Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Grant wrote:If you are scared of a kudu rolling into the windscreen or roof, do a suspension lift.

It seems though (from earlier posts) that a kudu has the habit of trying to jump over the lights.

Jorrie wrote:Koedoes is egter geneig om in die nag agter die ligte van die kar in te te spring, en hulle spring hoog. Bul bar of te not - jy gaan selfs in 'n Patrol seer kry. Don't try it.

biggles wrote:...The Kudu went between the car and the trailer. A common issue apparently as they jump over the car and end up on the trailer.

Hence on lower vehicles, you may be lucky (in relative terms) and it ends up behind the car (or on the trailer).
But in a lifted Patrol, that may be a jump too far and high to make for the kudu, and you get the worst case scenario: On the roof.

For me, given what I drive, if it is dark, and I am in an area prone to nightime antelope, Go slow and drive in the middle of the road, if conditions permit it (where you can see far enough in front of you).

My car will not stay upright if I was to pull it the way that Jeep was pulled.

Kagiso II wrote:How would the Patrols fare in a test like this ?


http://jalopnik.com/5930933/jeep-grand- ... test-again

In summary - don't expect an all round live axle vehicle to behave like an all round independent suspension vehicle. Apples and oranges.

Alex and others
Having spent a lot of time in the Douglas/Griquatown area (Kudu world) we have seen lots of accidents involving sedan vehicles, light trucks (F250s, etc) and large trucks. I practically grew up there.
Kudus jump high and will easily clear a six foot fence from standing next to it.
Sedans and light trucks almost always come of second best (with fatalities). You're not even guaranteed to be safe in a large truck. At night the answer in such areas are to drive slow and with low beam and to look out very carefully for the reflection of the kudu's eyes in the low beam. The problem is that the animal eye may only reflect your lights for a split second. Reflecting eyes or not, kudu are very difficult to detect at night.
Swerving generally do not work on those gravel roads and should be avoided. So the answer in to slow down 40 / 50 kmh when kudu is encountered at night.
In that area almost all of the accidents involved speed, swerving and high beam. Kudu and other antelope tend to come closer to the roads at night because of the warmth of the roads.

When I was young and stupid I used to travel Welkom- Grahamstown to see my squeeze quite often. The roads around Cradock are notorious for Kudu, Nyala and I was travelling them late at night. And in a race to get to Grahamstown before the party ended. I traveled with all my lights on full blast (extra spots fitted to a BMW 318i!!), my hands close to the light switch and hooter. Any sign of an eye reflection or an animal lights went off for 2 seconds and a good blast from the horn. As i said I was stupid and driving too fast even for safe roads, but it worked. The logic is simple: You can keep a car straight on a road for a second with no light, with the lights off it takes a second for an animal to go from being mesmerized to seeing a very noisy fast thing coming toward it and react.

HUH ?? Biggles what you mean when you WAS young? You still is young mos :-) I are the old one hear.
O K -- this is not a language lesson -- just bikki gatkrap en grappies maak.
I am OLD now -- but still stupid .. I constantly drive Botswana & Northern Cape's routes after dark. And I dont go "safe" like under 80 .. I do the GPS 's 120 .. and I rely on the lights of the car to show in time what critter is on the way ahead .. and that is STUPID .. I know.

Last July Dwergie & I did the Namibia tour .. and the fourth day became a night drive GRONDPAD tussen Maltahöhe en Solitair -- en die "vent" wat my ligte gewerk het het drooggemaak met die "earth" en daar sit ek met Thor -- net een headlight wat werk.
Arme Dwergie se seenigwees was ROU [gaar ???] en ek het ook happe aan die seat gevat.
Ek het my LED "worklight" op die dak monteer -- en so in n maanlose donker bewolkte nag, is ons deur die mooiste deel van NAM .. niks gesien nie. Twee steenbokkies die skrik op die lyf geja, 'n getrapte pofadder gesien -- en Gebedsverhoring -- geen enkele Kudu op die stuk pad nie.
Maar Dwergie het haar sin gekry - daai aand toe slaap ons op Solitaire Gasteplaas

My speod ?? ek het so met 60 begin .. en toe ek g-vol raak, opgestoot na 100 .. maar Thor is so sterk, assik my kom kry rol ons 120 -- 130 DOM DOM DOM

So .. "stupid" is NOT limited to being young .. ons outoppies kan ook aanjaag

Oom Mac, om jou vraag te antwoord . Nie goed nie!
Maar my mening met betrekking die Jeep... ek ruk liewer sy stuur voor ek n Fortuner se stuur pluk. Ek "brand bash" nie maar het persoonlike ondervinding met altwee voertuie.
Ek was n paar jaar betrokke met suspesie setup om n kar beter te laat perform om n baan... Dit het my baie geleer en ek dink ek kan die Jeep beter laat draai sonder n rekenaar. Maar dan is hy nie meer std. nie.