Down Van Zyls Pass Towing Trailers and Caravans: Patrol, Cruiser, and Jimny

[tomthomas]

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[schoemie]

Great videos and experiences guy’s, and very well done.

Will be good to get your input on trailer vs caravan for these tips of trips and Patrol Vs Cruiser

[HKirby]

Great videos and experiences guy’s, and very well done.

Will be good to get your input on trailer vs caravan for these tips of trips and Patrol Vs Cruiser

Hi Schoemie

I think it would be better if we did a completely separate video on that and then start a separate thread on that topic otherwise this thread will be completely hijacked by the diverse opinions that exist on these emotive topics.

Cheers
H

[Petri Oosthuizen]

Thanks for the Vids!!

Must say......that little Jimny is just something else, hey?? Like a scrumhalf.......always there, and always gets through

[tomthomas]

Thanks for the Vids!!

Must say......that little Jimny is just something else, hey?? Like a scrumhalf.......always there, and always gets through

Tx Petri - ja I must say keeping up on the highway gets tough however on rocky roads and passes as on our videos there is only one speed for all and that is "safe speed" and with a short wheel base and without towing anything much easier to keep up. Even did some rescue work...... but like you say size does not matter.

[Wylie E]

Must say this was a great adventure you guys must have really enjoyed. I did extensive work in Namibia putting up radio masts for the police. I have fond memories of Namibia and will definitely return. Asthey say, you never sake the Nam dust from your feet youll always return.

[HKirby]

Latest episode is now available

https://youtu.be/d78NTtXgMHA

Link to relevant thread for conversation.

https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...apa-in-Namibia

[DCTheron]

Thoroughly enjoyed the last episode, absolute stunning scenery. I am subscribed and saw it as available.

I could not believe the 76 with caravan in tow could just push the Jimny with a stiff rope aside

Seriously, as said before, stunning videos, love it!

I am designing a packing/kitchen system for the Hilux to go explore exactly those areas leaving the Ratel at home. Watching your videos makes it a must-do

[OLi4 Chris]

Thanks very much.

In my opinion the rolling happens when the driver comes down to the final drop of the pass at the wrong angle where the left front wheel strikes the ground where the tire is turned to the right in an attempt to make the right turn that comes up just after that. They potentially come down too fast and too close to the inside corner of the turn and then jump on the brakes as that outside front wheel strikes the ground and if they are top heavy with a narrow track then it flips the car over from the drivers side over, which is why both the green Cruiser and the white Hilux both rolled over in that orientation.

Watch our descent again where I come down in the Patrol and pay attention to my front left wheel where I come down and then imagine that wheel turned more in to the right than what it is and then jumping hard on the brakes. It's not hard to imagine my theory is close to the truth.

Did you guys see any of the “Lone men “ on your trip we were able to find 3

[grips]

Great videos and experiences guy’s, and very well done.

Will be good to get your input on trailer vs caravan for these tips of trips and Patrol Vs Cruiser

The 70 Series Cruiser were never build as competition for the Y60, Y61 and Y62 Patrols. The Toyota rival for the Patrols
were the 80, 100 and 200 Series.
But Yes I would love a thread from the trip sharing their views on the vehicles.

[HKirby]

Thoroughly enjoyed the last episode, absolute stunning scenery. I am subscribed and saw it as available.

I could not believe the 76 with caravan in tow could just push the Jimny with a stiff rope aside

Seriously, as said before, stunning videos, love it!

I am designing a packing/kitchen system for the Hilux to go explore exactly those areas leaving the Ratel at home. Watching your videos makes it a must-do

Morning Dirk

Yes, those new stiff snatch ropes are amazing

Make sure those seals on your canopy are 100% sealed otherwise it will get very dusty and dirty in there while touring. Both the Conqueror and Lapa have great seals and that at least kept what was packed inside clean and dust free.

The other piece of advise I would give, and maybe I'm stating the obvious, is ame sure you take glue, pop rivets, nylon lock nuts and bolts with to repair the drawer system because the corrugation in Namibia is something incredible and will rattle anything loose no matter how "vas" you think it is. I would go through my vehicle and trailer almost every day just checking for loose items that needed to be tightened.

Not towing the Ratel is a good idea if you want to keep it in good condition. It's a tough trip and if you were to tow through the same places that we did you are looking at probably R20k - R30k in repair work based on two people I know who did similar trips. It's not because the caravans are not good, but only because stuff goes wrong e.g. hitting rocks, driving through low hanging branches and ripping shower bags open, etc.

[HKirby]

Did you guys see any of the “Lone men “ on your trip we were able to find 3

Hi Chris

We found 3. We show two of them in the video, but there was a 3rd that we also found shortly after the Lone Man that is lying down in our video. We found the 3rd one hanging from the edge of a very large rock.

Apparently there is a Lone Man in Deadvlei at Sossusvlei leaning against one of the tree stumps, we didn't know at the time and missed it.

