My 1992 200Tdi Hardtop Land Rover 90 is used both as a daily driver, including regular towing, and as a winch challenge truck. It therefore has to be something of a compromise for use in the two somewhat contrasting situations. All of the various modifications have either been bought and fitted by me, or indeed home fabricated and fitted by me, with fairly limited time and resources.

This vehicle was first used on the challenge scene in the Challenge South West 2 day event at Wellington back in April 2007, though I started out driving another Land Rover in the Challenge South West Night event at Bampton in January 2007. It has since been used in a number of both CSW and 4X4Adventures winch challenges and is currently part of the 4x4 Adventures 2008 Series.

The truck is gradually being modified and improved as problems arise or indeed as funds and time allow. On the horizon is a change to 265/75x16 Insa Turbo Special Track tyres, and the fitting of a Southdown raised air intake, once a full roll cage has been fitted. The final decision on the roll cage is yet to be finalised, as has the choice between keeping the full hardtop, fitting a truck cab, or indeed making something in between. In the future I also intend to replace the winch with a system similar to the awesome Milemarker Type R, powered by a hydraulic pump run directly from the engine crank, and then to add a rear winch as well. It will hopefully, in a few years time, be equipped to a standard that I am completely happy with, and that will become fully competitive in challenge events.

Simon Parsons (Milemarker Type S/ Shrek/ Landynut)

Specification:

Bodywork
Overall the bodywork is still very much standard, though the one-piece original doors have made way for series style two-piece doors allowing the tops to be quickly removed for challenge events. The rear door is also removed for competitions, greatly improving visibility and access to equipment stored in the rear. The front wings and wheel arch spats have been trimmed to give greater clearance, and the front jacking points on the chassis have been removed to improve the approach angle.

Engine
Reconditioned 200 Tdi 2.5 Diesel with K & N air filter fitted.

Protection
A raised tubular ‘Shadow’ winch bumper protects the front end and winch, and is from First Four Off Road, who also supplied the steering guard. The front and rear diff guards are by Qt Services, and the fuel tank guard is by Southdown. The jackable sills are from Mill Services, as are the rear corner protectors, and the various chequer plating is from Rebel 4x4.

Recovery equipment
2 x 3m strops, 1 x 10m strop, 1 x short strop, 1 x bridle strop, 1 x 10m 10mm Dyneema extension rope, and an X Engineering X-Zag to protect the winch line. 6 x 4.75 ton bow shackles and 3 x 3.25 ton bow shackles. 2 x snatch blocks and 1 x winch sail. 2 x 38mm waffles and 2 x 50mm waffles. Highlift jack, plate and pin ground anchor and sledgehammer, and a small hand winch for really tight spots! The equipment is secured in ex army ammo boxes in the rear of the truck, with some items secured on the bonnet under an elasticated net within easy reach during challenges.

Transmission
Reconditioned LT77 manual 5 speed gearbox and LT230 transfer box. The only modification is the fitting of a Land Rover 130 updated clutch.

Suspension
Britpart +2” springs and Munro +2” dampers supplied by Brookwells, -2” tubular front shock mounts from Paddock, and –2” rear shock mounts, lightweight cranked rear trailing arms, front dislocation cones and spring retainer bars all from QT Services. The rear dislocation cones are from Devon 4x4. The vast majority of the bushes are Britpart Blue Polybushes, apart from the Panhard rod bushes that are Superpro, supplied by OEC, as others seem to fail quickly in this application.

Steering
Standard power assisted steering with updated track rod and drag link from QT Services.

Wheels and Tyres
Weller 16x7 white 8 spoke rims with 265/75x16 Grizzly Claw Tyres.

Winches
Milemarker ‘Type S’ custom hydraulic winch system with 80ft of 11mm Dyneema Bowrope. Slow but awesomely powerful, and reliable, giving up to 18ft/ minute at nearly 5 tons in low gear and up to 108ft/ minute at about 2 tons in high gear. The power to the winch is supplied by twin ZF74 hydraulic pumps belt driven from the engine crank. The system has been put together at home, with parts mainly from Alfred Murray 4X4 Winches, and all of the various mountings have been entirely home fabricated. The system includes a radiator to keep the hydraulic oil cool, a pressure gauge in the cab to give me an idea of how hard the winch is pulling, and an oil reservoir fabricated from an old fire extinguisher!

Other Modifications
The Dixon Bate adjustable drop plate tow hitch is mounted via a home fabricated bracket that allows it to be removed in under a minute by simply removing one pin and two M10 bolts. The exhaust back box has been removed and the exhaust now exits through the rear wing to prevent it getting ripped off. There are two spotlights at the front and two work lights at the rear that are invaluable for night events, along with a 500w inverter which can run a site light if required. The battery has a cut off switch and an Anderson connector for quick and safe jump-starting. The truck also features some tasteful panel modifications where trees and other immovable objects have got in the way!

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