VAN LIFE ANYWHERE - Upgrading a 2WD Van To Overland Around The World
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- COMPLETE GUIDE TO VAN LIFE: kombilife.com/...
During our custom Van Build, we made some van upgrades and modifications to prepare our 2WD vehicle for extended overland travel. In this video, we're talking about how we prepared our Vintage VW Bus to handle the rough roads of extended travel as we drive around the world
Watch the Full Series • DRIVING AROUND THE WOR...
Thanks to @GoWesty Camper Products for being our Overlanding Consultants for this Project: gowesty.com/
Also Thanks to @CampervanCulture.com for the inspiration and for supplying our new expedition wheels & sand ladders: campervancultu...
Products mentioned in this video:
Rancho Performance Peloquin Positraction Diff - ranchotransaxl...
Winch - bit.ly/2O0B1fK
HI LIFT Jack - amzn.to/2RrGTke
Awesome Shocks - bit.ly/2Rql1Ww
LED Headlights - bit.ly/2TYEwak
Expedition Wheels - bit.ly/2NWjNAc
Aluminium Sand Ladders - bit.ly/38GPRQG
On-board Air Compressor - amzn.to/2uuP4Ua
Air Compressor External Hookups:
- US Link bit.ly/38QLR07
- UK Link amzn.to/3wNICYI
Heavy Duty Sway Bar - amzn.to/3159Rdf
Around The World Route Plan: bit.ly/RoutePla...
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Great video as usual. Please be extra careful when using a high lift jack as they can easily break bones, smash teeth or severely dent your pride and joy if you’re not careful. I would also recommend a high lift jack plate to increase the footprint of the jack and therefore more stability. If possible, always use on a flat surface and never crawl underneath the vehicle if using a high lift jack.
I would also recommend Treds or Maxtrax over the aluminium sand ladders as they provide grip for your tyres where traction is needed. They are the number one recovery tool here in Australia. Very light and very strong too. Treds are Australian too 😁
This ^. They're a great tool but require a decent level of care and safe use.
fun fact vw busses came stock with a mini hi lift jack pretty much haha
Yeah I would say hylift jack's can be dangerous. And a strong synthetic recovery rope or winch with a weight on the line so it can't snap would be safer.
also dont leave it out in the elements, damn things will rust like no tomorrow and seize up.
Hi-lift Jacks are by far the most dangerous thing that you should Carry with you. Aside from a winch maybe
Love the series and the channel. I’d love to see Boomerang setup like Karstan and Maxine’s Kombi. ❤
a winch is just mechanical advantage .. so carry sufficient length of appropriate rope/cable/strap to use with a block and tackle setup and remember a rotating wheel is a lever and an axle which makes a great winch in a pinch thanks for the videos and good luck
Just to add to this thought. Be sure you get a kinetic recovery rope, not a tow strap. They are much more effective and can be used with vehicles pulling you out that are significantly lighter. They also put significantly less stress on the vehicles involved. I know this is a bit of a delayed video but it's never to late to add one! Safe travels!
Hi-Lift jack with winch kit will only add a little weight and be an excellent alternative to winching your bus. Hi lift jack has multiple uses, is reliable and no battery drain on your system.
I found that a winch just add weight and we never used it, we did 55000km in Southern and East Africa and never used the winch. The Hi-Lift jack was very handy and we used it quite a few times. Safe travels and have fun.
I've seen local fishermen in Mexico driving down the beach in 2wd. It's all about momentum and skill driving off-road - go for it!
As you are not running an electric winch you should consider a TIRFOR WINCH it’s hand operated, much lighter and has great capacity.
thats a great idea
That's some very awesome information I hope a lot of people are watching this video because it's very true when you're out there on your own and especially in a two-wheel drive rig
Thanks. I’m happy that you find this useful. Happy travels.
I think you are doing the right choice with the winch. A winch is really handy when you are doing rock crawls regularly, but it also has limitations, for instance it only pulls on the front of the vehicle. Taking a much lighter come-along you can do so much more, pull in all directions, help others, even lift up on trees and such. The only downside: it’s not as fast, but it’s for emergencies anyways and speed is probably not of the essence. All the best on your travels from Canada.✌️
Just want to say thanks for all the great comments and suggestions, we really appreciate you sharing your experiences with us.
