Next tow vehicle

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by Leapy

You don't need beam axles to keep wheels in contact with the ground. You only need them for a crap ride

By the way, beam axles have stub axles :-)

Think you’ll find he's meaning the physical difference between beam axles and independent suspension – i.e. front wish bones

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by Lee argyle

Think you’ll find he's meaning the physical difference between beam axles and independent suspension – i.e. front wish bones

Yep, I know what he meant ... just don't agree the beam axle generalisation

[Rokraider]

Independent front suspension is more comfortable over bumps than a beam axle, but when you start going seriously off road and need articulation, the beam axle wins every time.

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

Independent front suspension is more comfortable over bumps than a beam axle, but when you start going seriously off road and need articulation, the beam axle wins every time.

Every time? Maybe ... but THIS looks pretty serious

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by Leapy

Every time? Maybe ... but THIS looks pretty serious

Bowlers are fantastic, but biased towards speed, I would agree for best articulation and ability off-road beam axles win ( my humble 4x4 experience includes competing on a national level and I’m a qualified off-road instructor )……………….saying that its all BS unless you run the right boots!

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by Lee argyle

Bowlers are fantastic, but biased towards speed, I would agree for best articulation and ability off-road beam axles win ( my humble 4x4 experience includes competing on a national level and I’m a qualified off-road instructor )……………….saying that its all BS unless you run the right boots!

Understand the tyres ... same for road cars too. The right rubber counts for soooo much.

Be interesting to see where Bowler go now that they've formalised ties with JLR

[Dhf]

Originally Posted by Lee argyle

saying that its all BS unless you run the right boots!

Fully agree, BFG AT's for me, they seem to last forever as well. but I used the old mud pluggers on the 90 when trialing, i've heard those diamonds are pretty good too.

[Rokraider]

The comment regarding on;y as good as the tyres its shod with is true. One of the main headaches for 4x4 SUV owners these days is the limited choice of off road tyres. This obsession with big rims and low profile tyres has completely screwed the abilities of the modern 4x4.

I run BFG AT's on all my road going 4x4's. Good road manners, usually good for 40k, fantastic in snow, good on sand and will cope with mild muddy stuff.

The Bowlers are built for speed and are not much use at clambering about over terrain where you need articulation. They have come a long way from the original concept.

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

This obsession with big rims and low profile tyres has completely screwed the abilities of the modern 4x4.

[paddlers]

Tyre choice is crucial ! I run BFG Mud Terrain on my 90 Landy as it's 80% off road, they're still good for 25000 miles but I tend to change them early when the treads down to @4mm as they lose the ability to grip! ML has Avon Ranger 275/75 17 which are nice & quiet but still got enough grip for the odd beach launch as it's @ 0.5 % off road.
Still think that the old G Wagon Merc was the most effective 4wd with it's ability to lock all the diffs so that all four wheels pulled. With the right tyres they were unstoppable.
Some drivers shouldn't be off road anyway, see it most weeks around here !!

[Rokraider]

The G Wagen was a well engineered kit mechanically, but was a shocker for rust. The diff locks make a huge difference and in the G Wagens case, helped compensate for quite poor articulation. The old diesel was a bit of a slug, but reliable. I haven't had a look at the newly relaunched model now available, With the new range of engines, it could be a different story.

Of course, the UK spec 80 series Land Cruiser had difflocks as standard. Another thing that made them outstanding!

We install a lot of difflocks (we have been ARB main agents for 20+ years) and they really do transform the vehicles off road. Traction aids are ok to a point, but a lot of them simply run the ABS brake system in reverse and lock the wheel that is trying to spin, by using the brake system. This is fine for the occasional nudge to keep it going, but a day in the serious poo will leave you with no brake pads left. You can't beat a mechanical diff lock in my opinion.

[Dhf]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

The comment regarding on;y as good as the tyres its shod with is true. One of the main headaches for 4x4 SUV owners these days is the limited choice of off road tyres. This obsession with big rims and low profile tyres has completely screwed the abilities of the modern 4x4.

I run BFG AT's on all my road going 4x4's. Good road manners, usually good for 40k, fantastic in snow, good on sand and will cope with mild muddy stuff.

The Bowlers are built for speed and are not much use at clambering about over terrain where you need articulation. They have come a long way from the original concept.

+2 wheel arch and 20inch rims all restrict proper off road tyre choice.

One of the main features with the bowlers I reackon is the ramp angle achieved, which is often overlooked in many modern 4x4's, plus the usual v8 compliments the bowlers of course. making the ideal vehicle for the comp, and the 90 for trailing, Horses courses n all that, I reackon the op should get a unimog not much would stop them.

[Rokraider]

Unimog is a great piece of kit, but you wouldn't want to drive it as a road vehicle for long. It certainly wouldn't notice a RIB on tow. Mind you, you probably wouldn't be able to see the rib in the mirrors either.
i was trundling round in an original military Humvee for a while, that I had been offered. I was sorely tempted to buy it, but after a couple of days, the novelty wore off and the sheer impracticability of it changed my mind. It was interesting when I took it to Tescos for some shopping. It had a wheel in 4 parking spaces. I sat back and watched peoples reaction. It was a 50/50 split and people loved it or hated it. Would have been a nice toy, but I wouldn't have used it enough to justify tying up that much cash.

[Rokraider]

I wouldn't propose this vehicle as a good tow vehicle for on road, however it will cope with just about any beach situation!

amazing extreme offroad 4x4 Chainlink - YouTube

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

I wouldn't propose this vehicle as a good tow vehicle for on road, however it will cope with just about any beach situation

It needs a beach? What about the harbour wall, a pier, a cliff ...

Amazing. Is the drive through hydraulic motors?

[Lee argyle]

One of my little Landys, front and rear winch's and diff locks, auto and running 36 Simex - not alot stops her

[paddlers]

Originally Posted by Lee argyle

One of my little Landys, front and rear winch's and diff locks, auto and running 36 Simex - not alot stops her

Nice outfit

[Rokraider]

Originally Posted by Leapy

It needs a beach? What about the harbour wall, a pier, a cliff ...

Amazing. Is the drive through hydraulic motors?

It has a huge central, lockable diff in the middle of the chassis and has chain drives going down each suspension arm. The axle travel is measured in feet! This is the exception where independent suspension easily beats a beam axle.

Nice 90 Lee. What engine? 8274 on the front?

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

It has a huge central, lockable diff in the middle of the chassis and has chain drives going down each suspension arm. The axle travel is measured in feet! This is the exception where independent suspension easily beats a beam axle.

Nice 90 Lee. What engine? 8274 on the front?

Tuned 300tdi, Giggled 8274 ( twin bow 2's ) on the front and up-rated 8274 running in the rear, albrights and plasma rope, very fast and powerfull

[Rokraider]

That lot should get you through just about anything!