Fendt 650 Platin review

Lifestyle Video Description

It’s the smallest sibling in the Land Rover fleet, but boasts a full house of innovative driver aids and security systems. The new Freelander SD4 also has more power and torque than its predecessor. We put it to the tow test.

John Bosman writes: I was very interested in your article ‘Little is lekker’ in the June edition covering the Suzuki Jimny. I own a Jimny, which I use for farming and recreation. It is a superb vehicle, but I am confused as to how the manufacturer or distributor of the Maggiolina rooftop tent can be allowed to load the roof rack far beyond the recommendation of the vehicle manufacturer.

Oztrail Tent

Ardent caravaners Johan and Elmarie van Wyk decided they needed a fully contained outside kitchen on their Gypsey Gold caravan. With a bit of planning and some professional help, everything they need for preparing meals is now sturdily integrated into their new exterior kitchen.

The dinette bed was halved and the table was turned into a shelf for coffee cups and the kettle. The other seat became a cabinet that houses our chemical toilet.We installed a sliding rail in the tent pole box, which now houses an electric stove and a gas one, plus a digital safe at the far end. When closed, this slides under the bed.The two cupboards on either side of the bed were removed and turned into a large double wardrobe at the rear (replacing the stove and sink), with an additional row of eight drawers next to the entrance door. We now have a queen-size dream bed! I made an arch around the top of the bed, using offcuts salvaged from the kitchen.small pull-out shelf on runners for snacks. A bigger table can be set up between the seats. There are two outside lockers for the awning, poles and so on, and two plastic water containers, one for grey water and one for fresh. There’s a purpose-built trolley for moving both. This caravan is designed for all weathers and can even function when the mains 220 V power fails. It’s all very well having a 220 V-only fridge if you can run it before setting off on a trip, the fridge prior to departure? The small fridge fi tted in this caravan can run off the vehicle’s power while you’re on the road, and unless you consume truly copious amounts of beer, there’s adequate storage space for the few items that require constant refrigeration. I currently use an Engel 40-litre freezer in the car, with a battery and split-charging system, and I’ve found it ample for a few weeks’ supply of meat and so on. It’s also good for cooling beer quickly. Too many campers rely on electricity, and I’m sure that the time will come when some sites restrict this facility. What is wrong with good old portable gas? It seems that manufacturers are bent on fi tting 220 V appliances only. Caravaning luxury has come a long way since I started caravaning in the 1960s, but it will never be as luxurious as living behind bricks and mortar, so I think we should stop trying to bring everything including the kitchen sink, and instead enjoy the challenge of coping without a king-size bed and designer en suite bathroom. Sink and drainer with mixer taps, above cupboards. Small 220V/12V/ gas fridge. Can be run from car when travelling. Double-door cupboard ±1 m high with work surface and fitted microwave. Overhead drinks cabinet with interior light that illuminates when door is opened. Bed with storage underneath. Bed with storage Outside plug for TV. Inside socket for TV. Gas cylinders and spare wheel in front locker. 3 bedside drawers with small pull-out tabletop on runners and pull-out roller slats at bed level for making a double bed. 12 V battery storage with charger. Water heater: gas and 220 V. Water pump to bedroom and sink. Water intake from outside water container. 220 V electric intake. Hanging wardrobe with full mirror on door. Storage space beneath, small catalytic gas fire at bottom. Fold-down sink with vanity mirror and cup holder. Shower tray. Toilet. Frosted window. Bathroom with fold-down sink (fixed mirror etc.), cassette toilet (waste tank accessed from outside), shower head fitting for use at basin or as overhead shower. Shower curtain on rail. Shower head can be passed through window for outside shower. Waste water outlets for collection in outside waste container. All tinted windows with pull-down mesh, reflective blinds on runners and drawn curtains on rails. Two-burner gas cooker with oven underneath. Glass cover to fold back for heat protection. Window can be opened fully for ventilation. Bathroom underneath. When we took delivery of our new Romany in March this year, my wife Rita and I realised that this, our  fth caravan, would be our last, and decided to go the whole hog and modify it our own way. Being a master woodworker I had no qualms about stripping the interior and re tting the furniture. First on the list was having the dealer  t a caravan mover. Then I got stuck in. We have always regarded our caravan as our bedroom and have therefore never cooked inside. So, logically, the  rst items to go were the stove and sink. As the Romany has no rear window, the two cupboards on either side of the bed were removed and made into a large double wardrobe at the rear (replacing the stove and sink). I also added in a row of eight drawers next to the entrance door to hold the paraphernalia that normally  oat around when you’re travelling. As there are only two of us, the next item to go was the dinette bed, which was halved: the table was turned into a shelf for the kettle and cups, for early morning coffee, and the other half of the dinette was made into a cabinet big enough to house our high-rise chemical toilet, used for nighttime emergencies.
The best part of all was transforming the midget bed into a queen-size dream bed! For peace of mind while travelling and to make the structure extra strong, I fastened an aluminium rectangular tube to each side and below the overhead lockers. I then boxed the bed in, using offcuts salvaged from the kitchen, making an arch around the top of the bed. To improve our kitchen space outside, we installed a sliding rail in the tent pole box, which now houses the two stoves (one electric, one gas) and a digital safe at the far end, which, when closed, slides under the bed.

