Thought I would share this little incident that happened to me yesterday in case anyone ever doubts the use of a raised air intake or a hand winch...

I was driving in a plantation being established and checking a road we had built to enable planting activities. I was in my work vehicle (Landcruiser 105 GX) which does not have a raised air intake... Came to a flooded road and checked the depth with a stick, no problem! Our plantation manager (non-driver) was with me but dressed nicely so I really couldn't ask him to lead the whole way The road was a slightly banked road and of course we slipped off to the side. I hurriedly switched off as the passenger side (where the air intake is) dropped. The car proceded to list very alarmingly and rapidly fill with water. After hours of calls and waiting (HF radio was under water but luckily could get phone coverage from a hill) it took a low-loader and a CAT 545 skidder with a 16 ton winch to recover the car. I then pulled the glow plugs on dry land (meanwhile electrics were going into spasms and lights I had never even see before lit up!) and cranked the engine a lot! Put it all back together and it ran. The interior was wet up to the height of the dash, so fairly impressed that elec windows, heater, aircon were all still working! However I am now suspecting a possibly damaged con-rod due to a slight uneven firing and smoking (despite switching off there was water present in one cylinder). The car is now being dried out in a solar wood kiln and even then it is going to take days!!!

And then we have to pull the engine apart

So yes I will be buying a raised air intake. That and a hand winch and many hours would have seen me right. Electric winch I suspect would have been a problem unless VERY well sealed, and even then I am 100% sure the batteries would be flattened before the recovery could be made. This experience has convinced me that in such a situation a Tirfor would have been the only means of self recovery, all be it I would probably still be there cranking away!
Gil

Where are the pictures

Cheers,

Noel

Gil - What are you farming?

__________________
Enzo

To be precise Cedrella Odurata which we are growing in plantations - for those that are interested it is a South American species and the most common applictaion is to make cigar boxes!

To my deep regret I didn't have a camera in the car - although in some ways I am glad as it is one of the most daft things to have done bearing in mind I could have just turned around and not driven the road. Glad it was a company car though! Luckily our mechanics don't take long to fix L/C engines and I will replace the parts I need. Would have been a different story if it had happened while travelling!