Series 3 greenlaning.

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jrose

Active Member
Posts
102
Location
Basildon, Essex
I am looking at doing a bit of green laning in my series 3 109, nothing too serious, it's an early 2.286 3 main bearing petrol, just wondering if anyone uses theirs for it, do they handle ok(as well as can be expected) and are there any tweaks I can do that might need doing before I give it a go.
 
They are fun. Mrs been round Iceland twice in 109 moons ago.
Know your limits.
These motors were standard but had off road tyres
What area you from?
 
I'm from Essex, so no mountains I know of
Just fancied a go, mine is completely standard, aside from the weber carb that was on it when I got it, have a bit of a snag with it icing up not long after starting but other than that it runs sweet. I was more worried about doing the clutch a mischief than anything.
 
Give it a go,Series Landy still better on the rough stuff than most modern [ Non land rover ] trucks.
However best to go with friend in a second vehicle. Use low box for more control less strain.
 
+1 don’t lane alone unless you sure you know what you are doing.

Long running in low range can build heat up. They should be fine but if the rad is old it might run hot.

If more than one vehicle. Get some CB radios. They are priceless for this use.

Make sure you have good and SAFE recovery points. In case you do get stuck.

Have a suitable tow rope.

Sensible tyres are recommended. Although terrain will dictate what “sensible” means. An AT is normally ideal however.

Get yourself an OS mapping tool on your phone/tablet. They are priceless at letting you know where you are and where the lanes are.

Check any lanes are open to road traffic before driving them. And don’t drive where you shouldn’t.

A 109 should be perfectly capable. I’m assuming you know the different 4wd drive modes and how they operate. Remember a 109 does have the turning circle of a battleship though. Should be a problem 90% of the time. But worth bearing in mind as some lanes can be tight and if you need to turn around it may impact you more so.
 
Normally the cold damp air causes the icing carb.
As for the clutch you will be in low box probably 2nd low chugging along.
Your clutch should be fine

Look for a local 4x4 club for green laning near you.

IMG_8293.JPG IMG_8234.JPG
 
+1 don’t lane alone unless you sure you know what you are doing.

Long running in low range can build heat up. They should be fine but if the rad is old it might run hot.

If more than one vehicle. Get some CB radios. They are priceless for this use.

Make sure you have good and SAFE recovery points. In case you do get stuck.

Have a suitable tow rope.

Sensible tyres are recommended. Although terrain will dictate what “sensible” means. An AT is normally ideal however.

Get yourself an OS mapping tool on your phone/tablet. They are priceless at letting you know where you are and where the lanes are.

Check any lanes are open to road traffic before driving them. And don’t drive where you shouldn’t.

A 109 should be perfectly capable. I’m assuming you know the different 4wd drive modes and how they operate. Remember a 109 does have the turning circle of a battleship though. Should be a problem 90% of the time. But worth bearing in mind as some lanes can be tight and if you need to turn around it may impact you more so.
The driving im quite happy with, i have done a fair bit of offroading but in military land rovers, I've tried all my gears in all ranges and they all work as they should. I'll be treating mine with a bit more care as I don't have the same budget as the mob :)
The turning circle is massive, my tyres are avon rangemaster, in pretty good nick. I'll get looking for a local club and give it a go.
Thanks everyone for all the advice.
 
Remember that the original specification is within reason a go anywhere four wheel drive. Actually iconic. It should cope easily with bog standard green laning. Only reservation is the wheel base. Standard spec, even with the Weber , lower axle weight, especially to the rear. A bit of ballast in the back helps.
 
More than capable in standard form, the only things I would consider as mentioned above is a decent recovery point front and rear, and potentially a pair of diff guards. Although not necessary with careful driving, for the price and ease of fitment they just give a little piece of mind. This is the only modification I have done to my SWB and that regularly goes green laning.
 
I can hardly get my 109 around sainsburies carpark cos of the turning circle, I'd want to recky any potential green lane before I put my landy on it.

Col
Wider off set rims and wind the steering stops in should help. Still terrible, but an improvement. Swapping on a coil front axle (requires some work to retain leaf springs) will give you a wider track again and even more improvements in turning circle. But evidently no longer stock.
 
Once a year we go to the Brookland miltiraty vehicles day and we all get to drive around the BM World off road track for free. The LWB is amazingly capable off road, its an eyeopener as mine spends 99% of its time on tarmac. First time was a revelation "oh so this is what's its really made for..." but there is one turn where I almost always get stuck, this year I had to make an amoured car and a truck reverse, they seem to get round it but everyline I try seems to end up with my bumper in a tree. I should add that the axles get their annual full articualtion and the ride home is much nicer.
 
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