4WD Training

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After our little scare in the sand at Two Rocks we figured it would probably be best if we were to get some training on how to use our big Jessie bus. The first day of the training was bush terrain, when we arrived all the others were there waiting in their shiny new, some straight off the production line 4 wheel drive vehicles and I’m sure they were laughing at us. That just made me more determined to show them up, it’s not what you got but what you can do with it. Our instructor gave us all a quick this is how your car works explaining a few grey areas we had. When we came to the first obstacle, we were to be driving through this big puddle, and up this silly steep hill, well I was petrified. I was thinking firstly this puddle is deep an we are really not too sure of how water tight our Jessie really is. So we may end up with wet feet. Then there was this hill, which looked like Everest and I felt sure Jessie would never make it. But this was no time to chicken out I had to prove to these guys in their shiny new cars that we could do anything they could do. Before I realised it we were splashing through the puddle and were climbing our Everest. Wow. I was chuffed just keeping our feet dry.

So we had proved ourselves (in our own minds at leased) and were ready for the next challenge the water ruts. We stopped and the instructor gave us a little chat about tackling these and it was all going swimmingly until we reached a rather oversized water rut, we all got out had a look and a chat about it, our instructor pointed out that this obstacle had the potential to do damage to cars so to think about this one. So after some deliberation we decided that we wouldn’t forgive ourselves if we didn’t at leased try, it would have been admitting defeat. We got to within 2 meters of the end of this monster rut (just as it got deep) when Jessie gave a big jolt and the next thing I knew we were toppling to one side, it felt like we were going to end up on our side, I just stamped on the brake. We stopped with our front right wheel down the rut and our rear left wheel was about 2 feet clear of the deck. After checking we were all right our instructor laughed, took a few photos for us and told us never to touch the clutch (I‘m sure I never touched it.). We managed to drive ourselves out, hearts still racing we got out and examined Jessie for damage, some how we managed to get ourselves out without any damage. They don’t make ‘em like Jessie any more!

After our little diversion down the hole the rest of the day was seeming pretty tame, but then I guess it would. We were coming to the end of the day and there was one big obstacle left, a short but steep hill we were to drive down then turn round and drive back up it. It seemed we were setting the standard for the day, everyone watching us to see what we did and how we got on (Yeah. No pressure now.). We figured we had nothing to loose by trying. It came over the radio it was clear for us to proceed, so we began our decent (With my foot well clear of the clutch just to make sure) the back wheels began to slip and Jessie jumped forward. I had lost control and was skidding down the hill tapping the brake and trying to keep it pointing down hill (not easy when the back wheels are sliding). We came to a stop in a muddy puddle at the bottom of the hill pretty scared. Our instructor came over and told me once again I shouldn’t touch the clutch. This time I knew I hadn’t and it was clear that old age had gotten to Jessie. We had lost the drive to the front wheels, we managed to get all four wheels driving again with a bit of playing around with the 4WD lever and limp ourselves to the end or the course and home but as for the second course the next day, we figured it would be best to get the old girl fixed first.

As our friends Charlie and Natalie had just had the head gasket and a new head put into their van we knew there was a good mechanic in Dandaragan. While Jessie was at the mechanic we asked Jim (the boss) if it was ok to stay on the olive farm in his caravan. It just so happened to be while he was away and Charlie and Natalie were looking after his house. It turned out to be a great last week at work, we were all looking after Jims house, dog (Seb) and cat. Taking Seb out to work in the tractor and popping back to Jims for lunch. What a hard week that was. We got the phone call from the mechanic to come pick her up, he had managed to fix the transfer case (the gear box that drive the front wheels and the bit that was at fault), the front drive shaft had been seized so solid that it needed to be put in a press and took ten ton of pressure to free it. But he still couldn’t figure out what the banging noise is coming from the front suspension. Total cost $1400 (gulp!). Ahh well at leased she is mostly fixed, guess we’ll fix anything else as we break it (and maybe the banging if we can figure out what it is).


With Jessie ready to go we headed out early (well 7:30) for our second day of driving, the sand driving course. When we arrived at the meeting point again everyone was in their shiny new cars, but we were used to that now. We ended up driving back almost to Regans Ford (quite annoying as we had driven an hour and a half), as far as Two Rocks. We had a quick chat with our instructor about tyre pressures and the reasons for letting down your tyres (1. So you don’t get stuck. 2. So you don’t carve up the track for the next person and it protects the environment a little more). We deflated our tyres to 20 psi and the idea is you kind of float/ski your car on the sand keeping your momentum on the really soft sand to stop you from sinking, but you need to find out what tyre pressure works for your cars tyres. So we drove to a secluded part of the beach so we can go get ourselves stuck and then get our selves out again. But some of the group really didn’t grasp the whole idea of tyre pressure being the key and thought simply by applying more throttle they would get themselves out their four nicely dug holes. We had about half an hour of faffing with tyre pressures before we found our magic pressure. Then we were pretty much unstoppable up and down the beach, we even had one couple say “Look at you guys parading up and down the beach while we are all stuck. Stop it please!”.

We were feeling quite proud with our achievements in sand and even more so when there was a call over the radio “Anyone who wants to see how to use a snatch strap to recover a vehicle, park up and go to the “Patrol” closest to the water.” (there were 2 Nissan Patrols, both stuck in the sand).We all gathered round the stuck car had a bit of a chuckle at the poor patrol drivers misfortune dug in up to the axels. The snatch strap recovery is like a big elastic band where you attach one end to the stuck car and the other end to a free car, the free car drives off to pick up speed/momentum then as the slack it taken up the elastic band pulls out the stuck car (or rips something off either car).

After our play on the beach homing our self recovery techniques and finding our sweet tyre pressure, we were off to cruise the sand dunes, lumpy bumpy hills which were very steep and not for Jessie they looked like they would do too much damage. There was one big sand dune which was more a test of courage, long and pretty steep. After watching a few of the others attempt it a couple didn’t make it first time and going backwards down this dune didn’t look like much fun and too easy to get broadside on it. When it came to my turn to say I was confident would be a lie (big smells in my pants) I knew Jessie didn’t like hills on a good day but I wasn’t going to be beaten now so dropped it into first pointed it straight up and pretty much floored it. Jessie roared and there was no turning back we charged the hill. As we climbed we slowed and my heart sank I could feel the wheels slip. I didn’t want to go backwards down the hill and I don’t think Jessie did either so with a cloud of black smoke from the exhaust we crawled to the top and a cheer from the audience on top of the hill.

We played in the sand dunes for a bit longer until we were running out of daylight. So we had made it to the end of day two with no injuries and no breakages (thank god!). Now we could go play with confidence in our own abilities and the abilities of our trusty steed Jessie.

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Photos

Here we go
Getting ourselves ready to go a mini Everest on the other side. We surprised ourselves and i think everyone else when we got through.

oops
Jessie down the water rutt. Amazingly we just drove out without any damage.. Zoe in the passanger seat still smiling although it may be a nervouse smile.

oops 2
same situation just from adifferent angel. yes my foot is firmly on the break.

Beach
Jessie on the beach.

How not to drive on sand
Silly patrol driver, now everyone gather round.

Jessies big hill
With a puff of black smoke and a cheer from the crowd we got to the top.