Want More? Check This - th-cam.com/play/PL3-CFitnEZXpT6q-bkwNxLkIcYGVZW8MV.html
Kombi Life
Hey guys, as an off-roader I must tell you that if the winch is hooked up and installed at least once a month free spool 5m-10m and winch it back in it keeps the spool and motor from seizing.... if you decide later to mount one
@@thatmar1neguy good advice, thanks for sharing
A cable come along could be handy. In the UK ,you might call it something else . great video. Thanks
Just a hand winch. Two would be good. Double the pull and can be put end to end to increase distance to winch poin
Warning: A high lift jack is not as basic/simple a tool as it looks and sounds. I have owned and used them for 40 years, they can be very unstable, are prone to slipping and sideways collapse, also the handles can recoil with great force. They are a tool that if used incorrectly can injure and even be fatal. Having said that, used correctly the are very useful. Please take note of some of the experienced TH-cam videos that discuss the proper use of this tool...
Great episode! Looks like you have good tow points. An investment in a kinetic/elastic recovery rope like a Yankum could serve you well without a winch. You'd still be dependent on other motorists to help, but you'd have the means onboard for rescue and it's a light addition. Plus the high-lift can help you get unstuck in most situations.
Nice seeing Jed in the vid. Campervan Culture is one of the best vanlife channels around.
Yep those guys are legends!
@@KombiLife Cheers.
BEN! Do not stick high lifts in your receiver tube, the tongue on the jack will not fit all the way in the tube and the jack leans, it can shoot out from under the bus like that and will leave a nasty dent in the back door and it can get you hurt! A piece of rubber between the jack and the bumper will keep it from side sliding, much safer than in the receiver.
thanks for the tip - will do
@@KombiLife There is also a 'shoe' you can get that goes on the bottom of the jack that gives it a lot of traction and a larger footprint so it won't sink into soft ground, highly recommended as in soft ground the jack foot can just sink straight down.
What a great episode.
I'm really releaved about all the upgrades and modifications you have done to the Kombi.
Safe Travels
We'd love to get your type of van and travel more off-road than we can do at the moment. Lovely vid!
if you are going to abandon the electric winch ,mayby concider a hand winch or ablock and tackle with a snatch block,also to save weight on the cable you can use a synthetic rope
Great mods you will be fine....almost thirty years of snow plowing I've learned that slowly rocking back and forth can get you unstuck many times, snow, mud, sand oh and dropping your air pressure helps.
the Problem isn't Rocking it when you Sink or Start Sinking you know it only a matter of Time before you Hit that wall were the Car or truck will no move and at that point your are truly Stuck
@@lawrence1986ify If you're driving at a normal speed and get stuck I find that spinning the wheels won't get you out I stop and slowly rock it back and forth, sinking is mainly because you spin the wheels. Rocking it back and forth does not mean slamming the transmission in forward then reverse you stop with your foot on the brake when you make some ground in either direction.
@@mowler8042 thats right...as soon as it start digging and not moving its time to drop it into reverse and hopefully get more speed...i had a v8 s10 that could blast itself out of situations but if you dont have ludicrous hp then punching it generally doesnt work...it really was amazing what 140 mph wheel speed would do in snow because that truck with its v6 was a turd in any conditions. i got stuck going downhill once
You guys got swindled on that winch and high lift Jack.
Winch you should've gone for a hand winch and rated recovery point.
As for the high lift Jack, they're super dangerous! Heavy aswell. An upgraded bottle Jack would've been sufficient
Thank you for all the extra and interesting content Ben and Leah, super fun to watch
thanks for tuning in Boris
Given how much time you will be land locked, why not dump the surfboards and ancillary stuff and have a winch instead? Surfboards on the outside create drag stressing the motor also. Most surfing beaches you could hire equipment surely?
Perfect.. just the information I was looking for... Thank you so much. Continued Safe Travels to you... Looking forward to the next episodes
😀
A come-along, some snatch blocks, and maybe 50 meters of dyneema rope will nicely replace a winch. Many kilos less.
yup...and a shovel...thats all you need with those aluminum plates they have
i used to own a few vw t2 and t3 /t25 , now i run an old t 4 with a quater of a million miles on the clock . she still runs sweet as !
i do so miss my first vw buss , i realy enjoy watching this :)
Wished we had that limited slip dif. in our 67 Kombi. Dad was always trying to off road it to find a free camp site. The 67 had that crazy rear swing axle suspension , which wasn't good on low traction surfaces.
