Collaborate Disseminate
There are large vehicles and then there are large vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is unique among big commercial vans in that it has such a myriad of configuration options, like our Passenger model with seating for 10 adults. Let’s spell that out:… Continue reading Review: 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter seats 14, has 4WD
Suzuki got it so, so right with its tiny Jimny 4×4 in 2018. Cheap, cheerful, capable and devoid of all the luxury rubbish that weighs down so many 4x4s these days, it was the cutest thing on the block, and looked like a barrel of monkeys to take offroa… Continue reading Suzuki New Zealand has turned the Jimny into the cutest ute ever
Australia is nearly the size of the United States, but has less than a tenth of its population, mainly dotted around the perimeter. It’s a rough, rugged and beautiful country, and it offers some of the toughest and most rewarding camping on t… Continue reading The best of Aussie-style off-road camping from the 2019 Australian 4×4 Outdoor Expo
For an electronics person, building the mechanics of a robot — especially a robust robot — can be somewhat daunting. [Jithin] started with an off-the-shelf 4 wheel drive chassis to build an off-road Arduino robot he calls the Badland Brawler. The kit was a bit over $100, but as you can see in the video below, it is pretty substantial, with an enclosed frame and large mud tires.
The remaining parts include an Arduino, a battery, and a motor driver IC. The Arduino is one with WiFi (an MKR 1000, in fact) and there’s a phone app for controlling the …read more
Continue reading Badland Brawler Lets Arduino Tackle Terrain
If you know me at all, you know I’m a car guy. I’m pretty green as far as hardcore wrenching skills go, but I like to tackle problems with my vehicles myself – I like to learn by doing. What follows is the story of how I learned a few hard lessons when my faithful ride died slowly and painfully in my arms over the final months of 2016.
For context, my beast of a machine was a 1992 Daihatsu Feroza. It’s a 4WD with a 1.6 litre fuel injected four-cylinder engine. It had served me faithfully for over a …read more
Continue reading Fixing My 4×4: The Battle of the Bent Valves