As a very experienced 4wder myself I must say I have really enjoyed your channel and this particular episode was great to see. For a young bloke you have a very level head on your shoulders and you demonstrate here why sometimes its not about the tracks you drive, but the tracks you don't drive..... Too many people would have just ploughed on for the sake of the video and possibly gotten themselves into a dangerous recovery situation. And also that means not just dangerous for you, but for all those attempting to help you as well. Don't be another statistic. Just for the sake of "conquering" a track......... You did the right thing. Not just for yourself but for all those travelling with you and I was very glad to hear that they all decided to follow you back down instead of continuing on themselves. That is the true spirit of 4wding as far as I'm concerned. Well done to all..

You have a good crew, no pressure, won’t split the convoy.

Incase you were wondering how your 4wd videos compare to others, they absolutely are up there, the stories are always told so well and im sure everyone can agree we thoroughly enjoy how they're presented thanks mate

Well done mate! Sensible and correct decision!! It takes more balls to to make that choice to turn around! Love that Channel

Hard decision but the right one and good to have such a great crew with you.

Gotta trust that centre diff lock light. It runs off a limit switch that shows you when the gear is engaged. Had the same issue, centre diff motor had crapped it. Having replaced mine, I can see how you could manually turn the mechanism on track in an emergency.

great call Pat!!! and it's great to see such supportive mates! well done all

Great video and a heap of maturity shown there. This is the sort of real 4WD video that the average person will find themselves in.

that google earth intro was awesome. And this is why this channel is awesome.Best honest real world 4x4 content in Aus

Right choice mate, glad you got out of it and missed what could have been a catastrophe. Good to know everyone around are very helpful

My god Patrick....thanks so much for sharing that. Scary as and a really good decision to bail! I also have an early model 80 and my partner and I were up in that country middle Jan so we could really relate. Also my vehicle has a history of low range slip (now resolved) but we could really " feel" it. A sharp reminder on how dependent we are on our vehicles in that sort of country!

Absolutely the right call, to look after yourself, Anya and your vehicle. Shows amazing maturity and you can always try again next time with everything working :) Good one!

What a good bunch of mates and even other people helping out.

Great edit on the video mate. Straight to the point and good story with the dramatic voice overs

You can pop the cover off on the transfer case and manually lock the centre diff in for next time 👍

Bloody Legend Patrick . Great call. And an awesome missus mate. Good team.

Another epic video, awesome work as always🙌🏽

I'm glad the braver side of you took hold and made a sensible call to turn around instead of gung-ho-ing onwards... You can tell the girl in the passenger seat very early on had a concerned look but had faith and trust in you the whole time.... Even reassuring you later on for making a good call.

After passing you on Zeka Spur Track I went through Wonnangatta and camped on the Humffray River for a few nights (better camping spots there on the river ) and then went out by Herne Spur Track. It's known to be one of the steepest tracks in the High Country and you were wise not to even attempt it. I think you did well getting up Zeka Spur in 2WD. Good luck with the repairs.

So nice to see a video of someone making the *right* choice, instead of being an idiot! I was there on the 23rd of Jan, and you're right -- from where you were its probably several hours of the same sort of steep gravelly track. You'd think it gets better when you get to Cynthia, but even then there's more of the same. Wombat was so bad, it overheated my transmission and I had to wait for half an hour on the very narrow side of a cliff. Luckily nobody came up behind other than a sympathetic Ford Ranger when we were almost ready to go. Hate to think what would happen with a centre diff gone.

Definitely the right decision. There's no need to be a hero. It's about seeing new places and havinh experiences with you friends and partner. Credit to you partner too you can see she is supportive and caring. She want leaving you there. Keep up the good work.

Good on ya for sticking by your gut and not letting people talk you into something you didn't wanna do.. even a shout out to all the locals on the uhf bloody champions

I love the whole 3 minutes of people talking over the top of eachother, fighting just to get a sentence out 😂

Mate such great story telling, an amazing video for showing what the 4wd community is all about, sorry you didnt get to make the track, but 100% glad you were responsible to make the big decision that needed to be made. Lives first adventure second.

