Death and difflocks

[roscoFJ73]

I found this old coroners report regarding the deaths of 2 Austrians in central
Australia 7 years ago.

If they had of known how to lock the diffs on a HZJ75 they would have lived.
They also had 34 lbs of air in the skinny 16" tyres in thick soft sand.

I also read somewhere else the cops drove it out the bog unassisted

Pay attention to paragragh 1.8

http://www.courts.sa.gov.au/courts/coroner/findings/findings_2000/grossmueller.finding.htm

 

[beanz2]

Sad As usual, tragedy happens when there is a chain of mistakes made. In the US, a lawyer would have sued the rent-a-troopie company and the hotel operators for negligence while downplaying the tourists' own mistakes. No wonder nobody wants to take responsibility anymore.

Sounds like their 75 didn't have difflocks? See, difflocks save lives

Dave

 

[Kalawang]

It's a common mistake. People buy 4x4's and think they can magically drive anywhere they like. Driving lessons with a practice area would have helped much.


Kalawang

 

[roscoFJ73]

Sad As usual, tragedy happens when there is a chain of mistakes made. In the US, a lawyer would have sued the rent-a-troopie company and the hotel operators for negligence while downplaying the tourists' own mistakes. No wonder nobody wants to take responsibility anymore.

Sounds like their 75 didn't have difflocks? See, difflocks save lives

Dave

I thought the cop meant they hadnt locked the front diff,but anyway it only needed some tyre deflation and digging and it was out.

The 4x4 hire companies now give overseas tourists a compulsory crash course in survival in the outback if they want to listen.
They say they get groups of young Brits who just want to nominate a driver and turn the troopy into a mobile booze up


The same hire co rented a hilux camper to a german couple recently who got it stuck in a huge inland sea of mud for 3 days until the 4WD Monthly editors came along and showed them how to use the inflatable jack which had sat in the back unopened.

A lot of the time the tourists tell the hire companies they are sticking to the road then head off into the never never at the 1st turn off.

 

[OZCAL]

It's a common mistake. People buy 4x4's and think they can magically drive anywhere they like. Driving lessons with a practice area would have helped much.


Kalawang

That would be me . I routinely drove my 80 on to the beach, through very deep sand, without locking the center diff and with 30+ lbs in the tires. Drove carefully, but still totally handicapped. Funny thing is, I never got bogged until someone told me I should air down to 19 pounds and lock the center diff; now I get stuck from time to time!

But seriously, this just happened up the beach. Got to be going pretty fast with a lot of air in the tires to hydroplane on wet sand, I'd imagine...

http://www.police.qld.gov.au/pr/news/media/2005/03/specials/fraserAccident02.shtml

A few weeks later nine tourists were injured there when they rolled their Troopie going fast.

David