Back from Yorkshire Dales green-laning. ;)

Hey! Top do wasn't it!

I am definately getting a manual next time, it makes very nervous progress down those rocky steps i can tell you.

Doing it going up next time!

It's your turn to get wet next time too!

We'll have to try the North Yorks moors next time. Se who can get stuck ;)

Cheers

Agreed, great day out and some good lanes too.

Off to the Derbyshire peaks on Sunday for more action :-)

Andy

Hate you lot...:)

Northamptonshire is flat and boring... :(

never been to cheshire? ;)

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The 101 Forward Control Club and Register

Heheheh, we're off to just outside Bakewell this weekend. Family 'do' though, so probably not 'laning. :(

First video.

Crap quality, hand-held small digital camera _not_ a 'proper' video cam. Had to put it down quickly when the going got a bit rough. It doesn't show the severity of the climb (I'd come up this way an hour earlier when it was really wet) the steepness or the size of the slabs and steps in the tracks.

You should check out some of the products from these guys..

(in the 'Shop' - 'Mounts for camcorders') some great int/exterior car fixings for cameras. Not cheap tho.

They never do - I'm always disappointed in my shots of off-roading - it never really reveals just how steep/deep things really are. They make you look like a liar!

Matt

I'd be wary of using, particularly the larger, suction mounts on a vehicle panel, quite easy to pull a dent into a panel. There may also be some serious implications of using a side mount on the public highway.

I think with Paul's video some of that is down to it being handheld and a lot of the tossing and turning being taken out by the person holding the camera trying to remain vertical.

You either need a mount attached to the car and a bit of car in shot so the world moves relative to the car or a mount where the camera stays still so the car moves relative to the world. I think the former probably produces the better video.

Then of course big steeps disappear from the internal view fairly early before their size is overly apparent. I guess you really need to do at least two passes, one taking close shots of the big steps and wider external progress for the "boring bits" and one showing the view from inside. A camera mounted on the truck showing a front wheel, ground and lower part of the wing might be good. Generally avoiding use of the zoom and handheld if at all possible.

I have an idea for an in-car mount using some quick-clamps and a spare tripod mount between the front seats. Main problem with my shots here is that I was holding the camera in one hand and driving with the other ... hence the abrupt ending ... it got a bit tense. ;)

Which is exactly what I said to Nige and Andy ... One track I'd come down the day before was almost a river .. when we went up it, it was mostly dry and so benign I'd have sworn it was on a different continent, let alone just a different day ... ;)

Mind, I think they'd agree when I (earlier posts a few days ago) described myself as 'adventurous'. ;)

Yeah, in the process of making my own mount up ... and getting a decent camera would help a lot too.

Yup, I understand that. These were taken with an old digital still camera that has a short video facility (Sony DSC P50) As it went on the frizz shortly after these were taken I have a good excuse for needing a newer more video oriented camera. ;)

Heh, cba to 'frame' shots or make it look like a 'proper' film ... just thought they'd look reasonable.

Next one up is ...

Which gives a better idea of the severity of it, and some view of how sharp the hairpins were.

Under the vehicle is quite nice, as shown in one of my favourite pinz vids on the following link;

External shots from the side I reckon is about all you can do for big steps! Front-on or rear-on just makes the step vanish.

See if you can get one with an analogue video in, then you can get a little external camera for cheap, one of the tiny ones on the end of a little lead, then you could even clip it to a hat and wear it. Your head would probably smooth out the bumps more than any mount as your body is geared up to keeping your head fairly level and avoid it bouncing around much. You could also mount the tiny camera outside the truck for some wheel/undercarriage shots. If it gets busted then you've wasted £30 rather than an expensive camcorder.

When they start to get cheaper in a few years time i really fancy a pinz! I do kinda hanker for a 101gs, but i think a 4x4 pinz actually looks very similar and would keep things more interesting :)

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The 101 Forward Control Club and Register

Not sure if they'll get any cheaper to be honest! Not for a long time at least. The army supply of machines has dried up now, but the parts will still be available new for 15 years in theory.

The pinz is smaller than a 101 in height so there's less space inside, although the load bed is almost completely free of intrusion from engine/gearbox, just a small hump at the very far end, much less so than the 101GS I looked at a few weeks ago.

The 4x4 version's not a patch off-road on the 6x6 though, and tends to be very light at the tail end which makes downwards slopes interesting, ditto slowing down in a hurry! Not an issue on the 6x6.

Very very simple machines though, all the complicated bits are sealed away, no exposed drivetrain components other than a short shaft between gearbox and transfer box, but if you need to get at things it's not too bad to do. No cooling system, other than a big rubber band and a propellor! Naff all engine power though, despite which it's slightly more economical than the 101 and about as quick on-road, chances are the 4x4 is quicker than a 101GS, 70MPH I think. My 6x6 does

2. I did hanker after a 101GS but it's a series landy in drag essentially, the pinz is marvellous to look at underneath, never seen a machine made that way before. It's what's underneath that made the pinz so special, hence me going for one over a Volvo C303 or a 101.

How much do they go for? All the ones i can find in ads seem to be going for £10k+. I could get a 101GS for £1000 or so if i tried.

I dont fancy something that big! I have trouble driving the 101 ambi to some places as it is too high/big. no chance with a 6x6.

What is the plated weight on a 6x6 out of interest?

You can get more than 70 out of a 101GS. 90 has been reported! :D

Indeed. I am really impressed by what ive seen of the mechanical bits. Hence why id like one!

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The 101 Forward Control Club and Register

Cheapest normally for a 6x6 is about 10K for a good one. I got mine for 7K for an excellent one ;-)

The 6x6 is smaller than a 101 ambi, it's certainly not as tall and it's only 6 inches longer than my Defender 110. The steering is a lot lighter too, so easier to manoever. The 4x4 is almost exactly the same size as a Defender 90 but has more load space than a 110.

3.9 tonnes gross, 2.4 tonnes empty.

Oh right, I thought top speed was about 60! Well, top speed of a 6x6 pinz is certainly 60, on the flat, wouldn't like to try it any faster!

Well, a haflinger can be bought for 2.5k and it's the same design, just smaller!

Actually the lurching outside world is what you want to show the movement. A mount bolted directly to the vehicle might suffer vibration which you don't want but that can normally be damped out by some means but still have the camera in a fixed relative to the vehicle.

I like the tip about having an analogue video in so you can use cheap cameras outside that don't matter if they get written off.

Yep, or at angle if the step is only on side to show the axle twisting...

Your head will still lurch around for sure ;-) But you'd probably get a steadier picture, whether those watching the video get motion sickness or not remains to be found!