Definitely a good decision mate. You made the right move. Good on you for being sensible and looking after you and the mrs, glad you got out safe mate! 👍

Happens to the best of us mate, good work on trusting your gut and backing out. No shame in that. Had fuel supply issues half way up a reasonably steep track in the High Country, had to winch it back to a safe spot to turn around. We all got back safe and that's the only thing that mattered. Hats off to your crew - they're a good bunch not leaving ya, keep them around!

CDL Actuator is a common issue. I'm working through mine after having my cruiser sitting in the previous owners shed for 9 years and only having done 5000kms in that time. Will be time to pull it out and clean it up Pat. 👍

That's a wise choice mate.. hopefully 4wd gets fixed and you should come back and do it again👍👍

Great work on your decision mate, you've got a great friend sitting next to you too

Glad you kept safe, those scares will make you a better driver in the long run and your mates are there for you.

I’ve done that exact trip about 3 months ago and that hill is bloody steep in real life! We used the purple winch extension rope to tow 1 mate up a bit of the gnarly stuff!

We were in the valley with you mate haha!, my Fathers F150 snapped an engine mount and tore 2 intercooler boots on wombat range track while towing a trailer. I had to winch him a solid 60m up because it was too dangerous to reverse back down or turn around. I actually said hello to you near bluff hut!

Just got my AA sticker today. Thanks guys looks awesome :)

We did a very similar thing in the high county. We were running stock tyres at the time (just got the car). Zero traction, kids in the car, solo. Used the radio and co-pilot to reverse down to a safe turnaround point, then backtracked. High county is fantastic, but the steep tracks are very slippery. Stay safe. Edit. I guess this is a good case for a hand held radio.

Bro you’re a smarter man then most I feel the whole “send it” attitude most adopt these days would’ve ended you up in strife big time. Sick video, had me on the edge of the seat. Cheers

Great choice, we see often enough people go too far and then realise too late. Great video to put up, people will think of this when faced with a similar scenario and know there's no shame in putting safety first and turn around 👍

I was having a laugh to myself when you were talking about doing Herne Spur Track instead 😂 its one of the steeper tracks in the high country 😁 We came down it a couple of months back and feels like you're dropping off the face off the Earth. Glad you got out mate 👌

Wow that some tuff stuff mate. Good choice love this channel no ego what’s so ever . Cheers for the video boys

Good call! We dont want you to fall and die! That is a serious off-roading! New video for fixing your truck! Stay safe man!

Definitely the safe and correct decision Pat, well done!

Having the mindset of making a video but still making the decision to turn around shows you've got your head screwed on👍👍even though the goal wasn't achieved, it's a great vid showing great comradery and respect from safe minded mates and not the usual "nah mate, just send it! You'll be right."

Very smart decision guys, ive driven wombat and herne a number of times and its no place for 2wd and good on your mates for staying with you, never split up in the bush

Smart choice. The only alternative would have been to hook a second, working 4wd on the front wich had a winch, but i guess that would have been sketchy as well. Maybe if you hat a 4 ton 79 series v8 with you or a winch truck :-). Good thing you took care of the two of you.

hahah love the dramatic music, nice editing.

Good call, good luck with th repairs. Anja(?) is a gem!

Good work! Wise choice, it's my fear to get stuck somewhere haha.

