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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:08:04 GMT 2
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:09:08 GMT 2
The story so far as regards my bit of a road trip is that it has rained. Hardly surprising considering it is the rainy season. The first day and night was a wash out and even though I managed to drive a couple of hundred kilometres down a road I wasn't sure about, I had planned to camp that night. I managed to find a reasonable place to stay, a motel type place that was clean, tidy and good value for money. The next day I drove a few hours into Livingstone and had a wander round the Railway Museum. The accommodation I had chosen was quite good and also value for money. There was the camping option had I required it but as expected, the rain put me off. The next leg saw me travelling close to the Botswana and Namibia border as I headed west, and then not too far away from the border with Angola. I should have really called this the Zambezi Tour as I have followed it upstream all the way from just south of Lusaka and near Lake Kariba. The plan was to continue to do so, eventually crossing over it but still following it north until I had to turn right and head east back to the capital. About an hour or so out of Livingstone the road turned to crap. What was smooth tarmac became increasingly potholed and with places of no tarmac at all. Mind you, I was prepared for this as when I drove the same stretch of road the last time, sometime in 1999 or 2000, it was exactly the same. In fact I think I recognised the same potholes. There has been no maintenance on the road at all. This makes for slow going as the holes can be axle breakers and picking a route through them is tiring and time consuming. Speed up, slow down, swerve side to side, bump up and down, speed up, slow down and repeat continually. There were times I'd reach a hundred metres of good tarmac and not speed up, just to relax for a minute or so. Eventually the road and I turned north-west to continue at the side of the river. I had been told this next section was brand new road but I was dubious. My fears were unfounded and it was smooth going. After taking five hours to do a journey normally of an hour and a half, there or there abouts, it was a relief. Another hour or so took me to the turn, off the road, to a fisherman's camp on the banks of the Zambezi. It had stopped raining but the problem can be that the rain is localised and with travelling many kilometres you can never be sure what the situation is. All I can say is that when I came to the turn, it wasn't raining. But it was threatening. I could have camped here as well but had decided to take one of their small chalets for the night anyway. I had had instructions that when I reached the turn, to contact a certain number. I didn't really know why but suspected it was just to let them know I was close as I hadn't given an arrival time. In Zambia there are numerous mobile operators. The government owned one is Zamtel. There is also Vodafone, MTN and Airtel and others. Mrs M advised me as she had arrived in country before me to get a Zamtel SIM card. It gave the most coverage. The day I bought it and loaded it up she asked me if I'd bought that Airtel card she'd recommended. Nope, I told her, I bought the Zamtel one like you'd said. She realised she'd made a mistake but I stuck with the one I'd bought anyway. This was also a mistake. At the start of the track there was no coverage. Apparently there are vast swathes of the country that Zamtel doesn't cover but MTN and Airtel do. Hence I couldn't make contact. I thought I'd drive down anyway as I had to in order to get there. I drove down and the track soon forked, and then forked again and again. I tried to head in the right general direction and even at one point drove across a landing strip. It became wetter and wetter and I understood now why I needed to contact someone. It was to show me the best and driest way. Even though there was in total only three to four kilometres of track, a hundred metres is too far if you are stuck. I picked up at times a set of tyre tracks to follow but they seemed somewhat strange and disappeared occasionally. It took me a little while to understand they weren't car tracks, but that of a quad bike. That was no good for me as he could easily go places and fit through obstacles I couldn't. But I persevered. Somewhere just after halfway it was shit or bust. I did get there, needless to say. I always seem to do so, but I one thing I regret not getting, and I've actually not seen any here for sale in any case, is a set of what I know as sand mats/mud mats. I had them in Egypt plus a high lift jack. It does seem if you have something you'll never need it, but I did rue not getting any somehow. It was touch and go at times with the wheels scrabbling for grip. Bear also in mind I just have normal road tyres, not specialist mud/sand/rock or whatever tyres, nor do I have a specialist four wheel drive to alleviate the situation. Normal car, normal tyres, that's all. More on the track later. Time for a photo or two. Upon arrival I was the only one staying the night. They said they were virtually closed because of the wet season. Had I known I might have demurred staying there anyway. There were a number of chalets ranging from two to four berth on the banks. None had more than a solar light but did have a toilet and shower. This was mine –  Others were strung along in a line –  |
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:10:29 GMT 2
