like and dis

I really, really appreciate the electrically heated windscreen. I also like TC.

I don't like those city SUV 18" rims in the winter. They get clogged with snow, that becomes ice, and the car behaves like a centrifuging washing machine. I really would like to drive on 16" steel rims next winter instead.

How did they think when they designed the rear bumper? To open the rear door you have to shovel the bumper first, since it's a perfect shelf for snow to rest at. Then you open the door, scratching the underside against ice. Now and then you have to knock the ice of with some kind of tool. Today, doing this work, I broke the plastic moulding which had frosen into non elasticy.

Othewise, it's extremely meditative to drive along the roads these days when there's almost no traffic. Strangely enough you don't bother really that you have to spend ten minutes to go around the car peeling off clogged snow from the underside every time you park at home...

It's so much more than a car...

go snow

Heavy snowfall during the night made morning traffic fun in a Land Rover. Only the main roads were cleared, but that doesn't bother us really. It's Saturday, so there wern't many people out. I found the first stuck car about a hundred meters from home. Since I was in a hurry, I had to leave him in his struggle. After my first commission this morning, I found the road blocked by an abandonned car. So, I had to reverse to find another way. I reversed for about a hundred meters, when I saw a car with flashing hazard lights. I looked forward to use my survival kit in the back, but strangely also this car was abandonned with no one in sight. Well TC was enough to help me plogh an uphill slope and escape the "chaos".

I found many reasons to get out driving today. But in the afternoon many ways had been cleared. But now (ten in the evening) it's snowing again, so I look forward to another day filled with errands you just have to do... :)

range

When you're doing a cold start...

...it's nice to dream away for a while.

whitelaneing

My friend an his children in their BM 350 Boxer, I and another friend with our children in our Disco went for a short whitelaneing in the thawing Sunday noon.

We, in the disco, had the advantage of heating, cosy leather seats and a niose free ride. The ones in the tractor appriciated other things, I suppose :)

But, road tires are not of much help when you leave the main road. Diff lock and Traction Control are not of much help either when there is no traction. So, we ended up being towed by the tractor. Next winter we need a more aggressive pattern!

Anyhoo, greed fools wisdom. I changed a joint in my prop shaft a while ago. Of course I should have changed all three. I have felt a small vibration the latest weeks, and back on the main road again, after all the wheel spin this thay, the next prop shaft joint gave in. So, now I'm back in two wheel drive again for a while...

:)

-20

"Cars didn't drive on it to make great time, they drove on it to have a great time."

/Sally

Ice Road

Just as important as santa and the traditional food at Cristmast, is the Boxing Day Off Road trip. We have been participating for many years now (for Måns as long as he has lived). First by foot, then with our old series3 and our Range Rover. This year we brought our discovery for the first time.

Since the disco is the family estate and not a hobby car as our prior landies, we had no tougher off roading plans for her.

Christmast Day was raining, and in the night to Boxing Day the temerature fell quickly again. This made the ground like an ice cube. It was not icy only on the surface, but also a bit down under ground. Boxing Day morning, it was snowing, adding an extra layer of slip above the ice. This together meant that it was sometimes difficult to get traction even on level ground. With our road tyres we slid aroud as on a wet soap. It is really scary to slide sidewards without any possibility to brake or control the car!

We, Måns and I, had planned to meet up with Klas and his son Hugo in their series3 pick up. But we also spent the day with Fredrik (defender 110), Björn (defender 90), Janne (willys), his brother Ulf and my brother Mats-Ola. We also ran in to the Ek brothers (seris3 and OneTen) and a couple of other nice people with the interest of our proud make.

We tried our best as we slid along. Klas ended up in a mud hole and got home far too late for the family gathering, but Henrik Ek took it to yet another level as he almost buried his 109.

Even if Henrik had his winch wire far up in a tree, the car digged itself further down. The hard mud turned of his winch button, so it had to be

digged out with a spade twice to get it working. He got up, but needed a serious rescue party to help him do the job.

The disco served well as a spectator bus, and as usual as our portable café.

Movieclips at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bDkX_j8qLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnAgnGwHwgU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTG64-LrMJ8

Forest Bump

It wasn't that dramatic to bring the Christmast tree home this year. Last year I ended up in my brothers potato field, bogged down to my hubs. The most exiting this year was that the trailer I used was to wide for the little road at one place where I had one wheel in each dich and the trailer sledging at its axle. Yes, I had to use a trailer this year. I'm too much careful of my paintwork. My old series3 had a roof rack and the rangie, well there I simply put the goods at the roof and tied it down through the passenger compartment.