Chris Parcker
There is nothing crazy about rear swing axles.
If you plan on using the wench in areas without trees (desert or swamp) you might want to get an anchor to have something to hook too.
Don't overlanders often use the spare tire as an anchor?
@@super_slo seems like that would just drag across the ground unless you buried it, filled it with sand, or filled it with water. The big overlander tires need hoist to get in place, but those machines would drag those tires too. I don't see it.
The how-to's I've seen involve digging a hole with a trench for the line facing the vehicle. Seems pretty effective, however it is NOT without effort!
Edit: Granted, it's also NOT the most effective solution, BUT when they are as severely conscious of their weight concerns, something relatively effective that is with you is 100% better than something perfect that got left back home. 🤷🏻♂️
The bfg are famed for their long life 50k plus is not unheard of
Maybe the new KO2 formula, but I don't think that is true for the KOs that I had
For an alternator try Mechman. My overland 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.6L V6 uses their amazing powerful alternator. I get 147 amps at idle and 174 amps when driving. And I didn't have to custom install it, it just installs like the factory alternator. The only changes is, you have to swap your battery to a deep cycle gel battery, and you have to run 2 gauge positive and negative wires directly to the battery.
The High lift jacks are great! Just be careful with controlling the handle. It has been to known to kick back and hit the operator in the face.
Boomerang!!!!!! What a perfect name my friend 👌
Wonderful to follow you and Leah😊We Are travelling and we have travelled a lot too.Mexico for 6 years in total.Happy to follow some more from you😊We Are a Norwegian couple living in Spain.
If you use a length of rope to attach the sand ladders to the rear bumper you can drag them behind you when you get unstuck .
There are hand winches. They are light but less capable but might be just enough to get out if you are stuck.
Just get a kinetic tow rope to get yanked out and soft shackles. For self recovery your high lift is a winch just a little more dangerous and longer recovery time but it is lighter. Just a suggestion. Love the channel.
Hi, I love your story. Thank for sharing it.
If you don't have a winch on your van you can use your high lift jack to gat out of some situation. just use it horizontaly, You fix it on a point and use a rope or a strap to pull the van.
Also you can use the high lift to get out of deep ruts. Lift the van higher than the top of the ruts and push sideways to topple the van sideways off the jack to drop down out of the rut. Don’t put the jack inside the tow hitch as it may catch put it under.
Great video Ben! So much info and experience packed in to 20 mins
Hi , looking at the tread on your old tyres the uneven wear could be down to your tracking. Good luck with your trip , i enjoy your video's.
Quite sure the Steel rims are the well known rims for Trailers. These are "Made in Germany" and there some Reference Type Approvals from German TUEV exist.
You have to Look at the weldings. Non-trailer Version has one single Long welding. The one for Trailers Just two Short weldings...
they are really specialists
This is so coming together!! Good Luck!!
Great vid guys. Lots of great information for my own T2 build. Cheers
16:29 The spedometer will now indicate about 3% lower speed than with the older tyres when going at the same speed.
🤣🤣 That's if the speedo is right in the first place! My 69 Bay is about 10 mph out on its stock wheels/tyres!
Only mistake in whole video glad someone else picked up on that.
Bring a come along instead of the winch.
Id just bring both
Hankook makes some great 14" tires, load range D, 8 ply +, doing great on my Vanagon and $95 delivered from Amazon. I tried 15" tires but couldn't handle the loss of power due to the increased diameter of the tires, the Vanagon rreally prefers the 14" it was designed for.
Love you guys. Have a great time in Spain!
That excessive tire ware is negative camber from a heavy bus, causing the inside tire to wear faster than the outside.
but only on one side....and the front?
@@KombiLife yes, camber can be bad on any side or any tire. A tire should evenly wear down if camber and toe are true. Your van is pretty heavy. Maybe try and change the weight and balance of your vans contents as best you can. Great videos as always!
Aaron Nicholson that’s more toe out than camber.
@@goclunker might be, kind of hard to tell from video without a tire gauge.
Aaron Nicholson from experience toe chews up tires super quick. Camber not as much
nice video guys, hope everything is going well greetings from bill and sam from amsterdam
Awesome ...best fix the rear running light tho lol 👍
You can use your highlift jack, tow rope, and snatch blocks (pulleys) to use as a come-along. It just takes longer than a winch. TH-cam videos a plenty on the subject...
