World's worst 4x4 ?

[Chui]

You've a good eye mate. They weren't Massai, I just couldn't remember the name of the people, they weren't even from Kenya, they were a tribe from Tanzania. The film crew had heard of this tribe walking onto kills to steal meat and were sceptical. They found the people and they claimed to have done it often, but it had never been filmed before. They agreed to demonstrate, so they spent some time looking for the right kill - it needed to be an early morning kill as it was too dangerous to do it at night. They found what they wanted and the people obliged with a demonstration.

Could be Datoq - they have similar gait and way about them.........? They rub up against the Masai, sometimes badly

Only other tribe I can think of like that are Chagga

[Martyn]

Could be Datoq - they have similar gait and way about them.........? They rub up against the Masai, sometimes badly

Only other tribe I can think of like that are Chagga

Found it, they were Dorobo and it was Kenya, my mistake...

[Mr Happymoose]

Like humans there are no hard and fast rules with lions. Books will say they do this and that, reality will often be different. The male lion in the picture was actually very pissed off at us (no guests on the vehicle). Classic pissed off behaviour with the tail twitching like hell and a low growl. This is a warning - which we listened to and backed the vehicle off. Further north there is a pride who are very, very different. Last season one of the females gave birth under a guest tent and the lioness and her sibling took to hanging around the raised platforms of the camp. We all at times walked into her - very, very close. Even with cubs at no time were people threatened. This pride are so relaxed that if you park a vehicle close to them often they will wander over and flop down in the shade of the vehicle. The former dominant male of this pride had even been known to place his head in the footwell of a vehicle with no doors - heart stopping for the guide. He once also scent marked the bull bar (and guide!) of a vehicle. This pride are also habituated to local spear -fishermen who have rights of access to the area at certain times of the year - I have witnessed fishermen walk within 20-30m of lionesses who simply raise their heads, look and then go back to lazing around. It was very interesting last year to basically live with a pride of nursing lions to say the least. Other prides we would have had to close the camp - it just would have been totally different!

With regard to the Hippo Chui is spot on - It normally takes a good few lions to bring down something like a hippo... I have some frankly shocking pictures of a lioness being dissembowelled by a Buffalo which I will not post - but believe me it is something. For large animals like Hippos and Buffalo often this is where the weight and strength of male lions comes into play.

In the case of this hippo we theorise that it was not actually the 3 males that brought him down, but probably the lions taking advantage of the hippo after a fight with another male hippo - generally there was an absence of trampled grass and the mayhem that such a kill would entail.

Dammit I really need to visit Africa!! Not only do I have to suffer hearing stories and seeing amazing pictures like these, but now it's sparked Mrs Happymoose off regaling me with her exploits in Kenya!!




Jealous??!!??





Moi!!??!!




Absoblimminlutely!!!!

[Chui]

Found it, they were Dorobo and it was Kenya, my mistake...

Rift Valley people...........have become quite diluted as a tribe; some of them are pretty nifty with metal working too..........no wonder the arrahs had good steel tips (they could've been bought/bartered though).

I'd loved to have watched that scene - their ability to sit and wait till they felt the time was right to walk in like that - more front than Brighton beach.

I've been on some walking safaris, and it is just as interesting watching the eyes/faces/moods of the guide and trackers as animals are encountered. They're usually more worried about the guests than the beasts.......

[leealanr]

I had a series 2A, formerly owned by BT in 1983 on I think. It never let me down, worked faultlessly towing an 18 foot and very heavy CI Fairholme Goldfinch Caravan all over the place.

Bright yellow in colour and I loved it.

Currently own a Pajero 3 litre petrol, utterly reliable, good off road and absolutely no soul!

On arrival in Jordan I looked for a good Disco or RR but the then dealership had just collapsed and there was nothing available. Choice was mainly therefore a Pajero (ubiquitous here) or the more expensive and much rarer Toyota Land Cruiser, so I bought a new Pajero.

Next car however will be a LR4 or RR, and yes, as is the Pajero, they are/will be used regularly in the deep desert well off road.

Currently included in the vehicle fleet are 1 x RR, 3 Toyota LC, 2 x Pajero, LRF2 ( a lot better than the original), 2 x G wagons and a LR3.

Just got rid of a 2.8l petrol Prado (just awful, mainly due to underpower of engine), 4l petrol V8 LR2 (GREAT off road) older Pajero going soon and being replaced by LC.

Down side of all in Jordan is that as they are all classed as private cars, they MUST be petrol. We also use 2 x Mitsubishi Warriors and as they are pickups, they are diesel.

The worst 4 x 4's here are all American (overweight and not very strong, crap of road) espically LOWERED Hummer H2's!

Regards.

Alan L.

Alan L.

[Martyn]

The worst 4 x 4's here are all American (overweight and not very strong, crap of road) espically LOWERED Hummer H2's!

That speaks volumes.

[leealanr]

And very "bling" as well!

Alan L.

[Deerman]

Yeah, true! Although Mahindras are utterly useless the view is the same as any other vehicle:

Awesome photos mate, if you are going to post photos of that quality you really should protect them in some way.

