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Do These 6 Things Before Your Next Overlanding Trip

You have a big overlanding trip coming up.

You’re already planning where you want to go and you need the best clothing and footwear. This is going to be a great experience for you.

Of course, you’re also going to need to rely on your 4WD vehicle to keep you going. That’s going to take some work as improper maintenance could lead to you getting stranded.

Do you want to avoid that situation?

Make sure you follow all of these maintenance tips to keep your 4WD vehicle in driving shape.

 

Tip #1 – Keep Your Recovery Gear Clean

You may forget about your recovery gear because you (hopefully) don’t have to use it very often.

But you still need to maintain it. You can’t have it failing on you at the crucial moment.

All of those shackles and straps can get coated with dirt and sand while you’re driving. This grime gets into their inner workings and wears away at them over time.

Thankfully, all you need is a hose for cleaning your recovery gear. Give everything a quick spray both before and after your drive.

 

Tip #2 – Take a Course

You’ve invested a lot of money into your 4WD drive vehicle. Why risk a breakdown due to not knowing enough about it?

There are plenty of courses that you can take that teach you more about 4WD vehicle maintenance and practices. These courses teach you all of the practical aspects of 4WD vehicles, such as what they are and aren’t capable of. They’ll also offer you some useful tips for how to keep everything working as it should.

The downside is that a course may cost a couple of hundred dollars. But compare that to the thousands of dollars that you may have to spend on repairs. It’s clear that a good course is a lot cheaper.

 

Tip #3 – Don’t Forget the Undercarriage When Washing

You likely already wash your vehicle after every trip. But there are a lot of difficult to reach areas that you might forget about, especially in the vehicle’s undercarriage.

Use a high-pressure hose to clean out all of the gunk that you can’t get to use your hands. A lot of people miss the chassis rails and also forget to clean all of the moving parts of the vehicle. Check the fuel caps, calipers, and shock absorbers. Sand and salt eat away at these parts.

You may also have a spare tyre mounted on the vehicle’s undercarriage. It needs washing just like everything else.

 

Tip #4 – Drive Carefully

It seems like a simple tip, but it’s something that many 4WD vehicle drivers forget. All of that tyre spinning may look cool. But it also kicks up sand, muck, and sediment that will get lodged into difficult places in the vehicle.

And that means more effort spent on cleaning later on.

Stop straight away if your wheels start spinning. Call for help instead of trying to step on the gas to get yourself out of a bind. You’ll keep your vehicle in better condition. Plus, you’ll preserve the track for anybody else who drives over it.

 

Tip #5 – Protect Against Rust

You’ll probably find yourself driving over some pretty wet terrain during your journey. All of that moisture leads to one thing – rust.

Rust destroys crucial components faster than almost anything else your vehicle might face. A little preventative action is the best solution.

Ideally, you’ll install an Electronic Rust Prevention System (ERPS). This little device emits a faint electronic current that travels through the vehicle’s metal components. The charge interferes with the reaction between metal and oxygen, which prevents rusting.

If you don’t have an ERPS, a little WD40 should do the trick. Give all of the metal components a light protective coating before you head out.

 

Tip #6 – Always Check the Tyres

Never leave for an overlanding trip without checking the condition of your tyres. Even the smallest of nicks can become a major problem later on.

You also need to adjust the air pressure in the tyres based on the surface you’ll drive on.

Check the tyres after the trip as well so you can get replacements installed early.

Follow these tips and you’ll keep your 4WD vehicle in great shape. Remember that Tentworld offers plenty of 4WD accessories to help you along.

 

Have a great trip,

Tentworld

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