Re:Re:Lumberjack Jimny

Not wanting my introduction thread to turn into a build thread, I thought I'd start a new one in the correct section.

The story so far can be seen HERE and any further changes will be posted in this thread.

As this is my work vehicle it will be covering up to 15,000 miles a year and going off-road daily. I'm aiming to improve the capabilities of the car without compromising comfort, economy and practicality so I welcome your comments and suggestions!

Mods so far:
Tow Trust towbar
Ebay £45 roof rack
Alpine Bluetooth head unit
Heko wind deflectors (Now removed as they are crap. Free to a good home!)
Full oil change- diffs, transfer box, gearbox, engine oil and air filter. (This was well overdue. I saw a 10% increase in fuel economy straight away!)

The most recent improvement has been fitting some new tyres.

Goodbye Duellers, hello Mud Terrains!

They are 215/75 R15s on the standard steel rims. I had to remove the front mudflaps but otherwise they fit with no scrubbing.

They are noisier on the road and the handling isn't as good as on the Duellers, but that's no surprise. The speedo reading now matches the GPS rather than over-reading by 5% and acceleration in 5th gear is pretty much non existent. But the difference off-road is night and day, and I think it looks great!

Next on the list is a winch. It will be used for dragging timber as well as recovery work. I don't need a massive pull as I'm not someone who get's stuck on purpose and I know how to use snatch blocks. I want to keep it as discreet as possible so it will be mounted within the existing front bumper.

Any suggestions of a small (up to 8,500lb/4,000kg), fast and reliable winch would be appreciated! It will get almost daily use so needs to be up to the job without putting huge demands on the existing electrical system, although I may add an extra battery in due course.

I am also pondering a way to quickly detach the anti-roll bar to allow better articulation off road. I used to have a Nissan Patrol that had a lever on the dash to disconnect the rear anti-roll bar, and it was a very useful feature!

Nice jimny! I am currently running 215/75/15 bfg muds and they are awesome. Will follow your build thread as I am also pondering about a winch etc. Mine is also used daily off road as im a gamekeeper, also got a defender 90 to use but i prefer the jimny to be honest very small and not as noisy!

For a winch that will run all day I reccomend the superwinch talon 9.5

Havnt got one my self but a few of my mates have them and they swear by them runs allday with the lastest waterproof and dustproof technology

Abut pricy but worth it especially if your going to be using it a lot asif you get a cheaper one they are slow and tend to overheat under extended heavy use

I'll have the wind deflectors, if you really don't want them

That roof rack, did you win it for £45 or was it £45 buy it now :ohmy: , and how is it attached to the rails?

iloveics wrote: I'll have the wind deflectors, if you really don't want them

That roof rack, did you win it for £45 or was it £45 buy it now :ohmy: , and how is it attached to the rails?

Wind deflectors are gone I'm afraid.

The roof rack was £25 buy it now with £15 postage. Ebay item 161069851673 . I drilled and screwed it to the roof rails.

It turns out the new tyres will foul the arches but only with 3 of us in the car on some big compressions, or when cross-axled. The front left fowls the bolt which holds the bumper. I've removed the bolt for now but with a little trimming it should be fine.

Superwinch talon 9.5 or Goodwinch TDS 9.5c.
Both winches are very similar. The Talon winch is a bit faster. But there has been some talk on the devon4x4.com forum about poor quality of the Talon winch. Also the reason why Devon4x4 don't sell them anymore. www.devon4x4.com/index.php?option=com_ku...10&Itemid=106#158113

So my money would be on the Goodwinch 9.5c. A great winch with plenty of upgrades and excellent service from David Bowyer @ Goodwinch

That is a weird case wouldbt that be covered by the 3 year warranty?

www.devon4x4.com/index.php?option=com_ku...14&Itemid=106#141813

Don't think that warranty is worth much.

Oh well that's a eye opener!

Love those tyres. Do they sit OK on the 5.5 rims?? Can't afford some yet but would love to know why Germany??

Couldn't resist adding this :whistle: