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(Photo : Hancheng Li)

Me too joining with friends on board..

I'll be joining you guys tonight

@Sidshk all the best and happy journey, drive safe. One of the most scenic ride I have ever taken was this route: Salalah - Mirbat - Hadbeen - Hasik. The total distance is around 200 kms (one way) from Salalah. Hasik is worth two-hour drive with some of the most gorgeous mountain views and incredible seaside drive along the coastal road. There is not much to see in Hasik but if you continue along the road from Hadbeen to Hasik, look for some interesting limestone formation overhanging the cliffs. You can also plan your trip as below: (I had never tried this route but sure next time when I visit I will definitely take this route) Haima (half way to Salalah from Dubai) take LEFT to – Shalim via Ash Shuwaymiyyah via HASIK via Hadbeen via Mirbat via Taqha to Salalah this route will add you around 100 kms to your Dubai to Salalah trip instead of driving 2hours + 2hours from Salalah to Hasik and back to Salalah. Plan your trip that you reach Haima in the evening and stay there at night. There are few hotels in Haima (you can google and check). Next day early morning start your trip and by evening you can reach Salalah. You can also visit Anti Gravity Point at Mirbat on your way to Salalah Location to visit on your way: Canyon View Point (between Ash Shuwaymiyyah – HASIK. (I had never gone here) https://goo.gl/maps/oV7w5MasnWuw9K9DA Anti-Gravity Point Mirbat - https://goo.gl/maps/Hh15Rsh7kPK6k2Ha9 Route: Haima to Salalah Via HASIK

Than 2th gear and low might take that Pajero to the top. @Frederic But dont try like 10 times. It will create stress on the car. Personally i diidnt face any issue because of using low gear ONLY for Faya climbing. Also last year after me other members was trying the low gear.

@adil I only have wonderful memories from my visits to Oman and I absolutely adore the hospitality and helpful attitude of the people. My comment about the drivers is not meant in a bad way, but as you know there are far less speed cameras installed and i felt the driving by the Omani locals was sometimes really crazy. And yes that might young people mainly but they mess it up for the others.

you know how search goes man, you start with recovery point, you end up with bumpers and skid plates and LEDs and tents and camping, and travel destinations... it's painful but i saw all sort of weird shapes, i don't even know if they fit in my car, the best thing to do is just search around in shops, do "window shopping" see what they do, what they have, get an idea of the cost.

this is a bit disturbing, but very important lesson... it shows the importance of having a solid recovery points and soft shackles and the kinetic rope. i got this on whatsapp, you probably got it somehow, since it went viral over whatsapp.

At least one Superman has to join

Tool is one of the very few bands that still amaze me and deliver stuff that’s far beyond others.

Tool have just released their first song in 13 years https://youtu.be/q7DfQMPmJRI So awesome. When you hear it you know it’s a tool song. I always imagined if pink Floyd got together 40 years later, this is what they would sound like. Super progressive with a bit of metal thrown in. I can’t wait for the full album to drop.

Patrol Y62. That curve top of steel bumper made me catch it. Also they are available with this golden color.

It could be heavily modified LC or Patrol for extreme offroad or military use. Difficult to make a guess with full cover on, my best bet was the tire carrier bracket shape typically used in Omani LC and brake light shape resemble Patrol VTC. Second, cruiser and patrol both have exhaust on right side. Third both came with similar pintle hook. Lastly, fuel cell protection points more toward Nissan Patrol as in LC fuel tank is little upward and less exposed.

Nice route will try and update you

Have been using break oil if it's stuck or bleeding both workout good...just leave it over night and see how things go update 1 down 5 to go...

For popular cars you can get ready-made points and hooks and trailer bars but for some model's you could order them through internet from places where those cars are making storms as it's their market so it must be catered to there and the rest you can always custom make them if you have a little bit of imagination time and patience...just remember the idea is to have good thickness , surface mating and it should fix nicely there should be no play not even a mm worth once it's bolted...if it moves then sure someday it gonna tear away...

