[sridhar-v]

Our group had expanded to include “sanjusahu” aka Sanju Sahu who has a 2.0 MT model.
We planned to drive around in the hills during the rains, but something or the other put paid to our plans.
I managed one short drive exploring a rough road between Tamhini & Lavasa.

https://youtu.be/MV6UYJN1mAM

"stuntfreak" has a friend whose farm has some tracks that are suitable for exploring.
October & November passed by before we managed to get round to trying out the farm.

“sanjusahu” fell ill a few days before the meet. Jagdale had a family emergency the night before the meet and so it boiled down to the 3 of us.
"stuntfreak", as usual, had been trying out some mods on his Grand Vitara and could not get it completed in time. So he turned up in his GL.
Anish, who is looking to get a Grand Vitara, joined on his KTM Duke.
And so our little trip started.

(A small clarification: Rajamani had just started recovering from chikengunea and so she was not very active in photographing. Priti was the lead snapper using her samsung mobile. Natasha used an action camera to get a second view. Anish took a few snaps whenever possible. Both the main photographers recorded mostly videos and a couple of shots. In the narrative below I have used a lot of grabs from the videos. Please excuse the quality of such grabs.)
The videos give a much better idea of the problems faced by us.

At the entrance of the farm, whose location shall be secret!!.


The farm is spread out over a large area that slopes down to a river. It consists of rocky hillocks and depressions with black cotton soil. The rock is a semi soft type, which can break up easily. When crushed it is called "murum" and is used for filling foundation plinths and as a top layer for metalled roads. Black cotton soil is clayey in nature and swells in volume when wet. It also becomes extremely slippery. It had rained a lot 6 days ago, but the rocks had absorbed all the water. The black cotton soil was damp in many places.

We started exploring the tracks.


We did not face any problems on these tracks. They would have been challenging if it had been raining, as the surface would have become slippery.

Main well of the farm

Greenery


We soon came across a field, next to the river, that was being prepared for planting in the next season. Its surface was a mix of murum rocks & pieces mixed with black cotton soil. There were transverse furrows that would have to be crossed. The river ensured that the underlying strata was moist.


Of the vehicles the GL has the best specs. It's suspension can be lifted to get an effective clearance of 300mm. It also has low range gearbox with lockable front, center & rear diffs. And a host of electronic aids for off road driving.
The main difference in the Grand Vitaras is the gearbox. Also the MT has 235/70R16 tyres, whereas the AT is running on stock. So the effective clearance under the front arm, the transfer case & silencer is 187mm for the MT & 180mm for the AT. The Grand Vitaras have low range gear box with lockable central diff. Front & rear diffs are open.

As usual we did a recce of the field and worked out the best route.


The GL was the first to enter the field.


The raised suspension meant that the smaller furrows were crossed without any fuss.


But it had to be manuvered properly to cross the larger furrows

The underbody had adequate clearance


There were a few places when one of the wheels started spinning, but the gizmos kicked in and controlled everything properly. Finally it reached the end of the field.


The GL than manuvered towards the exit ramp.


A few rocks had to be removed

Finally exited

https://youtu.be/FczpoUNXmfo

Then it was the turn of the AT to cross the field. I kept it in 4H.


We had to position properly to cross the furrows



Ground clearance was just sufficient


While carefully crossing the furrows my front right wheel & rear left wheel simultaneously hit patches where they lost traction and started spinning merrily!!
I seem to have an affinity for getting my wheels stuck in difficult places. (Potholes in our previous outing!!).

https://youtu.be/QU3FKrWjodQ

https://youtu.be/WZxrlaLQQV0

[sridhar-v]

After the AT got bogged down, I shifted to 4H-Lock and then 4L-Lock. It was of no use as both axles had lost traction due to open diffs. We tried pushing, from the front & back, without any results. Placing some stones under the tyres to improve traction also did not help.

https://youtu.be/1mjOydFkZqg

https://youtu.be/AS1XYcGVjIg

“stuntfreak” tried his hand at the steering wheel and finally it became clear that the vehicle would have to be pulled out.


These are the snaps, taken just before we started towing, showing how deeply the wheels had bogged down.

https://youtu.be/AS1XYcGVjIg

"thewhiteknight" rode in on his faithful steed to salvage the situation.

