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Field Mechanics Course

fridayman

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Garage
This past weekend a few of us went on Greg's field mechanics course and had a pretty good time.

Our classroom
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Day 1's lesson on wheel bearings and cv's went on till about 10pm
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After a late bite to eat we went out for a play
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The next day we carried on with a lesson on swapping out suspension at the roadside
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Ian showed up in 2 Landcruisers, one for sleeping
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And another for playing
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Here is a pic of Ian playing
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And Ian playing about 30 yards down the road
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This plasma rope definitely earns its keep
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If this monster was getting stuck my 90 had no chance...
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Urm, two pics of the course and the rest of Ian being stuck. Sounds like a good trip :cool: ;)

So good weekend then? Learn much from the course? (read: bush repairs are hard, limp to the nearest mechanic and pay him)
 
Course was very good. Good balance between 80 and 90 series. Went through simple things from fixing a puncture through to more complicated e.g. replacing a CV on an 80. Worked through tool kit, servicing and how to bodge a repair to get you to civilisation if need be. Also went through spares to take overlanding. Greg allowed for the topics to be driven by the attendees so it was worth being active. Had a decent exploration of battery systems and oh yes, there was a little bit of time left over for some fun in the woods where Greg challenged Ian with the deepest holes he could find - and a night drive which was novel. All the time we were looked after well by Ragan in the camp and we didn't finish until around 9.30ish on Saturday night on day one because it felt right to keep going - which is what you'd do in the bush. For me as a newbie, it was bloody worthwhile but I'm sure more knowledgeable folk would find it useful too. Recommended. Some more pics from my insty.
Setting up camp
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Getting the hub of to change the wheel bearing
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Into CV
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Changing UV joint
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On Sunday changing rear suspension on 90 series
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And then there was Ian
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Will have a look at other camera to see if there are more decent shots of the workshop. The course was held in Picadilly Wood north of Burgess Hill and is a great site.
 
Now i think this pic has got to be in consideration for the back of the club business cards crispin!

Brilliant shot.

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Crispin said:
Urm, two pics of the course

's cause I was paying attention, innit :)

It was a very useful course. Because I knew so little, I probably distracted Greg quite a lot with all my questions. Greg was very happy to answer all questions though. What I liked about the course was that he taught us not just how to carry out one or two tasks, but how to prepare and deal with the unexpected in a potentially trip ending situation e.g. how many people carry a spare starter motor? An auto with a dead starter motor aint going nowhere... etc.
 
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Here are some of the items that I currently do not have in my toolkit, but soon will:

Large locking pliers
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Good puncture repair kit
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Breaker bar, lighting and wire crimping tools
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Heat
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Err... little "anvils"
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Copper hammer
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Lots and lots of rags
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It was a great weekend.

Even though I have done a lot of mechanical work on my cars I picked up some good tips and different ways of doing things.

Ragan did a brilliant job of keeping us all fed and supplied with hot drinks.

As those of you who know me are aware I do like to drive into big mud holes! I had not been to this site before and Greg was on a mission to get me stuck. As the pictures show, he did.

Thanks Greg, Ragan and the rest of your team.

Ian
 
Overall it was a great weekend. Very informative.

Highlight for me was the 'night sortie' through the woods. Great fun.

Heres a few videos:
[youtube:1qhwp7ce]OgxWKNWNf0k[/youtube:1qhwp7ce]


[youtube:1qhwp7ce]RAeyXAYLvho[/youtube:1qhwp7ce]
 
Copper hammer will mot damage things. You can hit a bearing with a copper hammer and you'll not mark it. The copper is softer.

I'm guessing the large locking pliers are just a nice-to-have as you'll no doubt have something large that needs holding. Looks like they'll mike a nice holder for my beer can if nothing else. :lol:

Any hardware store selling copper plumbing pipe will sell a small blowtorch. Local B&Q have them for £12.


Nice vids BTW!
 
The large locking pliers were used quite a bit. They worked on filters and also, the shocks have a knurled band at one end which is toughened and allows you to hold onto the shocks which helped when changing. As Crispin says, copper hammer was used for bashing everything, hub, universal joint etc without damaging the steel. Blowtorch was great for loosening stubborn nuts.

Tommo, on the pic, i have a 2 meg version if anybody is interested.
 
We would like to say a big thank you to all of you that attended the course. It seems that you enjoyed your time in the woods and picked up some tips and tricks that will hopefully help you out one day when you need it.
Thanks again
Greg and Ragan
 
I was going to post comments about the course but I couldn't add anything more than has already been said by the others on the course. Many thanks Greg and Ragan :cool: we had a great time, and more importantly learned a lot.
Chas
 
So when's the new winch / pump set up going in then Ian? :mrgreen:
 
That looks a crack that boys :thumbup: :mrgreen: Very Ray Mears but with more grease :lol:
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
So when's the new winch / pump set up going in then Ian? :mrgreen:

The sooner the better :oops: It is out of my control at the moment, just waiting my turn. I have asked if it will all be in place by Lincomb and have been told it should be :pray:
 
Hi,
Is this course going to run again anytime soon? I would be really interested in going on it if possible. Does anyone know the contact details of the organisers so I can find out?
Thanks,
Pete
 
Hi Pete,

Sorry, the company running this course has closed down.

Ian
 
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