Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Lilylou,

I think you are going to start slow. You mention day trips to Richtersveld and Galagadi, you talk of getting the missus to camp...

Here is my opinion:
Don't spend too much money upfront. A standard Pajero will cruise through a trip like you have in mind.
There is ONE simple rule - DON'T SPEED
My SWB has 20L less fuel capacity that yours. I spent almost a week camping in the Richtersveld with my trailer. I put a 20L jerry can in the trailer and at Richtersberg coudn't even get it all into the tank. I took my LWB DiD's through the Damaraland, Namib Desert, Kaokoveld, Richtersveld... you name it. Standard highway tires and no bashplates. Running stuff off the battery of an autobox car is a dicey game if you travel alone like I often do. I use a 3-way freezer and mostly paraffin lamps.

Stuff I always carry on a trip:
Compressor, but sometimes only a foot pump.
Puncture repair kit.
Extra tyre on the roof rack or in the trailer, it is always possible to find a tyre shop of some description but almost impossible to buy the correct tyre.
Tow rope.
Inverter to charge cameras and cell phones and laptops (for the serious photographers)

Big thing: take it easy, look after your tyres when off the bigger roads and make sure you use the correct tyre pressure for the right application.

Roelf
PS - Hope you enjoy your new beast - lovely car!

If you plan on going to Kgalagdi the best add on in my book is a decent sized water tank. The stuff they call water there is not even fit to wash with never mind drink. Having snatch and recovery straps is all well and fine if you travel with another vehicle but if you are alone nothing beats a hi lift and a shovel

SimonB wrote:Just one little point - I see a snake bit kit mentioned.

I would NEVER advocate anyone carry a snake bite kit. In the wrong hands they cause considerably more problems than they are worth, and could be downright dangerous. And forget other rubbish like snake-venom-sucker-outers.

Snake bite should be treated symptomatically, so get a decent first aid kit and do a decent first aid course.

I can not agree more. Unless you know snakes and have done the right courses do not fool about with them and if you have done the courses you will know well enough to leave them be. 99% Of snake bites are due to people fooling with them and if not identified 100% correctly and treated by a competent and qualified person they can be nasty.

Lilylou,
I must add that I have done some pretty serious off road with my ooold PJ with standard suspension , I tow a off road caravan as well . I would have liked to have a stiffer rear coil especially when towing the caravan. If you drive carefully and not rush it as was mentioned you can go almost anywhere.
I prefer to skip deep water and if I really have no other option I will drive through but always looking for the shallower part even if it means taking a detour.
These mods are expensive and maybe you should do a few off road trips and a few off road courses to determine what you would like to have and what will your application be and especially what it is you are planning to do in the future.
I have the basics:
Tyre repair kit, high lift jack-mainly for thr caravan. a spade, a wooden block for high lift jack and can used with my stadard 3 ton hydraulic jack, a decent compressor -T-Max 160 l/m works like a charm,
recovery belt-not even kinetic strap yet, and spare water hoses, a multi perpose emergency fan belt, some nuts and bolts and tools ,which is always part of my tool kit anyway. My tool kit is mainly spanners, pliers, good insulation tape , can of multi perpose spray for electrics suited, a cheap crimping tool as well the connectors,socket set , hammer, gloves,some of these chocolate blocks, some pipe clamps, screw drivers, always red rtv sealant, and pratley steel quickset-you can fix almost anything with that stuff.
Regards
It was mentioned already- tyre pressures is crucial for the specific action planned and with some common sense as well as carefull driving you would suffice almost anywhere.

Hi guys
Just came back from my first trip.
Son-in-law and I left Joeys at 5am on Thursday, N3 towards Durbs - turned off at Nottingham Rd, Himeville up Sani (no sweat) continued inland and spent the first night at the Molumong back packers lodge near Mokghotlong. Very basic!! minus 6 degrees in the morning.
Next day on to Thaba Tseka to Katse to Hlotse to Botha Buthe up the Moteng pass and slept over at the Oxbow Lodge. The scenery absolutely breathtaking, lots of ice, frozen waterfalls and of course mountains and more mountains.
Next day, down Sani (saw an X5 abandoned near the top) once again, no sweat!
Slept at the Pyramid Motel at Van Reenan and then home.
Covered 1 782 K's.
Average fuel consumption 16.02 litres/100 kilos - sounds heavy but the road all the way to Katse is really bad - 1st, 2nd and occasionally 3rd gear and very occasionally 4th and 5th.
I know that there is a fair amount of debate regarding tyre pressures on rocky roads but after seeing the scuff marks on my side walls i reckon one needs to have them fairly hard.
One question - I found the suspension bone rattlingly stiff - could feel virtually every little stone (even before I re-inflated the tyres) My son-in-law, who owns a fairly elderly Range Rover, also felt that the suspension seemed very harsh. Any ideas?
All in all - an awesome vehicle and an awesome experience.
If you have'nt been into Lesotho then you have'nt seen the Drakensberg

Happy travelling

Lilylou

I find that my pajero is most at ease when going very slowly over bad obstacles or you need to have some speed on dirt roads. It's the medium pace on bad roads that makes it a bit jarring.

Then again I drive the same dirt road with a suzuki vitara and a ford ranger pretty often and the Pajero wins hands down by far!

Perhaps your shocks are too hard. Some workshops like to fit these heavy duty 4x4 shocks without asking what you use them for. If you always pack heavy then they are fine but in most cases they are too hard.