Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. A lot of new faces at the SEERS meeting this evening including a lad of about 9 or 10. This is a result of our 'SEERS on show' event last month. We've had about a dozen membership enquiries and about six were present and there's another two I know for certain have joined.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There are no shortages of (proper off-roading) 4x4 vehicles here.  Big Jeeps, middle-sized Jeeps*, Toyotas and many others.

 

* The Jeep Renegade is the smallest model (sub-compact, crossover). It has a 4WD option, but not really in the "proper off-road" class.

 

OF course long before there were SUV's with 22 different gear options for driving into the local carpark there was the family 

Morris, Austin, Peugeot etc etc etc. All they needed was a bunch of spectators to push them out occasionally! 

 

 

 

Just drove into the work carpark and.......... Tada!

 

(Not to be confused with Tata, the Indian car manufacturer).

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

24 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

OF course long before there were SUV's with 22 different gear options for driving into the local carpark there was the family 

Morris, Austin, Peugeot etc etc etc. All they needed was a bunch of spectators to push them out occasionally! 

 

 

 

 

Any thoughts on reviving the rally?

[monkeysarefun]

23 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Any thoughts on reviving the rally?

 

 

The "Round Australia" trial which is the generic name for the Redex trial and subsequent guises does run occasionally. The  last time was in 1998 as the  "Playstation Rally Round Australia" and covered 18,500km.

 

 

Speaking of owls, apparently baby ones sleep like this cos their head is too big.....

 

 

[jjb1970]

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

They are still available here though they've always been called different things, the LJ10, LJ20, LJ50, LJ80, Sierra and Stockman, but are finally the  Jimny to match everywhere else. They pretty well have the SWB market to themselves if  you don't want a Jeep.  Landrover don't bring their SWB here any more -  thats  if they even bother to still make one, assuming they haven't given up the  serious off-road market  entirely finally in favour of the Chelsea tractor segment. 

 

They need  a set of bigger wheels and tyres before  they can do more serious stuff   but are popular with rental companies for 4x4 adventures at places like Fraser Island etc, also popular with  solar farms and wineries where their narrowness allows them to fit between solar panel arrays and grape vines.

 

It amazes me tyres don't get more attention as getting the right tyres is critical to performance. My Audi A6 was literally undrivable on snow on all season low profile tyres, on winter tyres it was fine. Put the right tyres on almost any car and it'll go off road or handle ice better than an AWD SUV on summer road tyres. And tyre choice makes a huge difference to on road handling and noise. Yet car magazines and websites don't seem to talk about it much.

 

Land rover make the new Defender but it is huge and very expensive. I believe it does have superb off road capabilities but it strikes me as a car designed for those who want a Chelsea tractor with off road credibility, it's not a workaday utility vehicle. And in fairness, from a business perspective that's probably a sensible approach. You see those here too, in a city state with a world class road system.

 

The Jimny is a good example of a car which is superb for a specific use (small off-roader) and mediocre at best for other use cases (like as a Tonka alternative to a Ford Ka). I love it and have genuine respect for it. If I needed to go off road it is a cheap (both to buy and run) off roader which is unlikely to go wrong. And it's great fun. However I do wonder about those who bought them in the UK as a fashion accessory as on road they're slow and drive like a tractor.

 

When I worked in electricity our line engineers at the time used 1st generation Nissan X-Trails. Despite being a consumer market SUV the AWD models had genuine off road capabilities yet drove like a regular car on-road. At the time those who selected the vehicle fleet in the company said it was the best of the SUVs for going off tarmac and cheaper than looking for a military or industrial utility vehicle. Given it got their engineers everywhere they needed to go it did what it was bought to do 

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

All they needed was a bunch of spectators to push them out occasionally!

Mike and Mal didn't put that bull bar and winch on their Landies for nothing.  They started with a '58 Series 1.

 

That '54 rally didn't have anything as useful.

 

That footage "between Brisbane and Mackay" is hilarious. The spot with the "Tropic of Capricorn" sign was likely the main highway (back then) - perhaps here just south of Rockhampton. 

 

I think Dad has a colour slide of that sign in the video (unchanged if memory serves) in 1961.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[The Johnster]

39 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

Put the right tyres on almost any car and it'll go off road or handle ice better than an AWD SUV on summer road tyres. And tyre choice makes a huge difference to on road handling and noise. Yet car magazines and websites don't seem to talk about it much.

 

The main thing that stops 'normal' road cars being effective off-roaders is ground clearance.  Back in my hill-walking days, on a hike up Fan Gyhirych (Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Brecon Beacons in those days), westernmost summit of Fforest Fawr, we encounterd a paraglider bloke who'd driven to within a few yards of the summit on Forestry Commission tracks, in a Ford Fiesta, which would have had difficulty on some farm tracks!