The spare wheel is stored under the bed. The bed is insulated with 50 mm styrofoam and topped off with 25 mm chip foam, so loose items are less likely to slide around under the bed when the caravan is in motion. The nose cone  oor is  tted with 75 mm styrofoam and 25 mm chip foam, making the  oor unbelievably strong. The awning, sides, groundsheet and poles – which invariably pick up bits of grass, sand and ants – are now stored in the front, making it easier to set up camp and easier to vacuum when back home. The washing-up station and extra long shelf are made out of aluminum, and this unit clips onto the side of the caravan, taking up very little space.
Now all we need is that quiet, lazy park down by the sea to enjoy our fabulous queen-size bed.

 

Which awning

I am in the market for a caravan awning and have been looking at Eezi-Awn and Fiamma and other similar extractable types of awnings, but I cannot seem to find what I want. In most cases the awning, apart from being permanently fixed to the caravan, is not waterproof where it is fixed to the caravan.

There are secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and  nd humour every day. You've got to have a dream: when you lose your dreams, you die. There are so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! The idea is to grow up by always  nding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what they did, but rather for things they didn’t do.
Normally when you get to the ‘twilight years’, you look for a cottage with a white picket fence and two rocking chairs on the stoep, in a retirement village. Well, this is not our idea of heaven.

Caravan conversion

We decided that we needed a conversion done to our Jurgens Penta. Island beds, as beautifully put by one of this magazine’s readers, are not designed for ‘Teletubbies’. Now I know that there is the option of the front bed, but we like to have a permanent dining area. We approached Jan Groen of Durban Caravans & Outdoors and told him what we had in mind. Right from the  rst meeting, Jan could see our vision and nothing was impossible.
Out went the island bed, with its headboard and the two hanging wardrobes, as well as the handbasin, cupboard, chemical toilet and electrics. Once the back of the caravan was open, it was easier to see how our vision was going to  t together.
We now have two single beds, 750 mm wide, one 1910 mm long and the other 1815 mm. There is a bedside table with electrical plugs on both sides, so that electric blankets and radios can be plugged in. The longer bed has the chemical toilet concealed behind a door, standing on an inverted platform. At night, when the toilet is ready for use, this platform is turned over and the loo placed on top, which puts it at a standard toilet height. The shorter bed has two deep drawers for storage; the top drawer has been timber sealed to allow maximum use of storage space. Both bed bunks have hinged tops so that no storage space is lost. The only things we travel with that require hanging are two rather thick anoraks, which now live very happily in an old tog bag at the back of the Pajero, together with scarves, beanies and gloves, so the loss of hanging space does not affect us at all. If hanging space is important to you, the cupboard next to the kitchen could be converted for that purpose.
It’s amazing how much roominess we have gained from the conversion. When you get dressed, you no longer have to bend over at the side of the bed in order to get dressed. The single beds give you the same amount of room as you would have with a queen-sized bed. Jan and his merry band of workers were really great to work with and came up with some great ideas, like using the old headboard to create two single headboards. We decided to change the name of our caravan and now call it the Penta Senior. So this is an open invitation to you all to pop in and view this professionally crafted conversion for yourselves when we meet you in caravan parks along the way.

Our plans for 2011
We run a printing business in Scottburgh, and eventually there comes a time to hand over the torch, which we intend to do with our family. We are planning to join all the snowbirds and slowly move around the country, getting to know the back roads that you need time to explore.
Our Jurgens Penta Senior will also carry our tenting equipment, so that we can leave our caravan safely in a caravan park and go to places the caravan just won’t get to, such as the Baviaanskloof, the Richtersveld, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and all Andrew Bain’s passes. We also want to do Liuwa Plains in Zambia. For this we need to  nd another couple with a 4x4, as you are not allowed into the area unless you have a group of at least two 4x4s. Liuwa Plains is a park like the Serengeti, but much less commercial, where thousands of wildebeest collect at the start of the rainy season in October. In closing, here are some very wise words: ‘We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.’ By Allanah Poynter

In this series of towcar maintenance tutorials to be published over the next few months, we address the most important issues associated with looking after your vehicle. Last month’s Technical Talk dealt with the wheel bearings on your caravan or trailer. Now we move on to nurturing your towcar, because without it, there would be no towing holiday to enjoy! Sure, you can use a trusted vehicle service agent, particularly if your vehicle is a late model. But owners who are fairly capable handypersons and drive older towcars that are out of warranty needn’t go to this expense. Much of the work can be carried out efficiently and reliably by you! This month we focus on engine servicing, comprising the oil change, oil, fuel and air filter changes, and spark plug replacement. Next time we’ll tackle the brakes and running gear (wheels, tyres and suspension), and finally we’ll see to the steering and transmission.