I had a nice little balcony with a view of the river –   Inside were twin beds with a shower and toilet area -   Hot water was provided by the usual system. This time not an old 45 gallon drum but an old (and empty!) gas bottle -  The place was completely self-catering. There was a small bar but when you stay, you have to bring all your food and supplies with you. There are communal kitchens you are free to use and they were well stocked with equipment in order for you to prepare your food. They also have gas powered refrigerators and freezers should you so require. I didn't as I was only there for the night and my big food plan was to just make coffee and have a few bacon sandwiches. Which I did. They were lovely. Especially with tomato ketchup -  |
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:11:56 GMT 2
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:13:50 GMT 2
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:18:25 GMT 2
There was also another problem. When I got to the camp I couldn't get the car out of low ratio four wheel drive with the centre differential locked up. This may mean little to many but suffice to say, because of a condition called 'wind up', you can't drive very far along a grippy tarmac road until your transmission seizes up or kaputs. If the next day, if I made it to the road, and I couldn't get it back to normal drive I only had one trick to rely on to get it out again. I decided, rather than try at the camp and then not be able to engage 4wd again for the return, I'd be better leaving it and waiting until I was on the road. It then rained a real lashing thunderstorm as I ate but stopped after half an hour or so. So I knew I was in for it. Overnight it continued unabated and I even had to wake up at 3m to shift my bed from under a seriously leaking roof. However, I did manage to sit on my balcony until it got dark and catch the Zambezi rush hour –  In the time of a bit of sun, for half an hour or so, I dropped down to the river (sod the hippos and crocs, if the kids can do it in a little wooden canoe, I can stand there for a minute) to grab a few shots –    |
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 9:19:46 GMT 2
After sleeping better than I thought, apart from the wet bed, I overslept my alarm as I'd arranged to meet the quad bike man at 7am so he could show me the best way back. I was grateful of this because I knew the track would be in a right old state, and it was. With some trepidation I had to forego my usual coffee and 'morning toilet', chuck my stuff back in the car and set off. He set off like a madman but soon slowed when he realised I wasn't keeping up. I followed him on completely different tracks to those I'd come in on. I realised at virtually every fork, if I turned left I should have gone right and vice versa. There was some water but he'd promised me, and delivered, that there would be no mud sections, just water with a hard track bed. It did involve cutting twice through the back yard of a hut and at one point squeezing between two though. Once I reached the tarmac I stopped, said a little prayer, and bugger me, but slipped the controls straight back into 2wd with no problem at all. I think then when I'd reached the camp I did have some wind up which stopped the controls from moving out of four wheel drive. I then drove off happily, north. I had to make a decision. Do I go for my original next stop, a campsite at Kafue National Park but a different one than before and without cheap rooms so it would have to be camping – this will take me most of the day to get to. The disadvantage of this would be I would have to go off road some distance again. Plan B was to stop three hours up the road at a town called Mongu where I knew I could get a guesthouse/b and b but that meant I'd be hanging around a town for virtually all the day. Or, and knowing there is really little normal accommodation in any of the towns I would pass and they were the only choices, I could go for plan number three and do a long drive all the way home. I was still mulling over this when I was prompted to make up my mind. I think it will rain again –  So I went for the drive home option. I had set off at 7am and got home at 8pm. I stopped at a supermarket in Mongu to grab some fruit and had a strange conversation. In the car park was a South African registered pick up all set up for camping. I happened to park at the side of it. When I returned to my car I noticed the driver was sitting there. A little later his wife and two small, less than ten years old, kids joined him. Whilst he was by himself and obviously waiting I had the following conversation with him. Me, "Have you come far this morning? Where did you spend the night?" (I'm looking basically for information about camping spots/good accommodation etc, as you do and people are willing to share) Him, "Lusaka" Me, expressing surprise, "Lusaka?" Him, "Yes" "And tonight? Do you know where yet?" "We'll be in South Africa tonight" I turned and walked away without a word. Why? Because it was 11am. I drove back to Lusaka and arrived at 8pm. That is nine hours and even though he may well have gone faster than me I couldn't see him making fewer stops. So what time did he set off? I didn't believe him, and then when he said he'd be in South Africa that night, that put the cap on it. Not only would he have to negotiate two borders he would have to drive a minimum of 1300km through Botswana or Zimbabwe to even touch SA soil. If he was going through Namibia it would be way over 2000km. My arse, mate. Yeah right. But I have no idea at all why he would say such things. No idea at all. More maybe another time. Don't hold your breath though. |
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Post by slowcoach on Jan 22, 2017 12:51:08 GMT 2
Not that I know these places but a map suggests that Mongu is slightly North of due West from Lusaka and SA isn't.