 

A mate at Aberystwyth University in the 70s studying agriculture lived in a cottage with his girlfriend who worked for the university, and one of her tasks was to check rainfall or snow depth at gauges scattered around various locations on Plymlumon.  The job came with a university SWB Land Rover, but if it was snowing she preferred to use her own somewhat battered Hillman Imp, which because of it's rear wheel drive with the weight of the engine directly above it, was a very handy tool for gripping on snow-covered steep gradients.  She used chains, though.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

 

It amazes me tyres don't get more attention as getting the right tyres is critical to performance. My Audi A6 was literally undrivable on snow on all season low profile tyres, on winter tyres it was fine. Put the right tyres on almost any car and it'll go off road or handle ice better than an AWD SUV on summer road tyres. And tyre choice makes a huge difference to on road handling and noise. Yet car magazines and websites don't seem to talk about it much.

 

Land rover make the new Defender but it is huge and very expensive. I believe it does have superb off road capabilities but it strikes me as a car designed for those who want a Chelsea tractor with off road credibility, it's not a workaday utility vehicle. And in fairness, from a business perspective that's probably a sensible approach. You see those here too, in a city state with a world class road system.

 

The Jimny is a good example of a car which is superb for a specific use (small off-roader) and mediocre at best for other use cases (like as a Tonka alternative to a Ford Ka). I love it and have genuine respect for it. If I needed to go off road it is a cheap (both to buy and run) off roader which is unlikely to go wrong. And it's great fun. However I do wonder about those who bought them in the UK as a fashion accessory as on road they're slow and drive like a tractor.

 

When I worked in electricity our line engineers at the time used 1st generation Nissan X-Trails. Despite being a consumer market SUV the AWD models had genuine off road capabilities yet drove like a regular car on-road. At the time those who selected the vehicle fleet in the company said it was the best of the SUVs for going off tarmac and cheaper than looking for a military or industrial utility vehicle. Given it got their engineers everywhere they needed to go it did what it was bought to do 

 

From the early 70's until at least pretty recently when the SUV market exploded Toyota were pretty much the only serious 4WD to use outback. Almost any 4WD you'd see outback would be a Toyota, then a Nissan. Certainly all the mines,  farmers, government departments like police, railways etc  would go with Toyotas.

 Almost every medium to large town in Australia has a Toyota dealership or agent.

 

 Landrover lost a lot of credibility with their reputation for dodgy reliability  in the 80's and 90's  and recent ones are too expensive and parts too scarce remotely  to risk getting a roo through the grill 500km from help.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

6 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

From the early 70's until at least pretty recently when the SUV market exploded Toyota have pretty much been the only serious 4WD to use outback.

The youngest daughter of Mum's best friend wanted to do the big 'round Australia' adventure - late 1970s, early 1980s-ish. I don't remember the exact date. (She used to cut my hair when I was a teenager.)

She bought a 1970s Toyota Land Cruiser* and equipped it with big steel bull bars, a flat bed tray with a chain link fence enclosure and a big steel water tank behind the cab. She set off counter-clockwise from Brisbane. Her mate bailed on her (in the NT I think) and she spent a long time in Perth working to save enough money to finish the trip. She made it home in the end.

 

* Flavio ( @iL Dottore ) would approve of the colour - it was matte battleship grey.

[jjb1970]

26 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

From the early 70's until at least pretty recently when the SUV market exploded Toyota have pretty much been the only serious 4WD to use outback. Almost any 4WD you see outback will be a Toyota, then a Nissan. Certainly all the mines,  farmers, government departments like police, railways etc  go with Toyotas if they need to go off-road.  Landrover lost credibility with their reputation for woeful reliability  in the 80's and 90's  and are now way too expensive and parts too scarce remotely  to risk getting a roo through the grill 500km from help. Almost every medium to large town in Australia has a Toyota dealership or agent. 

 

That's pretty much the case in much of Africa, Asia and Latin America where off-road capability is important too. Although Mitsubishi and Isuzu also have a significant presence in some of those markets. 

[monkeysarefun]

10 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

That's pretty much the case in much of Africa, Asia and Latin America where off-road capability is important too. Although Mitsubishi and Isuzu also have a significant presence in some of those markets. 

Not all of which appears in Toyota advertising.

 

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

The solar panel fitting team are coming today. Only one side of the house has been scaffolded for them.. hope they realise the need to do the other side of the roof on Monday.  

 

The Beast seems to work OK off road (Mitsubishi outlander PHEV)  As petrol (and diesel)in the Antipodes is so cheap gas guzzlers are still  very much in vogue there. Not good for the environment  though.

 

Mugatea time then.. wait for the installation  team.

 

TTFN.

Best regards,

 

Baz

Edited May 12, 2023 by Barry O

[polybear]

3 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Not all of which appears in Toyota advertising.

 

 

 

Top Gear did this with a HiLux - and still didn't kill it:

 

http://www.safetydevices.com/about-us/news-article/17/Killing+a+Toyota/

 

IIRC they dragged it out, fuelled it up & put a battery on it and it started.  They later drove it into the studio.  I think it used to be (might still be?) in the Foyer of Toyota UK HQ.

 

Bear here.....

A busy day is planned - with scope for things going horribly wrong......

BG

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

18 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Not all of which appears in Toyota advertising.

 

 

I believe they were called Technicals when some sort of gun was installed in the back. 

