Who Needs 4WD ?

Duh · Guru

Who Needs 4WD ?

Duh · Guru

Not sure about the weight John, they had a full chassis in those days so maybe that's why it stood up to the roll over, also I think the metal body on them was a bit heavier confuse

Here is an interesting link to the history of Dodge cars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge

I've never known any car sales people called Dodge, but I've met a few you could call "Dodgy" wink biggrin

-- Edited by Duh on Tuesday 1st of October 2013 04:22:57 PM

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Cheers - John

Duh · Guru

It is amazing stuff John, only narrow tyres on those things also.....

confuse

Yendorane · Senior Member

imagine a modern car on its roof then tipped back on its wheels thousands of $ worth of damage

copper1 · Guru

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin Looked just like the Princes Hwy LOL LOL biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

aussietraveller · Guru

I really think a lot of today's 4X4 vehicles would not be able to achieve what that one did.

rockylizard · Guru

Duh wrote:
It is amazing stuff John, only narrow tyres on those things also.....

Gday...

I think the clues to its success - and so many of the vehicles in those days -

a) narrow tyres with stiff sidewalls;

b) good ground clearance;

c) the vehicles were quite light in comparison to today;

d) wheel travel was quite good - compared to a 'standard' vehicle today;

e) low gearing (high numerically) giving low top speed, but good torque transference to wheels;

d) low revving motors with good torque.

It was good to see this - AHHHH ... the era of adventure

Cheers - John

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Bit of info via google on the 1920 Dodge -

Engine: 3,479cc

Power: 30hp (25.76Kw) @ 2,000rpm

Weight: 2245lbs (1018.31kg)

Transmission: 3-speed sliding floor control

They don't make em like they used to

cheers - John

Bryan · Guru

Loved the way they bobbed up and down.

D and D · Guru

Ah, but can it tow a van at the same time? biggrin

Olley46 · Guru

If you can't afford a Ford bye a Dodge and dodge a Ford.

Lance C

ShortNorth · Senior Member

My late father-in-law used to say "If you can't afford a dodge, dodge a Ford" - and .................................. his surname was Ford !

GaryKelly · Guru

If you've ever had your foot stuck deep in mud, you'll know how difficult it is to pull it out. Those large old wheels with narrow tyres were designed to travel through mud without getting stuck - and if they did, were relatively easy to pull out. Think of the old covered wagons heading west during the pioneering days of the US with not a road in sight.

johnq · Guru

It is the length of the footprint of the tyre that matters, not the width. He would have been running low pressure as well for the mud.

But what can you say except that some fellows are magicians with their vehicles. They understand how to do it and they have plenty of practice to help.

For the rest of us ordinary types the emphasis has to be on conserving the vehicle and of course the payload.

We had an old Ford on the farm that I remember would go everywhere. In truth though the men knew the land features and walked any path they were unsure of prior, and they did go slowly, picking their way. No-one rushed into mud for fear of the sharp rocks, holes and tree limbs that could rip the fuel lines and so on out of the vehicle. I also remember the old truck dry bogged on dry grass and ball-bearing rubble on the slightest of slopes. -We were once in danger of sliding sideways over a drop with a load and saved only by having just enough space to accelerate slowly at a shallow angle. Very sweaty shirts that day.

The only thing I don't like about modern vehicles are the computer bits such as computer chip dwell angle sensors that save a poofteenth of a mile per gallon and if they fail you are hopelessly stranded with nothing you can do to remedy. Honestly, who would put delicate electronics that hate heat, dust and moisture into a vehicle that can and will go into remote areas? It was government bureaucrats and their 'environmental' legislation that did that I suppose.

-- Edited by johnq on Wednesday 2nd of October 2013 06:41:41 PM

Duh · Guru

GaryKelly wrote:
Think of the old covered wagons heading west during the pioneering days of the US with not a road in sight.

I didn't know you were that old Gary ! wink smile

I think the high clearance helped too. The old Army Landrover's were useless in mud, no ground clearance and if they went down in the mud to the floor it acted like a suction cup.....

GaryKelly · Guru

Interesting insights, Johng.

mr glassies · Guru

naaaaaa olley its if ya cant aford a ford dodge a doge and buy a holden

that was till i bought my colorado nevaagain

dibs

Beth54 · Guru

That was a good giggle, and a little bit of a trip down memory lane. No, I'm not that old, but I spent my teenage years on Macleay Island in Moreton Bay. No licence or rego needed there in those days, so there were all sorts of weird and wonderful vehicles.

And the rollover reminded me of the boys rolling the Morrie..Morris Minor..then getting it upright again amid raucous laughter, drove it home, and just chopped off the dented roof!

Duh · Guru

I was on an army camp in NSW and we were on a bush track with large hills, our 4WD Landrovers were towing 1 ton trailers and were struggling to get up over the hills, a local farmer came along in a Holden FJ ute, he obviously knew the area and how to drive on it, took the hill we were on at speed (we could see him coming up the road flat chat) up and over leaving us in his dust........grrrrr.... furious

So not what you've got but how you drive it in the conditions hmm

dorian · Guru

Decades ago, I remember one motoring writer saying that a LandRover couldn't pull an old lady off a cast iron pisspot. IIRC the article was about a VW Kombi that he used to trek across Australia.

My cousin used to work on the Picton pipeline and I remember him saying that LandRovers were the worst of the three vehicles that they used, with the Nissan Patrol being the best. In the 1970s a mate had a LandRover which couldn't do better than 100kph on a downhill run.

Duh · Guru

dorian wrote:
Decades ago, I remember one motoring writer saying that a LandRover couldn't pull an old lady off a cast iron pisspot. IIRC the article was about a VW Kombi that he used to trek across Australia.

My cousin used to work on the Picton pipeline and I remember him saying that LandRovers were the worst of the three vehicles that they used, with the Nissan Patrol being the best. In the 1970s a mate had a LandRover which couldn't do better than 100kph on a downhill run.

In the very early model ones (around late 59 early 1960's) we found the low ground clearance and floor acted as a suction cup, in mud touching the floor they stuck fast. Pretty useless both in Oz and PNG where we used them. On the other hand, the US type jeep you see in War movies were good in PNG as they were lighter and if stuck a few blokes could just lift them out.

Beth54 · Guru

We had our Land Rover in the 80's, and it was old then. I used to drive it from Warrego NT into Tennant Creek to shop. I'd often set the hand throttle so I could get my feet off the hot floor. And if the wind was blowing the right way it'd be a quick trip, but if not, it was very very slow. I once got a flat tyre. Luckily I was in town and some good samaritan changed it for me. There was no way I could get that spare off the bonnet, let alone change the damn thing!

We had a perfectly good Kingswood wagon before that. Mum thought we were mad. In hindsight, maybe we were, but we wanted a 4WD.

When we returned to Brisbane and started using it on the beach, it became 'The Bogger'.