With the advent of affordable practical, capable and comfortable 4WD’s flooding the market, its no wonder why more and more people are trying their hand at 4WDing some of Australia’s more popular 4WD camping locations.

But do you really know what you are doing, and if you don’t, should you really be tackling some of the tough sections of track, with next to no modifications to your vehicle?

We’re going to go over some of the cardinal sins of newb 4WDers and how to avoid them when you hit the tracks the first couple of times!

1 No Communications

The first mistake many people make is hitting the tracks alone, and with no effective method of calling for help. When you are in remote areas, devices like mobile phones generally won’t have reception particularly when you need it most, so bringing an alternative method of communication that doesn’t require a service network to operate, such as a UHF radio or satellite phone, you can call to anyone nearby to come and help.

Satellite phones, tend to be expensive and if you don’t end up needing to use them, the cost of keeping one in the vehicle can be considered prohibitive, so a 5W vehicle mounted UHF radio like the Oricom UHF380PK In-Car 5W CB Radio. Although a UHF wont offer limitless reception like a satellite phone, it is cost free after your initial purchase, and allows you to contact anyone on the same channel within around 25kms of your location.

A UHF radio can also be used to find out if sections of track are open and what the condition is up ahead, as well as being able to maintain connection with your 4WD convoy.

2 Inadequate recovery gear

The first rookie mistake many 4WDers make when they first head out to tackle tough tracks is not being equipped with suitable or adequate recovery gear to get themselves out of a bind.

There are a handful of things that are critical to bring with you on the tracks; starting with a rated Snatch strap, and rated recovery shackles, this will get many 4WDers out of most tricky situations without too much fuss, and doesn’t require a winch to use, so tends to be the ‘go-to’ recovery method many people turn to for easy and nearly foolproof recoveries.
The snatch strap cannot solve it all, combining the snatch strap and shackles with a shovel, you can clear the sand or mud out from under you’re axles to make snatch recoveries easier.  But by grabbing yourself a kit like the Hercules Complete Recovery Kit, you’ll get everything you need for winch and snatch strap recoveries, as well as for towing, with everything being contained in a neat zip up bag, to keep everthing organized.

3 Not enough Light

When dusk kicks in, it’s feeding time, and all of the marsupials come out to graze on the side of the road. Because of this, many people who live in remote areas fit Auxillary lighting and reinforced bull bars to the front of their vehicles to get as much heads up to what animals are ahead, to avoid costly, potentially irreversible animal strike damage, to their vehicles.

By fitting an LED Lightbar or a set of LED Spotlights you can, light up the track up ahead, and get plenty of warning of what’s coming, saving you thousands, in the event of an animal jumping out in front of you

4 No backup plan

One of the most arrogant things someone can do when heading offroad, is not coming up with a backup plan before they leave. What happens in the event of being blocked by rising rivers, changing tides, a log bridge being degraded to the point of not being able to cross, or simply just experiencing turning weather conditions, going hell for leather into the unknown, blindly believing there is a way through.

The smartest always have a plan B to get to the next destination, so plan ahead and become familiar with the tracks, this is made easier with a GPS navigator like the VMS touring 700HDX, a universal on road and off road turn by turn navigator which uses, topo mapping and street maps to navigate you to exactly where you need to go, with the 7” touch screen and ability to add a reversing camera to easily see what’s behind you, when you are backing up, on the tracks or at home, in the driveway.

5 Incorrect tyre pressures

Last but not leastly, tyre pressures are often overlooked when people first get into 4WDing and running standard highway pressures often leads people into becoming stuck off road. By running higher tyre pressures you also risk encountering punctures from sharp sticks and roots, as well as ruining the tracks for the next group to come through.

by dropping your tyre pressures down to a suitable level, you allow the sidewall to sag a small amount, effectively stretching the contact patch and enabling more rubber to meet the road, the added benefit to this is the sagging tread patch can conform a lot more easily to the uneven terrain underneath your vehicle, allowing your 4WD to walk up tricky sections that you wouldn’t think possible.

Setting your tyres to the correct pressure for the terrain you are driving with will offer higher performance gains than with any other 4WD modification you could make. And it is made extremely simple with the Kwiky Tyre Deflator, a clever tool that allows you to drop your pressures quickly and accurately, being able to drop all 4 tyres in under 5 minutes.