Excellent decision. If your instinct tells you not to do it, it's always best to listen. Safety first. You're wise beyond your years. 👍✊

Really glad you're ok and turned around. Correct decision. You had a good wise crew with you. At this point mate. Maybe your Pajero was more reliable. I have an 80 too, and as much as I love it I think I'm in denial about it, it's costing me a fortune in repairs and maybe my old 95 series Prado was just as good and more comfortable 😂

Heaps of people have already said this and I totally agree, you definitely made the right choice. It’s good to see that you used your brain and not your ego and have the “she’ll be right mate” attitude that brings a lot of people unstuck and seriously hurt. My favourite saying in bad situations is, “No point in being a dead hero” walk away and live another day, without injuries to anyone and without wrecking your vehicle. I’ve lost count of the amount of tracks most people would tackle with out issue. I have backed out from, not due to mechanical issues. Due to knowing my 4wd experience is limited and driving a 94 bravo on 29” wheels with AT tyres. With no winch. And going solo. All about make smart decisions

you made the right decision, I have turned around like this too when the risks are just too great. Well done, safety first.

Hey mate mine did the same thing after a high county trip and found it in the next trip prep. You will have one or more of the following problems. The range switches on the cdl carbon over and stop working. You can fix them by using a 9v batt and cycling the switch manual a lot of times on the bench. I had to do this on mine. I also had the cdl motor burn out a coil winding which I’m pretty sure was from the cdl gear mech grease going old and hard. I also had the cdl motor magnets in the motor cap come loose. You will also want to extend the cdl breather up high into the cabin. This breather let’s the cdl gears breath. Main issue is the breather is just at the back of the transfer and it will take on water on crossings plus over time moisture gets in and turns the grease to gunk and rust. I had a company in Springvale rewind the coil motor and glue the magnets back on. I cleaned up the gears myself and greased up with new lithium white grease.

Solid support crew, too often young fella get pressured into "sending it" and thats when the real trouble starts

Wise choice indeed! The track isn't going anywhere, so when you are ready you can give it another go.

Was gonna say that looks like Wombat. Good memories of that track on both a moto and my GU.

Did Hearn Spur a few weeks ago. It’s a pretty full on steep track. Good call going back out via Zeka. It’s a shame you couldn’t make it to Dargo though. Go

For full time 4x4's, they have to have a centre diff to allow different rotational speeds between front and rear tail shafts. But as with all differentials, it will prefer to send torque to the shaft while the least amount of resistance. In this case, it is the front shaft because the shift in vehicle mass due to the angle of climb, has moved mass onto the rear wheels at the expense of the front. The lock merely solidly joins front and rear shafts together so that one cannot rotate ahead of the other. You can manually engage this lock by removing the actuator and moving the shaft by hand, provided you are familiar with how the actuator is removed. Good practice is to lock the centre when you leave the black-top to avoid any chance of damaging the centre diff by letting it spin fast such as what you experienced on that climb.

Lucky you didnt push forwards. I have done that track personally and the same direction. Steepest parts were actually heading down hill into eaglevale

Great call man! its not easy backing down in the moment but you did great! You've got my sub dude

Nice Vid mate

I rode all those trails on my dirt bike the week before Christmas. Some very steep stuff out there, no way I’d be doing it in 2wd 😂 you definitely made a good choice

Pull on your hand break when backing down steep hills. It stops the front wheels locking up and loosing steering. And yes I know it’s a cruiser and the handbrake doesn’t work but it’s worth a try. You’ll be surprised of the difference it makes.

i snapped my cv on my patrol in the bogholes in wonangatta station and we ended up going back up hernes, took alot of right boot and negotiating but made its to talbot ville easy as couple sketchy spots tho

the good the bad and the ulgy ! good on you for showing everyone . u made the right decision ! looks like u had a great trip still !

Good job mate kept the ego in check, no shame in making a good decision. Good to see you get the missus to get out as well. Good drills

You definitely made the right choice, you have a good head on your shoulders there as so many "kids" would just send it, no matter the consequences. And your mates are great, not splitting up, all heading out together. These trips are the ones who show who your true mates are, and are the ones that real memories are made on.

Great decision and always good when you have a good crew. FYI Hern spur is probably the most difficult out there. Your girlfriend is a rippa hanging in there and not jumping ship when asked to. Lots of valuable support👍

Are you getting a winch? Selection and install would be interesting to see what you choose. Love the channel.