First 10Ton Kombi out there... :)
just get a cheap hand winch....it will get you out with a little more work. Only weighs 15 or so lbs with cable. If you're in sand you'll need an anchor type tie off to hook onto....if there are no trees. You can use the high lift jack as a winch but will need cable and such.
Cheers guys a great insight,until next time.
This video is really technical. I forgot that Ben is basically a mechanic. Still, wouldn't miss any Kombi Life videos even if they did put like 10+ ads in it and I refrained myself from skipping them.
Ben is a mechanic compared to you maybe...Bens a great guy but clearly NOT a mechanic. hes almost a full on car guy though...but not quite
Never really understood the difference between Posi and LSD, but I sure as heck have appreciated having either. Heard a lot of "You'll never get out of there!" but the only time I got stuck was when firm snow just lifted the whole chassis and wheels off the ground. Then again, I'm not rock crawling in Moab.(g)
Your Hi-Lift Jack can double as a winch. Just add a couple of short chains and hooks. It’ll be slow, but will get you out, And can get you out backwards. But be careful, Hi Lift jacks can bite really hard🤕
those are really specialists
Few years back i seen your old brizialan bus here on Vancouver island while i was driving on the highway... i was like, wait wooow i know that bussss. Was cool moment...
Another very useful recovery tool to go along with the winch is a SNATCH BLOCK! The winch could potentially be useless in certain situations without one.
Fill those tires with Tire-Ject, you will never get a flat...it's the best, see the *Project Farm* test video of it, simply amazing puncture resistance including sidewalls.
High lift Jacks are great. There are times when you really need one.
But they are never a safe option. They are always dangerous. They drop loads like crazy; they throw the handle with thousands of pounds of force, sometimes it is hard to get them to release.
Always block the vehicle before getting under it or next to it (before changing your tire). Keep your body and head out of the arc of the handle at all times. Think about how the vehicle is going to fall if the jack slips.
If you can use a bottle jack or a scissor jack then use it instead, even if you need a aftermarket one.
I own a highlift. They are great. I've used it to get out of a bunch of problems. No replacement for it. I've also dropped my jeep twice and had handles fly several times and watched a friend bust their jaw on the handle. They demand your respect and are very dangerous; you have to be very careful...
Thanks for sharing your advice and experience.
That vws with lsds got tiny wheels. Sure it makes a difference. If you got a 2wd open diff mini suv with oversized mud terrain tires with low tire pressure. You'll do as good as that minivan vw or better.
Thanks for the useful and interesting video!))) I really liked your content!)))
Ah... when the video drops 👌🤗😎😎
Downloading to watch it on the train later. From NYC 💪🏼✌️
you can do that? i had no idea
2big 2fail I pay 10 bucks a month to not watch commercials, not sure if it that’s why I’m allowed to download them, but I think without paying ur allowed to download them up to 480p
@@nyrubin if you go to your google settings, you can change the download quality to 1080 when you download.
kevin Arndt I have mine set to 1080p but not sure if u don’t have the TH-cam premium if u can download @ 1080p
just get a smaller load winch, they weigh less. how much does that bus weigh wet anyways? look into snatch blocks if you think it's gonna overload a smaller winch.
grt vid. BTW: OBA is a great tool for helping others stranded and in need of air for tires.
Couple of those tracked units on the back might work, course you would need a big trailer to store them
Why only 55 amp alt? That's half what youd expect these days? But with LED lights and no ac you wont need mych current anyway. Is there no room? I still say the best upgrade you could have made would be an aircond. You could have rigged something up. Wait till you get to Aus - omg...been 47 C in the southern states! Think about it. Used aftermarket ac would be fine. Youll have to drive at night
Nice video, thanks for sharing ✌
Man if these parts were available 30 years ago!! Good luck with the ride!...
Chock your front wheels when lifting the rear. Hand brake is on the rear only
And it all looks good.
You gonna regret soon not going with bfg in off road situation!
Yeah but they didn't choose not to run BFGs, BFG chose not to make a compatible size tire anymore.