This is actually not advisable. Atleast 2 ppl should be there. The journey is really really long and at times especially during summer, boring. In those 30mins break which you will take make sure do some light exercise to free up your muscles. Make sure atleast one of your friend keeps talking to you, like constantly! . Dont let everyone sleep and you are the only one driving. Especially the passenger next to you should not sleep. There are speed cameras randomly placed so as Gaurav said please dont exceed 140 its not going to make any difference in reaching early. Once you reach that place all your stress will just disappear in thin air. So enjoy the ride and drive safe. True that. Omani drivers are the most hospitable people. No matter which expensive car they are driving they will always stop and ask if your stuck in the mountains or wadis.They will always offer tea if they are camping next to you in the wadis. I have traveled across mountains and wadis in Oman and have really experienced their hospitality first hand.

Yes originally, but im in UAE since few year now. Not really, Omani are very cool and welcoming but yes you are right for young drivers. That's same everywhere.

What about brake oil? Will that help?

thanks to you, here's another hour gone googling around

Sad fact but true.

See the video posted earlier

Thank you @Gaurav i will be there at 10:30pm. I am sure , I will enjoy the ride)

@Adel Muradov please come 30 minutes early by 10:30 PM so that we can do newbie briefing.

WD40 is a lubricant, it’s not a penetrating oil. If you’re looking for penetrating oil in a can, Plus Gas is the best but I’ve never seen it for sale in uae. WD40 is good for squeaky hinges and making plastics shine temporarily but as a penetrating oil it’s useless.

True that @desertdude. I will be taking it back to @shadow79 this evening and leaving my Pathy in his capable hands. Hope he can save me the cost this time around as I am short of cash.

You are most welcome and after driving with us you will realize that nobody has to catch up in Carnity Offroad Club. We all go, wait, drive and eat together. I can relate your feeling of catching up, as I learned my offroading with LC100.

Hi @Gaurav, this time I am going (Hopefully nothing will come out last min, like last time). I am not an absolute newbie, I am fewbie in another group. BUT I never went to desert at night, will do my best though to catch up with you guys.

Yes you heard it right, maybe you can join in morning down fossil rock backside and will have quick spin in that beautiful area. https://goo.gl/maps/3CmWxLkV1i6NjGT3A

Most people use an industrial webbing sling or slightly shorter recovery strap for this. I have a 5m industrial one that can take 8ton in a loop configuration. (See pics). On the professional brands you’ll need to search for a tree saver strap which is a shorter kind of strap. If you’re not too far for Al quoz, Ramy has them and TORC too. Brands will be ARB, Bubba, etc... The industrial slings can be bought from any hardware trader in Al Quoz. However, as these are made from polyester and don’t stretch too much they might become the weaker link in your setup but that’s maybe not a bad thing.

Probably boxes. Just hand them out on your next off-road drive 😂

Thanks Fredrick, Much appreciated. Do you know if they sell in smaller quantities or you need to purchase in boxes? Again, thanks!

@M.K Good quality bolts can be purchased through Wurth.

Thanks buddy, but I’m far from an expert. In my line of work I just need a very broad range of skills and that has always helped me. About the carbon steel, you’re right as it’s slightly more flexible than SS. I didn’t consider that one. let me check with our procurement guy where we buy the decent quality of bolts. Most of them are from the general traders, but for some application the 10.9 rating is very critical and necessary, as well as proper torquing and quality of the bolt itself. These are coming from bigger industrial suppliers.

Just a thought guys, maybe we can remove the stock tow hook once a year to inspect for any corrosion as visual looks from outside may not be sufficient especially on the bolt thread.

I've checked in several Pajero forums (South-Africa, Australia) about my OEM recovery points and they seem to be of good quality. No reports have been posted about damages. Getting them fabricated is an option, or going for aftermarket ones. If i'd get them fabricated, i would go for Stainless Steel 304 or 316. Takes away the worries about corrosion. I guess it depends from driver to driver if he thinks his OEM points are "good enough" or if they would invest in aftermarket ones. Have a look at attached bolt grade markings and strength chart. 10.9 and 12.9 are preferable.

Thats why you need to get out of the way and be in a safe place in case they fail.

Hi Gaurav, lets do that around the camp fire and compare notes.

Good stuff 👍 this setup is close to what I had in mind.

We always like to share and listen everyone's experiences, please go ahead @M.K with your inputs. I used safety straps on both sides on stubborn stucks if car doesn't come out in first 2-3 attempts or if I need to give harder tug to reposition the car.

