Wheeling pics - d44s copped a flogin and diddnt break

[Strange Rover]

Went wheeling today. Made a new track up this gulley, we are gonna call it upper waterfall track. Absolutely fantastic wheeling. I think that you US boys would even enjoy this. It always amazises me what you can drive over. First we walked the track (nobody has driven this one before) and you think - yea should be abe to drive this and that and you know that when you put a rig in there its gonna be so much different. And it was, bloody fantactic.

I dont think I have ever driven my rig so agressively. Esp now that I got the 42s. My gearing is too tall (stock with 4.09 diffs) and it sux but a least I carnt break my shiat when the tyres arnt spinning. Couple of times I would have the front tyres wedged and I would ride the clutch and nothing would happen, more revs more ridding and still nothing moves. Rev the motor to about 3 grand and pop the clutch and things start to move.

Unbelievable how much punishment the d44s take. Absolutely flooged the crap out of them inculding 3000rpm sidesteps on sticky rock to get momentum in 6inches to get the rear over a 3ft high rock with the rear wheels.

Also unbeliavble how much traction the 42s get. I would be running less than 3psi front and rear (my gauge doesent work down that low I just go by look. My rig parked over night gets huge ripples in the side walls from sittng still) Many times I would try to drive and I just carnt get enough torque to the wheels to get anything to happen, and I mean ride the clutch at 3 grand and side step the thing and motor just stalls (so I back up and take a different line)

This is bloody good fun.

Anyway heres some pictures and of course they dont do justice to what we drove.

Sam

ps Think Im gonna have to video some of this stuff and send it over to you guys.

[Strange Rover]

More.

[Strange Rover]

This is gonna take a while - so if Im posting too many pics just yell.

[Strange Rover]

Aw shiat all you blokes are asleep, anyway

[Strange Rover]

this is gonna take all night

This one is a toyota hilux. He ended up driving this thing after about 50 attampts and about 3 blown beads (sorry ruff this is a land rover forum) The way he ended up driving was to sit there on the rocks spinning his tyres till they started smoking (to dry his tyres and heat them up to get sticky cause theres water at the start) and then popped the clutch to roll back for a bit of an run up (did this a couple of times) and full throttle up the climb. Got there in the end.

[Strange Rover]

Heres me on the same climb - I actually drove it first while ruff reseated yet anohter bead :flipoff2:

[Strange Rover]

Full noise first gear

[Strange Rover]

and up

[Strange Rover]

I fairly well drove the same line as this but didnt fall over. Probably osmething to do with scout II d44s with 3in wheel spacers and 42in tyres

[Strange Rover]

poser pic (I took this one)

[bubs]

sam some good photography for the first 4

[Strange Rover]

Starting to get dark at this point. Zuk broce a cv and bailed and hilux busted a steering link ball joint (and another bead - this was the 4th) which he flogged back together and held together with two D shackles.

Heres me trying to idle my right wheel up the bank of a step up which I didnt quite have enough travel for. But I kept driving.

[Strange Rover]

Another angle

[RUFF]

Hey SAM isnt that last pic just before you pulled the winch :flipoff2:

I think that Hilux you mentioned drove that didnt it :confused: :flipoff2:

Hey the D Shackels held together all the way home too :D

[Strange Rover]

Kept driving - Im sure I got more air than this!!!

[Strange Rover]

Originally posted by bubs
sam some good photography for the first 4

Shit yea. You should get everyones elses pics and put em on your site. I think ruff got a heap.

Sam

[bubs]

if it is cool i take yr pics - i have about 16 - i think all bar 2 are of ruff :rolleyes:

[Strange Rover]

and landed

[Strange Rover]

Originally posted by Still a NEWBIE
Hey SAM isnt that last pic just before you pulled the winch :flipoff2:

I think that Hilux you mentioned drove that didnt it :confused: :flipoff2:

Hey the D Shackels held together all the way home too :D

Nah - that bits coming up. I think you must have taken he girls option on this step up - you drove on the grass!!!!:flipoff2:

KEEP OFF THE GRASS :p

Sam

[Strange Rover]

Originally posted by bubs
if it is cool i take yr pics - i have about 16 - i think all bar 2 are of ruff :rolleyes:

Cool

Sam

[Strange Rover]

Heres the next step up after the 2 wheelin bit

My front right wheel (I got my lefts and rights worked out now) is on top of an slightly undercut ledge. When the wheel was at the bottom of the ledge the top of the ledge was just touching to outer corner of my guard (fender for doug m) So this is an under cut (by about 3inches on the RHS - run the LHS half up the side of the bank) step up that would be 4ft high. Had to drive way to the left cause the ends of the chassis kept smacking into the rocks. Went so far left that the left guard took a bit of a floggin.

[Strange Rover]

right wheel on top, left still climbing. (its kinda like a mpeg if you look at them fast enough)

[Strange Rover]

Got LHS up

[Strange Rover]

And then rooted around for about 20min trying to get the rear up, incl numerous red fury full throttle attempts (it was getting dark) and got to the point that I couldnt move forwards or backwards and the rear tail shaft was sitting on the top of the step up. So I pull the winch - first time ever (only had the winch for a month) The winch works well.

At some point during htis I ripped the top of the shock tower out (common early RR fault) so the shock was flappin and the spring got loose. Apart from that nothing else broke.

Anyway thats it. Rock crawlin Aussie style.

Sam

[rhills]

Sam,

Thanks for the great pictures!

Rich

[RockRover]

Right on Sam! Looks like some of the ledges in Las Cruses...Except with actual GREEN plants and things! Definitely NOT the desert over there eh?

Just goes to show how low HP and tall gearing can keep a Dana 44 together...Torque multiplication is where it's gonna getcha!

Sam, now you got me thinking...How I can taper the front guards in (out of the way like I did to the rear) without making the rig look like Frankinstein! Maybe I'll just remove them all together and make some tapered tube "flatties"...Put a little button on sheet metal to make it look something like a fender....Hmmmmm....Man workin with tube is fun, fun, fun!!

Good work man!

--D

BTW, Sam TIME TO GET A ROLL CAGE IN THAT THING!!! :eek:

[Strange Rover]

Yea really got to get a roll cage. A roll cage and a heap of bar work so that if I lay it on its side then I dont bend too much (and when I flop it on its roof I can walk away).

Doug your absolutely right about the gearing and HP. I need way lower gears. There was a couple of times when I had to rev the motor and pop the clutch to get front up and out of a hole. And like you say the lower gears will brake stuff a lot more easily. I dont think I will regear the d44s will probably do the d60 or some rockwells. Still leaning towards the rockwells although to put them in would be a bloody big project.

My rear suspension didnt cause any real problems on this type of terrain (high traction) as what it did on the loose dirt and rock climbs. I was playing the other day and parked the front my rig up against a power pole, put in in rear wheel drive and tried to drive. I wanted to see if the torque going to the rear axle would jack the rear. Well it didnt but the scary thing was the rhs dropped down by about 2in and the lhs lifted up by 2in (from the torque on the tailshaft) and I didnt give it much torque either. When driving I can really notice the body leaning over from the motor torque reacting on the soft springs. Dont know if there is much that I can do about this (putting my hinged arm on the other side would help a lot - mmm, I might try this)

It would be nice to get rid of the front guards and use pipe. Will probably do it too as soon I beat these guards up too much. Jeez Doug with the front and rear tapered and some good bar work your goint to be able to put your rig into some pretty bad places. Should be good.

Sam

[BJ On Roids]

looks like some awesome fun, maybe some adrenalin

full getting it :D