Quarry 4X4 Suspension Test
13 April 2008
Ruslans meager mention of playing in an old quarry had ears pricking. Along for the trip was Ruslan in his Defender, Grant in his Rangie, Luke in his Patrol, Matty in his Maverick, Darren in his Hilux, Mark in his Cruiser and Charles in his Cruiser.
We met at 2 at the Lady Nelson and departed for the quarry only a 10 minute drive from town. As soon as the hubs were locked in it was on. Ruslan lead us up and over just about every hump, bump, crest, mound and hill he could find. We were approached by a guy named Dwayne in a Cruiser who tagged along for a while and was asking about the club.
Approach and departure angles were tested as was suspension flex and general driver skill. What looked like a mild sand hill had most drivers taking 2 or 3 goes to find the right gear and climb to the top. We were soon joined by Tony and Judy in their Jeep with Jack Gysbers and his wife and Bob Watson and his wife from the Wattle Range Club also in Jeeps.
Tony attempted a crest that managed to belly the Jeep but was nothing a nudge from the spare wheel on the back of Lukes Patrol couldn’t dislodge. Grant worked hard guiding everyone over some offset mounds that tested suspension flex and managed to get a few hung up. Later in the day we were joined by Rick in his Hilux and Ramone in his Courier who had a great time attempting the sand hill and some of the other crests around the place. Everyone had a great time trying something different from the normal and testing their cars limits. Make sure you come along May 4th to see for yourself.