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 13:42:55 GMT 2
Correct. And it is 600km away.
And as you are familiar with African roads to a certain extent you realise that that to cover that distance on a single carriageway road, though tarmac, and going through a number of villages/towns, with numerous speed bumps, plus three sections of each about 10km of broken tarmac and to arrive at 11am with a maximum speed limit in places of 100km and hour but usually far less - well, it's just an obvious evasion of the truth.
I think I must just look gullible.
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Post by slowcoach on Jan 22, 2017 19:21:29 GMT 2
There was also another problem. When I got to the camp I couldn't get the car out of low ratio four wheel drive with the centre differential locked up.
All a bit modern for me, so ...
The diff lock is electro/hydro/pneumo activated/deactivated, and just tells you if it thinks it is engaged or can you check?
The transfer box mechanism is manually linked to the wiggly-stick so you can't move the stick, or is that electro/hydro/pneumo selected?
What are the various settings available (Happy to settle for a specific/generic link)?
If you could free the diff but not the low, could you drive back like that, except for the whiny over-revving slow rate of progress? |
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 22, 2017 22:38:58 GMT 2
Slow, I'd never give you just a generic link. You are worthy of it being explained to the best of my abilities.
Mind you, that'll only work if I can be clear enough to be followed.
I will try though and dip a little deeper probably covering things you already know anyway so someone else may be able to understand.
You might need to get drink first to keep you going.
In the olden days there were mechanical linkages, as you know, between a lever in the cab and the transfer box.
There are prop shafts connecting the front axle to the box and the rear axle to the box, usually it is situated somewhere in the middle of the vehicle and often just connected to the gear box anyway. It used to be that that was it. You moved a lever and a connection was made between the front and rear axles, giving you four wheel drive, via the gearbox and transfer box. Normally just the rear wheels were driven but this transferred power then to also the front wheels.
The disadvantage was that when in four wheel drive (4wd or 4x4) there was no compensation, like when having a differential in an axle, for going around bends or driving on normal roads. What happened is 'wind up' where all the tolerances/slack bits are eventually taken out of the transmission system and more and more stress it put on it as it fights against each element. Eventually the transmission will either lock up completely or make a big bang as something explosively breaks.
Now then, if you put a differential in the transfer box and let it run freely, you can let the front axle and rear axle do what they want as the 'differences' will be taken out by the differential turning. Thus, you can engage 4wd and forget about it on a normal road. That, in simple terms, is the system a lot of cars now use that advertise as permanent 4wd. As first started en masse (I think) by Range Rovers. Things like a Honda CRV etc etc have that system.
It gives a certain amount of safety and extra grip - but - as with just a normal axle whereby if you lose grip on one wheel, the other one doesn't now drive but stops as all the power is going to the spinning wheel - with this type of 4wd, if one wheel slips, the other three just basically give up the ghost and do bugger all - for the same reason - the centre differential is spinning away like a Catherine Wheel, the slipping wheel is taking all the power produced by the engine - and you come to an embarrassing stop.
If you lock up this centre diff you have in effect the same as the old system whereby there is a direct connection between the front and rear axles. Thus, if one wheel slips, the diff in the axle will turn taking away the power to the other wheel on the same axle – but – power will still go to the non-slipping axle to drive you.
What was your question?
Oh yes, I remember now.
To aid getting across difficult surfaces and for better slow speed control, the transfer box can engage a gear that will still give you the same amount of gearbox gears, but now in a lot lower ratio. Better to get up steep hills etc.
So, on my car, it is all 'fly by wire' stuff. There are no linkages to anything. When I move the lever to engage 4wd little electronic men rush down a wire, headbutt a solenoid on the transfer box – which then physically moves the levers in the transfer box to engage what I want.
You ask –
"The diff lock is electro/hydro/pneumo activated/deactivated, and just tells you if it thinks it is engaged or can you check?"