15” are available www.bfgoodrich.co.uk/auto/tyres/bfgoodrich-all-terrain-t-a-ko2
BFG is great on pavement, any conditions. love em for that...but they fully suck off road
@@philtripe I never hear that before. All off road competition are full of bfg
@@lucianomniahd yeah the KOH trophy trucks and ultra 4s run huge axles on knobby BFG 40s or bigger. and they are great but BFG are shit on the smaller end. i love my nittos or even my federals cheap and last quite abit.
When the winch is almost 70% as powerful as the van myself
His British is showing. I propose fully integrated system. It should be able to stand and walk in situations of need. Tall articulated jacks.
Followed you for years now :)
Keep it up you guys are doing a great job!
10 times better then TV!
why don't you think about a single wheel trailer for a couple of heavier items you would like to have with you.?
....because then theyre still pulling the weight theyre trying to shed.....
Didn’t need the winch on the first trip with crappier tires no LSD won’t need it on this trip .. use is the high lift to pull yourself out if needed but mounting that winch and adding steal to the van would of ended up with 60-100 more pounds I think with all the recovery gear needed also
General makes great off road tires for the stock 14inch rim. Koni also makes a good even adjustable shock for your bay window bus.
yep - but only available on special order, which is a problem when traveling
@@KombiLife I guess you are right.
hey guys!!! ordered the same headlight grill from just kampers and i have the same LED headlights from GOwesty as you guys. I ordered the headlight grill based on this video but they are not fitting correctly. anything custom or fabrication you guys had to do to make them work. on mine it seems like the headlights stick out to far.
Oh sweet. No custom fab on our side. It was a tight fit but it works.
Ben, I really hope you get to speak to my friend Gunther who lives near Stuttgart, he drove a 77 Westy to China and back and it is totally stock. He’s a master mechanic and can really help.
Hope our paths can cross with Gunther, he sounds like he'd have some great tips to share
Gunther is a good friend of ours. Tell him Jed says Hi ;) I miss his crazy laugh.
Jed
@@KombiLife Gunther is a good friend of ours too. If you ever get in any trouble if you are over that way he is the man.
Jed
CampervanCulture.com I saw you at Busfest with your beast right?
CampervanCulture.com I saw you at Busfest with your beast right?
Great video!!
take a bicycle pump instead of a kompressor. its more work, but saves a lot of weight and space
I don’t know mate, the compressor is very small and light.
Hi Guys. I've been enjoying your series and look forward to seeing your journey down here in OZ after covid19. I noticed you had some weight problems but you WILL need a Roo bar down here, it is certain. Wait till you get here and shop around but make it the first thing you do.
Bruce😎😎😎
Yep. Would have done it before but they illegal on some roads outside of Oz.
The only way to work on a bus is in swim trunks and flip flops! Can a regular vw hub cap fit on the new go westy 15 inch wheels ?
Posi tract sounds really good so can someone please make a POSI for my T1N sprinter
Dunno what progress you have done to this as this is the first video i watched on this van but if you plan on coming to Australia and touring you 100% need a good strong winch and spot lights.
Oh, a winch, you also need a SNATCH BLOCK.
*Dustin from Smarter Everyday has entered the chat*
Thanks guys for a really interesting coverage of the weight concerns you are dealing with.When you rebuild the inside furniture, I wonder how much extra weight was added.
Where did you buy your upgraded rear torsion bars? That seems like a great idea 💡. Thanks, John from Cape Breton.
I noticed the treadwear on the old tire. May want to check the alignment.
my mate had a 7 ton lorry and he used a hand winch it was hard work but it always got him out he also used a land ancore by the way he did Africa spain eu and fare east
- I want my van to have LED headlights, reliable engine, good traction and to be comfortable
- OK, VW T6 California ticks all the boxes
- Wrenching old T2 for 3 years it is
:P
i wanted to upgrade my 15 inch wheels to 16's because they had more wheel styles but seeing how much trouble they are having just trying to get 15's. im just gonna keep mine.
You can improvise winching without a winch. I tow strap will suffice.
Locking differential and better off-road tires.
2 questions guys .
How do the led lights handle in the rain ? Are they completely sealed to they leak inside ? And how do those stone headlight guards mount ?
Stay safe
No probs with rain and they mount easily via existing mounts
Be warned that if you end up in snow in the dark, your headlight protectors will collect the snow and give you a complete blackout. Happened to me on my LandRover, result was that I had to stop, and then became stuck!
Oh that’s a great point. Thanks for the warning.