My own reflections on this: - What have failed in this case is not the tow hook, it seems the bolts. Then I see a locally fabricated bar, like the one on the land cruiser, I always get worried. I have too many times seen bars being fixed using the bolts of the regular tow points. If that is the case, the high-tensile rated factory bolts might have been too short and did not have enough of threads. The bolts might even have been replaced with local none rated longer bolts. The bolt might not have been tightened and therefore bent before ripped off. - Even if it seems not have been the issue in this case, the factory front hooks on the 100 series land cruiser are rubbish and should be replaced. It bends after a few recoveries. Unless you like to go after market recovery points, both the 105 and the 70 series have factory recovery points with the same bolt pattern. The 100 series cruiser is not the only car with bad factory points. Possibly something the club could support and recommend? - I do fully agree on using soft shackles were possible. The less iron that comes flying, the better it is. - Many of us knows very well the strengths and the weaknesses of our own cars. We know what point to use and we have ensured the bolts are high tensile rated. But how can we ensure the car you are recovering are properly setup? If it fails in the other end, you get it in your wind screen. - We often have the debate on recovering from the front or the back. Some time you have no option depending on how the car is stuck. From the recovery vehicle point of view, you also have weaknesses and benefits. Pulling from the back going forward might put less strain on your drive train. It might also provide some better safety. Pulling from the front reversing on the other hand provides better visibility and control. - I also have a good experience using bridle. The main benefit is that you divide the force on two points and the risk for failure is less. But if you get a failure, the friction is high enough to take the tension away. It only takes a moment longer to rig (picture stolen from the WEB) - A safety strap also comes handy. It doesn’t divide the force, but it stops things from flying. Will be pleased to share my experiences if anyone would be interested.

Where is @shadow79 he knows all about solid mounting points 😂

@G.huz great share, we shout this from Newbie level and stress the importance as we have seen so many cases in our years. I can't say that specific Pathfinder needs any changes for the tow points. I was lucky to get mine from a friend who used it off road only once and it was properly protected against rust. Each car bought second hand must be checked for rust and corrosion as you never know how the previous owner has taken care of his ride or not. We try to take all precautions and that is why till a certain level we don't allow recoveries to be done by newbie or Fewbie level. Those observing the recovery should also be away from the radius of the rope. A sand bag is a good idea and in extreme recoveries we have used those or the sling to protect in case of breakage. So far Shukar Alhamdolillah there have been no such cases in the Carnity club and we would like to continue it that way.

A sandbag is a good option, but in this case the recovery point flew in rocket speed. As am thinking, maybe another rope holding the main one would somehow work like a sandbad, it would hold back the main rope and whatever it's carrying from flying. Idon't know, am just thinking of work arounds to prevent this from happening.

I’ve seen crazy accidents after being 20 years working in manufacturing industry. Taking into account the crazy amounts of stress load that comes into play when recovering a vehicle, EVERY possible step in minimizing the risk should be considered, and the soft shackles are i god gift in such situations. i would like to add that it’s advisable to use a sandbag over the tow rope while doing a recovery. I don’t often see that being done here. In this case above, the OEM tow hook would have been dragged to the ground instead of going through the windshield. @Gaurav it’s pretty difficult doing a load or stress test to assess your OEM tow hook. But severe corrosion should have been noticed by the owner of the vehicle. A test rig could be built by attaching a winch to a tow hook, with a load scale in between like they use on cranes. But this would be only partly accurate or reliable, as the kinetic pulling energy is far more than a steady buildup of force. As I mentioned before, kinetic ropes are a fantastic tool, but as you feel the jerking feeling less, people often pull like crazy, and the kinetic snap-back is really extremely forceful and puts great stress at factory tow points. Again stressing the fact that kinetic pulling should be slowly built up in 2-3 attempts. Very sad to see what happened there and makes me realize again the forces at play🤕

Yes man, everyone talks about how importance the kenitic rope and soft shackles, but never imagined it until now. Super scary, I hope it won't drive off-roaders away from this sport. This is a core lesson stresses on the very core of Carnity. @Rahimdad, you're a better expert than I am with Pathfinder, do I need to work on my recovery points? Front and rear? If they need some work, I need to fix them ASAP. If there's such a thing, that would be awesome

Brilliant share @G.huz I have received this yesterday while I was out and until now it was in the back of my mind to share and you did it before me. Like these days soft shackles are must, I think we regularly need to check our tow points for internal corrosion over time. @Frederic is there any stress test available to see if existing tow hook can be rated against 4-5 tons pull? Just a thought

I will have to miss it, I am going fishing on thursday night