So what makes a truck "Overland/Expedition" ready?

[Mal Eade]

Driver


A half decent driver would go a long way to making the trip trouble free.

The truck is only 50% or less a good driver will save so much time and bother.

Know your truck foresee problems before they come and bite you on the ass and be aware of what the truck can and cant do.

So many people set off with no experience with long overland trips and all this leads to is a trouble plagued trip.

One Trip I was on there were 5 blokes all packed in a 110 guess what before Spain they had the first row and by Southern Spain 2 had flow back home.

Pick your passengers well thats another tip.


Mal

 

[Olazz]

I asked the question as I was looking back on the cars that have taken me on major trips all over Southern/central Africa.

Landrover series 1 - never broke down.- Salisbury - Blantyre - Salisbury (Still running Zim)
Willys Jeep Waqon - dizzy failure - Durban - Luangwa (Zambia) - Durbs (Dead)
Landrover series II + trailer. Half shafts, electrics, gearbox, wheel bearings, cylinder head. - Salisbury - whole of Mocambique - Salisbury (Dead)
Farmobil -never broke down - Durbs - Chobe. Caprivi - Etosha - Durbs (Dead)
Landcruiser 55 - Horrid thing, but never broke.- Cape Town - Windhoek- Benguela. (shipped to Ivory coast) (not known)
Mazda Bakkie - alternator problems - C.T. - Mana Pools- Vic Falls - C.T (Bots somewhere)
Peugeot 404 station wagon - ran for ever Brilliant cars! - C.T. -LM - Beira- Quelimane- Pemba - Dar. (shipped to Goa prob still running).
LC 60 - rear spring failure (twice) - Dar - Kampala (sold)
LC 60 One wheel bearing failure - SA-Namibia-Angola- Zambia- Tanazania- Kenya. (Still running here in UK)

This doesn't count the numerous short-hop trips throughout Zim, Mocambique, Namibia, & ZA.

All of the cars above had "some" mechanical pre-preparation done to them before the trips ... except 2.
The Peugeot and the Farmobil.

In all these cases, the cars involved were driven on Africa's dirt roads, tar strips (you must remember those), and tarmac. No special 6 ply off road tyres, fridges, air lockers, winches or bull bars....but in company with at least ONE other vehicle.

The worst vehicle - Cruiser 55
The most robust Peugeot 404, nothing broke, not even the rear electric window in the tailgate!!!

And here I am preparing my current truck LC80 with a whole host of stuff I will probably never need... Why?
Because I'm at the age where I can, and I want to travel in a little more comfort, and be able to rely on just myself as I will not be travelling in convoy... so I want a winch/fridge/6ply/air/lockers/rtt/drawers/tank/bells and whistles.

So who cares if my overland/expedition truck will make me look like a "Brit Landrover idiot". I'm happy with the whole grocery list

Now what else should I add; I've forgotten something for sure.

 

[vrecha]

Let me than correct my statement slightly, according to the renewed definitions of terms "overland" and "expedition".
From:
Well maintained vehicle with decent tires is overland-ready in my opinion.
To:
Well maintained vehicle with decent tires is expedition-ready in my opinion.

 

[Barry Ham]

Absolutely! Confidence in a well maintained wagon,having travelled to south France four and five times a year over the last five years and more often than not in a transit van,but its when we reach our destination in the black mountains and see all the tracks and trails leading off for miles into yonder its then I dream of the day we arrive with the vx !! Pretty much standard it will be for this year but well maintained and confidence growing...Roll on July''

 

[Maximus]

Well serviced, gear arranged so that you dont have to turf everything out to get something, a fridge and BFG tyres.

After that, it depends on your bank balance and how bored you are.

 

[whereisgibson]

Stock for me. Jerries for extra fuel and camping with tents. If I *need* the depth of a snorkel I doubt I'd enter the water in the first place, and if it's dusty then is a metre going to make much difference...

 

[mettisse]

I agree with most of the above, but a snorkel enabled me to fit a "Donaldson" air filter, overkill maybe, but when you emty the air filter each day after driving in desert conditions, I found considerably less dust etc in the main filter (Virtually none) by using the "donaldson" and I agree that for water crossing I, like you, would decline deep water. Funny, I have found that for some markets L--d R----r fitted a centrifugal underbonnet filter that would have done the job nicely (if its still available) They were retrofitted, as I understand to export models going to sandy, dusty climates on the 300 series Discos. Thats my tuppence worth, best regards , Bill Westley