OVERLANDING!

[Rebel 4x4]

What is the limitations of a 4x2 vehicle with differential lock doing overlanding trips?

Can you still see all the places that the 4x4 guys can see?

[zepplin]

Most of them. Sand will be a problem though.

[Thunder02]

Had a 4x2 go with me to Kubu Island,thick sand is a problem,but we made it.You just have to know what you as driver and the vehicles limits are.There are a lot of places in Africa which you can go and see without a 4x4.Enjoy

[Rebel 4x4]

Dankie Neil, ek neem aan as jy modder tekkies op het dan is jou kanse seker nog beter!

[Thunder02]

I'm sure it will help,better grip is always a good thing.Tyres must be deflated to give a bigger footprint in sand.Sand tracks would also be a good buy.

[OOOOMS]

Most 4x2 experienced drivers will go where 4x4 vehicles can. More than often we will not take any big risks like travelling to remote places alone anyway. When overlanding you would also 'risk' less dangerous area's as you are usually a long way from help / assistance.

Mud and sand will be your biggest challenge. Also take into account that you will be fairly loaded which makes a huge difference. I would stick to the main routs usually accessible to interesting places

[African Child]

Die grootste probleem is recovery as jy vassit veral as jy die enigste voertuig is. Met n 4x4 is dit baie makliker om jouself uit die moeilikheid te kry, met n 4x2 knor dit gewoonlik maar. Enige een wat n 4x2 al uit die sand help recover het met sy 4x4 sal vir jou se dis baie meer moeite as om n ander 4x4 wat vas sit uit te help...

Dan is daar ook die veiligheids aspek as jy kyk na grondpad ry. n 4x4 met die middel ewenaarslot gesluit se hantering op n grondpad is baie beter as n 4x2. Die stopafstand is ook baie korter in n noodgeval. Veral deesdae se bakkies met ABS sukkel maar met n noodstop op n grondpad. n 4x4 met die middel ewenaarslot gesluit maak n groot verskil in die geval....

[pietpetoors]

Soms dink ek die gebrek aan low range is 'n groter negatiewe punt as 4 wiel dryf. Ek gebruik my bakkie baie in 2wd en as ek 'n steil bultjie moet uitklim druk ek hom sommer so in low range sonder dat die hubs gesluit word. Dus klim ek die klipperige bultjies lekker uit sonder om te spin in 2wd en diff lock aan.

Daar is baie styl bulte waar 'n 2wd sou kon uitkom as hulle net ;n low range gehad het.

Grondpadry en 4wd is maar debateerbaar, my oupa het sy lewe lank net 2wd bakkies gery en nooit probleem op grondpad gehad nie en hy het ook nie stadig gery ek. Ek self ry nooit in 4wd op 'n gewone grondpad nie en het nog nooit onveilig gevoel nie, dalk omdat ek op grondpaaie leer bestuur het.

Daar is baie overlanders wat selfs met motorhomes Afrika plat toer. Jy gaan BAIE plekke kan sien, maar daar gaan daai 5 of 6 % van plekke wees waar jy nie gaan uitkom nie en dit gaan jou altyd pla.

As jy dalk oorweeg om 2wd te kry maak net seker dit is ten minste 'n "high rider" en nie gewone plat bakkie nie

[yotaman]

What is the limitations of a 4x2 vehicle with differential lock doing overlanding trips?

Can you still see all the places that the 4x4 guys can see?

"what are the limitations of a 4x2"? - Major! get a 4x4 and rest assured.

[African Child]

Pieter, probeer bietjie n noodstop doen op veral n losserige of sinkplaat grondpad met bv. Vigo met ABS, sonder die middel ewenaar gesluit, daarna dieselfde stop met die ewenaar gesluit. Jou remafstand kannie vergelyk word nie.... In Afrika met donkies, beeste en wat nog meer wat rond drentel oor en in die pad kan daai meters die verskil tussen lewe en dood maak.

Dieselfde kan gese word van n volgelaaide 4x4 wat moet uitswenk in n noodgeval (of n band wat bars ) . Die bietjie ekstra brandstof verbruik en sluitasie kan by verre nie vergelyk word met die ekstra veiligheid wat jou voertuig jou in 4x4 bied nie.

