Groot Trek Kykweer

JURGENS OFF-ROAD TRAILER COVERED DISTANCE OF THE GREAT TREK FIVE TIMES OVER, WITH MORE TO COME...

The tough Jurgens XT 140 off-road trailer has endured some of the most challenging conditions Africa has to offer, covering more than five times the distance travelled by the Great Trek pioneers 175 years ago, and it will now embark on yet another Great Trek.

The trailer will again be hitched to a 4x4 verhicle of the Klipbokkop 4x4 Academy (the Academy) to tackle the route taken by the great trek leader Piet Retief when he conquered a tortuous route over the formidable Drakensberg to what is now known as KwaZulu-Natal. For more than six years the off-road trailer has  been in use at the Academy  and during this time has visited  eleven African countries in its 11 000 km odyssey over some of the toughest terrain imaginable.

According to Gerhard Groenwald of the Academy, the South African- designed trailer has proven itself in some of the worst off-road conditions on earth. “It has survived the muddy sludge of the rainy season in Mozambique, the dust and thick red sand of Namibia, the culverts and washed-away trails of Zambia – and it is now ready for its next challenge. We will follow the oxwagon tracks of Piet Retief from Grahamstown to Graaff-Reinet, then cross the Winter Mountains to reach Aliwal North and the Orange River. From there we will travel to Winburg in the Free State,  then find our way over  the Drakensberg.  We will visit the Church of the Vow in Pietermaritzburg before reaching our final destination at the Blood River Monument.”

The journey, from  September 16 to 28, and under the auspices of the Federation of Afrikaner Cultural Associations (FAK), formed part of the 175th anniversary celebrations of the Great Trek from 1835 to 1838.

Pierre Malherbe, General Manager of Jurgens Trailers, says to produce reliable and durable trailers capable of withstanding the tough southern African conditions is as crucial now as it was more than a century ago.

“Just as the intrepid travelers of yore had to rely on their sturdy ox wagon to reach their destination, so outdoor enthusiasts and 4x4 adventurers now depend on a good, reliable off-road trailer to negotiate challenging routes and conditions. Our XT range of off-road trailers has been designed specifically for South African conditions and is therefore tough and durable – as proven by our flagship XT 140 model used by the Academy. We are confident the trailer will again show its mettle on this commemorative journey.”

A documentary of this gruelling 4X4 commemorative trip will be aired on KykNet later this year. Constant, up-to-date information on the journey will be available on the websites www.fak.org.za and www.klipbokkop.co.za, as well as Jurgens Trailers’ website www.jurgenstrailers.co.za.

For more informationon  this latest ‘trek’, please contact Gerhard Groenewald at info@kbkm.co.za or tel. 082 411 6998. And  for more information on Jurgens Trailers, contact Celeste Hewett of CH Communications at celeste@chcommunications.co.za or tel. (011) 656 0133. Or you can  visit www.jurgenstrailers.co.za.