[grips]

Morning Dirk

Yes, those new stiff snatch ropes are amazing

Make sure those seals on your canopy are 100% sealed otherwise it will get very dusty and dirty in there while touring. Both the Conqueror and Lapa have great seals and that at least kept what was packed inside clean and dust free.

The other piece of advise I would give, and maybe I'm stating the obvious, is ame sure you take glue, pop rivets, nylon lock nuts and bolts with to repair the drawer system because the corrugation in Namibia is something incredible and will rattle anything loose no matter how "vas" you think it is. I would go through my vehicle and trailer almost every day just checking for loose items that needed to be tightened.

Not towing the Ratel is a good idea if you want to keep it in good condition. It's a tough trip and if you were to tow through the same places that we did you are looking at probably R20k - R30k in repair work based on two people I know who did similar trips. It's not because the caravans are not good, but only because stuff goes wrong e.g. hitting rocks, driving through low hanging branches and ripping shower bags open, etc.

One of the reasons I sold the Off Road Caravan. After many km`s of bad roads it slowly started to come apart. Always something to fix after a trip or during the trip. Had a toolbox with rivets, screws, bolts and spare brackets with a battery drill in the caravan as part of its kit.

[DCTheron]

Morning Dirk

Yes, those new stiff snatch ropes are amazing

Make sure those seals on your canopy are 100% sealed otherwise it will get very dusty and dirty in there while touring. Both the Conqueror and Lapa have great seals and that at least kept what was packed inside clean and dust free.

The other piece of advise I would give, and maybe I'm stating the obvious, is ame sure you take glue, pop rivets, nylon lock nuts and bolts with to repair the drawer system because the corrugation in Namibia is something incredible and will rattle anything loose no matter how "vas" you think it is. I would go through my vehicle and trailer almost every day just checking for loose items that needed to be tightened.

Not towing the Ratel is a good idea if you want to keep it in good condition. It's a tough trip and if you were to tow through the same places that we did you are looking at probably R20k - R30k in repair work based on two people I know who did similar trips. It's not because the caravans are not good, but only because stuff goes wrong e.g. hitting rocks, driving through low hanging branches and ripping shower bags open, etc.

Thanks Hugh,

Agree, the trip you guys did is not something I will do with the Ratel, and not just because of possible damage to the van but also to the vehicle, it puts a serious amount of stress on multiple components towing something that weighs at least 1.6 ton.

I’d rather go without many of the luxuries the Ratel bring to your holiday, but be more nimble and the stress level will be much lower. Doing the not-so-hectic trips with the van is fine, in my opinion.

I’m with you on the dust issue, it could be a serious problem with a canopy setup if not well prepared beforehand.

Noted with regards to the possible issues with a packing system, I will bear that in mind thanks.

[Grumbles]

Thanks for the great videos on your channel.

Lot of ideas and tips for our planned trip when we get round to it.

Question on Jouberts Pass, on the way to Marble camp, was it a struggle with the Baobab or just slow going? On the one video it looked like one the cars struggled in one spot and also very narrow up that rocky bit?

Thanks

Grumbles

[HKirby]

Thanks for the great videos on your channel.

Lot of ideas and tips for our planned trip when we get round to it.

Question on Jouberts Pass, on the way to Marble camp, was it a struggle with the Baobab or just slow going? On the one video it looked like one the cars struggled in one spot and also very narrow up that rocky bit?

Thanks

Grumbles

Hi Grumbles.

My boet will have to reply about towing his Boabab up Joubert's pass.

What I can say is that the pass is quite narrow, but then again a Patrol is wider than the 70's LC so I had to watch my wheel track a lot more carefully compared to my boet. The Patrol is petrol and a auto whereas the LC is diesel manual so the crawling characteristics of the vehicles are completely different. Auto is smooth, but loses momentum and needs higher revs to generate torque whereas the manual diesel doesn't lose momentum as easily as the auto and requires very low revs to carry on crawling. You'll note I make similar comments in the video. The advantage of the auto is that you don't lose momentum when a gear change is made when compared to a manual, but this also depends on terrain. Driver experience does play a small part when it comes to the manual, but you are not ever going to be doing quick snappy gear changes like you are driving a SMG gearbox, when driving one of these large vehicles.

Back to the Joubert pass. You'll need to drive it slowly and carefully when towing and watch out for the sharp quartz that is very prevalent in the area. Dont speed up too much when you get to the end of the pass and head to Marble Camp, because there are still some steep and tight descents to get there and that's where my boet sliced the sidewall of his caravan tire.

Cheers
H

[tjoppie]

Thanks for the great videos on your channel.

Lot of ideas and tips for our planned trip when we get round to it.

Question on Jouberts Pass, on the way to Marble camp, was it a struggle with the Baobab or just slow going? On the one video it looked like one the cars struggled in one spot and also very narrow up that rocky bit?

Thanks

Grumbles

Hi.

