Patrol 4x4 - Nissan Patrol Forum banner

essential desert mods

4K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  transnamib 
#1 ·
Hi all

New on here. Based in UK. Bought a 2.8 eighteen months ago for desert overlanding. After crossing Kalahari and Namib solo, taking it down to the Sahara later this year. Only mods so far are OME suspension (gives 2" lift), steering guard, BFG ATs and homemade sleeping platform and storage in the back.

Truck has done well so far. Can anyone with desert experience suggest any other essential mods. Can't fit a front bar as now illegal in UK, where soon you will have to get official permission to inhale. Rear bar and two spares seems a good idea - any thoughts.

Will post some pics when I've worked out how.

thanks

transnamib
 
#2 ·
I'm from South Africa, .... you on the right track bud,

You don't need a front bar for sand/desert, so don;t sweat it.
Water tank = 80 - 100Lt
Compressor x 2
rear bar and two spares is a must
Long range fuel tank (extra 60 - 100 lt)
Duel battery / battery jumper box
decent table to set up on off the sand - very important

More to come as i remember it....
 
#7 ·
front bars banned in UK

Front bars are banned in the UK ? WTF? :/

Edit: Googled it.. wow banned on new cars since 2001. I'm outta the loop.

WTF is the right response. I can go out and buy a brand new Defender (well, I wouldn't but you know what I mean) and drive around in a slab fronted truck with a piece of 4" square section steel for a bumper and that's all right. If I put a nicely contoured ARB on the front of my Troll I am apparently a reckless danger to all civilians. I am wondering how this loopy law will affect the military, who drive their stuff around on the roads all the time. Mind you, a lot of their stuff is ancient.

I can't retro fit a bar is the issue, so all those 15 year old Pajeros with the bent chromework on the front are fine it seems and no threat to pensioners and nursing mothers.

This country just goes on getting worse.:mad:
 
#4 ·
So, if you have an old car it's ok?
 
#5 ·
the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard, makes no sense. What about trucks then? Also, land rover defenders are built with a factory front bar cross member, in the uk they are the most popular 4wd vehicle, how is this going to work then. Anyway, we going off topic. more on desert overlanding guys! hahaah
 
#11 ·
I think people are thinking of Oz or African conditions.
I'm from the UK and, yes , I had a bullbar.
I did a fair bit of competition so, very occasionally, it would come in handy.
Other than that you really don't need one over there.
I see why the poster may want one for his travels but I have never heard of anyone in Blighty hitting a camel, kangaroo, emu etc.
As to whether it makes a difference in an impact with a person, I don't know, I think I'd rather take my chances with the aluminium panels on a defender than a steel bar.

I think I will end this with a big fat IMHO ;)
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the suggestions African Troll - I do carry a spare battery but only hooked up to a solar cell to keep it charged - no fancy split charge arrangements. The long ranger tank and dual spares seem a very good idea. Just done four weeks in the Kalahari and Namib with just one and it was a slight worry though I was lucky and had no trouble. Table a very sensible suggestion as I soon discovered. Any other thoughts most welcome.

Pleased about the front bar - just as well really.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the suggestions African Troll - I do carry a spare battery but only hooked up to a solar cell to keep it charged - no fancy split charge arrangements. The long ranger tank and dual spares seem a very good idea. Just done four weeks in the Kalahari and Namib with just one and it was a slight worry though I was lucky and had no trouble. Table a very sensible suggestion as I soon discovered. Any other thoughts most welcome.

Pleased about the front bar - just as well really.
Hi transnamib,
A few suggestions from what you have said.
As far as a second battery. I have found that with my solar pannel mounted on the roofrack constantly charging a spare battery in the back I can run my fridge all day while driving from the main battery and alternator then simply un-plug and plug it to the solar charged battery in the back for night and when in camp for a few days at a time. I have simply used Anderson plugs on all connections so that I can also just plug the solar pannel to the main starting battery and charge it if I ever had a flat battery. Cheap little volt meter for each battery and you do the manual swap when you want.

For long range tanks, there are a lot available in Australia. I have a 145L main and 85 L sub tank so it gives a huge fuel capacity without having to carry any jerry cans that can get stolen, fall off a rack or leak.

For a table you can make one that folds down from the back door.
http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/general-patrol-discussion-17/rear-door-table-supports-55226/


 
#8 ·
Hi Troll

Why 2 compressors? Is reliability an issue? Rear bar a great idea and will probably be the answer but a lot of weight behind the rear axle and it must suck away payload (ie fuel and water carrying capacity.) Also b.... expensive like everything here. Only alternative is to put one spare on the roof, risking stability problems, especially in dunes. So far have managed without a roof rack and don't really want one. No fridge either, taking up a cubic meter of load space. Would appreciate your thoughts.
 
#9 ·
Fridge = good , but then back to the duel battery story.

If you dont take two spare wheels, then take the usual one, but then take a spare tyre only , no rim, and, of course you'll need the tools to change the tyre yourself, and know how to do it properly, including how to de-bead and re-bead a tyre. You can then just strap the spare tyre to regular load bars on top, only a couple kg's.

Compressors get hot, and sometimes die. you've done deserts before, so you'll know if its worth taking two. If you get a quality compressor though you'll be good with one, but must be good.

Water is king. - you need to take **** loads. Same for fuel. Then there's no worries. You can survive with only water, and drive your way out with enough fuel, run out of fuel, you have to wait for passing vehicle (whilst enjoying your water!), walk out = dead.

General tools specific to your vehicle including a power arm for your ratchet spanner so you don;t waste crap loads of energy and sweat while trying to get that filler plug off the rear diff.

General spares for your vehicle = all the usual stuff that you see going bad on this forum

General oils and liquids for your vehicle.

