The HU 4wd Forum and what does it need to make better?

[rclafton]

Grant - come on be real - consensus - us !

OK My proposal would be to leave the current headings as they are to aid searching, otherwise what do you do ith the old posts, no one is going to sort them into new sub sections, also the great number of queries are on the rover / toyota marques so i think they should stay

I think we should recognise that this is an adventure motorcycling site and Grant allows us a little table in the corner to mutter about more than 2 wheels, and alot of the info does overlap between different forms of transport so no need to recreate the GPS stuff etc. Is this the way you intend to continue or do you want to make it more vehicle dependant travel orientated generically, thats a Grant type decision

I would leave the tech forums alone - the other forums tend to cater for 'how do i put a 14 inch lift on my discovery / cruiser / suzuki etc' where as I think we here are a little more carefull and pragmatic

So I would go for new headings as follows :


2 Wheel Drive : Neglected for far too long - how far can you get in a diff locked merc 4x2 or a renault twingo
Over 3.5 Tonnes : space for the big boys or wannabes like my 4.5 tonner
Softroaders / lightweight/pickups : nissans / freelanders / subarus / 4x4 pickups et al
Bush Mechanics i like the idea of
Touring gear : ie the camping kit / fridges / torches / tents / cooking kit / braais etc, again different from the bikes as we carry more
Garages/repair shops you seem to have in hand
Shipping - very different from the motorbike world
Driving techniques
Members rigs : Done on the overlander site, may be of interest
Spares availability : Is this in garages or do we need a seperate space. Where to get a mitsubishi alternator in ulan bator or is the only place to get a 255/100/16 tyre these days in Luton ? This one is interesting and could either be big or ignored. We keep a spreadsheet of compatible parts worldwide for Iveco Dailys - could this be done for other marques

If we split it down too far we may actually risk being too granular so i'm gonna stop now.

Next question , how do we get concensus so Grant can act, ive included my own ideas plus other peoples , i think the softroader one could be interesting to watch with the prices falling

[Grant Johnson]

I'm TRYING to be real... I DID say SOME consensus... maybe not much but I'll take what I can get! And yes I DO know you guys!

I see two options thus far - twobob and rich both have ideas - I think Rich has taken twobobs ideas and added/tweaked. Let's hear some opinions on them. I confess I like where Rich has gone with the list, but my opinion here doesn't count for much, it's what you guys want / need.

"too granular" - yes this can be an issue. I have tended to wait till a forum is getting significant traffic before splitting it up - not sure if that's the right way to go, but there's nothing worse than a forum with three posts!

Moving threads is a BIG job for a moderator, AND is an issue with bookmarks and links form other sites and google, so the less we move stuff the better. We can leave a permanent redirect where needed, so we don't have the issue but hundreds of redirects sucks too.

"Bush Mechanics" - we have this on the mc side, "Bodgers Forum" so sure.

Makes some sense to replicate the Repair Forums section from the mc side here too. I think. there is a small argument that ANY shop could be useful if needed in really remote areas.

[Grant Johnson]

A few more thoughts and ideas on forums/names and I'll post a poll where you can make multiple choices

[twobob]

The list 2.0 (a work in progress)

2x4, & Softroaders
Lightweight/pickups, nissans / freelanders / subarus / 4x4 pickups

Under 3.5 Tonnes
landrovers, landcruisers, nissans etc. (under sub-headings ?)

Over 3.5 Tonnes
Unimogs. Iveco, Okas etc. the big stuff (under sub-headings ?)

Touring Gear
Roof racks,toolkits, air compressors, refrigerators, snatch-straps, winchs, first-aid kits, puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, storage drawers, long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.

Bush mechanic
Don't panic, make a cup of tea and lets see what weve got in our bag of tricks.

Driving techniques 4x4 and 2x4
Mud, sand, clay and rock, either uphill or down and tyre/wheel selection

Long distance touring
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking, chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings, entertaining the kids.

Shipping

Repair shops
Truck and bike mechanic list

Members rigs
Post photos here

[twenty4seven]

Originally Posted by twobob

The list 2.0 (a work in progress)

................................

I like that twobob, missing a travel report section though. Maybe you could think up a "tang line" to encourage more input? Just a few photos and a few lines for each can stimulate a thread of interesting questions and responses.

[TheWarden]

Originally Posted by twobob

The list 2.0 (a work in progress)

Touring Gear
Roof racks,toolkits, air compressors, refrigerators, snatch-straps, winchs, first-aid kits, puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, storage drawers, long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.

Long distance touring
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking, chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings, entertaining the kids.

I like the list suppose my only comment would be are these two too similar? maybe have them as sub forums in a gear section like this

Touring Gear

Vehicle Adapatation
Roof racks,toolkits, air compressors, refrigerators, snatch-straps, winchs, first-aid kits, puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, storage drawers, long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.

Home From Home
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking, chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings, entertaining the kids.

[twobob]

The list 2.1 (a work in progress)

2x4 & Softroaders
Lightweight/pickups, nissans / freelanders / subarus / 4x4 pickups

Under 3.5 Tonnes
landrovers, landcruisers, nissans etc. (under sub-headings ?)