 

Lots of other subjects.  Asda often pick from warehouses.  Morley certainly has a purpose built warehouse for picking online deliveries, next to the main store. 

 

Much soil shovelled into the third raised bed yesterday as my shoulders are reminding me.   Then a it of muddling, where has my mojo reappeared from.  Some negative scanni g for a friend, 120 size b and w. It took me a while to sort out the settings but the results are good.  Then fish and chips in Aulnay and a couple of episodes of the Night Agent before bed. 

 

This morning my task is to go to the Dr's with Beth to act as a second pair of ears.then trainspotting this afternoon. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

Edited May 12, 2023 by jamie92208

[jjb1970]

I always thought the Subaru Outback was a great car for people in the western world who had to drive in winter conditions and do a bit of modest off-roading (which is more than most will ever do). A 4x4 estate car with a bit of additional ground clearance and body protection. It drives like a normal Legacy on the road and can get the vast majority of people further off road than they're ever likely to go. I used to drive a regular Legacy estate, probably the best cars I ever had.

[DaveF]

A grey early morning here with a damp feel to the air.  There are some jobs to do after breakfast then the rest of the day is currently empty but I am sure I will find something to fill my time.

 

I might do some garden jobs, I might do some model things, I might just read a book.  It is nice being retired - I think that most days even though it is now nearly 19 years ago that I retired from full time work.

 

David

[PupCam]

Early Morning All!

 

30 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I believe they were called Technicals when some sort of gun was installed in the back.

 

We called them targets .....

 

Got to get a wiggle on.    A trip to the North Pole is on to go and wake @polybear for a day of adventure,

 

TTFNQ!

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

It’s rather dull here at the moment, there’s a slight breeze but no rail, although it looks like it could chuckitdarn at any minute. Once we’ve finished breakfast, it’s a trip to the Royal Manchester Eye Hospital to collect Sheila’s eye drop prescription (it’s a shame the eye drops can’t be collected locally but apparently it can only be dispensed from the hospital). On the way home, we’ll call at our local pharmacy to collect another prescription, this time for her usual medication, then it’s back home. If we’re not too late back, I’ll call at the Trafford Centre, if it’s late when we get back, I’ll call there after dinner instead. 
 

Back later. 

 

Brian

 

[polybear]

42 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Got to get a wiggle on.    A trip to the North Pole is on to go and wake @polybear for a day of adventure,

 

TTFNQ!

 

Bear was awake (and up) at 05.40....was Puppers?? 😁

 

In other news.....

There's dumb....and very, very DUMB.....

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65567519

 

BG

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Some blue sky and sunshine here at the moment but rain is forecast.  11°C now, might reach 14°C.

Up late as I didn't get to bed until 01.30 but had a good night's sleep.  Aching a bit this morning but might loosen up with a walk to Asda as The Boss wants some magazines.

The Shed may be visited again so I can continue where I left off yesterday although brandishing the soldering iron may be a step too far until I get back into the swing of things to do with tiny toys.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by grandadbob

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The arthritis came back with a vengeance last night, pills were taken and six hours sleep ensued. A few tweaks this morning but they have been dealt with. Not much to do over the weekend but I will not be watching a certain show from Liverpool, thats a certainty.

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning all from a very quiet Londonium, presumably due to the reduced numbers of opus Britanni due to, in no small part undoubtedly, the ferriviaria exactoris percutiens.

 

Now off to the Kennel Club at the behest of Mrs iD - who has a list of things for me to obtain at the KC! Mrs iD also reliably informs me that, in my absence, Lucy and Schotty are in full protective “rip out their throats first, ask questions later” mode.

 

Wonderful beasties, the Wolfpack.,,,

[PhilJ W]

1 minute ago, iL Dottore said:

Good Morning all from a very quiet Londonium, presumably due to the reduced numbers of opus Britanni due to, in no small part undoubtedly, the ferriviaria exactoris percutiens.

 

Now off to the Kennel Club at the behest of Mrs iD - who has a list of things for me to obtain at the KC! Mrs iD also reliably informs me that, in my absence, Lucy and Schotty are in full protective “rip out their throats first, ask questions later” mode.

 

Wonderful beasties, the Wolfpack.,,,

Is Mrs iD also a member of the wolfpack?

[The White Rabbit]

12 hours ago, polybear said:

How old is it, out of interest?  I look forward to someone taking them to the small claims court - I can't see them defending such a claim cos' it'll cost them far more to do so than the claim is actually worth.

 

I think it's about 2005-2006. The retailer I bought it from is no more, so I went to Hornby direct. I wouldn't have minded so much if I'd been able to play with use it. But over the last 15 or so years, a combination of work, caring duties and keeping two households afloat meant very little or no time for hobbies and so relative safety from the awl. I checked on it (and another on RMW's list, which so far is OK) when the first news of mazak broke and again a few years ago - it was fine then, so, to quote Basil Fawlty, I thought I'd got away with it... 

 

I wonder if they would - at face value, yes, easier just to settle but it could create a precedent for them and open the door to other claims.