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Good morning All ! @Ahmed Wagdy @Sayed Bilal @Tom V@Paul Zietsman@premindra rajaram@Juzer Gandhi@Joji varghese@Thejas Uthran@Benjamin @Nathan L@Ajit John@Gregory @Rajiv Sam@munkybizness First of all i wanted to thank you all for signing on for this drive. On a weekly basis we venture out in the desert for our regular dune-driving activities, but often we forget to stand still for a moment and just enjoy the scenery, take some photos, and interact with each other. The aim for this drive is to focus on these exact things. So please don't expect to be able to do side-sloping or big hill climbing. Bring your camera, bring friends or family, and just enjoy the beauty that Northern UAE has to offer. The landscape is now quickly changing with railroads being built, and a lot of other infrastructural changes. The terrain as we know today might not be there anymore in 10years from now. Expect to see farms, donkeys, cows (if we are lucky), goats, and plenty of camels. The track will lead us to very quiet and remote areas with plenty of vegetation around us. The exact exit point will be either Adhen or Falaj Al Mualla, based on the progress. We will be mostly using existing farm tracks or pylon tracks to navigate through the terrain. Nevertheless we will have some sections in the dunes as well but more limited. As soon as the winter comes, you will see more of these kinds of drives, even extending into full day drives where we make our way into the mountains and even reaching the East Coast. I hope you can appreciate these drives and we can build this further into possible 2-3 day drives (hint... hint....) @Quresh Pajero @Simon Dawood@Sandeep Padhi you guys are currently waitlisted, so keep an eye out towards the end of the week to see if we can get you in. Stay tuned.

Fred, you have me rather excited with the mention of 2-3 days drives. I wouldnlove to do that.

Hi @Frederic, this is exactly what we look for beside the normal drives we have, especially with the family, more into the overlanding experience, even better to combine it with camping, will be great 👍

Good morning @Piaras Cushnan , i know a garage/off-roader driving hilux in the desert, will check with him and update you if he can help.

Very true @varunmehndiratta it's always about the driver skills, FIRST.

Come on guys you have to have a pajero on this drive.!!!! It wont be as exciting 😔 I am sure@Mohamad Anwer agrees with me 🤣. P.s i have 2 shovels 🤣

I have been in this drive before in F+, and I know why @varunmehndiratta wrote those ground rules 😬😁 i have nothing to say! but I’m bringing 2 shovels 😅🤣

@varunmehndiratta thanks for the heads up looking forward @ASAD.its time to show the wrangler boyz what pradoz can do @Rob H we miss you 🙂 (its not a competition) 🙂

@Piaras Cushnan checked with Hilux owner, and said same thing, you can go to Australian green brand. If still don't know which one you can DM on 0506318834

There is green brand from Australia (club policy I cannot disclose the name) have decent accessories for Hillux, not sure about tow points but tow bar they do have.

Congratulations @Ignacio Quindós, enjoy the new level

Repping the toyota prado crew is something i love to do @Waqas Parvez, but unfortunately party Saturday night means I wont be fresh for the challenge this time round. Trust you prado boys will fly the toyota flag!!! (ps, of course not a race or competition, but keep those jeep boys in check)

Today I would like to talk about that tool that you might not think about too often until you have a flat tire or a pop out and you are on the side of the road or some place in the desert. There are over 8 different types of Jacks! But for our purposes we will focus on the 4 main types of Jacks Scissor Jacks Hydraulic Jacks – these include Floor Jacks and Bottle Jacks Hi-lift Jacks – also known as a High Lift or Farm Jack Exhaust Jacks Scissor Jacks A scissor jack is perhaps the most common type of jack you may have encountered as these jacks come with your car! Pros: Scissor Jacks are lightweight and reasonably small, making them easy to store and use for the average consumer / car owner. These days there are even electrically operated scissor jacks available that run off your vehicles battery. This makes jacking your car up to change a tire a very simple process. Cons: They are incredibly unstable, they are also very slow to use as you have to turn the screw quite a few times to get any meaningful height out of them. If you have a tall vehicle or you will be going off-road then you need to look somewhere else, this is not the jack for you. Floor Jacks With floor jacks the arm of the unit is pumped repeatedly. This pumping action sucks oil out of the jacks oil reservoir and forces it into the lift chamber, creating an increase in oil pressure and resulting in the saddle arm of the jack rising and lifting your car. Pros: These jacks are far superior to scissor jacks as they take much more punishment, wear and tear and rarely if ever fail, even after decades of use!. They even sell them without the wheels to be used off-road (see below). Cons: Look at the size of that thing! not all of us have space for our off-road equipment, camping equipment and this massive thing. Bottle Jacks Another type of hydraulic jack that you may be familiar with is the bottle or whiskey jack. So named as its physical appearance resembles an old fashioned whiskey jug or bottle. The bottle jack has a single lift rod, which acts as a piston. Cons: One major drawback is its collapsed height is usually only half that of its extended height, this means its unsuitable for many regular vehicles. When using on a vehicle many people like to use a block of timber to help cushion the impact on the cars body of the relatively small (in comparison to a floor jack saddle) point of impact. Pros: Is ideal for vehicles with higher clearances, such as trucks and 4wds. The range of height is much less than a garage jack as well, but once again for vehicles that already have high ground clearance this isn’t a problem. They are usual more robust, take up a lot less space in your vehicle when compared to a floor jack and can safely take more weight. Hi-Lift Jacks (Widow makers) Hi-Lift Jacks, also known as High Lift and Farm Jacks were originally developed for farm work, they are made of a pair of climbing pins, that climb the height of the jack (sometimes as high as 2 meters) by a ratcheting action, achieved by a manual pumping mechanism. Cons: The jacks are not suitable for conventional vehicles, you need to have steel bumpers and/or rock sliders to use this jack, they will sink in the sand, they are super dangerous if you don't know what you are doing (see below). Pros: There are no hydraulics to fail nor cranking of an undersized bottle jack to raise your vehicle. Simply plant the jack under your vehicle, place the foot of the jack under a secure anchor point on your bumper or rock sliders, and then, using the long round lever, start cranking. Exhaust Jacks The exhaust air jack lifts a vehicle using emissions coming from the tailpipe. A hose attaches from the exhaust to a big sack placed under the car. The air coming out of the pipe fills the bag, and voilà! The car lifts off the ground. Cons: This is meant to be used with 6 or 8 cylinder vehicles, it may not work with 4 cylinders because there is not enough engine compression to lift the vehicle. If you have a dual exhaust you can't use this. Pros: The sack is placed anywhere under the chassis, so no jack points are necessary. Since the gadget is basically a big balloon, there's no need to center it under a particular spot on the car. This works perfectly on sand.

