Frederic

Congrats @Ahmad Nerat!

Congrats @Ishak !!

Some very good observations from the video: 1. Factory tow points in this example by Toyota are plenty strong. Unfortunately, this is not the case for every 4x4. For example, the Nissan Xterra has very weak original tow points, and some more modern 4x4 models only have tie-down points. 2. For the ones that have weak original towpoints or only tie-down points, these rated recovery hooks are the best alternative IF mounted properly (not with two bolts, but with all three and properly torqued with good quality bolts as well). Getting some fabricated with 3 mounting points is also fine (many of our offroaders do this). Pulling a vehicle HARD from a 45°C angle to the point it would result in damage is quite rare in our deserts, and would only be to re-direct said vehicle to a different angle. In those cases using a bridle rope to connect both front tow points and distribute the load is useful. Even on a tow-hitch there would be a risk for damage as it has been made for straight load and not at an angle. Final point: i have seen hundreds of videos over the years from Australia or USA. I have learnt a lot but i also learnt that this does not always apply to our kind of offroading in the UAE desert sand. An example: I recently saw a video of a GU patrol being recovered from the beach, but that GU patrol must have been weighing 3000kg plus as it was an overlander with so much stuff on board, and they were bogged down to the chassis but did not bother to take out a shovel and clear the path but were yanking with a rope like maniacs. No offense to them, but by following proper protocol of clearing the sand as much as possible, and starting off with a gentle tug would have helped a lot

Good topic @Patrick ! From what we have seen, the factory tow points on front and the rear of the FJ are more than strong enough to execute "normal" recoveries. The hitch receiver is a good alternative for doing recoveries and will offer a better force distribution on your chassis HOWEVER if you do some research on tow hitch and hitch receivers they will mention that this for TOWING ONLY, and not for hard pulls. However i have never seen one breaking and we often use them to recover vehicles. Another good alternative which would be "as per the book" is to install rated recovery points, which will be mounted on your chassis with at least 3 bolts and are really made for any type of recoveries: I think this is the best option and will allow you to upgrade the stock recovery points on the front and rear with these units.

Well done @Varun Mehndiratta ! Keep the exploration alive, this is what the real fun of offroading is all about !

DRIVE DETAILS Another installment of our famous Scenic drives ! This time there are a few more challenges on the way, and we will be touching sands, gravel, rocks, and a tiny bit of tarmac. Bring your camera and roll down the windows for another Carnity Adventure ! MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 25 March 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) FOR CONVOY VARUNMEHNDIRATTA 8:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) FOR CONVOY FREDERIC Meeting Point: Falaj Al Mualla: https://goo.gl/maps/8kZ8iciUhgfdYPfV7 Approximate finish time: 11-12:00 PM Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities RSVP ON BELOW CALENDAR:

Absolutely ! but not sure of this is already active as my friend was in Oman for the last week and he had to get his visa.

Congrats @Misha Puskar !

Hi @PatrickI have been using Etisalat and have got a pretty good coverage everywhere, except in a few cases where you are hiking inbetween mountains (where no provider signal would reach anyway) and some large bowls in Liwa where the signal dropped. If you are asking this with regards to making phone calls i think Etisalat is fine. If this is related to using your 4G signal to access your mapping software such as Google Maps, GaiaGPS, or others, i would strongly recommend to install GaiaGPS and download the offline sattelite maps. That way you are always sure that you can navigate without having a mobile network (i use a phone with Gaiagps, without SIM card whenever i go offroad).

congrats @Deepak Eswar !

Well done @Rk ram !

Well done @Parliament !

Congrats @Abdul Basit Khan !!

Looked more like he was in 2H

interesting concept to have a rear diff lock engaged while in 4H. Also new to me but these Jeep Engineers weren't born yesterday so they must keep this as a trick up their sleeve for straight climbs. Suggest to do some research on the Jeep forums as this looks to be a fairly recent gimmick. Can You Lock Rear Differential in 4High? | Page 2 | Jeep Wrangler Forums (JL / JLU) - Rubicon, Sahara, Sport, 4xe, 392 - JLwranglerforums.com

DRIVE REPORT @Maheshwar C.S.@Emanuel@Benjamin williams@Premjit Vappala@Natalia Koryakovtseva@FERNANDO SYRIO@GeorgeFJ@Richard Franks@essam ibrahim@Mike M.@Kailas We all met up nearby the shops and i was greeted by a lovely dog that i see every time i do a drive in this area. He came to sit next to me and enjoyed the petting, but as soon as i started deflating he ran away (must have hated the loud hissing) The plan was to enjoy the scenic views and greenery this area has on offer, and the occasional cow we came across 😁 All of you drove splendid and even in the few technical areas we only had a couple of refusals and stucks, which are part of the fun of course. Thanks to all of you for the help and especially @Kailasto execute the perfect recoveries. At one point we were approached by a local who came to complain (thanks @Mike M.for being our convoy translator) about the fact that we were driving in this area. From what we understood he wanted us to avoid driving too much in the dunes itself so the shrubs stay intact for his young camels. We retreated out of his dunes and made our way further on the dirt track, so he was happy with that and quickly drove off in his Vitara. We always need to be respectful of the area and its inhabitants so in those cases we agreed and kept a smile and all was settled soon. As offroaders we always need to tred lightly but often we are mistaken by locals who think we come to "bash up" the area. Have a nice week ahead !