Over 3.5 Tonnes
Unimogs. Iveco, Okas etc. the big stuff (under sub-headings ?)

Touring Gear
Vehicle Adapatation
Roof racks,toolkits, air compressors, refrigerators, snatch-straps, winchs, first-aid kits, puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, storage drawers, long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.
Home From Home
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking, chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings, entertaining the kids.

Bush mechanic
Don't panic, make a cup of tea and lets see what weve got in our bag of tricks.

Driving techniques 4x4 and 2x4
Mud, sand, clay and rock, either uphill or down and tyre/wheel selection

Shipping

Repair shops and spare parts
Truck and bike mechanics/suppliers list

Photos/Tales
Post photos and travel stories here
Don't be shy, show us ya rigs. (alright, this one won't make the cut )

[Walkabout]

The list is getting there but where does the wanted/ for sale part for vehicles with more than two wheels need to be?

In the bigger picture of the whole of the HUBB, I guess there could be a for sale/wanted section, maybe sub-divided for more specialist categories - motorbikes, 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, equipment etc etc.

somewhat, but since Grant is asking for feedback about his site, I hope that it doesn't move toward extensive use of facebook, twitter and whatever; I have noticed some posts using links to these and I am one who is never going to join such social networking, no matter how pervasive they become.

On a detailed note about an earlier post, I have posted about the Freelander and that went into the LR section - after all, they are part of the Landrover family even if those with the big ones don't like that fact.

[rclafton]

2x4 & Softroaders
Lightweight/pickups, nissans / freelanders / subarus / 4x4 pickups


----- I still think that lightweight (softroaders etc) and 4x2 should be split, we need to highlight the possibilities of 4x2

Under 3.5 Tonnes
landrovers, landcruisers, nissans etc. (under sub-headings ?)

----- Many people won't know where to look for details if they are new, i'd keep the existing headings LR / LC and others , its the others section that is quieter anyway and will be quieter still with the other new forums. As a general principal I think we should keep sub forums at the highest level possible rather than going into sub forums



Over 3.5 Tonnes
Unimogs. Iveco, Okas etc. the big stuff (under sub-headings ?)

----- Sub headings not needed , it will get too granular and not enough activity, also as it may concern paperwork and licenses etc then that is generic

Touring Gear
Vehicle Adapatation
Roof racks,toolkits, air compressors, refrigerators, snatch-straps, winchs, first-aid kits, puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, storage drawers, long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.
Home From Home
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking, chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings, entertaining the kids.

----- Again keep them at a higher level, vehicle adaption would have an overlap with vehicle forums (sorry are diff locks adaptions - you mean you don't get them as standard ? ), maybe call it accessories rather than adaptions


Bush mechanic
Don't panic, make a cup of tea and lets see what weve got in our bag of tricks.

Driving techniques 4x4 and 2x4
Mud, sand, clay and rock, either uphill or down and tyre/wheel selection

Shipping

Repair shops and spare parts
Truck and bike mechanics/suppliers list

Photos/Tales
Post photos and travel stories here
Don't be shy, show us ya rigs. (alright, this one won't make the cut

Given that google seems to reference the hubb very well, lets try and keep links intact, we can change the descriptions without changing the links for trip reports and then add in the members trucks section

But I think we are getting there.............

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by Grant Johnson

"too granular" - yes this can be an issue. I have tended to wait till a forum is getting significant traffic before splitting it up - not sure if that's the right way to go, but there's nothing worse than a forum with three posts!

What is worse, is wading through a load of posts that expound the virtues of, say, TLC when you are looking for informed views about, say, Landrover defenders.

To have a generic "all in" forum about all 4x4 would mean that my recent post about the X Trail would disappear from sight very quickly; the equivalent would be to ask a question about the Triumph Bonneville in among a load of posts that are slagging off the modern BMW bikes, or are telling us for the 100th time just how good the Yam XT600 really is.

[twobob]

The list 2.2 (a work in progress)

2x4 & Softroaders
General questions
X-trails
Freelanders
cont....

Under 3.5 Tonnes
General questions
Landrovers
Landcruisers
Nissans
cont....

Over 3.5 Tonnes
General questions
Unimogs
Iveco
Okas
cont....

Touring Gear
Vehicle Adapatation
Roof racks, toolkits, air compressors,, snatch-straps, winchs, , puncture repair, lift kits, diff locks, snorkels, twin batteries, , long range fuel tanks, cargo barriers, water tanks, turbos, jacks.
Home From Home
The tips to make it comfortable, cooking,storage drawers, refrigerators chairs, bedding, toilets, awnings,first-aid kits, entertaining the kids.

Bush mechanic
Don't panic, make a cup of tea and lets see what weve got in our bag of tricks.

Driving techniques 4x4 and 2x4
Mud, sand, clay and rock, either uphill or down and tyre/wheel selection

Shipping

Repair shops and spare parts
Truck and bike mechanics/suppliers list

Photos/Tales
Post photos and travel stories here

For sale and wanted
You look my shop? for you very good price