@Anish S - thank you so much for holding the afternoon drive and @JeromeFJ for joining the drive. Thoroughly enjoyed the drive. The short convoy of 3 cars was too good and it was perfect to be sandwiched in the middle of the two experts!

Congratulations @Richard Franks🎉🎉🎉

@Piaras Cushnan thanks for understanding, i am really surprised to see Toyota did not install anything. During offroading there are multiple instances in where we can only recover you from the back, so for that reason we consider this as absolutely necessary to have. Perhaps what you could do i check with an Offroad shop to see if they can fabricate decent towpoints and mount them. Good luck and hope to see that Hilux soon cruising on the sands with us !

Hi @Piaras Cushnan A towpoint at the back is definitely needed before venturing into the desert, i would be very surprised there is nothing at the rear. Could you perhaps take photo from the back underneath ?

Congratulations @Prakash Anoop

Bravo @Imteeaz, well done !

I changed from the stock Dunlop to the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015, original size 265/70/R17 in June. Very happy with the change !

I have the Rydanz Raptor tyres, which was not my initial plan (tyre dealer confirmed me he had Yoko G015 in his shop, only to arrive and see he only had G056 HT tyres). I got the 285/75/16 which are a bit too big to my liking, but so far the tyres have been doing great. They offer great traction on the sand, but are a bit noisy on the road (Yokohamas are much softer and smoother ride). Price wise (285/75/16 Rydanz was same prices as the 265/75/16 from Yoko) they are pretty good, but once they are worn i will go back to Yokohamas to get that smooth ride again. The Rydanz are heavier and would do fine in wadis as well and that's why i considered them.

@Piaras Cushnan wishing you a warm welcome to our club ! Just wanted to check if this will be your first drive with us, and if you could provide some basic information: Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Important links to read: Off road Club Grading Structure V.3.0 Frequently Asked Questions - Click and scroll down. How do I join? Is my car fit for off-roading Many more FAQ's - ANSWERED. Mandatory Safety Requirements Essential Off-road Gear Ultimate Compressor Review Transfer your previous off-road experience For your first drive you will need the following items: 1. pressure gauge / deflator tool to deflate your tyres and check your pressure. 2. compressor to inflate your tyres after the drive. 3. an offroad flag, properly mounted on the car 4. a two-way radio, programmed to our channels (see below topic). 5. a decent shovel.

Haha lot of jeepers on the drive list this time, might as well let them do their thing. We need to make a pact with our siblings (other toyotas) & cousins (Nissans) 😂 On a serious note, idea is to have max fun in the safest way possible. @varunmehndiratta thanks for the prep talk. Cant wait for the drive to start.

Congratulation @Ignacio Quindós on the new level. it was nice meeting you last week; keep up the passion.

@Frederic thanks mate

@Haitham Khattab thanks mate - looking forward to our next drives @Mahmoud Taha thanks mate - it is awesome to drive with you @Rob S thanks mate - looking forward to more 'yalla push' and drives with you guys! Thanks @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler - looking forward to Inter drives @M.Seidam thanks mate - you have been super supportive during all my drives and refusals @Shaaz Sha thanks mate - when is our next drive? @Rizwanm2 thanks mate @Davie Chase thanks mate - yallla lets go!

Congratulations @Karthikeyan Govindarajan Enjoy the new Level

No comment 😇

@varunmehndiratta - Managed to get through the fastest fingers first round,🤩 lol, Looking forward to this action filled Sunday !

Brilliant article and sharing the real knowledge @Javier M, wish I can give 100 likes for this contribution. The only thing I like to add with my little experience for people to decide which is the best jack for offroad use is the one that covers the maximum surface area on the ground as in offroad - be it sand or rock you will never find a perfect ground like Tarmac. So for that reason, even fanciest scissor or bottle jack is out of the league. I have seen the bottle and scissor jack losing balance after few seconds and dropping the car down much before the repair work starts. Best is the floor jack, stable, reliable and safe to operate under any load or position. While getting floor jack you also need a stable wooden board to place the jack to even increase the surface area (only for sand). To avoid the cons mention for a floor jack, instead of buying 3-4 ton humongous jack you can get 2 tons jack but with a swivel neck and it lost around 150-200 dhs only from DM. 2 ton size is not huge and plus good enough to lift any ONE side of the vehicle as in 4 ton Hummer H2 any one side will not weight more than 1-1.5 ton. So using 2 ton is practically enough as we only need to work on one wheel at a time. I have used Pentax 1.5 ton floor jack for good 6-8 years and then upgraded to JZX floor jack 2 years back. They almost last forever if you are placing them properly and not in rush in some weird angle that will bend them slightly and loose its lifting strength. Exhaust jack, I have seen leaking after some time as underbody of the car is extremely hot in summer or stone or rock can easily puncture them too plus they are expensive compared to the floor jack.