4x4 earth - the 4wd, camping, fishing and outdoors podcast. by James Eling | Amateur Off Roader, unorganised camper and very poor fisherma

We continue our conversation with Matt from MadMatt 4WD after the tragic death of Ryan Woods.  This episode looks at correct techniques and alternatives to snatch strap recoveries.

Ryan Woods died in tragic circumstances while 4 wheel driving in Arizona last week. 

We talk to Jason Lock, one of the Judges for the 4x4 Australia 4x4 of the year competition.

We talk to Jason Lock, one of the Judges for the 4x4 Australia 4x4 of the year competition.

What will EV 4WDs be like in 5 or 10 years time?

This week we talk 2021 4WD utes with Robert Pepper, Australia's best 4WD journalist.

Our previous podcast, 4WD tips for Newbies, has been one of our most popular.  If you're new or have newby mates, have a listen.

New to going offroad?  Definitely have a listen to our newbies podcast edition. 

This is the 2nd in our 2 part interview with Wayne Hevey, the CEO of 4WD Victoria.  We discuss how 4WD Victoria is working for clubs to maintain track access.

Our next guest is Wayne Hevey from 4WD Victoria.  He discusses some of the work that 4WD Victoria has been doing to keep tracks open.

We we continue our discussion with Bill Schulz from the Bush User Group United about some proposed changes to land in Victoria and why it is important that all of the Bush Users come together

We talk to Bill Schulz from the Bush User Group United about some proposed changes to land in Victoria and why it is important that all of the Bush Users come together

This track features Shane Rose, the new President of 4WD Australia.

This track features Shane Rose, the new President of 4WD Australia.

This is the second part of our interview with 4WD journalist Robert Pepper.  In the first episode, we discussed what the future of electric 4x4s will be like and how soon it will be before they are on the roads and more importantly on the 4x4 tracks.

We talk about the introduction of electric 4x4s and how soon they will be on the tracks with Robert Pepper.

We talk about the future of 4 wheel driving and the politics of 4 wheel driving with Roothy.

There is something special about 4 wheel drive out in the bush and away from the hustle and bustle of the cities.  Roothy talks about why he loves 4 wheel driving and how he is seeing an increase in the number of tracks that are opening across the country.

Roothy has a big announcement about what he is going to be doing for Milo as he plans Milo’s big last trip. 

Pete has been working as the Chief Engineer on the Jeep Gladiator.  Pete has a great job, as an engineer for Jeep, working on some of the most iconic 4WDs of all time.

The difference between air lockers and eLockers is one of the most popular discussion points on the 4x4earth forum, so we decided to get an expert in to discuss the difference.

We discuss with Robert Pepper the new towing laws that are being bought in.  How do the GCM and GVM impact the caravan towers?

Robert recently drove the new Ford Raptor recently and he gives us his opinion on what it is like to drive.  We talk about the engine and where you could drive the Raptor.  What would it be like towing?  Would Robert buy one?

We look at the number of people who don't finish the Dakar Rally.  It is a very tough course, expensive to compete in and there is some unforgiving terrain, so the failure rate is very high.

If you are loving 4x4earth.com, check out the 4x4earth Merch.  The sales help to keep Australia's largest free and independent 4 wheel drive website and the largest Australian 4x4 Podcast!  It helps us to keep on doing the work to keep tracks open.

We continue our discussion with Brian, one of the 4x4earth moderators.

We talk to Brian, one of the 4x4earth moderators about a long weekend away at Robe where 5 4WDs rolled over. 

Ron talks about the High Country, Robe and South America.

A massive thanks to Phil for sharing all of his great advice on the history and how to drive this amazing Australian track.

This was going to be my new Ute.  The rumours were that it was going to have a new 3.6 litre Petrol engine with a lot more power.  The Ecoboost engine was meant to have 336kW and 690Nm.  The new diesel has 147kW and 470Nm. 

Between 1,500 and 2,000 a year do the Canning Stock Route.  What is there to see and what is there to do when travelling the CSR.

Phil Bianchi is a historian and 4 wheel driver who has documented a lot of history of the Canning Stock Route and he has driven the route many times. 

We talk to Robert Pepper about the future of Diesel engines in 4 wheel drives.  My last 3 4WDs have had diesel engines and I have loved the economy and reliability of diesels.

We talk to Mike Clayton from Clayton's Towing. Started 45 years ago on the Sunshine Coast, Clayton's now has 15 depots and 100 staff. 

We talk to Jason Lock to talk about all of the things that can go wrong when you head offroad.

We talk to Robert Pepper about the new 4x4s coming onto the Australian market in 2017.

We talk to Rudy Paoletti, organiser of Navruns, map and book publisher, explorer and champion of the history of the Aberfeldy Track.

SEMA, Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association, is the largest trade only automotive show in the world.  Held in Las Vegas, there was 40 kilometers of displays.

