Ariel.Club Forum

Good advice! I also keep a print out of the fuse layout with me as well :-)

Although I have to say, my 'fuse box cover' is doing a great job of keeping kak out - although it's not watertight of course.

Could I advise carrying spare fuses if you plan on crossing bodies of water?
There is a little river I regularly cross and every time the fuse responsible for radiator fan blows. Little thing, easy to fix but if you don't have a spare one and are in the middle of nowhere, major headache when your engine overheats.

Karl - 1/2 metre of Horse piss and mud i think you meant - and yes - never again......well I say that now......

Ref Winch - I was in same situation - costs were spiralling so I felt I had to draw the line - I really want a removable one - so you can unbolt/unplug etc - but factory say thats just not possible. I may get one fitted next year though.

I already had the front winch bumper fitted, so adding the winch was reasonably straight forward.
Wiring it up to work was a little more tricky, but the guys at the factory were very helpful in sending me pics & diagrams.
I should’ve specced the winch when new, but the cost was getting out of control, easier to afford a bit later down the line.
Not used the winch yet, but Iam sure I will in due course.

Good work Chris!

I met up with [mention]Matt Hegarty[/mention] earlier in the week who gets his Nomad any day now and is keen for a bit of green laning too.

Seems there is a growing murder of Nomad owners (collective noun?) in and around the Surrey / Hampshire area.

Protection against rocks is a must, but I draw the line at 1/2 meter of standing water. That shite gets everywhere, right [mention]Trigger[/mention] ;-)

Thanks [mention]Karl V[/mention]

Was doing a bit of a Hampshire pub crawl on 2 legs around the Hangers north of Petersfield today. Good reminder that there are a few good BOATS that I have ridden on off-road bikes around there, and thought some would work with the Nomad. But not without some protection. So I think - as has been advised here before - I will start at the front and work back.

[mention]Mutley[/mention] - I haven't removed / fitted my front bumper, but it looks like one of the easier pieces to fit.

There are 3 fairly chunky Allen bolts on top, at the front of the bonnet, and 1 each side down below.

I would imagine - unlike the rear sump guard - there is no need for drilling as the under radiator protection plate is an integral part of the 'bumper'.

Obviously, the guys in Crewkerne will have more learned advice than I can offer.

[mention]Lighty[/mention] fitted a winch to his earlier in the year, but don't know if he had the bumper in place already, or if the bumper was part of the fun he had with his...

Cheers.

Agreed that is no 1 for the protection but I would do both if you are looking at all.

Doh. When I said 'sump guard' I really meant 'Front winch bumper' (unconsciously thinking "sump = front"). Which, as has been advised, seems to be #1 in the desired protection stakes - and I think several times the cost of the actual sump guard. Any experience here of fitting the 'FWB'? As my otherwise lovely pre-owned Nomad was specced without protection, I think it's where I better start.

Just to reiterate - and echo (more concisely Karls points) the Sump guard is a necessity I now feel if using off road. It cost £200 and you can easily fit at home. Its fiddly but no more than a hour of 2 nights (as you drill the rear chassis holes out and then should paint them i feel).

The front bumper/radiator guard i also would spec too - the front is just too exposed otherwise.

T

It's a tough one...

The sump guard does add a whole new level of protection to the engine and... sump.

That said, the up front protection in the form of front bumper / under radiator protection (winch optional extra) does help guage whether going in to a rut will make you cry or not.

Assuming you're moving forward, the options are: front recovery and winch bar; front suspension box and tub guard; coolant pipe guard; sump guard.

I would say the sump guard protects the bits that are more likely to get you home; but the front winch bar with under radiator protection (winch optional extra) is the most likely to allow you to 'dip you toe in' and listen for crunching noises. If the nose makes it, you have a good chance of the whole car making it.

Unless you're green laning at 60 mph, in which case there'll be no dipping of toes and you're committed.

So in summary, the sump guard does an important job in protecting vital parts, but I think the front recovery bar and under radiator protection is a must to not only protect the radiator when gingerly going off road, but also stops Toyota Prius drivers from caving in your front end at the pub car park.

Damn. Having reviewed the spec. of my used Nomad, the only think I got the Crewkerne crew to add was the light bar - I knew what I was doing - it was purely an aesthetic deal. I drew the line at the winch which I thought was a lower value aesthetic bang for the buck.

What I overlooked was the sump guard. I recently actually turned around heading for a local BOAT when I remembered the wheel ruts. Surely the unprotected cross-member - or worse radiator - was going to ground out?

Until now I thought the only problem was the almost incredible price - £800 for that bit of bashed sheet metal if I recall correctly?

Is protecting the vulnerable front-end of this rufty-tufty off-roader really such an expensive ball-ache?

Glad you did it [mention]Trigger[/mention]?

It is quite meaty isn't it...

I have removed my own sump guard several times, and can agree it’s very fiddly.
I have the luxury of a ramp and a hydraulic gearbox stand which is perfect to rest the guard on Whilst you are trying to line everything up.
Just to make it harder, the rear fixings have spacers, which are an added problem.
The leading edge crossbar is vulnerable and mine is chipped a lot.
I spray a liquid wax all over these areas to protect.

Good point well made. Agreed.

T