Inspite of the slightly better ground clearance the vehicle had to be positioned properly to cross the furrows.
No other issues cropped up.

https://youtu.be/cd83UcATfMw

We hooked up the tow cable and & "thewhiteknight" started pulling the AT in reverse. I also engaged reverse and did my best to assist. The traction under the MT's wheels was barely adequate and its wheels also spun a bit, but thankfully did not dig in.

https://youtu.be/87fUhr1tHLk

https://youtu.be/VeKnH1tgubs

Finally the AT managed to climb out of the rut and we could disconnect the tow cable.


Then I started off to complete the crossing of the field.

https://youtu.be/lG6Cxj7_8xI

In the intervening period "thewhiteknight" took a well deserved break. He was also complaining of smell from the clutch.


He then started out to complete the rest of the field.

https://youtu.be/s-ZxGGYuF8A

Both Grand Vitaras after crossing the field

[sridhar-v]

Then I started towards the exit ramp. “stuntfreak” discovered another exit ramp that was more challenging. He guided me there. The vehicle was in 4L-Lock.


The layout of this exit ramp made it a bit challenging. One had to cross a small ridge and almost simultaneously turn hard right.

Also the surface at that spot was murum with a few clumps of black cotton soil. The left wheels would be over these patches of black cotton soil and would struggle for traction. Due to the combination of these conditions alternately either the front wheel or the rear would lift and loose traction.


A shot of typical murum surface


Shot of the exit ramp surface
053B
However I managed to clear the ramp. During this the rear wheels spat out a stream of stones towards "the whiteknight" who managed to avoid them.

https://youtu.be/p5OuXTI0j0E

https://youtu.be/e7ntocaOXyM

“stuntfreak” decided to try the difficult ramp in his GL and climbed down and then up it.

https://youtu.be/ksa2GH-wmkg

https://youtu.be/bQIamVZ57RI

"the whiteknight" decided to exit by the easier ramp as he was worried about his clutch. The first part was simple, but towards the end he accelerated a bit more while slipping the clutch. Due to this the MT veered to the left towards a patch of large rocks and then started getting stuck.


We cleared some of these rocks and helped by pushing


Finally after a lot of efforts the vehicle broke free

https://youtu.be/sBOrejLXUsU

We then drove to the farmhouse for a break.

[sridhar-v]

We chatted for a while and had some fruits and snacks. “stuntfreak” remembered one spot that was challenging. So we promptly set off, without the ladies this time.

The spot was an embankment that had 2 different slopes where the left and right wheels would go. The slope for the left wheel was severe (around 70 degrees) whereas that for the right wheel was gradual(around 45 degrees).
This is visible in this photo where the slopes are marked.

2 more views to give better clarity


We studied the slope and it became apparent that traction would be the
most important issue as one of the wheels would lift off due to the
difference in angles. In actual practise not only did the vehicles pitch
from side to side but also front to rear.

“stuntfreak” checked out the rear breakover angle by trying to backup his
GL. But he could not crest the embankment.


"thewhiteknight" then tried in his MT. He managed to almost reach the top
a few times but could not crest the embankment. In the photos you can see the rear or front wheel lift

https://youtu.be/8jxB6ANFY-w

https://youtu.be/U-tXDCK73yQ

https://youtu.be/7UCDpmvJ3DY

I then attempted in my AT and after a few tries managed to crest the
embankment.

https://youtu.be/XeeBxtUMywE

https://youtu.be/Q_pRbO2gTH4

https://youtu.be/DjAMFOOp5xc

After this we drove around and then returned to the farmhouse. We then
called it a day and left for a delayed lunch.

Based on this offroad I have the following observations to make:

1. The Mercedes GL is a competent offroader. The only drawback would be high cost of repairs if you bang or break anything.
2. The open differentials of the Grand Vitara are its weakest link. Otherwise it has more than adequate power to tackle tough offroad sections.
3. The AT gearbox in the Grand Vitara performs extremely well in offroad situations. One can actually feel the effect of the torque convertor in the way the vehicle pulls.
4. Getting 235/70R16 tyres and a 20mm Old Man Emu Lift will ensure adequate clearance for most situations. If you want to go more extreme go in for a 50mm Ironman Lift.
5. ARB Airlockers is an absolute must add-on, for the Grand Vitara, if you are regularly mud plugging.

[khan_sultan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line to 4x4 Excursions.

Thanks for sharing!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

After the AT got bogged down, I shifted to 4H-Lock and then 4L-Lock.

