Despite being called ‘Land Rover Expedition Training’ the principles covered in this article apply to any form of motorized transport, not just Land Rovers, whether they be 4 x 4 vehicles, normal cars or motorbikes. I just have a personal preference for Land Rovers due to their rugged charm and my experiences with them.
You might have a Nissan, a Toyota, Mitsubishi or a Land Rover, expedition training, however, fits in two basic categories and they both revolve around keeping the vehicle moving in every sense of the word.
Driver Training
Driving a vehicle off road takes practice, especially if you want to drive the vehicle to the limits of it’s abilities, thus maximising what you can achieve by having it on the expedition in the first place. Yes you can jump into a Land Rover, expedition training non existent, and plough your way through a desert or jungle track and have a great time doing so. You might even be lucky and arrive at your chosen destination, feeling smug that you never wasted time or money learning about the vehicle. Now then, there is a term to describe the way you treat a vehicle … do you think as you leaped over sand dunes, slipped the clutch repeatedly, crunched gears and over revved the engine you drove with ‘Mechanical Sympathy‘? I doubt it!
Driver training can be done by yourself on a dirt track near home by reading up on techniques and taking it easy to begin with or on a special off road course with instructors. Just, please, do some!
If the expedition is a long one and you are using vehicles as a means of support, on emergency stand-by or even they are the expedition, by driving with ‘mechanical sympathy’ you will prolong the life of the vehicle and the chances of them breaking down, just when you need them, become slimmer. Also, the on going maintenance will be easier and cheaper. Which now leads us onto the next topic……
The driver above, in Botswana, was going a little too fast for this body of water (sorry guys, it was me! Showing off for the camera)
Mechanical Training
If members of your expedition don’t pay any attention to the advice above, then who ever is in charge of the vehicle maintenance better pay attention to this category.
If you have been designated the trip mechanic then there are somethings you can do to help the expedition do a lot smoother. You don’t need a degree in mechanical engineering just a will to learn, some common sense and the ability to ‘have a go’.
Get yourself a manual (a Haynes manual is a good one) and go round the entire vehicle and anything you don’t know what it is look it up. Go on the internet and join discussion groups, see if anyone knows a friendly mechanic to spend any time possible going over the vehicle with you.
An hour studying your vehicle before the trip saves five hours on the trip messing around whilst you have to actually find the broken piece, never mind fix it (well, I made that up, but you get the message!).
My clutch slave cylinder went in Sudan the day we went to catch a ferry to Saudi Arabia. Learning how to drive without a clutch is a useful skill!
Even being a mechanic already I underwent Land Rover expedition training for our Africa expedition. I went off road driving in the Lakes District, serviced the vehicle and prepared it myself before the trip, bought all the tools and spares and contacted some friends who had a Land Rover garage where I worked for some time to refresh my skills.
This article is the tip of the iceberg. In future articles we will be looking at tools, spares and some useful hints and tips for when you get really stuck. If in the mean time you want to get yourself some Land Rover expedition training contact us and we will get you ready for your adventure.
My drive from Cape Town, South Africa, back to UK was one of my dreams and it came true… let us help you with yours.
Tel:+44 (0)131 2208246
