Top 10 4WD Mistakes Not To Make

1 Buying the right car

Figure out what you need. What are you going to carry? Are you towing? How many people do you need to carry?

Oneo big trap that a lot of people fall into is buying a the latest model car that doesn’t have the right accessories ready-made yet. Another big thing is trying to buy a wagon when you need a ute (or the other way around). Think about what you need, and why you need it, and don’t buy anything just because that’s what you’re mates have.

2 Buying the right accessories

Hi-lift jacks on cars with no jacking points, mud tyres on cars that never see the dirt, extreme and illegal on the street) suspension lifts, there’s things that work well, but a lot that are not worth parting with your hard-earned money for. The trick to this is knowing how you use your four-wheel-drive, and buying to suit your own lifestyle, not what you see in the magazines.

3 Don’t believe everything that you read

Except here of course! No, but seriously, no matter what you read or who says it, always evaluate their opinions (and it is only an opinion) against your own needs and your own individual situation.

4 Don’t believe the hype

Advertising may not tell straight-up lies, but companies want to make sure that their offers are the best thing possible, when sometimes they aren’t. Do you really need that $5,000 competition winch, or would the more standard $1,000 model do what you need it to? As a general rule, the higher-grade model something is, the more profit the manufacturers make from it.

5 Over packing

We’ve all done it. How often do you get home from your trip away and say “Gee, I never actually used this 5-way adjustable beard trimmer on our weekend trip”…

The required items are water, food and shelter. Everything else can be thought of after these are set. Always think about why you need something before you pack it so that you know that you’re taking only what you need. Not only will this make packing easier, it will also fee up space for things that are a lot more essential.

6 Doing too much too soon

This isn’t saying not to get out and try, because you really should! It more about not trying to cross the Simpson Dessert the week after you’ve gotten your first 4WD.

Also, don’t spend $1,000’s on accessories just because that’s what everyone else is doing. Some will be good, but you can always wait for a little while and see what you actually need rather than bolting on stuff that never gets used.

7 Bush etiquette

This one is very important, not only for you, but for the other 4WD’ers that follow you.

Always remember to:

Take all rubbish with you when you leave
Fully extinguish all camp fires
Stick to the tracks that are there – don’t make your own
Respect the land and the lands owner – don’t tear it up
Respect others camping near you
If you open a gate, make sure you shut it!

8 Organise a proper convoy

While this sounds like a good 1970’s movie (and a good one at that), what we mean is figure out who’s going in what order, and what you do if something goes wrong. When travelling in a convoy, you are responsible for the vehicle behind you, not the one in front. If you lose sight of the vehicle behind you, stop and wait and be sure to radio ahead to let everyone else know what you’re doing. Make sure that you let the vehicle behind you see which way you’re going at every intersection. It’s easy to lose your way if you can only see the bulldust in front of you.

9 Do a training course

Yes, I know that you know it all. So do I. We all do, or course!

It’s a shame that’s not the reality of life. Even the most experienced and knowledgeable of us can don’t know it all, so a good training session can work wonders not only for your confidence, but your ability too.

Start off with the basics when you start out and learn about tyre pressures, judging conditions, driving in sand, dirt and mud (yes, these are different things and need different techniques). From there get your experience up and check out the more advanced courses around.

10 Clean up!

This is one of the biggest gripes that we have. Every time we go for even a short day trip somewhere, we see evidence left behind from people that came, saw and left their garbage behind.

That’s just not on. We all get out on the tracks and roads because we want to see this great country in all of its beauty. When you don’t clean up after yourself you’re ruining that beauty, not to mention polluting our natural landscape.

The solution is actually one of the most simple things ever. If you brought it with you, take it home with you. That’s it. The only things that you should leave behind are the good memories and a few small tyre tracks.

If we can all leave our campsites just that little bit better then we found them, it will make our country even better than it already is.