|
|
|||||
 |
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVING |
||||
|
Around this area where we have made our retirement home there is a lot of forestry, within it, and around the surrounding mountains there are quite a few challenging 4wd tracks, that can at times be reasonably difficult
to negotiate--rain, snow, mud and ice through the winter add to the 'fun' encountered while driving. I now have a 2.8 Auto Mitsubishi Pajero Intercooled turbo diesel 4wd with which to do my 4wding in and to pull my 6" Keene gold dredge. It also serves me as my road vehicle for transport. It is the second Mitzi that I have now owned - the first was a 2.5 manual and was used as a work vehicle to take me to and from the various fishing ports that I fished out of before retirement came along. I was always one of the bunch to think that Mitzis were just a bit on the light side to do any serious 4wding in.... The 2.5 vehicle dispelled any of those thoughts from my head, as some of the places that I took it, and it has been in some funny ones - well - I dont think that the Isuzu would have managed to get me out and back home again with out a bit of serious digging - It had the standard centre locking diff system that most of the Pajeros have as well as an added extra - an electric rear diff locker which has proved to be a real asset when in some tricky suituations with the gold dredge on behind. It had a bit more ground clearance gained through adding larger tyres than standard - 'BFG muddies'. It had 140,000 on it when I bought it and when I sold it it had 250,000 on the clock. Apart from a couple of dodgy glow plugs it still continued to start and run really well..The 2.8 that I have now, had 95,000 when I bought it and is now creeping up to 135,000. Before this I had as my allrounder an Isuzu Bighorn (Trooper).(pictured above nose down into a bit of snow that tended to cover a ditch that was there). This I imported from Japan in 1997, it came in to New Zealand powered with a 2.3 turbo diesel motor. Shortly after buying it I had the opportunity to buy an '89 model 2.8 Isuzu 'Irmscher' Turbo/Intercooled that had suffered a roll over. This pic of 'me an suzy' was taken away in the 'back blocks' of Otago where a friend and myself do a bit of dredging.The day was a bit overcast and cool so instead of the coffee I said that rum would have been a damn good substitute -- but alas there was none to be had.....  Here we have a shot of the upper Taieri Gorge. The access to this particular stretch of river is quite difficult - the tracks all seem to end about 2-300 feet above where you would like to get to and at times this is rather frustrating. Still when you consider the hardships that the old miners were subjected to I guess that we have got it pretty easy.
The general area around where we have our home is fairly hilly - the highest in the area being over 5000 foot high. The tracks are mainly all farming access, but if you talk to the various runholders most of them will give you the okay to use them providing that you leave things as you find them - and if you do find something out of the ordinary let them know about it. SUBARU'S ALLAN AND HIS SOO-BOO-ROO. 1985 'Halo ute' (this 'bit' of a hill is quite a challenge - even for the bigger 4wd's.Its about 500 foot of near 45 deg; incline - known locally as Translator hill). Before my present vehicle I used for my 4WDing Subaru's. I found them to be a great recreational vehicle with underated capabilities. My first was a 1982 'sport ute',that I kept for about 3 yrs, till the k's started getting a bit high.(250,000) My son decided that he wanted this vehicle so he took over ownership and re-motored it at about 300,000 with an RX motor. When he sold it it must have been getting near 400,000 - the speedo had given up the ghost at this time...This vehicle is still in use and going strong.(probably heading for the big million k's) Then I bought an '85 'Halo' ute (sunroof model)this I retained until the k's reached around the 230,000 followed by two wrecks that I made one good one out of. I found that they were struggling a bit getting into some of the places that I wanted to go with my gold dredge, so thats when I decided to go slightly bigger and heavier and purchased my first Isuzu Big Horn - a 1984 2.3 turbo diesel model,this I kept for a couple of years until I bought the '88 model Isuzu 'export'.
4wding Mt Buster. Heading up towards the old quartz pebble mining claim (picture)
4wding Mt Buster in the old 'Buster Diggings' made up of white quartz pebbles(picture)
4wding Mt Buster, heading down to our 'picnic' spot for a bit of r & r.(picture)
4wding Mt Buster 'picnic time'(picture)
'Parked Subarus' like two little dogs cocking their legs!! :)
"Dang"!!somebody beat me to the ice!
My first Sub looked like this one of my son's; in the snow along side a 'Smurf'(picture)
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
The running gear fitted to the 2.8's is a lot heavier and stronger - so my brother and I proceeded to 'gut' both vehicles and did a total transplant of motor,gearbox,front and rear diffs. This has improved the vehicle immensely when towing my 
