Article from about.com
Most offroad driving is a matter of common sense and, often, seat of the pants intuition. The first rule is never to drive faster than is absolutely necessary, and to take obstacles at a slow and steady pace. This, with minor exceptions, will carry you through tough situations more easily than charging the obstacle. And charging obstacles will certainly damage your vehicle, perhaps terminally. In remote places, your life depends on your vehicle, so treat it with respect.
The second rule of offroading is always to prepare for the worst case scenario. If you have free-wheeling hubs, lock them as soon as you leave the road. The use of high range four-wheel drive on rough or corrugated tracks also halves the fatigue loading on the rear prop shaft and half shafts by evenly spreading the transmission loads and, depending on the vehicle, can significantly reduce fuel consumption.
Always select the gear you will need for a situation before entering it, more vehicles bog down through botched gear changes than for any other reason. You must know the exact position of all the vulnerable undercarriage points (diffs, spring U-bolts, sump, steering rods) and steer accordingly.
Always walk a tricky section before driving it, so that you know exactly where the hidden obstacles are. Always keep both hands firmly on the steering-wheel and never hook your thumbs over the inside of the wheel as a sudden jolt could break your finger. Wear your seat-belt to prevent sliding around or cracking your head against the ceiling.
ROCKY TRACKS, GULLIES, RIDGES
Avoid the big rocks, drive slowly, and engage high ratio four-wheel drive to reduce transmission wear and give greater vehicle control. Drop my tire pressures to the point where the tire is just beginning to bulge, which makes the ride more comfortable, saves on suspension, and saves on punctures as the tire has some 'give' in it when it hits rocks, rather than presenting a rigid, hard surface which can split.
In deep V-shaped gullies, be careful not to drop one side of the vehicle into the deepest point: drive with the wheels straddling the gully so you don't end up hopelessly jammed in a position where digging and pushing do not help. When approaching a small gully head-on, enter at an oblique angle, dropping and removing one wheel at a time into and from the gully.
BADLY RUTTED TRACKS
Heavily used tracks are often deeply rutted, to the point where it is impossible to drive without hooking up the undercarriage on the middelmannetjie. Drive with one wheel in a rut and the other on the hump to prevent your undercarriage getting hung up. If there is enough side room, drive with one wheel on the middle hump, and one on the far side of one of the ruts.
MUD
If you hit a bad hole you know you can't get through, wait for the next big truck and negotiate a tow. This may cost some pride points, but it's better than spending the night in the mud hole.
When driving through, first walk the route. Fill deep holes with rocks or other material. Check for alternative routes what looks like dense bush may be navigable. All water-filled holes must be waded through to establish their depth and any hidden hazards. Then map your route through the mud hole, using sticks jammed into the mud to indicate drop-offs and other hazards, and if there are two of you, one should navigate the driver through.
Mark the exact position your steering-wheel is in when the wheels are pointed dead ahead. It's easy to turn your wheels too far to one side without realizing it, as the vehicle continues going in a straight line, getting more bogged by the second.
Select your driving gear, and try not to change gear throughout the crossing maintaining momentum is critical, but there is a very fine line between going too slowly and going dangerously fast. Low range second or third gear are your obvious choices, avoiding wheel spin. First gear gives too much torque and causes wheel spin.
Reduce power on slippery bits, and gently feed in power as soon as traction improves. If the wheels spin, gently drop the revs until they grip again. Jiggling the steering from side to side helps the wheels regain traction, but avoid exaggerated steering. If you start bogging down, stop immediately without braking. Get out and plot the best course of action before you bog to your axles usually this will means simply reversing or a bit of minor digging.
OFFROAD DRIVING AND CONSERVATION
Offroad drivers have quite rightly been maligned and badmouthed in many parts of Africa because of cowboy driving which is environmentally destructive to highly sensitive ecosystems. It is the responsibility of all offroaders to behave in an environmentally sensitive way, or we could see former recreation areas being declared off-limits to us.
TRACK DAMAGE
One vehicle bogged on a bush track can destroy a road in just a few days as heavy rains gouge the initial hole into an erosion donga. When you bog down in dry or wet weather repair the hole afterwards. Divert any streams running through the danger area and mark the hole to warn other drivers. If you use firewood or branches to improve traction, remove them afterwards. They can cause terrible damage to the brake and fuel lines and electrical wiring of other vehicles.
BULL BARS AND WINCHING
Bull bars are there to protect your vehicle, not to bash your way through the bush for the fun of it. Doing so destroys vegetation. When winching off a tree, use a commercially available tree saver, a collar of thick rubber or a wadded up sack to protect the bark. Winch cables cut into the bark of a tree, ring barking it, and virtually guaranteeing it will die.