Worst 4x4? Vauxhall Brava pickup.

Best wishes,
Glyn.

[africanex]

Thanks for the kind comments Glyn

[fishman307]

Cant remember where i saw it but there is an amazing fact about Hum Vs, It was either Iraq or Afghanistan that had thousands of Hummers sent to war, ONLY something like three or four didnt drive/return home (so to speak) of these some were bombed and others robbed for parts, I am sure the info is there somewhere on the web. These of course were a different kettle of fish to what we normally see, Though the suspension, Gearboxes, Running gear Etc are said to be unbreakable. Very nearly bought one when first imported but backed out in time, It ad some amzing kit though like Bilge pumps for running under water, We have a 4x4 center nearby in Bradford some REALLY heavy course and it seemed strange to see an oldish guy roll up in a new white Hummer, It got a standing ovation when after a dozen or so different 4x4 were towed out of lake , Guy in hummer just drove steadilly accross and at one point submerged completely, Till it came up a near vertical banking on other side, He ran the bilge pumps for a minute or two then Reversed back across the lake, VERY impressive, He turned out to be the UK importer for them at that time, So dont ever think they are softies.

[Martyn]

Cant remember where i saw it but there is an amazing fact about Hum Vs, It was either Iraq or Afghanistan that had thousands of Hummers sent to war, ONLY something like three or four didnt drive/return home (so to speak) of these some were bombed and others robbed for parts, I am sure the info is there somewhere on the web. These of course were a different kettle of fish to what we normally see, Though the suspension, Gearboxes, Running gear Etc are said to be unbreakable. Very nearly bought one when first imported but backed out in time, It ad some amzing kit though like Bilge pumps for running under water, We have a 4x4 center nearby in Bradford some REALLY heavy course and it seemed strange to see an oldish guy roll up in a new white Hummer, It got a standing ovation when after a dozen or so different 4x4 were towed out of lake , Guy in hummer just drove steadilly accross and at one point submerged completely, Till it came up a near vertical banking on other side, He ran the bilge pumps for a minute or two then Reversed back across the lake, VERY impressive, He turned out to be the UK importer for them at that time, So dont ever think they are softies.

The military hummers are pretty tough, but the civvie versions are very much the poor relation. That said, like everything, there will be things that it can do well. It's just that there are things that it doesnt do so well. If you take something like a Landcruiser, it does almost everything very well, which is why it's such a good vehicle. You have to consider things like fuel economy, the cost of spares, width of the vehicle, axle articulation and a thousand other things. Just driving one through deep water may look impressive, but there is far more to being a "good" 4x4 than just wading. I'm not knocking them - at least not the military versions, but the civvie versions with lowered suspension are a bit of a joke.

It's not that hard to make a vehicle wade...



This ones a bit hairy...



...and if you want really extreme wading, how about 'scuba kit required'?

[paulrbarnard]

It's not that hard to make a vehicle wade...

Yep mine does that. Raised intake, full wading kit and plugs. I find the water comes in faster than it goes out though

[fishman307]

There is wading and Wading LOL http://www.bestads.tv/view/179/hummer-underwater/ I know it can be done in most things BUT that day there was NOTHING out of some real dedicated stuff that got near to their windscreen base, The Hum was under completely by at least a foot, Fun illy enough a little suzuki came a good second, But certainly the petrols arent really up for it, As much as that big V8 diesel, I well remember the nightmare Austin Champ with its waterproofing ! the only thing that couldnt get in was the mechanic, Or the DKW with its three sets of points and stopped if it rained BUT i wish i had one now, They were probably the start of the spare 4x4 toy society, Remember £20 would buy you a good little toy, And s/h bits were everywhere,

[africanex]

Much to my better half's shock and horror we rented and took an H3 Hummer round Namibia for a couple of weeks some years back. Mainly just to see what they were like. A more useless, thirsty, gutless and rubbish vehicle I cannot imagine. Sure it was basically fairly capable... in the same way as any double cab 4x4 is. Nothing special. IIRC it is based on some GM or something pick up. The looks we got alone were enough to make me glad it was only a rental!

Of course the original military version is quite different, but with it's extremely wide track it would be all but useless in most normal situations here in the African bush or indeed in Europe. It can do nothing more or less than a heavily worked on LR or LC - or indeed anything else.

[Iron Hoarder]

H3 is just a Chevrolet Trailblazer with a different shell. That means yuppie moms grocery getting kiddie hauler meant for use on pavement. Better off with an old station wagon. The original military Hummer's have their bad points like being too heavy for the jacks that came with them to lift, having suspension that was too weak to support the additional armor kit, brakes that tended to magnetize and not release. Half shaft bolts that had to be constantly tightened up so they didn't fall out and lets not forget more blind spots and a worse field of vision than a WWII pill box. Being extremely wide wasn't particularly helpful either. I would have rather had one of those commie built 4X4 trucks the Bosnians were rattling around in. I have no idea what they were but looked like small Unimogs.