What makes Ernst a real eye-catcher is probably the overall height adjustment and the additional equipment. The ram guard is mostly used to attach the auxiliary lights. These are switched separately via a relay and are considered working lights, so they are not registered. Even if they are priced to settle in the ECO area, the four round buddies illuminate the night to day. Just off the track, we were almost blind with the normal headlights after dusk, now even in the dark no secret parking space remains undetected. Only the fixing screws are made of low-grade steel and do not deserve the name stainless. Otherwise absolutely recommendable.
The self-hive ability was a big issue, because our itinerary was supposed to lead through lonely sections of the earth. The winch was therefore a point that was very high on our wish list. Unfortunately, the medium price segment is very, very weak in the market represented, but brand manufacturers like WARN are great, but something for ambitious off-roaders. But it should not be too cheap to refuse service at the crucial moment. It should be able to pull at least 1.5 times the vehicle weight, but not be too heavy itself. The plastic rope saved us a lot of weight, but not the price. The cables from the battery to the winch are included, but unfortunately much too short in our case. For longer cables, unfortunately, the cross section must be increased ... There are now 2 thick black snakes in our car. We have attached the winch holder to the crossbar under the cooler. The ground clearance has been reduced by about 2 cm and even on steep edges, we now have to approach more cautious, yet we are very satisfied with the location. Incidentally, the enclosed radio remote control is absolute garbage, but the cable version also included works wonderfully well. If, by the way, there is no tree or rock in the area, we can also drop the anchor, as is the case for real desert sailors. This should be able to salvage vehicles up to 5.7 t. We are already looking forward to the first test. With the pulley, the winch can be significantly relieved, but I do not need to explain the pulley system to anyone.
The new skylight was not necessary, but it is just beautiful. We decided to do so because we had to replace the ceiling panel due to a water leak and just took the opportunity. Now we can not only admire the stars at night, but also crank up the window completely and enjoy the view standing ... or clean the solar panels.
Our washing machine is a big, white, watertight ton, which we have strapped to the roof rack. With the laundry balls, some eco-detergent and water it is cleaning the most necessary laundry while driving. A little awkward, but certainly better than sitting on a river with a washboard. We have provided the two reserve canister holders with metal straps so that we can hang them over the steps of the stairs. The whole thing secured with a small strap holds fantastic, is not really in the way, quickly disassembled and is an eyecatcher. Unfortunately, I can not recommend the canisters that we bought to anyone, because they rust already after a week.
We got hold of spare tire holders and tread plates on eBay. Without the tin, the rear door would be completely useless for such short-legged people as us. And the relocation of the spare wheel gave us the opportunity to expand the space actually provided with a self-built underfloor box. Incredibly valuable for heavy things you rarely need or smelly stuff.
Anyone who had to drive a LT backwards at night knows that the reversing spotlight must have won its name in the lottery, so we also helped here with a few LEDs. Also very handy if you want to wash off the salt water under the outdoor shower at night. By the way, the shower hides behind the license plate 😉