Ray!

http://www.abc.net.a...05/s3498398.htm http://www.bom.gov.a.../20090319.shtml Colour me cynical, but they could have taken a leaf out of the Cook Islands weather forecasting system: http://www.cookislan...;s weather rock.jpg (for some stupid reason this image extension is not allowed) Cheers Ray

I sometimes get that and only in the front. It's due to the coils turning/moving about in the seats and usually happens when I hit a mound too fast. It's nothing to worry about. Cheers Ray

What browser are you using? If it's IE, go to Tools/Internet Options/Privacy/Sites and type in the web site address. If the forum is open, you should be able to start typing mypatrol and it will appear in the dialogue box. Click Allow and it will be added to the Managed websites lists and won't disappear. If it's Firefox, go to Tools/Options/Privacy/Exceptions and do the same as for IE and click Allow. I might add that for security sake, everyone should do the following: For IE - go toTools/Internet Options/Privacy/Advanced and select Override automatic cookie handling, check Block in both First and Third-party Cookies, and check Always allow session cookies. For Firefox - go to Tools/Options/Privacy, select Always use private browsing mode and deselect Accept third-party cookies (check accept cookies from sites). Only allow permanent cookies from sites that you trust. Cheers Ray

Responding to another post, I was reminded of the ever present danger of accummulating pin stripes while in the bush. I've found two things that help significantly in reducing, but not eliminating, pin stripes. The first thing is to ensure that you car has a very good coating of polish/wax, the best that you can afford, and keep it up to scratch (pun intended) by regular re-coats. The stuff that I use is Mothers, which comes in a three part application kit that cleans, prepares and coats the paintwork with a good layer of protection, and then only requires periodic updates with the waxing. Mothers also has a great product called Scratch Remover, which is one of the best products that I've ever used. It will clear away all of those brown and black marks left by branches on the paintwork, without removing huge swathes of paint in the process. After particularly aweful bush trips, the scratch remover is worth its weight in gold. The second thing is, when encountering dense bush, do not to drive fast. Go as slow as you can, so that the branches, bushes, etc have a chance of sliding as smoothly as possible over the bodywork, don't get caught in mirrors etc and slap the paintwork. On our last trip we went through scrub where at times we couldn't even see the sky, yet when I got back home and washed, scratch removed and polished the Patrol, the paintwork looks amazing. You can't avoid scratches, especially from dried blackberries and branches, but you can mimimise the effects considerably by slowing right down. I've done this when I had my GQ, which had a simply aweful quality paint job, and driven through what has effectively been low scrub akin to a scouring pad and come out to live another day. Anyone who has ever been down Corn Hill Tk from the back of Mt Buller to the Striling Rd (track now closed) will know what I mean. White paint of course helps immensely with keeping the outside looking good, but I have owned two silver Patrols and managed to keep them looking quite good by following the same principles. It's even more important nowadays to frequently wax your paintwork, as the paints used are water based and no where near as hard as the old solvent based automotive paints.

I meant for such threads as the Snatch Recovery Technique and others. Bugger! Didn't see that one. Cheers Ray

Maybe there needs to be a tips, tricks and techniques section, such as the Snatch Recovery Technique thread, so that they don't get lost in the run of the mill sections. Cheers Ray

I must be some kind of clean freak. I've never had a dirty engine bay, or interior for that matter, in any Patrol that I've ever owned. They have been dirty after a 4WD trip, but I always pressure clean them as soon as I get home, and the interior is vacuumed and cleaned as necessary. And polishing is so worthwhile. After our last trip, I was certain that the pinstripes would be really bad, but after a good wash and re-waxing, the paintwork looks pretty good. Cheers Ray

Wow! That's all kind of bizzare. I haven't posted anything there for a while, nor have I deleted anything, even though I've copied my DIYs across. I'm just watching to see how things go, but it looks like there's a big broom going through the forum. Cheers Ray