Off-roaders are a great community to be in. 😁👍

How wholesome was ol m8 checkin in on the uhf tho

Good call. Listen to you’re head. Not worth the risk. Good on you for posting this.

You made the right call. When 4WDing, it's always best to leave the ego at home, and know when to call it quits when lives and rigs are in potential danger. You've shown real maturity. I've seen 4WDers twice your age, that just don't get it. Full respect to you. ✊

Keeping calm along with your company was your biggest advantage

Old mate that came up behind. He mentioned his car started jerking as he came up. Predicted it was a patrol. Sure enough 4.8 gu. Mine does the same thing. Seems to be common

Good call Pat

What the 4wd community won’t show you great video everybody should take a page outta this book

Hey man you made a good decision, my car blew a heater hose off dropping all my coolant on Davies plain track, lucky I got onto people with my uhf who had a spare 20L of water, I had to defer from going to Dargo and went to Bairnsdale so I didn’t blow my motor

Please do a vid on the cause and the fix. I have an 80 and would like to know the prevention, cheers

very wise choice and a level headed decision mate..well done..

Always carry a spare cdl motor my old 80 i had i was always having problems with it

Had front end suspension collapse on me at a trip at blue rock lake my mates were fantastic help need a good crew

Had a mates Hilux rear diff give up the ghost and ended up winching + yanking with my 75 series for like 5 hours. Not a fun occasion! Was closer to Jamieson than Dargo. Right choice turning around!

Had to make a similar decision with an overheating GU Patrol. That time it was whether to descend to a creek or not with a gravelly hill to get back up!

Was watching and first thought WTF are you trying, then realized that's not as cut and dried. You could have ended up arse over kettle down the mountain. Respect!!!

Oh Pat, Should of kept the Paj lol.... Nah crap happens to us all from time to time. Just glad you got back down safe mate

The video does not do it justice. I've been in situations like that and it's super scary. Well done mate

Awesome decision to turn back, it's also not just you in the car so better to be safe than sorry.

I liked a lot the attitude of his GF, patting him in the back acknowledging him on the decision she was expecting him to make and also for not rushing him into the decision, she gently waited for him to digest all his thoughts.

It was probably your best decision on the day well done hard decision I know but the right decision for you 👍 thanks heaps for the video I'll see you the next one and well done

Nice job and your supportive girlfriend and team are awesome!

Smart move, I was stupid in a similar situation when I realised me 4WD was out,and trying to manouver to a better angle, roll ed my Surf,down a 60ft hill 2 times and crushed the roof when I bounced off some huge bolders. all this on the forst time I convinced my wife to join me on a 4WD outing .Everyone was OK and 2 trucks with winches were able to pull me back on the track, but the Surf was a write off

I did Herne's Spur a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad you didn't go that way. How was Zeka Spur in 2wd? A couple of the guide books said that the easiest way in/out was from the north (via Abbeyard, East Buffalo, Riley Track).

How big is the aerial, would you have a part number by any chance?

Gut feel is always the right way to go. Glad you made the right choice mate.

Keep us posted on how the Center Diff Lock gets sorted

Well done. It takes courage to know when to quit.

You done the sensible thing 👍🏼

Good descision, I wasnt so wise when this happened to me and almost ended up rolling off a cliff.

A few weeks ago I went and tried hern spur but we met our limit’s real quick same on wombat rang track and went back out the zeka spur track. Also I’m pretty sure we past use on the howitt high plains road

Vert wise choice mate ..I blew a rear diff half way up that climb sketchy is an under statement..the truck slipped backwards and lucky lodged on a embankment..was alone but had a winch 7 hour later and a whole lot of work got out of there ..scariest thing I've ever faced ..good decision made if you attempted that bad thing would have happened I believe

Mate you definitely made the right choice to turn around and not try it. Off-roading is all about knowing your’s and the vehicle capabilities. As far as fixes go for the issue, I would eliminate the issue all together. Find a true part time transfer from a DX 80 or 75/79 series, and aisin hubs and do that conversion.