Since Mariko, my '87 Suzuki Samurai 4x4 weighs almost 2100 lbs dry....it takes a lot more in terms of equipment to do jobs like raising her to change a tire, or straps and shackles to pull her out of loose sand and just gear to do tire repairs!
Note: Still, she basically weighs a bit over One Ton! Light for a four wheeled vehicle!
One Smittybilt 2780 Air compressor rated for 2.54 CFM to air up the tires after leaving terrain where I decided to air down the tires for better traction. I like the "screw on" connector, leaves your hands free and is more secure. Not only that, but its the only connection that works to air up the right front tire on Mariko....something about the stem I think. All of my other different type connectors fail to open the air core...and yes, I did swap out air cores.
One 4" x 30' Snatch Strap with rated break strength of 46,500 lbs for recovery ops. Of course, this is dependent on there being another vehicle to do the pulling!
One 6 Ton Capacity Bottle Jack with 16" max lift height and a 6" Safe Jack Extension in order to raise the Samurai's frame 20" in order to be able to change out a tire.
One 3" x 30' Tow Strap with a 10,000 Lb load capacity and Two 3/4" Steel Shackles. Again, another vehicle is required.
Two 1/2" x 22" Soft Shackles, to be used if at all possible over steel shackles unless there's danger of sharp edges at the recovery points to be used.
One Auto and Light Truck Deluxe Tire Repair Kit for tubeless tires.
Storage Box to secure all the above in the cargo compartment of the Samurai.
Got this 30" Tool box from Murdochs:
Thinking about a pair of MaxTrax MkII Traction Boards for self-recovery ops. They're quite pricey and though they are the gold standard among traction/recovery boards out there....some of the competitors are not bad either, just not as long-lasting. At $299 currently online. I got the X-Bull 3rd Gen traction boards instead. Less money and with some thought in one's riding, should be enough for a few uses with such a light 4x4 like Mariko. It would, theoretically, enable me to get out of sand/mud/snow traps by myself, no other vehicle required.
Yep, four wheels = more gear required when going off road and expecting to make it back when things don't quite go the way I want them to.
Maintenance Notes
Monday, next week, I drop her off at a mechanic's shop to have her carburetor rebuilt. The thing is just more complicated than I'm willing to tackle at this time and will come with a warranty of sorts and dialed in in terms of idle speed and such.
76130 Miles I've changed out her engine oil and filter, easy. Next oil change in 3000 miles, might stretch it to 80,000 to keep better track.
76326 Miles: Because it was overdue (last time done by PO was at 55,752, partly).
In order to have a good baseline: I changed out gear oil in the transmission, front and rear differentials and the transfer case. During this process I discovered what a wonderful thing it is to use a fluid pump to pump the gear oil into said components! There's bad angles and parts which obstruct one's use of the bottle that gear oil comes in.
The oil in the Front Differential looked clean. Oil in the transmission was dirty. Oil in the Transfer Case was contaminated with water! It was the color of coffee with milk (flushed it by running extra .5 Liter of 80W90 Gear Lube through it before adding required amount to fill it). Oil in the Rear Differential was dirty.
The tires are old, a bit over 8 years old but have enough wear to last me a year or so before I have to replace them. (They were made in the 21st week of 2013). The spare tire is definitely worn and only good for use as "get me back to camp" purposes.
4 comments:
You really know how to keep yourself busy, Dom. When are you going to put Mariko to the test?
Soon, SonjaM, soon.....still waiting on the rest of the recovery items, I can't get permanent license plates till the 21st of the month....chores around the house....etc etc
Glad to see you are supporting the local economy. Every one of those items are a must-have for where you like to go, smart move to get them now and not after you discover you really needed them when stuck in a deep pickle.
A hi-lift jack might be better than a bottle jack if you have to lift Mariko out of or over deep ruts, or to lift a wheel in deep soft sand to place a traction board under it. There is a reason you see so many Jeeps in the backcountry carrying a hi-lift.
What is the significance of the name Mariko?
Mariko was the name of the female love interest to the english Navigator character in James Clavell's Shogun. As to the hi-lift, we'll see.
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