Your vehicle is your life line.

You can survive without a roof top tent, monster tyres,special blow up matresses, expensive spot lights, bull bar and rear bar with spare wheel holder, ....bla bla bla,...but what you can't survive without is a good solid vehicle that is trustworthy and reliable complete with items for mid journey servicing. This, coupled to water and fuel and you got yourself a good adventure on your hands bud.

oh yes, and a lot of common sense and cool calm thinking when everything else is hot and frantic.
 
#10 ·
Thanks Troll - we are pretty much thinking alike. I'm not interested in the posing stuff, just good simple practical solutions. Just found out that a rear bar with two wheel mounts will cost me £1900 which is about 25000 rand. So that's out. I can ship my truck to Walvis Bay and back for that, or damn near buy a new engine. Ridiculous. The power arm for the ratchet is a really good idea - I hadn't thought of that but its now definitely on my list for the next trip.

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated. Have done three Namibia trips. Western Sahara this year. With luck SA next year.
 
#12 ·
You are right though, i agree, not always essential.

Perhaps we place too much emphasis on this item. I would also rather take my chases with alu then my front bar on my pickup. What about winches then? in the UK and Europe guys may often use a winch as the conditions are soft and boggy, would one still pose a threat with one bolted to a winch plate behind the plastic.... hmmmmm, interesting.

Back to Deserts,...

Yes, outrageous price for that rear bar. We would pay around R16 000 for a double rear wheel carrier, R10 000 for the bar and R3000 ea per arm, and that we consider to be very very expensive for us. Steel in this country is expensive, and i don;t know how people here can afford that for front or rear bars. Rather look second hand then or get an engineer to make a basic one up for you, doesn't have to be fancy, just strong, and practical.

You are a seasoned desert overlander mate, Namib is a tough place. You should be giving US tips, not the other way round! hahaha.

Will keep posting on this thread as i think of stuff.
 
#14 ·
keep those tips coming

Back to Deserts,...


You are a seasoned desert overlander mate, Namib is a tough place. You should be giving US tips, not the other way round! hahaha.

Will keep posting on this thread as i think of stuff.

Thanks Troll - Despite the trips I've done I still feel like a novice every time I set out. Two reasons - one is that finding anyone else in the UK with desert experience to share is almost impossible and two is that the last couple of trips I have done entirely solo. I like to keep things basic, functional and fixable but all tips and tricks very welcome, so keep 'em coming. I even navigate ded reckoning with chart and sun compass or magnetic compass just in case the gps gizmos pack up. Only real concession to hi-tech is the sat phone my wife insists I take as I am now 62.

Cheers
 
#16 ·
Transamib, good luck with the adventure and I'm looking forward to reading about it.

This guy MetalJockey on Advrider.com writes incredible trip reports about motorcycle touring in southern Africa, well worth a read for anyone touring there regardless of vehicle.

The link is to "Anglola, It's Not Like They Said", you can find links to his other trips in his sig. 'Angola' is incredible, it will take you 2 hours to read properly (I recommend setting 2 hours aside, you won't want to stop reading). In fact it's so good I'd also recommend reading his other reports first and saving 'Angola' for last.

Angola, it's not like they said. - ADVrider

This trip was going to be different.

I for one, have never updated my will before any other trip. And I wasn't alone. Out of the five of us that were going, three updated their wills and/or life insurance policies in the weeks before we left.

Where were we going?

Angola



Ok, so it may have been a bit of an over reaction, but I had a couple of concerns about this trip. Most of these concerns turned out to be baseless. Some turned out to be valid.

I'll get back to these as the trip unfolds.
 
#18 ·
The solar-to-battery sounds like a good sensible and fool proof method. I like this. Stick with what you know.

62 years old, still a spring chicken man! hahaha.

Sat phone is good though - your wife is right.

Door table as per Geordie is fantastic modification, very usefull when working in and around the rear doors and for making coffee or boiling water in a wind/breeze. Also take a nice sturdy table and chair so you can unpack/eat/repair stuff etc at a comfortable hight and keep all components off the sand/dust.

Jerry cans are horrible things, leaky,rusty,heavy COG,heavy to lift and pour...... Go with a good long range tank, and a good water tank. done deal.
 
#19 ·
Can't add much more advice, I'm presently looking at getting a water tank put into the GQ. Underbody I have a longrange tank, so I'm planning on getting water put under the back seats.

How do you get your patrol to Africa - ship or drive? When we've finally finished with living in OZ we're planning on coming home to the UK. Ship the car to Cape Town and then drive North until we hit Calais...
 
#20 · (Edited)
thanks everyone

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has chipped in with ideas. I reckon I am going to go with the long range tank - thanks for the link and advice GEORDIE (found a supplier not too far away) and the water tank. Humping jerries in and out is a constant exercise in hernia avoidance.

Thanks to all for the other ideas too. Great to talk to some other Patrol owners - a very rare vehicle in the UK. In fact Nissan stopped importing them some time ago.
 
#21 ·
Little Chef - The plan - ship the vehicle from UK to Walvis Bay. £2500 return but that was nearly two years ago now. Frankly didn't fancy driving through some African countries on my own. Chicken? Yup. Paperwork etc a real pain. Make sure you get a place on a ship well in advance as price is lower then. Took some doing to find anyone willing but finally found an outfit in the east of England. Make sure you ship the vehicle in a sealed container - pricier (about twice as much) but it will still have the wheels on when it arrives. In fact a year or so ago I was quoted £3000 for a return shipping to Perth in WA - not too bad I thought. If you are planning a one way trip will probably be reasonable cost. Bet its a lot more now though. Shop around well in advance.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top