot 'n minimum beperk

Myne sy ken hom die 4x4 :

1. Hy kos baie elke maand
2. Hy suip petrol
3. Hy vat haar man waar min dinge kan
4. Hy maak lekker koud wanneer ons langpad vat
5. Hy sleep die karakavaan net waar pa hom wil he
6. Hy is mooi
7. Hy soek altyd extra's wat nog baie geld kos


Nee alle grappies op n stokkie - Thys jy het ware punt beet en ons moet ons vroue daai ding leer

Very good point Thys

My situation: My wife has her own 4x4 BUT imo not used frequently enough! Hence the reason why we here in Jhb looked at introducing a 4x4 Ladies day, which was very successfull

And is on the cards again, I believe

Generally, guys as you say see it as a boy's thing or whatever you want to call it. Or 'net ek ry my 4x4'.....

But yes, wives, girlfriends should all be comfortable with driving the vehicle in off-road conditions :wink2:

Ons was juis al in so 'n situasie. Vroulief moes skoonpa se 3y deur die Richtersveld ry toe hy te swak geraak het agv diabetes.

Ek en die verloofde was vir 5 jaar lank toergidse op overland trokke regoor Afrika. Aan die begin was sy maar skrukkerig om agter die trok se stuur te klim, maar met tyd het sy dit gewoond geraak en in my persoonlike opienie is sy een van die beste trok drywers wat ek nog saam mee gery het. Dit maak nogal n verskil as jy met malaria sit en jy het n vroulief wat jou kan uithelp met die bestuur.
P.S. Sorry Thys bietjie van die 4x4 punt af maar my trok was vir my net so na aan die hart soos my bakkie.

You know you guys amaze me at every turn... and I must say I am once again so proud to be a member of this forum.... Before joining this forum I read a couple of other forums which I considered joining and was horrified to see the terribly negative comments and thoughts that men expressed about their wives, partners or women in generals ability to drive a vehicle whether it be on the road of off road... but I am so happy to see that, that is not the case with the guys on this forum. And I do believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, and we can always joke about that, I know there are some bad women drivers, as there are men, and there are not that many women that want to tough it out on a 4x4 trail... I have always just received the best encouragement and support and positive feedback from all of you... Thanks once again for not being a bunch of prejudiced bigots...

Thats the hilux manne for you!

The club's innitiative for ladies days is great.

I can tell you, I have observed some ladies "grow" into very competent 4x4 drivers in a very short time period. All they need is a little bit of encouragement, some encouragement and an opportunity to hone their 4x4 driving skills, and a little less of the "Move over ' I'll drive because you're going to wreck my 4x4" attitude....

By involving the ladies in our passtime it makes it more family friendly anyway, and they feel part of the whole trail-driving experience...

The way we as a club promotes 4x4'ing is as a family pass-time anyway, ins't it?

:wth: It seems my post got lost....will repeat :wth:
I'm blessed with a wife who is'nt scared
She knows the in's & out's of the 4x4 and usually drives when we hunt or on the beach when i'm sitting at the back looking after the cooler box. Sometimes i use the "Platkar" and leave the 4x4 at home, then she uses it. She knows that V6 FROD motor like the palm of her hand and is not scared of spanners, grease or oil. And still she is a LADY and i'm very proud to have her as my wife
She loves her "Blik Met Wiele" and the 4x4
What can i say......i'm counting....

Think we must get Val to get the ladies together

Sal graag my dierbare goeie buurvrou wil stuur.......................... buurman het 'n Land Rover

Hoppy wrote:Think we must get Val to get the ladies together

This sounds like a brilliant idea.

My wife is happy to join me on outing etc, but will not drive!
She's supportive of my hobby, but it's not "her thing". (And I support her choice! )
Now, for my backup driver.... I'm working on that.... he's 9 years old now

very good topic

wife is quiet good with her 4x4 quad, and sadly haven't given it much though of what would happen in an offroad emergency


so decided to ask her while reading this thread, to get the Jeep into low range? ?
did not get a good response

then asked her
what about the bakkie, she knows she has to get out to do something

so

an excuse to get out and show her what little I know

.

my wife is a screamer and refuses to drive the bakkie, do you have instructors that is death? she is the proud owner of a Tuna 4x4 but she will not take it into the bush because she knows I am always first to try something and she does not want to break something. What she does not realize is I also would like to keep the car in one piece as I am the one that must fix it. My feeling is that is jus because she is not familiar with the vehicle and what she can do with it so I really think this is a great idea and must be implemented. I would drive ll the way from Durbs just for this if I can persuade her to do it. She loves the 4x4 thing but only if I drive and not her. :roll: :roll:

We (Team Offroad) are presenting a "Ladies Only" Phase 1 training session at Atlantins Dunes on 2 June 2012. I know it is quite early but keep that date in mind if you feel your wife/lady friend needs to be shown the ropes. Auntie Val will also be there (without a doubt) to assist us from a ladies perspective. Of wat praat ek alles??