Jouberts Pass is very narrow and even with the Land Cruiser I had to pick my line carefully. The Baobab is slightly wider than the Cruiser which made it almost easier to navigate for some strange reason. Probably because I could see the caravan wheels. With the low torque of the Cruiser V8 diesel engine I didn't struggle with the steep pass sections at all but also had to keep momentum because if I had to change gears on the up, then I would've had a more challenging drive. Keeping your momentum in turn opens the opportunity for some hard bumps and potential tyre damage. I'm not saying that I forced the drive just didn't stop for rocks etc.

In the video you'll see the Patrol getting traction (looks like it's struggling) and I'm sure that is what you are referring to... the difference was petrol with auto vs diesel with manual.. the Cruiser loves rocky climbs and I personally prefer the manual in these circumstances. The petrol auto has other advantages again like sand driving but that's my take on it.

We have a lot of banter between the Patrol and Cruiser on trips but when we sit down and have a beer around the fire, we always talk about how small the differences are between big rigs. We've done all our trips together and did 4wd trails from 3-5 and always made it through without turning back.

To the point of the Baobab:
- pick a line and stick to it even if the climb looks rough
- momentum
- not too slow
- if you have diff lock, lock it
- the caravan will make it, definitely

Hope this helps.

[Grumbles]

Thanks Tjoppie and HKirby for the detailed answers.

Ja I was referring to that point where the Patrol seemed to slip, so thanks for clearing it up.

With regards to the Baobab... yes I have no doubt it will make it, as you can see from my signature I also have one, and although we have not done Namibia, we have done some very rocky and steep sections with loose rocks, sand and some mud.

Been through the Baviaans quite a few times, plus the route from the center of the Baviaans (Doringkloof) south to Kareedouw. That was an amazing drive, and the Fortuner did not skip a beat nor struggle at all, the first 25km took us 3 hrs... some indication of the slow going.

My Baobab is around 1.7-1.8 tons when loaded and tank full. This will change when I get the new Hilux, and many things will be moved to the bakkie, to reduce the caravan weight as much as possible.

Towing it down Van Zyls.... I probably would not purely because we mainly travel solo, I might park it somewhere and do the pass just with the Hilux. Will be getting info from the community closer to the time.

It is a real privilege to have your boet and parents travel with you and the cousins to experience this together. It makes me miss my boet, he is in Houston and SWAMBO's sister in UK. So it is just myself and the Blondies on our adventures.

There is no better thing than taking young kids on trips like this, or even just camping at your local place for a weekend... MUCH better than tablets and all the city nonsense... and ours love it!! Plus it takes social distancing to the next level

Thanks again, well done on van Zyls and Happy Travels.

Cheers,

Grumbles

[Tsaals]

Good Morning All

Last year July the family did a 6500 km round trip from Cape Town up to Epupa Falls and back.

I towed my Conqueror Comfort with my Patrol, my brother-in-law towed his Bushlapa with his Cruiser, and my parents-in-law followed in their Suzuki Jimny.

If you consider the vehicles and the trailer and caravan we towed I'm sure you'd agree that we created a great platform to compare arguably some of the most discussed 4x4 vehicles as well as caravan and trailer brands in South Africa.

Before we did the trip we probably watched all the content we could on YouTube about the trip and specifically the Van Zyl's Pass so in my opinion I believe we have created one of the best quality videos of us descending the pass using various camera angles to view the descent from different sides of the vehicles and get a really good idea of how challenging it is to descend while being pushed down the hill by your caravan or trailer.

Some points about the descent:

- The Conqueror had a busted leaf spring at the time and still made it down without a hitch. You'll notice some squeaking in the video attesting to the broken component.
- I pulled up the handbrake of the Comfort before the descent to help reduce the amount of pushing, but that didnt help that much once the auto-reverse kicked in, which disables the brake. My brother-in-law couldn't use his handbrake on the Bushlapa because it's one of those brakes which is either completely on or off.
- The grinding noise heard from the Bushlapa during the descent is the sounds of the front right corner of the chassis being dragged across the rocks. The difference in distance between the Patrol's rear axle and Comfort vs. the Cruiser rear axle and Bushlapa is 800mm where the Cruiser is longer, which played a significant roll in traversing terrain with severe acute and obtuse angles.
- Both my brother-in-law and I had our feet 100% on the breaks while making the descent at the steepest part despite it looking as if we came down too fast. Brakes and tires dont mean much at all when you've got 1.5T of load pushing you from behind on loose gravel on a rocky surface.

Here is the link to the YouTube video of the event https://youtu.be/_BvpDqax80c

Feel free to take a look at some of the other content of the trip.

Cheers
Hugh

The Jimny also looked quite impressive ...

[grips]

Thanks for the Vids!!

Must say......that little Jimny is just something else, hey?? Like a scrumhalf.......always there, and always gets through

I have done a few trips with Jimny`s. In the hands of a guy like Flipside here on the forum few 4x4`s will go where it goes.

Only down side they are a little under powered for dune driving. Jab2 here on the forum have the engine stroked to 1500cc makes a huge difference and a nice dune driver. Think Jimny`s is one of the most underrated 4x4`s out there.
Thinking of it Petri your scrumhalf comparison fits the Jimny pretty good.
Nice little 4x4`s