[Mud Dog]

What Leon is saying is very true. On tar where the grip is good, almost 80% of your braking power comes from the front wheels (hence discs up front while the rear still has drums). While braking the weight is thrown forward onto the front wheels whilst the rear tends to get lighter. The tendency is for the rear wheels to slip and once a wheel starts to slip you've lost most of the braking power it had ..... the LSPV helps a little with this, but there is often an additional brake proportioning device between front and back wheels (not sure if the Lux has ... never looked for one, but it could be built into the LSPV itself at the back).

Anyway, on gravel you no longer have that kind of traction, so the front wheels are the ones that will slip first under normal circumstances since they are the ones with superior braking force .... and those are your steering wheels. Without rotation and grip, you have no control over steering, and as Leon says, your braking distance is poor. However, in 4x4 with the centre diff locked (if you have one), the sum of travel between the front wheels will equal the sum of travel between the rear wheels. This means that when the front wheels want to loose traction they are forced to continue rotation at the same speed as the rear, even if you de-clutch, which is not a good idea either since the motor also helps to prevent slipping. Hence traction is maintained, as well as steering control.

A point once mentioned here before, never use diff-lock on gravel roads. On corners one rear wheel will be forced to slip and you lose ½ the rear traction immediately. IRO of braking, diff-lock would only be beneficial if all your braking was done while travelling in a straight line and we know that's not the case, so the same argument in the previous sentence applies .... you also lose ½ your rear traction and braking power in a corner.

[pietpetoors]

I know Leon, I have seen a demonstration on that and the breaking distance on gravel is far less in 4wd than in 2wd.
Does a Vigo shape Hiluc have a centre diff? I doubt , as far as I know all Hiluxes are permanently engaged once in 4WD. It is normally only permanent 4wd vehicles which has a centre diff.

[OOOOMS]

I know Leon, I have seen a demonstration on that and the breaking distance on gravel is far less in 4wd than in 2wd.
Does a Vigo shape Hiluc have a centre diff? I doubt , as far as I know all Hiluxes are permanently engaged once in 4WD. It is normally only permanent 4wd vehicles which has a centre diff.

Only the Fortuna locks when in 4H and 4L, not the DC :wink2:

[george]

Thomas.There is really a lot you can do with a 4x2.like Mark says its those 5% places you would not be able to go.If your planning to go alone you could run into some hassles when something changed in the road.like washed a way or something.
When you go into the reserves you will always pass a little board that says "4x4 ONLY".And you will start wondering.....

The first time i went to the Richtersveld there where quite a few 2x4 bakkies.It started raining for about 2 days and only the 4x4 bakkies could get out.That day we helped a number of folks and it felt good having a 4x4

[pietpetoors]

.like washed a way or something.

Happened twice to me, if I did not had a 4x4 I would have to turn around and take a looooooooong detour

No man , stop wondering, get a 4x4 and get it over and done with, you wont be sorry

[SWARTLUX]

.like washed a way or something.

Happened twice to me, if I did not had a 4x4 I would have to turn around and take a looooooooong detour

No man , stop wondering, get a 4x4 and get it over and done with, you wont be sorry

Koop die 2.7!Ek is nog nie 'n dag spyt oor myne nie!Ry gerief is uitstekend en hy het lekker krag en is baie capable 4x4.Petrol verbruik kan ek nog nie oor praat nie want ek het nog nie eers 'n tenk uitgery met myne nie maar gaan binnekort!

[African Child]

Oeps jammer, dankie vir die regstelling! In 4x4 high range met die Vigo ens, of dan met centre difflock gesluit vir permanente 4x4 voertuie, jou voordele gaan dieselfde wees. Jy kannie verkeert gaan met die 4x4 nie!

[JohanM]

What is the limitations of a 4x2 vehicle with differential lock doing overlanding trips?

Can you still see all the places that the 4x4 guys can see?

Thomas before deciding if it should be a 4x2, 2x1 or 4x4 you should define the term in your own needs as to what "Overlanding" is to you as it is a broadly used term but can vary between people as to how they imply it.

Overlanding can be tar and gravel based where you can use a normal vehicle with or without a trailer (vehicle design and personal requirements dependant).