Wel manne, my 1.6 m (@ 50kg) vroutjie, het n kode 10 lesensie!!
Ek sit met n kode 8! Eks al g@tvol oor die gespottery van my vriende.

Maar ek weet sy sien kans vir baie grooter voertuie as Kaspaas. Sy verstaan hom die "kort kierrie" en het al met Bastiaan in die veld gespeel. So sy sal fine wees om ons tot by veiligheid te bring, indien ek bewusteloos of erg beseer is.

Sy het ook haar limiete met die hele 4x4 ding, Te diep water is haar ondergang, (Myne ook) so ons vermy dit nou ten alle tye. Maar klip en sand eintlik enige plek waar al vier wiele op die grond is, is sy fine mee en sal sy kan oorkom as indien die nood druk.

Ons baklei al van die dag wat Kaspaas by ons gesin aangesluit het, wie ry!

Karoo meisies is net n anderste tipe!

"Go make us a sandwich" & "Good boy" is nou vir een of ander rede in my kop! :problem:

Kaspaas wrote:"Go make us a sandwich" & "Good boy" is nou vir een of ander rede in my kop! :problem:

Want jy is die een wat dit moet maak, good boy!!

Jys seker reg Thys!

Ek wens ek was nader aan CT, nou dat Kaspaas se remme uiteindelik sorted is , sal ek met vrymoedigheid vir haar stuur vir opleiding. Op haar se eie terwyl ek kan rugby kyk in vrede! :derisive:

Cobus ek dink jy moet daardie naweek afkom en dan kyk ons 2 die rugby en stuur die vrouens op die kursus...

ThysdJ wrote:We (Team Offroad) are presenting a "Ladies Only" Phase 1 training session at Atlantins Dunes on 2 June 2012. I know it is quite early but keep that date in mind if you feel your wife/lady friend needs to be shown the ropes. Auntie Val will also be there (without a doubt) to assist us from a ladies perspective. Of wat praat ek alles??

You know I'm always keen if there is a trail or to go to the Dunes... Will diarise the date... Have to go to Jhburg somewhere around about that time again but will make it before or after...

Thys when I attended the Suzuki 4x4 training it was full day with about 30% of the participants being females.

absolutely STUNNING to see the females gain confidence in this controlled environment !! (obviously the men are to proud to show this...)


by the end of the day the ladies were just as competent as the men ! (as the ladies LISTEN better, they often grasped the concepts quicker ... not that I will ever admit that on a forum ...)



WISH my wife would take the wheel - would allow me more time to enjoy the scenery and use my camera.

Chris I always use Auntie Val as an example. She's a legend. When she first came for training she was incredibly nervous and afraid of doing somethign stupid. But as she gained confidence in her own and the vehicle's abilities, her off-road driving skills improved drastically. This was not much more than 6 months ago!! Today we can't keep her off the trails, and she's running with the big boys.

Amazing what a little bit of practice and confidence can do....

My vrou het die Hilux minder as 5km bestuur in die laaste 15 maande, en ek dink ek verkies dit so.

ThysdJ wrote:Chris I always use Auntie Val as an example. She's a legend. When she first came for training she was incredibly nervous and afraid of doing somethign stupid. But as she gained confidence in her own and the vehicle's abilities, her off-road driving skills improved drastically. This was not much more than 6 months ago!! Today we can't keep her off the trails, and she's running with the big boys.

Amazing what a little bit of practice and confidence can do....

Hey Thys, I still get nervous when I do trails, or is it adrenalin?.... but I reckon the day I don't, that will be worse, because then I will be too full of it, which is a bad thing...

Nervous is good....

Val a few weeks back we did a trail. The one section had a couple of "interesting" bits, just enough to KEEP you focused.

Then it was onto an easier bit - according to the map.

Next moment we rounded a corner to see a STEEP section, with some bad cross axles, lost of loose stuff , .....


I KNEW that if I did not get some momentum going I would get stuck halfway up, so I give it some stick and got going on chosing the best line through the cross axles ..... Once we got to the top I gasped for air - I held my breath for the length of that climb .... :)



maar dit is darem LEKKER !

I'm finding the more I get to experience the capability of my vehicle, the more amazed I am by it, but also less anxious about its capabilities... Before the really tricky sections I feel nervous, but once I have committed to it, I just focus on the task ahead and do it. Afterwards is when my knees go weak and my hands shake and occasionally think I must be crazy to do this... But you're right it is the greatest sense of achievement once its over.....

So guys when is our next trail??????? Have you all gone into slumber mode.....

BosveldBul wrote:My vrou het die Hilux minder as 5km bestuur in die laaste 15 maande, en ek dink ek verkies dit so.

Dis 5km meer as my vrou!!