10 Dummies guide to Gurkha ~ 17000 kms done

mohan · 22nd March 2010, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhandle

100% correct.

I was out on weekend and this thing happens :(

My wife driving the vehicle, 4 adults on board along with two kids, and A/C one. Check out the level these 17" wheels gets submerged!
!

Ha ha -beginner's luck

suman · 22nd March 2010, 12:15

Guys, no offense meant but this thread is getting a little tedious now. Sometime, somewhere down the line, someone said the Gurkha is the best thing that ever happened on the off-roading scene. This was torn to shreds & we all heard about how everyone should value everyone else's opinion & not say that "A" vehicle was the best.

Now it seems to me that until we say "Jeeps are THE BEST thing that ever happened", the discussions will go on, endlessly.......So why don't we just say it & get it over with guys?

Is there anything new we are saying here that hasn't been discussed threadbare on some 4x4 thread elsewhere on this forum?

No offense meant, just MHO.

mohan · 22nd March 2010, 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman

Guys, no offense meant

Is there anything new we are saying here that hasn't been discussed threadbare on some 4x4 thread elsewhere on this forum?

No offense meant, just MHO.

None taken,as I am not emotionally involved in my Off-roading equipment on 4 wheels and never was..
Emotions blind reason and hence I would urge everyone to exercise restrain in commenting.
This auto forum is not about vehicle bashing its about thrashing out needles of facts from a large haystack of hearsay opinions and prejudiced views.

I urge upon Objectivism now rather than precluding everything else with a subjective eye.

suman · 22nd March 2010, 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohan

This auto forum is not about vehicle bashing its about thrashing out needles of facts from a large haystack of hearsay opinions and prejudiced views.

I urge upon Objectivism now rather than precluding everything else with a subjective eye.

I agree with you completely, my post was more about the Jeep Eulogizing that was (whether consciously or unconsciously) going on for quite some time on this thread

vinod_nookala · 22nd March 2010, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman

I agree with you completely, my post was more about the Jeep Eulogizing that was (whether consciously or unconsciously) going on for quite some time on this thread

I thought it was other way round-Gurkha worshiping as the one and the only off road god. I am also a believer in all faiths of 4x4. Hence didn't take this point. Any way no point in you guys raising the white flag now as peace has been declared by warring faction sometime ago

Guess what my next 4wd is ?- Gurkha

p.s- Rahul- Can you continue with your long term ownership report as usual? What has been your Gurkha up to? Any recent trips?

Monster_BHP · 24th March 2010, 17:30

Wasn't the Gurkha plant in puna closed until due notice? or are they takeing orders again?

mohan · 24th March 2010, 21:07

Fresh Orders are not been taken now.
Prospective customers are discouraged when they hear something like this-"Don't know when you will get the delivery ,maybe 3 months or more,but you will have to make full payment"
Production is being closed after the deliveries are over.
"Macho" the revised Gurkha with OM611 will roll over perhaps late 2011 with Chinese body and an entirely new design. The vehicle is an H1 look alike.
I guess with this Chinese intervention we would have one cheap,zany looking show piece of a vehicle.

2 Gurkhas are available ex stock at Mumbai, someone who had booked the vehicle hasn't turned up.

gsferrari · 24th March 2010, 23:24

Mohan - is this the end of the Gurkha as we know it? Or will production for overseas markets continue?

Monster_BHP · 25th March 2010, 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohan

Fresh Orders are not been taken now.
Prospective customers are discouraged when they hear something like this-"Don't know when you will get the delivery ,maybe 3 months or more,but you will have to make full payment"
Production is being closed after the deliveries are over.
"Macho" the revised Gurkha with OM611 will roll over perhaps late 2011 with Chinese body and an entirely new design. The vehicle is an H1 look alike.
I guess with this Chinese intervention we would have one cheap,zany looking show piece of a vehicle.

2 Gurkhas are available ex stock at Mumbai, someone who had booked the vehicle hasn't turned up.

Hi Mohan,

I doubt it would look anything like an H-1 but lets wait and watch. I dont think the om611 would be a smooth operator as well.

So how is your gurkha treating you so far? Hope your having loads of fun?

mohan · 25th March 2010, 02:09

I was wondering about the weight issue of the Gurkha.

I was considering like anyone else that the power to weight ratio is dismal and that the engine needed more power.

Take a look at the US Stryker Combat Vehicle.
This vehicle is a 8 X 8 vehicle.The vehicle can alter the pressure in all eight tires to suit terrain conditions: highway, cross-country, mud/sand/snow, and emergency. The system warns the driver if the vehicle exceeds the recommended speed for its tire pressure, then automatically inflates the tires to the next higher pressure setting. The system can also warn the driver of a flat tire, although the Stryker is equipped with run-flat tire inserts that also serve as bead-locks, allowing the vehicle to move several miles before the tire completely deteriorates.
Unlike many modern armored personnel carriers, the Stryker is not an amphibious vehicle, but watertight combat hatch seals allow it to ford water up to the tops of its wheels.

All this is ok for a military spec vehicle.

What struck me most was the following specs.
Stryker
Transmission= 8 X 8
Weight -18.7 tons loaded.
Power - 260 Kw.(caterpillar engine).
Power to Weight ratio = 15.8 kW/T.
Top Speed 100 km/hr.

Compare it to the Gurkha.
Transmission= 4X 4.
Weight- 2.5 T
Power- 55kW
Power to weight Ratio:27.5.

The power to weight ratio of the Gurkha is much higher than the Stryker combat Vehicle which is a proved terrain cruncher.

The poor response of the Gurkha in deep slush used to be attributed to its poor Power to Weight Ratio which seems to be negated by the above example.

Could there be a technical reason like 4 X 4 versus the 8 X 8 offering more traction.

Or is it simply that we yet do not know the correct driving technique of the Gurkha and lack off roading skills? Or there are some other technical issues with the design of the Gurkha?

mohan · 25th March 2010, 07:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

Hi Mohan,
So how is your gurkha treating you so far? Hope your having loads of fun?

Hi MOnster_BHP, the Gurkha had its teething problems ,now seems to have settled and is giving me good service. After it took me through deep waters during an OTR I am all gaga about it. In the coming time I do plan to put it to a few more tests and I will keep on posting them.

@ GS- Yeah ,you are hearing the sounds of inevitability.

gsferrari · 25th March 2010, 08:27

Mohan, I saw the approach several members used at the OTR a few weekends back. Powering through obstacles isn't the way to tackle them. I have read and seen a lot of pics/videos from the Hyderabad and Bangalore OTRs and they seem to roll slowly up inclines and everything seems to be done with zero wheelspin.

I think our skills need sharpening and perhaps we all need on-board air compressors and a tire pressure gauge. Automated pressure adjusting is expensive and complicated but we can at least manually drop to 15PSI and then bump it back up once the obstacle is crossed. This will take less time than getting stuck and towing and cause less drive-train damage.

I move to invite and sponsor an OTR coach from the Hyd/Blr circles to come down and instruct us over a 2-day OTR with a variety of obstacles. It will be a great experience.

Regarding the Stryker:

1. more wheels = more contact patch
2. more wheels = small effective wheel-base (now down to the distance between each wheel)

can you imagine this thing with diff-locks on? It will simply drill a hole through mountains!

Check this out: http://www.argoatv.com/

Tejas@perioimpl · 25th March 2010, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Mohan, I saw the approach several members used at the OTR a few weekends back. Powering through obstacles isn't the way to tackle them. I have read and seen a lot of pics/videos from the Hyderabad and Bangalore OTRs and they seem to roll slowly up inclines.

I was there in bangy. They were mostly all petrol jeeps videos with the hurricane engines which have a super linear power and torque delivery.

What you saw were only gypsies and safaris during the last otr. Gypsies need to compensate lack of torque with speed. And safaris need to compensate for their weight.

On the other hand, those CJ3Bs are ideal.

Mohan has a compressor. Infact he has a great set of tools. I'm still building mine up.

There is no need to get anyone. You first participate in a few otrs with your vehicle and you will realize why gypsies need to power up.

hisunil · 25th March 2010, 09:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohan

F
"Macho" the revised Gurkha with OM611 will roll over perhaps late 2011 with Chinese body and an entirely new design. The vehicle is an H1 look alike.
I guess with this Chinese intervention we would have one cheap,zany looking show piece of a vehicle.

2 Gurkhas are available ex stock at Mumbai, someone who had booked the vehicle hasn't turned up.

Mohan,

Are you sure that Gurkha will ONLY come in a Chinese body?

cheers
Sunil

gsferrari · 25th March 2010, 10:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

What you saw were only gypsies and safaris during the last otr. Gypsies need to compensate lack of torque with speed. And safaris need to compensate for their weight

Yes this makes sense but perhaps Khan's rock-crawler ratios will be ideal for Gypsy owners interested in OTRs. I somehow cannot believe that spinning the wheels aids traction. What we could have done (in the absence of a locking diff) is apply the brake or hand-brake slightly to "lock" the diffs to an extent (by stopping power from going to the wheel with no traction).

Anyway - full locking diffs and rock-crawler ratios should help Gypsies to a great extent.

Quote:

There is no need to get anyone. You first participate in a few otrs with your vehicle and you will realize why gypsies need to power up.

Coming soon to an OTR near you...

22nd March 2010, 12:15	#332
suman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kolkata Posts: 4,589 Thanked: 279 Times View My Garage	Guys, no offense meant but this thread is getting a little tedious now. Sometime, somewhere down the line, someone said the Gurkha is the best thing that ever happened on the off-roading scene. This was torn to shreds & we all heard about how everyone should value everyone else's opinion & not say that "A" vehicle was the best. Now it seems to me that until we say "Jeeps are THE BEST thing that ever happened", the discussions will go on, endlessly.......So why don't we just say it & get it over with guys? Is there anything new we are saying here that hasn't been discussed threadbare on some 4x4 thread elsewhere on this forum? No offense meant, just MHO.
	() Thanks

24th March 2010, 17:30	#336
Monster_BHP BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 190 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	Wasn't the Gurkha plant in puna closed until due notice? or are they takeing orders again?
	() Thanks

24th March 2010, 21:07	#337
mohan BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai. Posts: 298 Thanked: 379 Times View My Garage	Fresh Orders are not been taken now. Prospective customers are discouraged when they hear something like this-"Don't know when you will get the delivery ,maybe 3 months or more,but you will have to make full payment" Production is being closed after the deliveries are over. "Macho" the revised Gurkha with OM611 will roll over perhaps late 2011 with Chinese body and an entirely new design. The vehicle is an H1 look alike. I guess with this Chinese intervention we would have one cheap,zany looking show piece of a vehicle. 2 Gurkhas are available ex stock at Mumbai, someone who had booked the vehicle hasn't turned up.
	() Thanks

24th March 2010, 23:24	#338
gsferrari Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,014 Thanked: 1,809 Times	Mohan - is this the end of the Gurkha as we know it? Or will production for overseas markets continue?
	() Thanks

25th March 2010, 02:09	#340
mohan BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai. Posts: 298 Thanked: 379 Times View My Garage	I was wondering about the weight issue of the Gurkha. I was considering like anyone else that the power to weight ratio is dismal and that the engine needed more power. Take a look at the US Stryker Combat Vehicle. This vehicle is a 8 X 8 vehicle.The vehicle can alter the pressure in all eight tires to suit terrain conditions: highway, cross-country, mud/sand/snow, and emergency. The system warns the driver if the vehicle exceeds the recommended speed for its tire pressure, then automatically inflates the tires to the next higher pressure setting. The system can also warn the driver of a flat tire, although the Stryker is equipped with run-flat tire inserts that also serve as bead-locks, allowing the vehicle to move several miles before the tire completely deteriorates. Unlike many modern armored personnel carriers, the Stryker is not an amphibious vehicle, but watertight combat hatch seals allow it to ford water up to the tops of its wheels. All this is ok for a military spec vehicle. What struck me most was the following specs. Stryker Transmission= 8 X 8 Weight -18.7 tons loaded. Power - 260 Kw.(caterpillar engine). Power to Weight ratio = 15.8 kW/T. Top Speed 100 km/hr. Compare it to the Gurkha. Transmission= 4X 4. Weight- 2.5 T Power- 55kW Power to weight Ratio:27.5. The power to weight ratio of the Gurkha is much higher than the Stryker combat Vehicle which is a proved terrain cruncher. The poor response of the Gurkha in deep slush used to be attributed to its poor Power to Weight Ratio which seems to be negated by the above example. Could there be a technical reason like 4 X 4 versus the 8 X 8 offering more traction. Or is it simply that we yet do not know the correct driving technique of the Gurkha and lack off roading skills? Or there are some other technical issues with the design of the Gurkha? Attached Thumbnails Attached Images Last edited by mohan : 25th March 2010 at 02:15.
	(1) Thanks

25th March 2010, 08:27	#342
gsferrari Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,014 Thanked: 1,809 Times	Mohan, I saw the approach several members used at the OTR a few weekends back. Powering through obstacles isn't the way to tackle them. I have read and seen a lot of pics/videos from the Hyderabad and Bangalore OTRs and they seem to roll slowly up inclines and everything seems to be done with zero wheelspin. I think our skills need sharpening and perhaps we all need on-board air compressors and a tire pressure gauge. Automated pressure adjusting is expensive and complicated but we can at least manually drop to 15PSI and then bump it back up once the obstacle is crossed. This will take less time than getting stuck and towing and cause less drive-train damage. I move to invite and sponsor an OTR coach from the Hyd/Blr circles to come down and instruct us over a 2-day OTR with a variety of obstacles. It will be a great experience. Regarding the Stryker: 1. more wheels = more contact patch 2. more wheels = small effective wheel-base (now down to the distance between each wheel) can you imagine this thing with diff-locks on? It will simply drill a hole through mountains! Check this out: http://www.argoatv.com/ Last edited by gsferrari : 25th March 2010 at 08:31.
	() Thanks