If you drive through fields a lot I would advise getting some mud terrain tyres. Neither front, centre or rear diff locks are going to help much in wet mud with road tyres. Anyway, I think a Defender only has centre diff lock as standard so you could easily have a front and rear free-wheeling wheel.
 
@lisette

When you turn the ignition on do you get the TC light come on as part of the self teat bulb check for a few seconds? top row RH side of the warning lights cluster?

Cheers
Is that the one that I have to wait to go off before i turn the engine on? If so, yes. it comes on. What does it do? I just know I have to wait until it goes off before i turn on the engine.
 
You say you had your foot OFF the accelerator. Whilst a Jeremy Clarkson POWERRRRRRRRRRRRR approach is not going to help one bit, you also need enough momentum and gas to get you through the tricky bit. Expect some wheel spin in really boggy bits and use some speed to carry you through. TBH if you are in low range and lower gears on the main gearstick in a flat field you are asking for trouble. In simple terms your Defender is always in four wheel drive...diff lock gives it even more traction (push small lever to the left), and low range (lever forward) is a "crawler" gear. In low range, 1st gear on the main stick your engine will be revving it's nuts off at a walking pace. Use high range, diff lock (small lever back and left, dash light on) in a field. Do not forget to move the lever back to the right when you hit tarmac or firm non-slippy ground again or you can damage the gearbox (light might take a second or two of driving to go out).

If you do get it stuck some careful backwards/forwards whilst sawing the steering wheel side to side half a turn might get you moving and get you out. But if you've sunk to the point where the truck is sat on the axles/diffs with the wheels just spinning you're probably not going anywhere.
 
It shows you have TC fitted. This is the traction control light. If you use it in anger when stuck, then it will light up while it is being used, you may hear a buzzing / grumbling noise while it works.

Again it is all described in the owners handbook.

Cheers
 
It is all described in the owners manual.

Cheers
I will have a look through the manual later. I pushed the lever to the right and up to Low. So was i just in low range and not diff lock? When would that be helpful? I think I must have got the diff lock on eventually by trial and error as the light came on. So next time, diff lock to the left and down to H, before i go into the mud. I use second gear, (although everytime I tried to move she stalled this time) foot off accelerator and let her chug through as that was what I was taught to do through Landrover experience course. I just couldn't remember everything.
(I wasn't sunk up to the axles btw!).
 
Ok Have looked at the manual and don't have TC. But it does look as if i didn't do the right thing with the diff lock.
 
Ok Have looked at the manual and don't have TC. But it does look as if i didn't do the right thing with the diff lock.
The most important thing is..... have fun:) I remember my first time off road I didn't see the BLACK route sign as it was blown over and ended up stuck in a bog... throughout the coming minutes of f'ing and j'fing I knocked it into neutral... then thinking I had blown the gearbox or something horrendous as I had no power/drive....... Eventually realising the error and winching myself out it was all ok no damage.

Slow and steady wins the race.... go as slow as possible but as fast as necessary.... If you think you are going to lose traction you should always be in low(usually) and Diff lock engaged. Its amazing if you don't have diff lock on as what is no slipping at all suddenly becomes a whole different affair. I have tried a few times in fields with the "do I really need diff-lock, only to straight away start slipping all over the place"
 
Hi Lisette,

Not wanting to seem like I am trying to teach you to suck eggs, but you say low ratio and diff lock in the same sentence, do you know the difference?

Also altho mine is not as fancy as yours , I always try and engage diff lock before it is needed. Whilst I still have good momentum.

Does Your defender have Traction control as well as Diff lock? Sorry I have not played with one of the newer posh ones.

Cheers
Not teaching me to suck eggs. I am neither technically or mechanically minded but I am trying to learn. My Landy is used to do jobs around my place which occasionally requires going off road. I live on a small farm but don't need a tractor. It is also my main vehicle for everyday use, work etc. I said "low ratio?" because I wasn't sure what "low" actually meant. I now know it means low range from reading the replies. .I have now read the manual and can see I would use low range for steep inclines. I still don't understand what it actually does. In my original post I suggested I had done something wrong. I clearly had. I need to wait a few weeks until the field is drier and practise with the diff lock. I the past, my husband did most of the off road stuff, but now I have to do it myself. Hence why I asked for help which I have received so thank you. :)
 
If you drive through fields a lot I would advise getting some mud terrain tyres. Neither front, centre or rear diff locks are going to help much in wet mud with road tyres. Anyway, I think a Defender only has centre diff lock as standard so you could easily have a front and rear free-wheeling wheel.
I don't go through the fields often. It was just that I had to fix some rails which were at the far end. I tend to walk across usually, mainly to protect the grass. She went across first time without any real problem but I think the second time I needed the diff lock on as the mud was already churned up from the first trip. Plus the tyre treads would have been filled with mud. I did try to take a different track but the ground was even wetter to the left/right. I am pretty sure i did not get the diff lock on properly and probably that made the situation worse. Anyway, got her out with the tractor! Just a bit embarassing!
 
