M.K

A very nice write-up Gaurav, Jebel Hafeet is a nice place to go to. I would just recommend to bring your own chairs, table, food and BBQ for the top. The quality in the cafeteria and coffee shop is not the best. The furniture are broken and the place might sometimes be quite dirty. Based on a few experiences over the last years, the hotel Mercure gives you good value for money. The hotel is located with a stunning view. The restaurant have good food but is quite costly. The place has certainly lost its former glory and are in need of renovation. It is rundown inside. The climate control of the pool doesn't work.They had a simple roller-coaster like slide and a few other activities that doesn't work. Not even the walk paths outside the main compound are maintained to be used. But as said, you get what you pay for and you can normally get it at a good price...

Even better if you get it with the 4.5l diesel V8. Only if i wouldn't have kids to drive around... The choice of well as special forces as well as any rebel group...

I would add safety high in my list, especially here in Dubai. You need a car were you have a chance to survive even if a nutcase in a supercharged Nissan Patrol slams into you. This has become even more important since i got kids.

I'm not supersized at all. I can of course not compare the models as i do not have first hand experience with any of them apart from the Prado. I also have quite limited experience with electronic traction aid systems as i prefer good old diff-locks.But i have seen them doing magic. I'm actually also fine with the dash board in the Prado.. My next car will likely again be a Toyota. . I fully agree on Jas points above.

On the other hand, a very similar technology has been used in the industry for many years. Use of gear boxes to take away the additional momentum when starting up, to allow smooth acceleration and to ensure accurate speed control. The technology is being replaced nowadays by the Variable Frequency Drive in many applications.

On the other hand, it is a technology that seems to be bullet proof on motorbikes (scooters), quads and snow mobiles. So, assume size actually matter (even if some of us pretend it is not the case). :-)

The technology dates back to at least the 70:th. Volvo had a model (340) that was successful in Europe with a gearbox from DAF. I have more recent personal experience with a Toyota IQ 2010 in Europe. Got it new and kept it for 7 years. Never an issue. But I do believe you need a quite powerful engine to get a good user experience. I have used a few under power rentals over the years and the user experience has been horrible.

Garmin Fenix 5x https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/560327/pn/010-01733-00#

I suggest yourself to list what functions you are after. Then match that with the watch. I have a Garmin that suits my needs; 1 week + battery, clock is always on, round screen, notification, GPS, any exercise program i would ever use and much less expensive then the Appel and the samsung... Your choice. I have made mine.

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

Fredrick, Thanks! You are the expert and this is your area. For OEM recovery points, you might be lucky for Pajero, for other brands it is certainly not the same. most land rovers do not even have points. LC200 have fair points. Prado / FJ has points at the back that could have been better. My only worry with stainless, and please correct me if I'm wrong, my impression is that stainless is brittle and should not be used for recoveries. A carbon steel would be more elastic and would show fatigue before it brakes. Anyway, it can be compensated by over-sizing the builds to be on the safe side. On rated bolts, I do agree. Do any of you have a good supplier for rated bolts? The only one i have found so far only stock untreated bolts with Allen key head. As they are not galvanized, they need to be painted to avoid rust.

Second try on the topic, would any of us be willing to invest in proper recovery points? Would AED 200 per point be excessive (estimate if we will be doing a few)? I know ARB have some proper points, but I have not seen much in the other shops. But if there would be enough of interest, we can probably get one of the shops to manufacture. Would be interesting to ask. I would like to have the following criteria’s as a base: - Must be bolted to the chassis without any drilling or modifications. - Fixed with minimum two, preferable more, high tensile bolts in existing holes in the chassis. - Eyelet, no hooks. Eyelet big enough for a soft shackle and rounded edges to avoid excessive were. - One peace laser cut. Only welding for additional strength. - Proper rust proofing This is the first draft and I’m sure I have forgotten some important points. All stolen pictures.

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

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.

Thanks to all, much appreciated. Will be back as soon as the minister of interior will allow. Will also make sure to contribute to the drive breakfast party. Again thanks!

Thanks Gaurav and the team for a nice drive.

Thanks Frederic, looking forward to see you all tomorrow! Martin