Again,thanks to Andy for this one. Most off-roading involves low speed maneuvoring and control. This can be difficult to achieve on the foot throttle, particularly when winching out of a problem. With winching you need to achieve a slow steady rotation off the wheels or a steady charging current from the alternator to assist the batteries, therefore steady control of the throttle is required....

 

Andy has kindly sent in some pictures of his rear wheel carrier as a follow on to my article on fitting the spare wheel (see: Rear Tyre Mount).

The age old problem is that larger tyres need off-settting from the door to stop them fouling the bumper and permitting the rear door to close properly. Andy has designed and built a "Swing Away" carrier that not only solves this problem but also deals with the weight issue of the wheel. In my solution the weight is carried by the rear door and based on past experience with the SJ series this will eventually lead to "door sag". In Andy's solution the weight is carried by the rear bumper......

 

Well it was inevitable that once we bought the Jimny that the SJ would have to go. So the other week it disappeared off to a new home. Having been much loved and served us well the departure was a sad moment. Here are some final pictures......

If you own a Jimny and off-road it then you will have found that on winter afternoons in a muddy wood it is difficult to see any of your recovery kit that is thrown in the back. Whilst visiting the local caravan shop for a couple I number plate lights I found just the answer.....

So the beginning of November saw the second outing of the Jimny, this time to Oxley's Shaw. This site is a small wooded site just to the west of Reading. The event was part of the the normal monthly calendar of events that TV4x4 operate but with the addition of fund raising for the BBC Children in Need appeal.

The site has developed over the past few years with a number of man-made hazards that have become increasingly difficult as the sandy soil gets churned by successive vehicles.

The event was a "Punch Challenge" that meant participants had to collect punches hidden around the site. Being a charity event the punches were particularly difficult to get to in order to raise "penalty" money for the charity.