heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
  
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Baben wrote:Sounds like a great excuse for a  up 
Do you think we will get "pass" two weekends in a row? I guess its worth a try.
SOME of us will 
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 22nd Aug 2009 6:17 am |
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hls
Member Since: 29 May 2009
Location: Zwavelpoort, Pretoria
Posts: 263
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No facilities at Krom elmboog. So whatever you need you will have to take along.
Will have some feedback tomorrow. A recce planned for the 16th of August had to be cancelled as the river's level was to high and Krom elmboog could not be reached.
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| 23rd Aug 2009 5:37 pm |
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Deondef
Member Since: 08 May 2007
Location: Randburg
Posts: 790
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hls wrote: river's level was to high and Krom elmboog could not be reached.
How krom is this elmboog  Erstwhile - D3 S '07. Dual battery system. Upgraded tow hitch. Mantec skid plate. Frontrunner rr. Tmax double headed built in compressor
Defender TD5 110 CSW '00. "With everything"
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| 23rd Aug 2009 7:03 pm |
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hls
Member Since: 29 May 2009
Location: Zwavelpoort, Pretoria
Posts: 263
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Recce confirmed for this weekend. Will drive there the Saturday morning and camp overnight. Maxtrax and recover gear allready loaded.
SWAMBO and kids are coming along so that they can comment on the suitability of the trip as a family outting. Hope to issue a report Sunday evening.
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| 15th Sep 2009 7:11 pm |
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Deondef
Member Since: 08 May 2007
Location: Randburg
Posts: 790
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Any further developments itr Erstwhile - D3 S '07. Dual battery system. Upgraded tow hitch. Mantec skid plate. Frontrunner rr. Tmax double headed built in compressor
Defender TD5 110 CSW '00. "With everything"
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| 16th Oct 2009 6:50 am |
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Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
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Deon, the weekend hasn't started yet 
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| 16th Oct 2009 4:39 pm |
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bigcarpchaser
Member Since: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Camberley
Posts: 2270
  
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Could combine a big safari with some footy next year???
Not sure I could take a month off work though  Welcome "Lola" 
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| 16th Oct 2009 5:24 pm |
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Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
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I imagine this place would be quite lonely. Lots of people I know are fleeing the country next June to avoid the crowds and chaos
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| 17th Oct 2009 6:20 am |
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hls
Member Since: 29 May 2009
Location: Zwavelpoort, Pretoria
Posts: 263
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Deondef wrote:Any further developments itr
Deon,
Recce done on the 19th and 20th of September.
The round trip from Burgersfort is around 90km. The route is not registered and there are no camping or other facilities. You basically drive along the Olifants river and identify a site that would be suitable for camping, set up camp and enjoy the evening in the bush.
The cost is R100 which you need to pay to the local Kgosi (or chief). The R100 apparently qualifies you for access to "his" river for a full year. Tradition dictates that you buy a couple of beers from the local shebeen before starting with the route.
The first part of the route covers rocky terrain, but nothing that the D3 cannot handle with ease. The bush is somewhat overgrown in places and minor racing stripes (or kalahari stripes) will bear testimony that you have been off road. (Judging from the scratches on your D3 when we did the Hennops this should not be a problem for you).
After travelling for around 2km you enter the Olifants River. You can then travel up river for about 25km before you reach a point where you cannot cross due to large rocks.
The first vehicle (a Toyota) got properly stuck within the first 200m. Recovery was done with my winch. The only recovery gear necessary is a winch. We never used a kinetic rope, but once had to dig out a Toyota that sunk up to its diff. I got stuck with the D3 a couple (4) of times but recovery was fairly easy with the winch. I played around with the terrain response and set it in rock crawl mode to test whether the diff would lock sooner but this did not work. The going was much better in sand mode. I started with tyre pressures of 1.5 bar and later adjusted to 1.1 bar but still got stuck at the lower pressures. Getting stuck was always as a result of insufficient momentum.
The sand is coarse and vehicles only got bogged down in the wet sand. No problem on the dry stuff. You can immediately feel when you are about to get stuck. Putting foot just resulted in the D3 (and other vehicles) digging in. So the modus operandi was to immediately stop and call for another vehicle to serve as recovery point for the winch. The sand was later described as rapid hardening cement. It was remarkable how a vehicle would get bogged down a couple on inches from where another vehicle passed without any hassels. In the areas where I got stuck, I would sink into the sand up to knee height when I stepped out of the vehicle.
Seeing that the route follows the Olifants River, there is a lot of water. The water is however no deeper than the D3s wading depth and never posed a problem.
Scenery is remarkable. I enjoyed the fact that there are basically no people as this is not a registered 4x4 trail but an area "discovered" by the locals. Cattle and donkeys roam the area.
The wife and kids enjoyed the trip and I can definately recommend it, You need to be at least 5 vehicles of which at least 2 should be equipped with a winch.
Only problem is that the area is only accessable for a certain period of the year (normally August and September) before the annual rain results in the water levels rising. I again visited the area this weekend and the water had already risen to a point where we could only travel for about 6km. Travelling the 6km took about 2 hours due to vehicles getting bogged down.
Pics to follow.
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| 21st Oct 2009 6:37 pm |
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Deondef
Member Since: 08 May 2007
Location: Randburg
Posts: 790
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Sounds good
Ito winch equipped vehicles - Anthony and Heine must go - neither has used their winches yet 
It is now a matter of deciding on a week-end I'll start the bidding : November 7/8 or 14/15 or 21/22 Erstwhile - D3 S '07. Dual battery system. Upgraded tow hitch. Mantec skid plate. Frontrunner rr. Tmax double headed built in compressor
Defender TD5 110 CSW '00. "With everything"
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| 22nd Oct 2009 5:40 am |
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heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
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Can't do 7/8 OK for the other 2
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| 22nd Oct 2009 6:07 am |
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hls
Member Since: 29 May 2009
Location: Zwavelpoort, Pretoria
Posts: 263
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Heine, had a look at your pics. It is up stream from where we went. Conditions were however similar. The 25km trip took us around 6 hours.
Not sure that November will work? If is rains upstream it could become dangerous. The locals were very nervous when we went last Sunday due to rainfall in the area the Saturday night.
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| 22nd Oct 2009 4:37 pm |
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hls
Member Since: 29 May 2009
Location: Zwavelpoort, Pretoria
Posts: 263
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Deondef wrote:Sounds good
Ito winch equipped vehicles - Anthony and Heine must go - neither has used their winches yet
It is now a matter of deciding on a week-end I'll start the bidding : November 7/8 or 14/15 or 21/22
Heine, I see you have aquired a new vehicle? Where is the Safari snorkel? You may need it if we go in November.
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| 22nd Oct 2009 4:52 pm |
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heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
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Put LR RAI on instead (must update avatar)
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| 22nd Oct 2009 7:29 pm |
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