Logsplitter’s travels in his Grenadier.

[angstorms]

Love seeing this, best content on the Forum, Focused on what this truck was meant to do. Be on an adventure. it much better then a lot of Grumpy Old men complaining about on road steering, handsfree mics and all the other stuff. The picture really are beautiful thank you Logsplitter reminding us to stop and enjoy the world around us.

 

[[ Adam ]]

The bash plate is bashed But it’s done its job and protected what needed to be protected.
Thinking twice about putting an auxiliary petrol tank in that position

That's great - you just need a stiffer rear bash over the fuel tank, or a rear fuel tank that's got a thicker skin. When I had Safari Equip make mine for the Defender 110, they added an extra layer of steel on the bottom.

 

[Logsplitter]

That's great - you just need a stiffer rear bash over the fuel tank, or a rear fuel tank that's got a thicker skin. When I had Safari Equip make mine for the Defender 110, they added an extra layer of steel on the bottom.

As soon as there is an auxiliary petrol tank approved for U.K. and EU I will get one along with extra protective plates . I’m impressed with how well the Grenadier has fared in stock form In challenging terrain and well loaded. No damage except bash plate and movement on rear diff cover due to rock strike I guess, other than that and the initial teething problems then all good. Only thing to do other than servicing is treat exposed metal areas on side steps and any other exposed metal underneath.

 

[[ Adam ]]

As soon as there is an auxiliary petrol tank approved for U.K. and EU I will get one along with extra protective plates . I’m impressed with how well the Grenadier has fared in stock form In challenging terrain and well loaded. No damage except bash plate and movement on rear diff cover due to rock strike I guess, other than that and the initial teething problems then all good. Only thing to do other than servicing is treat exposed metal areas on side steps and any other exposed metal underneath.

Its been a beautiful trial to watch, you've done it right.

 

[lagartoboy]

As soon as there is an auxiliary petrol tank approved for U.K. and EU I will get one along with extra protective plates . I’m impressed with how well the Grenadier has fared in stock form In challenging terrain and well loaded. No damage except bash plate and movement on rear diff cover due to rock strike I guess, other than that and the initial teething problems then all good. Only thing to do other than servicing is treat exposed metal areas on side steps and any other exposed metal underneath.

I remember you were thoughtful about choosing petrol over diesel because of concerns about availability of good diesel in parts of Africa. Now that you have spent time traveling, do you think you could have managed with diesel?

 

[Logsplitter]

I remember you were thoughtful about choosing petrol over diesel because of concerns about availability of good diesel in parts of Africa. Now that you have spent time traveling, do you think you could have managed with diesel?

I could have managed with diesel in Southern Africa as all diesel now 50ppm sulphur content but west and central Africa is a different kettle of fish. I think I’ve posted somewhere on this forum that Guinea, Senegal etc which I travelled through in 2019 had extremely high sulphur content and green sludge dripping out of my exhaust. So didn’t want to risk a modern diesel engine with that again as further travels in developing countries planned. Also petrol is is readily available as everywhere you go there are cheap Chinese motorcycles now so petrol readily available. Also loving the petrol engine for overtaking and sand driving.
To add to this the world’s fuel quality is getting better as modern engines dictate that cleaner fuel is required, so steadily even the countries with the worst fuel standards are having to change. As it stands I wouldn’t want to put 500ppm diesel in a BMW B57 engine especially one with euro6 emissions equipment.

 

[TWExplor]

Incredible journey! Your experiences and travels unfold in a narrative that kindles an excitement and a desire to get out and explore! Thank you for such amazing content!

 

[chrsbe]

The bash plate is bashed But it’s done its job and protected what needed to be protected.
Thinking twice about putting an auxiliary petrol tank in that position

Same here.

 

[stickshifter]

They may have just thought that out of the 45,000 produced a year only 10% are going to areas that have spinifex.
Out of that 10% only 5% will be driving across desert tracks that have spinifex on them.
So is it worth changing 100% of vehicles to solve a problem only a potential 0.5% will face.
The handles on the other hand is just a silly thing to ignore.

Not sure how you made those calculations, but spinifex is found in 20 out of the 50 states in the United States: AL, AR, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NM, NV, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA.

Outside the United States, spinifex is found throughout Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies; it is also found in the warm-temperate and subtropical parts of South America, the Philippines, and South Africa.

In addition, there are other species of plants in the desert and semi-desert areas that get caught in the undercarriage of vehicles. What we call "tumbleweed" is famous for getting caught under vehicles. In the Western United States, there are about ten different plant groupings that can form tumbleweeds. In early March, a couple of towns in Utah were inundated by massive amounts of tumbleweed:

Video here is anyone is interested:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV6G8ipTSVA

I have no idea what percent of Grenadier owners will encounter spinifex or other dry grasses, but 0.5% seems like a low estimate, given the distribution of both spinifex (and other dry grasses), and the distribution of Grenadier owners.

But back to the Grenadier: the rear bash plate is a great idea, but its design might not be so great. In addition to potentially holding vegetation, it looks like - under certain conditions - it will also hold frozen snow. Perhaps the heat from the exhaust system will prevent this kind of build-up, but if not, it could be a nuisance and/or vector for rust. Be interesting to hear if folks in cold climates have had any issues with this.