I don't go through the fields often. It was just that I had to fix some rails which were at the far end. I tend to walk across usually, mainly to protect the grass. She went across first time without any real problem but I think the second time I needed the diff lock on as the mud was already churned up from the first trip. Plus the tyre treads would have been filled with mud. I did try to take a different track but the ground was even wetter to the left/right. I am pretty sure i did not get the diff lock on properly and probably that made the situation worse. Anyway, got her out with the tractor! Just a bit embarassing!

I've been stuck plenty of times too, its all part of the fun (usually) :) I've been stuck in my Discovery and had people in Nissan Patrols, Hyundai Gallopers and even Vitaras help me out...usually they'd take the **** out of a Land Rover and think their 4x4 is the dog's bollocks when at the pub, but off-road everyone helps out
 
Here's the proof that Land Rovers are best... bloody Patrols can't even fit on a bridge!!! :)

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Not teaching me to suck eggs. I am neither technically or mechanically minded but I am trying to learn. My Landy is used to do jobs around my place which occasionally requires going off road. I live on a small farm but don't need a tractor. It is also my main vehicle for everyday use, work etc. I said "low ratio?" because I wasn't sure what "low" actually meant. I now know it means low range from reading the replies. .I have now read the manual and can see I would use low range for steep inclines. I still don't understand what it actually does. In my original post I suggested I had done something wrong. I clearly had. I need to wait a few weeks until the field is drier and practise with the diff lock. I the past, my husband did most of the off road stuff, but now I have to do it myself. Hence why I asked for help which I have received so thank you. :)

Low range basically lowers the gear ratios so you can have more torque and a lower more controlled speed. It took me a while to get my head around it when I first got my landy!

This guy explains it in basic way -
 
@ Lisette ... Now that you are in learning mode, you have started calling your Fender a 'she' and you have probably discovered that if you talk to her constantly, she will alaways respond favourably!
The next thing is to give her a name.
My current one-ten, being the youngest is 'Baby', and considering that she is almost 30, in fine fettle, with a 2.5 N/a engine, she sings to me whenever we are oiut ttogether.
 
I don't go through the fields often. It was just that I had to fix some rails which were at the far end. I tend to walk across usually, mainly to protect the grass. She went across first time without any real problem but I think the second time I needed the diff lock on as the mud was already churned up from the first trip. Plus the tyre treads would have been filled with mud. I did try to take a different track but the ground was even wetter to the left/right. I am pretty sure i did not get the diff lock on properly and probably that made the situation worse. Anyway, got her out with the tractor! Just a bit embarassing!

Might be worth getting a tractor anyway! :) Old one isnt a lot of money, and they hold their value.
They are much better than a landrover off road, you can drive over stuff that leaves a landy floundering, without even putting your coffee down.
And they dont break nearly so easy as landrovers on rough terrain.
I have had more landrovers than I can count, tractors same, over 30 years. And no doubt which I would go for in bad conditions in the fields, tractor every time.
 
Might be worth getting a tractor anyway! :) Old one isnt a lot of money, and they hold their value.
They are much better than a landrover off road, you can drive over stuff that leaves a landy floundering, without even putting your coffee down.
And they dont break nearly so easy as landrovers on rough terrain.
I have had more landrovers than I can count, tractors same, over 30 years. And no doubt which I would go for in bad conditions in the fields, tractor every time.




Much the same for me,love it.:) I have always been amazed where a 4x4 can go and at other times how little it takes to get one stuck.
 
Much the same for me,love it.:) I have always been amazed where a 4x4 can go and at other times how little it takes to get one stuck.

Yes, and the strange thing is, as OP has discovered, innocent looking wet grass can sometimes be more difficult to get over than much more severe looking terrain.

But those big v tread tyres,and mechanical difflock, always deal with ease! :) Although there is often a cost in ground damage with the tractor. I often use my landy for this reason, but only if I think it will get through!
 
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Yes, and the strange thing is, as OP has discovered, innocent looking wet grass can sometimes be more difficult to get over than much more sever looking terrain.

But those big v tread tyres,and mechanical difflock, always deal with ease! :) Although there is often a cost in ground damage with the tractor. I often use my landy for this reason, but only if I think it will get through!

innocent looking wet grass? she said 6" deep mud :eek:
 

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