On my dash board I have little lights that represent the state of the system. They are in the shape of a car with a light at each wheel and one for the centre diff, in the middle. If they are lit, then that wheel/diff is supposed to be engaged. I can check only by scrabbling round underneath, maybe jacking it up, or, because I know the car and am familiar with the feel of 4wd, by simply just driving it. More in a second.
"The transfer box mechanism is manually linked to the wiggly-stick so you can't move the stick, or is that electro/hydro/pneumo selected?"
It is electrically operated, as mentioned. It is physically a lever, like the old school HiLux 4wd lever, but it is basically just a switch mechanism. Even if the whole transmission was locked up I'd still be able to move the lever. You probably remember in the HiLux, you'd get some wind up and you couldn't shift the lever at all as it was a direct physical connection to the transfer box.
"What are the various settings available (Happy to settle for a specific/generic link)?"
Normal running is in 2wd to the rear. So on the dash just the two rear wheel symbols/lights will be lit. If I move the lever to the next bit, lights will then flash telling me what it is trying to do. When they stop flashing it means it has finished pratting around and actually done it and engaged what I wanted.
There are four positions –
2wd
4wd (centre diff in transfer box running free) – (many people run in this state all the time)
4wd, centre diff locked
Low ratio 4wd, centre diff locked
You cannot run low ratio 4wd without the centre diff being locked.
The old system, without the centre diff, only had three positions –
2wd
4wd
4wd low ratio.
On each movement of my lever the lights will flash, then settle on saying it is engaged. So in low ratio 4wd I will have the lights on the dash showing all four wheels lit, the centre diff lit and as a bonus, I'm treated to a little "4L" symbol coming on as well. Whoopiedoo.
I can change from 2wd to 4wd on the fly, i.e. moving and up to 100km/h. I can theoretically engage the centre diff as well on the fly, but I always stop. I must stop to get low ratio.
"If you could free the diff but not the low, could you drive back like that, except for the whiny over-revving slow rate of progress?"
Yes. But I'd probably have to remove the solenoid from the transfer box and poke around with a screwdriver to shift the selector in the box.
So, just one more thing.
If one, as I did, can't get back from 4wd to 2wd it nearly always is because there is strain on the transmission system caused by all the shafts trying to go at different speeds, tripping up over each other, pressing on each other and stopping you, because of this 'wind up' thing. If there is no way to compensate for all the different speeds, it will eventually lock up.
In olden times (Hello Slow!), it meant you couldn't move the 2/4/wd lever. Nowadays it means the solenoid attached to the wire going to my electric lever, can't move either. But I can still stir the lever till my heart's content. But it does nothing and all the lights just flash like a Lillipution disco.
To get out of this sorry state of affairs there are a couple of tricks and a very dire trick. One is to reverse. If you just came round a left bend, reverse back around it or do it somewhere where you can. Right bend is vice versa, drive in reverse around a right bend. Maybe even go backwards all the way round in a circle. In the old system you kept a little pressure on the lever and you'd feel it slack off and pop out. Not so now electronically. You have no feel so the lights either keep flashing, or not. You'll probably hear a bit of a 'thunk' though when it does pop out properly.
You can actually drive back into some slippy stuff and the wheels will sort themselves out. But you will then have the problem of being in slippy stuff in 2wd and maybe can't get out. Maybe driving through it with a bit of power will do it as well. But I did try all this to no avail.
The third trick, the dire one, is to scrabble around trying to get bits off the transfer box so you can stick something in to move stuff.
The second, which I must say has never failed me, is to stop and then – slowly jack up one wheel so it is off the ground.
As you are jacking up and taking weight off the wheel you'll see it trying to rotate by itself (make sure other wheels are at least chocked as the wheel trying to rotate will move the car). As you lift further the wheel will rotate more and more easily by itself. Eventually it will stop. This is the wind up, unwinding itself.
When it has stopped, let the car back down and just pop the lever back into 2wd and carry on.
On the Pajero I had in Egypt I had the same system. The centre diff will automatically engage when going from 4wd to 4wd locked. However, I specified also to have a limited slip rear diff – with another diff lock. This though again was just an electric push switch with a light on it that I pushed and it lit if it was engaged. So with everything engaged I if I only had grip on one of the wheels, one of the rears, I'd make progress.
D'ya think that was a bit much?
Shall I shorten it?
Did I answer everything?
