Smoothing out the rough

Purchasing four wheel drive vehicles is a costly exercise and considering (mostly) they're nowhere near ready to tackle rough terrain when they leave the factory the purchase price is just the beginning. It's something a lot of people don't understand, probably because advertisements portray vehicles driving happily through rough terrain in a bid to entice people to buy them; it's very misleading but it works and many thousands are sold every year.

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Here, things can get very rough, a quick look at this video will demonstrate it pretty clearly, and factory-spec vehicles have no place in rough terrain, they belong on the bitumen and possibly a smooth gravel road from time to time.

I was chatting with a non-four-wheel-driving friend who is thinking about getting off-road with a purchase of a new Ford Ranger 4x4 and he asked about what he may need from an accessories perspective. It's a big list, and costly, but I mentioned a few things I feel are essential and which I have had on my four wheel drives:

Suspension upgrade and lift, under-vehicle protection plates, extended differential breather pipes, diesel pre-filter, front bullbar, winch, snorkel, spot lights, UHF radio, steel rock-sliders/side steps, auxiliary battery system and charger (to power on-board fridge), roof rack storage, recovery equipment, front and rear recovery points...All of that (on the Ford Ranger) will come to about $25,000 - I know that because I had it all on my own Ford Ranger. There's other things of course, but there's the basics.

My buddy was a bit disconcerted considering the vehicle will cost him $80,000 to drive away from the Ford dealership; he thought seeing the vehicle driven through a bit of mud on the advertisement meant it was capable. Nope.

If you watched the video I linked above you'll see a Chevy truck that's worth (after all the modifications) about $300,000...yep, that's a capable rig...and yet (if you watched the video) you'll see what happened to it; the resulting damage totaled $250,000. Keep in mind, a standard four wheel drive out of the factory would never even made it to where the incident happened!

I have done enough off-roading to know that it can be incredibly challenging, and amazingly rewarding also. I've not destroyed vehicles but have damaged them even though all of my vehicles have been heavily modified! Four wheel driving, getting to remote areas and into rough terrain isn't something that should be taken lightly, it can and has killed people and has certainly destroyed vehicles costing owners a lot of money - Insurance doesn't cover off-roading mostly. But it can be done reasonably safely if the right form is followed.

My responsibility to my mate was to tell him how it is without any bullshit; I'd hate to hear he went off half-cocked and destroyed his vehicle or was injured or killed. So, I'll be working with him on it, yep, he's still super keen to get into it, and will help him get the stuff he needs (over time). I'll also take him out and teach him some things about assessing terrain, driving techniques and recovery methods which will give him a good (and safe) head start.

It can be a difficult and rocky journey towards learning new things but we're often able to lean on others to smooth out the rough roads and make the journey more comfortable so to speak.

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Have you ever given a friend valuable information about something you have a good understanding of? I mean a hobby or interest, not your job. We all have areas of expertise and knowledge and by sharing it with others who show interest can help them along and make their enjoyment of the same hobbies and interests that much better. If you have done this, or have been the recipient, and would like to share the scenario please go ahead in the comments below.