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4x4 Gear The Future is ORANGE! By Simon Ward-Hastelow Published: 5th Feb 2007 Original article: http://www.difflock.com/magazine/4x4_Gear/Jacking_Point_covers.shtml

 Banned Rover  bannedrover@hotmail.co.uk  www.bannedrover.co.uk  Price: £9.50

Another one of those nifty little products that come under the heading 'why didn't they think of that before'. But, more importantly, these Jacking point covers are not only useful they look good too. Always a bonus!

We've all been there . . . You get yourself stranded, bottomed-out, beached or just plain stuck and the big boys are hauled out of the back to get you mobile again. Land Rover very thoughtfully provide a couple of jacking points on the front and rear of Defenders and most of the better aftermarket bumpers for other vehicles will also include a brace of jacking points suitable for a Hi-Lift or Jackall.



But just because you have jacking points doesn't mean you can use them. The standard rubber bungs that are fitted to defenders usually get lost about 30 seconds into your first orr-road foray and none of the aftermarket boys provide them at all (I checked!) So you find yourself beached, you get out the jack and then you find that the jacking points are so full of crud and detritus that you can't get the jack in anyway.

After a few dirty weekends followed by only a cursary jetwash the jacking points can quickly become useless. In some areas the mud is of such a consistency that it sets as hard as concrete and the BFH * and a screwdriver are required to scrape enough of a hole to get the jack in place. All very well when you're on the flat and in dry conditions but we never seem to need the Hi-Lift in flat and dry conditions do we?

That's where these new Jacking Point covers come in handy. Designed and Manufactured in the UK by Banned Rover the offer the perfect solution. They cover the hole, keep it crud free and are easily removed when the jack is needed but no SO easily removed that they fall out in the rough stuff.

Made from a similar flexible compound to the ever popular aftermarket bushes, you know they are going to last and serve you well. And they're Orange too! (if the Difflock 4x4 Forum is anything to go by Orange is the new Black in Land Rover circles!)

And if it wasn't enough that they come in such a blinging colour Banned Rover even provide a couple of adhesive flags that neatly fit into a ready made indent in the surface of the caps.

Mike from Banned Rover, who designed the encaps and put them into production, says that he eventually plans to offer the caps in different colours and offer a selection of flags to suit every taste (and obviously keep the Scottish Nationalists happy!) But for the time being you can choose whatever colour you like - as long as it's ORANGE!