You'll say yes anyway I'm sure so that you don't have to read any more lengthy explanations.
Well, you did ask.
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Post by auntieannie on Jan 23, 2017 0:14:01 GMT 2
hey, even I could follow most of it. and I haven't driven in 12 years.
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Post by kuskiwi on Jan 23, 2017 8:02:25 GMT 2
Fabulous trip - thanks
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 23, 2017 11:49:41 GMT 2
You're welcome kus.
annie, I think you'd manage well with driving around Africa in a 4wd.
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Post by Netsuke on Jan 23, 2017 14:00:16 GMT 2
Your trip sounds really interesting. Some of those "puddles" look mighty big. When driving on unsealed roads over there, do you drive with your headlights on?
ETA: I like the photo of the " Zambezi rush hour".
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 23, 2017 14:29:46 GMT 2
I must be missing something. Why put your headlights on?
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Post by slowcoach on Jan 23, 2017 14:41:00 GMT 2
That was great, and not too much, for if you had left out: You cannot run low ratio 4wd without the centre diff being locked.
I still wouldn't have understood. I was thinking that one or the other might be amenable to separate disengagement when tried first and that would be safe if not ideal, or something along those lines.
From an design/manufacturing point of view, the absence of mechanical linkages is a boon, but when it doesn't work it is very frustrating not being able to feel any mechanical feedback, or apply brute force.
Maybe I will get back to this and the unwelcome intrusion of electrical and electronic solutions to a vehicle that you may need to understand if not exactly reason with. How would The Little Prince have ended if a sensor or chip had failed that added little benefit but were so central to the concept that the whole is kaput.
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Post by Voy on Jan 23, 2017 16:06:39 GMT 2
all this reminds me of driving back from Wapenamanda to Hagen, in torrential rain, over a terrible pass ( about 8,000 feet ) in a Toyota long wheel base with a cracked sump and only 2 gears in 4 wheel drive... oi. after we got thru they closed the road, and the truck went straight into intensive care. We went to the pub.
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Post by slowcoach on Jan 23, 2017 16:24:54 GMT 2
The problem with pictures of bad roads, is that they rarely look that bad. Those smooth puddles could do with a child standing up to its neck in water, or squatting, or prone, just as long as it is up to its neck. Perhaps you should carry one with you.
The last one with the ruts is more like it. Was it a before picture?
BTB your vehicle looks suspiciously clean parked up by your chalet. Valet service?
I loath driving through water, and I my thoughts on crossing flowing rivers are not polite. Some people love it, e.g. Members of the UK's AWD Club, and Land-Rover enthusiasts where that is a difference.
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 23, 2017 19:03:54 GMT 2
Slow, as soon as the manufacturers decided to use a centre diff so you could run in 4wd all the time, they decided there was no need to be able to disengage it when in low ratio, except by going back into high ratio. I suppose there are cars you can but as I don't know the transmissions of every single one, it has probably passed me by.
One other thing is that the centre diff may not always be a traditional as we know it diff. It could now be and I think is in some vehicles, a torque converter - the thing filled with fluid stuck between the gearbox and engine on an automatic car. This can also be locked up, as happens on many automatics in top gear or top gear/overdrive. There becomes a direct connection between the engine and gearbox.
Anyway.
It is now difficult to get a recent model 4wd car that has a minimal amount of electronics. That is one of the attractions of the 70 series of 4wd's by Toyota. I can see the advantages of both ways but for practical terms I'd like it without.
Rather than carrying a child with me I could carry one of those old style and still used by carpenters, wooden foldable measure. I could keep it folded and just let the top 10cm of the two metres poke out the water. That's give the idea.
All the photos of the track are after the event when I walked back up most of it. As much as I enjoy posting photos and writing reports, I'm afraid on that day and on driving in initially, my priority wasn't photos for the pot but getting to the camp without getting stuck.
Give me a second, I've just thought of something.
By the way, water and mud especially for me are hateful things. Give me sand every time.
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Post by OnlyMark on Jan 23, 2017 19:14:18 GMT 2
For fun, for the last two, this was my route. But you get the idea of what it would look like when first pulling up and having to take a deep breath or two -   |
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Post by ninchursanga on Feb 27, 2017 9:17:29 GMT 2
Very nice trip report!
I wonder if these places get a lot of tourists?
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