Assuming that we all are referring to Overlanding as "remote country travelling on lesser used roads mainly" a 4x2 High rider bakkie/SUV with a lockable rear diff lock can do a fair amount of travelling of the more known roads into lesser travelled country.

If Overlanding is referred to as remote bush country exploring very remote and lesser places I will not consider a 4x2 as an option at all. Here im referring to travelling as Voetspore has done on certain parts of their travels.

The risk is to big to damage something on a vehicle, especially as the drivetrain is going to be strained at certain points which might lead to problems/breakdowns in very uncomfortable places.

I have had a few 4x2 bakkies driving where I drive with my SFA, however the difference do come in in tractive force either for braking, steering and or maintaining momentum/grip to get through certain difficult sections. I always have full control over my vehicle and when travelling I know that when faced with a challening section like a bridge washed away in Lesotho or an incline turned muddy on the uphill to a campsite, I can get there provided that it is not impassable or to risky to attempt in a vehicle.

The 4x2 has to work harder to get through and also steepish gradients do present problems for laden 4x2 vehicles when having to stop and pull away or even lower momentum in order not to bash the vehicle.

I have noticed this in Lesotho over December when I met n guy driving a Sani 4x2 2400 Petrol vehicle in Lesotho going to Sani Pass from Mokhotlong over the black mountain pass. He was turning up all the stones on a rocky incline on the pass and digging holes as he struggled to the top on the loose gravel and small rocks. I could see at one point he stopped and locked the rear diff as he lost traction and had to pull away and couldnt get going before he locked it. I on the otherhand was in 4H and was heavy loaded in the back with the tail town. I opted to select 3L 4x4 going up and 2L going down on the other side of the mountain and idle my way along following this guy digging holes and in general destoying the track that was allready in such a bad state. I literally left my 4YEFI to idle up the mountain with no driver input at all on the throttle as the idle control valve did the work, but I could do it, beacuse of low gearing and 4 wheels having traction.

Having done quite a few trips into different parts into Southern Africa I will say that you can drive to Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya with a 4x2 in the dry season, and will not have a problem, but what im trying to say is that as some point you might wish that you had either 4wheels traction or low gears or even both just to ease the passage of the difficult section.

I see 4wd traction something like a safety feature as Leon & Andy mentioned here. People on Overlanding trips tend to stay away from rough places that can lead to failures of vehicle components ect. However having 4wd makes it possible to venture further of the beaten track and when used correctly does not damage the track as much as a 4x2 pushing its way through a the same section.

Its all about what you need, what you can afford, and also how far do you wanna really go into the unknown. A 4x2 driven correctly can get you further than expected but it will not be able to hold its own if the conditions unexpectedly turn around and become washed away sections or even slippery roads.

I have seen many 4x2 vehicles getting "stuck" on slippery ground where the wheels just could not provide any more traction even with mud terrain tyres fitted, just clogged up where I just locked up my SFA in 4x4 and drove the same section with partly worn All terrain tyres alse clogged up with relative ease even with a load in the back.

Also fuel consumption is negligble between a laden 4x2 and 4x4 of same size/load/ engine : ie 2.7i 4x2 D/C & 2.7i 4x4 D/C. The 4x4 might be about 5% heavier on juice on a overall trip but it will do it with so much more confidence and reassurance that even if parts are difficult or traction is compromised, you should be able to get through it a lot easier and with less vehicle and track damage than the 4x2.

If you want to drive with peace of mind, buy the 4x4 version and use it correctly. 4x2's are great campers and towing vehicles for caravans ect, the people that go to the national parks ect and do not need the extra traction as they drive graded dirt roads or tar roads.

M2cw

[Rebel 4x4]

Thanks Johan, very interesting read, defnitaley got some important info from you guys that I haven't thought of!

[Dorslandtrekker]

Pietpetoors,
Pasop vr daai low range wanneer jy in 4x2 ry. Jy wen jou propshaft op soos in nou, dat hy lyk soos 'n koeksuster. Daar word 'n geweldige hoeveelheid krag op die dryfas geplaas en hy kan nie die straf verduur nie. Skakel liewers oor na 4x4 waar albei die dryfaste die krag verdeel. Weet van manne wat al lang trane gehuil het omdat hulle dieselfde gedoen het.