I suggest you change this policy of shifting to 4L-Lock as the final resort, after you are stuck. When you want to remove the wheels, you don't use the jack or the spanner as the final resort. Use the tools from the get go. The moment you are in offroad terrain, switch to your best tools. I switch to 4L in Jeep or GV the moment I get into offroad terrain. It actually reduces the chance of getting stuck in the first place. It is a tip I received from Behram Dhabhar when I started offroading, and found it very wise. It is also less stressful on the vehicle.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

2. The open differentials of the Grand Vitara are its weakest link. Otherwise it has more than adequate power to tackle tough offroad sections.

More than 90% of the 4WD vehicles in India have open differentials. So, you can't claim this as a drawback. When you lock the front/rear differential, you have to be very careful to avoid breaking the axle. The entire torque output of the engine can be applied to a single drive axle, and further doubled when in 4L. That is why non-hardcore offroaders don't go for lockers of any kind.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I suggest you change this policy of shifting to 4L-Lock as the final resort, after you are stuck. When you want to remove the wheels, you don't use the jack or the spanner as the final resort. Use the tools from the get go. The moment you are in offroad terrain, switch to your best tools. I switch to 4L in Jeep or GV the moment I get into offroad terrain. It actually reduces the chance of getting stuck in the first place. It is a tip I received from Behram Dhabhar when I started offroading, and found it very wise. It is also less stressful on the vehicle.

More than 90% of the 4WD vehicles in India have open differentials. So, you can't claim this as a drawback. When you lock the front/rear differential, you have to be very careful to avoid breaking the axle. The entire torque output of the engine can be applied to a single drive axle, and further doubled when in 4L. That is why non-hardcore offroaders don't go for lockers of any kind.

Thanks. From now on I will go to either 4H-Lock (for relatively easy surfaces) or 4L-Lock as soon as I start off-road.

Re the diifs - I even tried applying the hand brake or lightly riding the brakes. But looks like I did not do it properly or it was not effective.

Guess I will just have to improve my throttle control and get better tyres.

[GTO]

Really nice to see luxury offroaders putting their 4x4 to use. Lovely report! Friends, SUVs & a farmhouse - what else can one ask for on a holiday.

This place will be awesome in the monsoons .

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by GTO

Really nice to see luxury offroaders putting their 4x4 to use. Lovely report! Friends, SUVs & a farmhouse - what else can one ask for on a holiday.

This place will be awesome in the monsoons .

Yes the place will be awesome in the rains - and guaranteed to get vehicles stuck in mud & slush.

Also I have identified a spot to have picnic lunch.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Lovely report and envious that you guys are having so much fun

On another note: that tow strap looks very thin. Get a better one.

Sorry, but teaching instincts kicking in.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Lovely report and envious that you guys are having so much fun

On another note: that tow strap looks very thin. Get a better one.

Sorry, but teaching instincts kicking in.

Would love to have you join our little excursions. Thanks for your observation on the tow rope. Tow rope used was a steel wire rope. So I guess good for 2-3 Tons. I am planning to buy a tow rope for my car. Would you recommend steel wire rope or synthetic belt. What tonnage rating would be required?

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Would love to have you join our little excursions. Thanks for your observation on the tow rope. Tow rope used was a steel wire rope. So I guess good for 2-3 Tons. I am planning to buy a tow rope for my car. Would you recommend steel wire rope or synthetic belt. What tonnage rating would be required?

Thanks for the offer! Would love to come along PM me in advance next time if possible.

Don't use steel ropes. They store a lot of energy.

Buy a 5 ton / 5 meter strap (available at most marine / crane shops - used as slings). These are colour coded and should be reddish in colour. Use them with a pair 3/4" BOW shackles (not D shackles).

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Thanks for the offer! Would love to come along PM me in advance next time if possible.

Don't use steel ropes. They store a lot of energy.

Buy a 5 ton / 5 meter strap (available at most marine / crane shops - used as slings). These are colour coded and should be reddish in colour. Use them with a pair 3/4" BOW shackles (not D shackles).

Will definitely PM you.
Thanks re the info. Will buy the strap & bow shackles in the new year.

[Guna]

It is really nice to see a GL being exposed to the rough terrain and it seems to have out-shined the capable GV!

[Desmosedici]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Thanks for the offer! Would love to come along PM me in advance next time if possible.

Don't use steel ropes. They store a lot of energy.

Buy a 5 ton / 5 meter strap (available at most marine / crane shops - used as slings). These are colour coded and should be reddish in colour. Use them with a pair 3/4" BOW shackles (not D shackles).

Hi Doc,

Why 3/4" and why not D shackles. I googled the design and found it nearly similar except for the fact that the 3/4" are closer at the ends. Any particular reason? Thanks.