Engine service

Without an engine all you have parked in your garage is a heap of scrap metal. Your engine needs basic tender loving care, every 10 000 km if it’s a diesel and every 20 000 km if it’s a petrol engine. If you’re doing your own servicing, you can afford to stick to these intervals. The diesel fuel in South Africa is very high in sulphur. Unless you consistently buy the more expensive 50 ppm (parts per million) grade, your oil will be quite degraded by 10 000 km – and, no matter what the manual says, clean oil at regular intervals will certainly prolong your engine life.
In other words, you need to ensure that your engine breathes clean air, that it consumes only clean fuel and that its lifeblood is kept clean and pure. You also need to give it a total ‘blood transfusion’ at regular intervals. So, let’s begin ...

Oil and oil filters

Take a drive of about five kilometres to warm up your engine (warm oil drains out better than cold oil). Don’t go too far as you don’t want it too hot; hot oil can cause severe burns. Park your vehicle on a level spot and put the ignition keys somewhere safe and far away. (You don’t want to absent-mindedly start your engine until you’re finished!) Place several sheets of newspaper under the engine to protect the floor, and then position your metal tray on the newspaper and below the sump plug. (If you don’t know what this is, stop now and make an appointment at your nearest trustworthy service centre.) Loosen the sump plug (but don’t remove it just yet), position your tray to catch the imminent flow of warm engine oil, then give the sump plug a final turn, grabbing it just before it falls into the tray – this will be followed by a cascade of warm engine oil. Keep your hands clear! If the plug falls into the tray you can retrieve it later.
Wait five minutes while all the oil drains out of your engine. If you are a purist you will now proceed to jack up various wheels to do maintenance work on the brakes and wheels. The changing angles of the car ensure that you drain every last dreg of the old, grimy oil.

Now remove the oil filter: This is either a cylindrical spin-off cartridge about 100 mm in diameter and between 100 mm and 150 mm long which is screwed onto a housing against the engine block, or a housing with a screw-on cover with the actual filter element inside. Some engine designers take great delight in making the filter as inaccessible as possible, so that you need rubber wrists with superhuman strength to get to it. Clean off all dirt where the filter or cover meets the housing, then unscrew the filter. That means turn it anti-clockwise away from the mounting point.

With the spin-off cartridge-type you may find that it’s so tight that you can’t turn it. There are special spanners available from auto-spares suppliers which make this a bit easier. Some are okay, and some are junk; unfortunately you generally can’t make this distinction until you use them. I just use my hammer and punch my screwdriver right through the old filter, then pull on the screwdriver to loosen (but you’ll definitely require newspaper on the floor in this instance, as it’s a messy method).
Discard the old cartridge filter or, if it’s one of those with a cover, remove the filter element and discard.
Smear clean oil onto the rubber seal on the new cartridge filter and screw it into place, as tight as you can make it by hand. (Purists fill the filter with new oil first, thus reducing the time the engine will run without lubrication.)
For the other type, insert the filter into the housing and carefully replace the cover. (Pour in some clean oil if you wish.)
If you can remember where you put your keys, start the engine and run it for about two minutes. Switch off and check at the sump plug and oil filter for leaks. Tighten if necessary. Wait another two minutes, now check the oil level using the dipstick. Top up to no higher than the upper mark on the dipstick. Always wait for the additional oil to settle down to the sump before you re-check the dipstick.
Never, ever overfill, as this can cause engine damage. Replace and tighten the sump plug. Fill the engine with the correct quantity and grade of new oil – check your service manual for these facts. You do this by pouring in the required volume through the filler cap located on top of the engine tappet cover. (‘Where’s the tappet cover?’ Okay, off to your service station!) Replace the filler cap once you’ve poured in the required amount of oil. Finally If you can remember where you put your keys, start the engine and run it for about two minutes. Switch off and check at the sump plug and oil filter for leaks. Tighten if necessary. Wait another two minutes, now check the oil level using the dipstick. Top up to no higher than the upper mark on the dipstick. Always wait for the additional oil to settle down to the sump before you re-check the dipstick.
Never, ever overfill, as this can cause engine damage.