Check out the trip report from the 9th Annual Victorian Gathering.  A great

New 4WD Trends with Robert Pepper

Our resident 4WD expert Jason Lock talks about the history of the diff lock and how Uneek 4x4 has developed a new Cap Locker.

We talk about how to prepare for a trip out into the Snow.  Snow driving is a lot of fun, but the conditions are very different to other types of 4 wheel driving.

Tim Bates has been driving the High Country for over 25 years and he shares his experiences with some of Australia's best 4 wheel drive tracks.

We talk to Australia's most famous 4 wheel driver, Roothy.  We cover Milo, the places that he has been and the mods that he has done.

Many 4 wheel drive owners go their whole life without any formal training in going offroad or the vehicles that we use.  Because of this, there are many myths about driving and our vehicles which have crept in over time.

This is a great story that looks at the way that 4 wheel driving with mates in the bush can help people struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

We talk all things 4 wheel driving with Rodney Hudson, or Rocket, from Wholesale Automatics.  Rodney is an iconic legend in the 4 wheel drive industry, featuring in many videos as he explores all over Australia.

What kinds of changes are going to happen to 4 wheel drives over the next 5 years?

The Simpson is one of the iconic places to go 4 wheel driving in Australia.  We chat about the some of the interesting history of the Desert, along with the best ways to tackle Desert driving.  Ian has been through the Desert 3 times and has a wealth of experience in Desert driving as well as the high country. 

Thinking of buying a used 4 wheel drive? Some 4 wheel drives have a much harder life than others, so you need to know the clues to find out the vehicles you may want to steer away from.

Listen to Lowlux as he shares his wisdom about driving on Sand.  Based in South Australia, he's done plenty of both desert and beach driving and has some stories to tell.  We will talk about:

Resident expert Jason Lock joins us to talk all things Lift Kit and Suspension for your 4x4.  We give you the information you need to choose the right kind of lift for your 4WD, what they different types of lift and suspension are, what can go wrong with lift kits that are illegal or badly designed and what impacts a lift kit can have on your insurance.

Winches are a really important bit of kit on any 4WD.  Whether you put one on as a bit of insurance, hoping to never use it or if you go offroad expecting to winch out - you need your winch to work.  One of the things that I have been amazed with is the number of times winching has been needed and the winches have failed.  Some winches have a notorious "Water Clause" in them, which means that the warranty is invalidated if they go under water, which means you can't do creek crossings!  Find out which winches are good and which ones have issues in our interview with Swaggie, 4x4earth moderator and winch expert.

4x4earth runs Australia's largest 4WD weekends away.  Davidman goes through what makes these events so much fun, what everyone does at a 4x4 earth gathering.  More importantly Dave talks about how to organise a 4x4earth gathering.  These gatherings are a really important way for people new to 4 wheel driving to join in and learn the skills of camping, 4 wheel driving and getting out and enjoying our magnificent country.   Our gatherings have grown over time to be Australia's largest free 4WD weekends away.

It this episode of the 4WD podcast, we discuss with 4x4 expert Jason Lock everything Diff Lock.  What are they, how do they work, when should you use them and what can go wrong. 

Every weekend hundreds of people all over Australia set out as leaders of a 4WD Trip.  Whether it is just you and a couple of mates or an organised trip with 10 newbies, we discuss with NickJ the things that you should think about before, during and after your big trip out. 

Talbotville Campground was the site for the 6th Annual 4x4earth Victorian Gathering.  Home of some of Australia's iconic tracks, including Blue Rag and Billy Goat's Bluff, there is plenty of amazing 4 wheel driving to be had in this beautiful part of the world.  Find out what went tragically wrong on this trip and the mistakes that James made that resulted in him destroying his Jeep Wrangler.

We talk to Ian Smith, Grumpy on 4x4earth, and discuss the amazing work that he has led with members of Earth to put in bollards, fire pits and to build a Gazebo at O'Tooles Campground, a favorite camping spot for 4 wheel drivers in the region.  In danger of being closed because of hoons wrecking the grounds, Grumpy and team have made a huge contribution for all 4x4 drivers and campers using the area.

In this episode we interview Jason Lock from TJM to learn how to properly and safely use a Snatch Strap.  Used poorly, Snatch Straps can kill, so it is really important that you know exactly what you are doing to avoid killing or injuring yourself or someone else, as well as avoiding damage to your vehicle.

Our first Track covers  the story of my first trip out in my Jeep Patriot and we are going to cover off on all of the mistakes that I made on my first trip out.  There was a lot of them, including the vehicle ending up on the back of a truck, going back to Jeep for repairs!  More importantly we will go over some great tips to help you be much better preparing to go offroad in your 4x4!

In this track we learn about the story of 4x4earth, how it all started and how we want to spread our love of 4 wheel driving and enjoying the great outdoors.  We go over the early days of the forum, talk about a couple of the early mods.  We also discuss our tracks map, with over 1,000 4WD tracks to explore.