Also from Gigglepin this month is this replacement circlip for a Warn 8274 winch. The standard Warn 8274 brake is held on by a circlip on the end of the mainshaft, and it’s one that is famous for breaking – normally at the worst possible moment. Gigglepin tells us that this circlip has previously only been available as part of the Warn Brake Service Kit. Gigglepin 4×4 can now supply both the early and late types of mainshaft circlip – individually – at the bargain price of only £6.50 (plus VAT). An essential part of any winch spares kit.
Website: www.gigglepin4x4.net
Gigglepin has just launched this special offer for the kit required to service and rebuild the brake assembly on a Warn 8274 or GP80 Series winch. This includes a pair of HD brake shoes, spring, spacer, 21 stainless steel ball bearings, three Belleville spring washers (not required on the early Warn 8274) and two square woodruff keys. Gigglepin claims that bought direct from Warn all these parts would add up to over £115, buy direct from them for only £60 (plus VAT).
We had a Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG in our recent 4×4 Of The Year test (4×4, 
After our annual 4×4 Of The Year test in the last issue, we turn our attention to the pick-up market. With models from China, Korea, Japan (and Japan via the USA) this is a small, but highly competitive selection of 4x4s, and it’s a market enjoying some growth. From the adjoining table, you can see that since 2009, UK pick-up registrations have risen significantly, and this year looks like being particularly strong. Now all these pick-ups have important characteristics in common; all diesel powered, all double cab, and all but one with selectable 4WD. They do, however, have very different characteristics and achieve the common aim of carrying four passengers, significant payload, and being able to tow, in very different ways. Prices too, vary widely. We have reported the manufacturer’s claimed basic prices, which all exclude VAT (since in most cases, this is reclaimable), and that means the most expensive model here, the VW Amarok, is close to twice the cost of the cheapest, the Great Wall Steed. For vehicles that are so matched in their main raison d’etre, this is a significant difference. Is it worth that extra expense?
Oh, sure, we laughed at the Jimny when it appeared in 1998, far too small to be a useful SUV, too puny and low-slung to be a competent off-roader, surely it was nothing more than a nippy, traffic-dodging, easy-park city car, a little kinky in the styling department but hardly more desirable than a Mini…
Bob Cooke – contributor
It wasn’t all that long ago that the name ‘rhino’ was pretty much synonymous with ‘Suzuki’ – the all-conquering little SJ made the rhino symbol its own, a fitting reference to the little Suzuki’s rugged and adventurous nature. It seemed fitting, therefore, that we should involve our long-term Grand Vitara in a more recent rhino-related event, a tough off-road challenge aimed at raising money for conservation projects in Africa. 
Not everything has gone to plan lately. I spent a week preparing the car and loading it up for a green lane session in North Yorkshire with some friends. Having not done very much laning at all outside Wales, I was looking forward to a change of scenery. Sadly, only three miles into the 160-mile journey there, it all went wrong. There was a clank, a bang and the front left wheel locked up. Fortunately, it was wet and the wheel was on a white line at the time, so I slowed down with rather less drama than I might have. Reversing freed off the wheel and I could limp home. I hurled everything into the Volkswagen Golf Mk2 I owned at the time and headed north, feeling somewhat depressed.
Robert Pepper
Every so often your brakes will wear out, and as is usual with any vehicle component the extra stress of off-roading means more frequent replacements. Brakes are no exception, as a touring off-road weighs more than a standard car, and then you’ve got grit and mud getting in the discs as well as extra use downhill. Traction control also wears a little, although that has much less effect on brake wear than might be thought. This is because when a spinning wheel is braked to transfer torque to the other wheel on the axle there’s little force required to slow the spinning wheel – unlike the force required to brake a two or three tonne 4×4.
It was somewhat appropriate that I drove our Toyota RAV4 to the dealer on what was obviously the coldest day of the winter so far. The temperature gauge actually said 2degC, but standing scrapping the ice from the windscreen, it certainly seemed a lot colder than that.
Ford and Massey Ferguson will take pride of place at Tractor World as the show marks major anniversaries for both companies. It will be 50 years since the Blues opened their new factory at Basildon in Essex and started building this highly praised 6X range of tractors, now often called the 1000 Series. They were officially unveiled by Henry Ford II in October 1964 in New York where 6000 dealers from 70 countries attended the launch. For Massey Ferguson, there is also a golden anniversary and Tractor World will celebrate the launch of the mould-breaking 100 Series. Visitors will see a massive range of both series of tractors – and if you have one you wish to enter, there is still time. The show is over the weekend of 1st and 2nd March 2014, at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. Three Counties Showground is not far off the M5 in Worcestershire. Advance ticket prices are £10 per day for adults (£12 on the gate). Under 15s go free and there’s a great value weekend camping pass for two adults for the advanced price of just £50 (£60 on the day). For further information, call 01697 451882 or visit 
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