AIR FILTER This is inside a big black housing to one side or the other of the engine. Sometimes it’s right on top of the engine. As most engines these days use a pleated paper air filter, that is what I will describe.
The housing will have a cover or lid of some sort, held on by means of toggle clamps. Clean all loose dirt from the housing and loosen the clamps. Depending on the layout, you may also have to loosen the circular clips around the flexible rubber duct connecting the filter housing to the intake manifold. Watch out for any little pipes connected to the housing or inlet manifold. If you have to remove any, take careful note of which ones go where.
Take off the cover and remove the dirty filter. Don’t let any dirt fall into the ‘clean’ area of the housing, or into the intake manifold. Wipe (or vacuum) any dirt from the housing. Fit the new filter, close and secure the cover and all clips, hoses and fasteners.

Fuel filter (petrol)

Safety first! Petrol is highly flammable. Do not smoke or use any naked flames while you do this task. Switch off the engine and remove your keys from the ignition.
Look for the housing or component that looks like the fuel filter, or which will accommodate the filter you bought. You’ll find this on the fuel feed line to the engine, under the bonnet. Quite simply, clean off all external dirt, undo any hose clamps or cover screws and replace the filter. For in-line filters, ensure that you get the flow direction right, usually indicated by an arrow on the housing.
Start your car and check for any fuel leaks.

Fuel filter (diesel)

Switch off and remove your keys from the ignition.
Because the injector pump operates at very small clearances, and the fuel is more viscous, diesel filters are bigger and more sophisticated than petrol ones. You may even have two of them in series: one to remove moisture and one for dirt.
Thoroughly clean the housings before you begin. Sometimes the filter bowls screw off just like the spin-off cartridge-type oil filter mentioned earlier; sometimes they are secured by a centre bolt, or are under a cover. Just analyse the task and work at it logically. If you’re at all unsure, rather get professional advice or assistance.
Fit the new filter or filters. Now you have to bleed the air out of the filters, otherwise the injector pump will cavitate and not deliver to the injectors. The user manual may indicate where to find the bleed screw, otherwise look for a prominent screw, with a drain port, adjacent to it, somewhere on the filter housing. It may even have a convenient short length of hose attached to it. Run the hose into an empty jam tin, if there is space, or connect an extension to it and down to a tin on the floor.
Loosen the bleed screw one full turn. Switch on the ignition but DO NOT START the engine. You will hear the fuel delivery pump running, somewhere near the fuel tank. Wait at the bleed screw until fuel flows cleanly from the hose, then close the bleed screw. Remove the jam tin and dispose of the fuel.
On later model engines you merely have to depress a button on the top of the filter housing with the ignition on and this purges any air back to the fuel tank.
Now start the engine. If it doesn’t start after a couple of tries, repeat the bleeding exercise. Check for any fuel leaks.

SPARK PLUGS

The most important thing here is not to mix up where the high-tension (HT) leads go, especially on a six- or eight-cylinder engine. Identify them by tagging each with a piece of masking tape, then pull the rubber caps off the spark plugs. Be careful not to pull on the lead as it can break out of the end cap quite easily – then you’ll have to buy a replacement.
If your engine is dirty and there’s dirt around the bases of the spark plugs, clean this away as best you can with a small paintbrush. A household vacuum cleaner with a small nozzle attachment also works very well.
Now, using your plug spanner (of the correct size for your spark plugs), remove all the spark plugs and place them on your workbench, oriented as they are in the engine, and examine them. They should all be a brownish colour and oil-free.
If they are black and sooty, your engine is running too rich and you are wasting fuel. If they are all a very light grey, your engine may be running too lean. (These observations are especially applicable to older, carburettor-aspirated engines.) If they are black and oily, either your piston rings or your valve stem seals are worn. Both require specialist attention, which is beyond the scope of this write-up. If only one or two are black and oily, then it’s likely that there’s a broken piston ring on that cylinder, and because you kept them in order, you now know which cylinder it is.
Now that you’ve disposed of this engine diagnostic opportunity, set the electrode gap on all your new spark plugs to the measurement specified in your user manual. The new gap is usually just a little too big, and you need to gently tap the electrode to close it, until your feeler gauge just drags through the gap. If you overdo it and need to open the gap again, use your long-nose pliers and bend the electrode open from its root. Never use your feeler gauge as a lever for this, as you will stress the enamel surrounding the central electrode, potentially cracking it in the process.
Fit the new spark plugs and tighten only moderately. Be very careful not to cross-thread them as this is a very expensive mistake that may entail having the cylinder head removed. You don’t want to go there. Replace the HT leads and you’re ready to roll.