Never in the scouts, but a lot of other nasty places. Cheers Ray

A lot of articles don't recommend joining snatch straps together, but I suspect that the main reason for that is because if not done correctly, it could become a severe safety hazard. That said, this is how I've been joining snatch straps for as long as I can rememeber and have never had an issue. Yes, I've broken straps, but the join has never failed (other than one time when a piece of wood wasn't as sturdy as thought, but no damage resulted). Compared to the method shown in the previous photograph, this joining method is quick and easy (one strap can already be connected to the vehicle to be towed), is as strong as any other method and will never bind: There is another way to also do this by bringing the first loop back on itself and pulling part of the strap through its own loop, but this is the easiest, especially if you have a fairly stiff strap. One thing that I forgot to mention is how to use a shackle correctly. Whenever attaching a snatch strap (or winch cable for that matter) to a shackle (a properly rated one), you should finger tighten the shackle pin until it locks and then back off a quarter turn. If you fail to do this, have a spanner handy, as you will not be able to undo the shackle pin by hand. Also, a knot that everyone should know how to tie is the bowline. A bowline is basically a loop that is easy to tie, will never bind and will retain approx 95% of the strength of the original material. It's useful for any sized rope, or string for that matter, and if you should break a snatch strap (which more often than not occurs near the stitching), you can use a bow line to create a temporary loop. This is a link to perhaps the most visual demonstration I've seen on how to tie a bowline: http://www.animatedk...imatedknots.com Here's a static image of the four parts to tying a bowline. I always find it easier to tie a bowline by having the loop uppermost in your hand: Cheers Ray

The auto hubs should not be over-greased, just a light coating, as otherwise the auto mechanism cannot connect/disconnect properly. I'm trying to think of an analogy and the ony thing that comes to mind is a rifle bolt. Imagine if instead of just a light oiling the bolt, you coated the bolt heavily with grease, you'd find it pretty difficult to move the bolt in and out. Cheers Ray

If I knew how. Cheers Ray

It would be interesting to know how many people have had problems with the auto hubs and haven't been manually locking them when going off-road vs those who do lock them manually when going off-road. Cheers Ray

That photo shows the traditional way that most sources show how to attach two straps, but it's not really ideal, especially if one uses a piece of timber lying around and it turns out not to be sturdy enough. If the timber breaks, the two snatch straps ends will bind so tightly, it will be almost impossible to undo. I'll take some photos tomorrow showing how to do a better join that can never bind if the joiner breaks. I'll also add a knot that everyone should be familiar with, as it's the most versatile knot to use in just about any situation. Cheers Ray

The only thing missing is the Jim Beam. Cheers Ray

So I guess we can look forward to the two year old tantrums, while the other gets closer to puberty. Cheers Ray

I'm not sure about that; however, I once overtook a fire engine in Sale because it was going so slow. And that was in a NA 3.3lt MQ diesel. Cheers Ray

They show the BFC wok that I was going to mention as a good fire pit alternative: I have one of these and it's brilliant. Mind you, I still prefer camp oven cooking. Cheers Ray

Taking a closer look at the last photo, will that hold anything bigger than a mid-sized rat? I think I might have one or two in our roof that I can send up if need be. Cheers Ray

The only thing with those is that you'll need two fires, one for cooking and one for bush TV. Cheers Ray

I think most of the knowledge base is much the same here as over there, so I doubt you'll be lacking any information that you might need. Sometimes a fresh start isn't a bad thing (funny that, coming from a conservative arsehole). Cheers Ray

I think the recovery point is just half of the equation, perhaps there also needs to be the another half and that's about what is attached to the recovery point and how. How many people know how to attach a snatch strap, even to a shackle, or what to do if a snatch strap breaks. Should you join two snatch straps? How should you join two snatch straps? Cheers Ray

There is no way that you can really penalise rubbernecking but if, for example, there were perhaps more ads pushing the point that it's the numpty motorists that are causing the delays and not something unmoving on the side of the road, maybe, just maybe, the message might get through. Cheers Ray

I'd say enjoy what you have. By the time the new Patrol comes out with a diesel engine, it will cost more than the Pathfinder, which I believe is around $75,000 with the 3.0lt V6 diesel. Put that or something bigger in a Patrol and watch the price go up. Also, without getting into debates about off-road capability, I understand that the new Patrol is a fair bit longer and wider than the current model; bigger than a 200 series. That, I think, will really have an impact on it's bush capabilty, or will be great for clearing overgrown tracks - trip leader. Cheers Ray

I've never seen them for sale here. Ebay might be an option. Cheers Ray