 

[rovie]

Not sure how you made those calculations, but spinifex is found in 20 out of the 50 states in the United States: AL, AR, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NM, NV, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA.

Outside the United States, spinifex is found throughout Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies; it is also found in the warm-temperate and subtropical parts of South America, the Philippines, and South Africa.

In addition, there are other species of plants in the desert and semi-desert areas that get caught in the undercarriage of vehicles. What we call "tumbleweed" is famous for getting caught under vehicles. In the Western United States, there are about ten different plant groupings that can form tumbleweeds. In early March, a couple of towns in Utah were inundated by massive amounts of tumbleweed:

View attachment 7850852
Video here is anyone is interested:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV6G8ipTSVA

I have no idea what percent of Grenadier owners will encounter spinifex or other dry grasses, but 0.5% seems like a low estimate, given the distribution of both spinifex (and other dry grasses), and the distribution of Grenadier owners.

But back to the Grenadier: the rear bash plate is a great idea, but its design might not be so great. In addition to potentially holding vegetation, it looks like - under certain conditions - it will also hold frozen snow. Perhaps the heat from the exhaust system will prevent this kind of build-up, but if not, it could be a nuisance and/or vector for rust. Be interesting to hear if folks in cold climates have had any issues with this.

These tumbling tumbleweeds seem to have been causing a stir for decades. Otherwise Bob Nolan wouldn't have written a song in the early 1930s about them, which was the first to be recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers.

 

[TD5-90]

The bash plate is bashed But it’s done its job and protected what needed to be protected.
Thinking twice about putting an auxiliary petrol tank in that position

Am I wrong or is your diff filler plug missing?

EDIT: At the second glance I realized you're on a lift...

 

[chrsbe]

Am I wrong or is your diff filler plug missing?

That would at least explain all the salad dressing.

 

[Logsplitter]

Am I wrong or is your diff filler plug missing?

EDIT: At the second glance I realized you're on a lift...

Yes I was getting the diff cover aligned and tightened as I bashed it and the cover moved slightly causing it to drip.

 

[MidnightCamper]

I know I am becoming quite old ...
I travelled about 40 years ago during 1,5 years with my rucksack in South-America (7 countries), and loved it: only public transport and hitch-hiking. And I lived afterwards during 3.5 years in Ecuador.
Sometimes I met travelers who had been in the "3 less developed" continents (with due respect to these continents and their people)..
And when asking for their preference, I almost always got as an answer ... Africa!
It was 40 years ago, but ... I remember slightly their arguments. Therefore, be prepared to a slight deception concerning South-America, especially the culture, the same as "ours".
The continent is anyway splendid.

I have not really travelled in Africa therefore I don't know, but I never forgot these arguments (but I have been for business in Burundi, Liberia (twice), Algeria, Morocco (many times), and Tunisia - also lived there - , but that is a totally different experience, although also valuable).
I was also a few times in Asia, business and travel. I was (travelling) very impressed by Nepal.

Monsieur Jean - 55 years ago I was lucky to travel in northern Belgium riding my bicycle along the tow paths from Bruges to Heist/Knokke where you get REAL frites avec Andalouse at the beach. Je me souviens!
You might say we in New England are less developed because we dip our French Fries in catsup.

 

[Shaky]

Is Catsup, another word for ketchup aka tomato sauce in the UK.

A genuine question as I don’t know.

I see @Logsplitter has been out spotting the stone men, how many have you seen so far buddy ? I think there is just under 40 dotted around the area.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Hi Logsplitter
Will be great having you back in the UK safe and sound.
If you get the chance to put your vehicle on a ramp. It would be good to see the results of some extreme, long term off-roading.

 

[Logsplitter]

Is Catsup, another word for ketchup aka tomato sauce in the UK.

A genuine question as I don’t know.

I see @Logsplitter has been out spotting the stone men, how many have you seen so far buddy ? I think there is just under 40 dotted around the area.

We weren’t out there deliberately trying to find stone men but I know someone who has made that one of his ambitions in life, that is to try and find all the stone men.
I think we spotted about 4 of them. That’s all for now as our travels have finished and we got back to the U.K. at the weekend. . I do need to round up the thread with a few more adventures though.

 

[Logsplitter]

Hi Logsplitter
Will be great having you back in the UK safe and sound.
If you get the chance to put your vehicle on a ramp. It would be good to see the results of some extreme, long term off-roading.

It’s in Cape Town getting serviced and checked over. Nothing major except for the rear bash plate. All the worry by some about the front steering damper and that is totally unscathed. I’ll find some underbelly photos.

 

[PBD]

We weren’t out there deliberately trying to find stone men but I know someone who has made that one of his ambitions in life, that is to try and find all the stone men.
I think we spotted about 4 of them. That’s all for now as our travels have finished and we got back to the U.K. at the weekend. . I do need to round up the thread with a few more adventures though.

Welcome home and thanks for the vicarious adventure!

 

[Logsplitter]

Welcome home and thanks for the vicarious adventure!

. I’ve about a month to go yet on the thread that is