Benefits of "low tech" 4WDs for expedition vehicles
- Thread starter Bandicoot
- Start date
I always love the periodic "rage against the machine" discussions, that occur on almost any forum.
I love them in part because they all occur with us pecking out on our laptops to the internet, about how "modern technology" is "making us soft."
Yet we peruse Craigslist daily on our iPhones looking for that elusive part for our old Land Cruiser. Or grab a cordless power tool to rehab a camper.
The fact is, a person's definition of simple and reliable all depends on their point of reference. Electronics scare most of us, yet my buddy can dream up and build a solid state circuit just as easily as you can draw a map to your house. ECU failure? Doesn't scare him. Flat tire? Um, where's AAA's phone number.
Back in the 20's, almost ANY long-distance trip would be considered an "expedition" by todays standards. I have a few pictures of my great-grandfather along side the road, with a tarp stretched out from the car roof, settling in for the night with the family. "Expedition"? Naw, that's just the way things were if you wanted to travel from east to west, using the BEST roads. Yet not a one of us ventures out to the desert in the ol' Ford flathead panel truck. As someone said, good thing they were field-repairable, because a breakdown or a flat was almost assured.
Technology, albeit with a few hiccups, has provided us with the safest, longest last, most reliable vehicles ever built. Sure, little things fail. But the basic underpinnings are almost bomb-proof. I love the simplicity of my Suzuki Samurai. But the fact is, my Ford Expedition, which gets absolutely NO love, or respect from me, dutifully performs day in and day out, 150K miles without a single powertrain or chassis failure (the heated driver's seat has failed. Twice. Grrr...). Rust-free, too. The thing is a mule. I would drive it anywhere tomorrow. My Suzuki? Well, I have friends along the way, right?
The comment about a RTT costing thousands? So what... Sew your own, if the cost is prohibitive. That's the beauty of expeditioning. It's as much or as little as you want it to be. An old Willys, a bedroll, and a compass? Rock on!! A Mercedes 300TD wagon, a roofrack, and a passport?? Go for it!! An Earthroamer and a satellite uplink?? Awesome!!
A Conestoga wagon?? Maybe not so much...
I love them in part because they all occur with us pecking out on our laptops to the internet, about how "modern technology" is "making us soft."
Yet we peruse Craigslist daily on our iPhones looking for that elusive part for our old Land Cruiser. Or grab a cordless power tool to rehab a camper.
The fact is, a person's definition of simple and reliable all depends on their point of reference. Electronics scare most of us, yet my buddy can dream up and build a solid state circuit just as easily as you can draw a map to your house. ECU failure? Doesn't scare him. Flat tire? Um, where's AAA's phone number.
Back in the 20's, almost ANY long-distance trip would be considered an "expedition" by todays standards. I have a few pictures of my great-grandfather along side the road, with a tarp stretched out from the car roof, settling in for the night with the family. "Expedition"? Naw, that's just the way things were if you wanted to travel from east to west, using the BEST roads. Yet not a one of us ventures out to the desert in the ol' Ford flathead panel truck. As someone said, good thing they were field-repairable, because a breakdown or a flat was almost assured.
Technology, albeit with a few hiccups, has provided us with the safest, longest last, most reliable vehicles ever built. Sure, little things fail. But the basic underpinnings are almost bomb-proof. I love the simplicity of my Suzuki Samurai. But the fact is, my Ford Expedition, which gets absolutely NO love, or respect from me, dutifully performs day in and day out, 150K miles without a single powertrain or chassis failure (the heated driver's seat has failed. Twice. Grrr...). Rust-free, too. The thing is a mule. I would drive it anywhere tomorrow. My Suzuki? Well, I have friends along the way, right?
The comment about a RTT costing thousands? So what... Sew your own, if the cost is prohibitive. That's the beauty of expeditioning. It's as much or as little as you want it to be. An old Willys, a bedroll, and a compass? Rock on!! A Mercedes 300TD wagon, a roofrack, and a passport?? Go for it!! An Earthroamer and a satellite uplink?? Awesome!!
A Conestoga wagon?? Maybe not so much...
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gait
Explorer
good view Riptide. I'm not averse to technological improvements per se. I enjoy. For me its about how the improvements are implemented. Reliability (in Maintenance terms) has Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Mean Time To Repair (MTTR). I need not just long MTBF but also short MTTR. Looking back at the start of this thread (I think) it would have been so much easier if the system designer had provided easy access to all the information and diagnostics. Black box design with "return it to manufacturer/dealer if faulty" is not a good design philosophy if reliability is a necessity.
wanderer-rrorc
Explorer
welp...while running waste motor oil I managed to irriate my old diesel van..and she starved for fuel and shut down...
at least thats what I figured it was...cus unless one of the 3 wires that it needs to run came off..it was a $11 filter and $2 worth of ATF to fill the filter..(so the pump didnt run dry)...
and BACK on the road....
gotta love old IRON!!!!:smiley_drive:
at least thats what I figured it was...cus unless one of the 3 wires that it needs to run came off..it was a $11 filter and $2 worth of ATF to fill the filter..(so the pump didnt run dry)...
and BACK on the road....
gotta love old IRON!!!!:smiley_drive: