CB Radio is used in offroading, either for keeping in touch on a Play site or whilst green laning. With all the switch gear and other dash board wiring there is no room below the dashboard for the CB. Therefore I had to find somewhere to fit the radio.

So having fixed the Offside Rear Shock absorber mount I (see HERE), I am now facing the failure of the nearside mount. Avid readers will remember that the Offside failed when the bolt unscrewed itself and fell off, stripping out the threads of the retainer on the way. I discussed this with other people and the believe is that the natural swinging action of the shock absorber loosens the bolt. I believe that on the Nearside mount the effect is opposite, with the bolt being continually tightened.

Over the weekend the Nearside rear shock absorber took a hit which finished off the rubbers inside the mount. I went to remove the shock absorber and found it impossible to shift the retaining bolt. Eventually the inevitable happened.......

The bolt sheared off

After the TV4x4 outing to Childrey Quarry we came home on a trailer after the wheel bearing failed on the way home.

So for out March event, TV4x4 went to Childrey Quarry just to the west of Wantage.

Being a quarry it consists of a lot of "ups and downs" and rock.

 

 

So having installed the physical bits of the winch, I now need a split charge system to run the two batteries. The winch is connected to the second battery in the boot and the main battery runs the normal car systems. A split charge relay connects the two batteries together, but only when the charging situation is good. The relay takes a feed from the alternator and when it is "good" it connects the batteries together. There are many types of split charge relays around but many are only suitable for low current applications such as caravan systems.

The relay below is rated at 200Amps continuous which means it can cope with high currents between the two battery systems when they are connected together.