MOVIN’ ON UP
REMEMBER the first time you tackled a steep hill climb off-road? I do … and I was petrified. I was in my mate Beddo’s short-wheelbase Series II Land Rover and the climb in front of us seemed impossibly steep. He showed me how to engage low-range four-wheel drive by pulling back on the red lever, and then told me to select second gear.
As I eased out the clutch, the little Landy leapt forward, surprising me with its low gearing, and it climbed that steep hill like a mountain goat, with me giggling nervously behind the steering wheel the whole way up.
The key to safely and successfully tackling any steep incline is to have a mechanical understanding of your 4x4 and how to best operate it, as well as to understand the characteristics of the hill climb itself.
That mechanical understanding can be as basic as whether the vehicle has a manual or automatic transmission, or a single-or dual-range transfer case, or whether it is a part-time four-wheel drive with manual or auto free-wheeling hubs, or a full-time four-wheel drive with a locking centre diff. It’s also important to know what kind of mechanical and/or electronic traction aids
