UNSEALED 4X4 ISSUE 015 by UNSEALED 4X4

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ISSUE 015 FREE BUT NOT CHEAP

SEPTEMBER EDITION

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

TO SLIDE-ON

CAMPERS

FORGOTTEN HUTS OF THE

HIGH COUNTRY

CUSTOM CLASSIC CRUISER

6 SENSORS

THAT ALWAYS BREAK

REASONS

YOU NEED A CAMPER TRAILER

MERCEDES G-WAGEN

REVIEW THE WORST

4X4 MODS LESSONS LEARNED

CROSSING THE MADIGAN LINE

MASSIVE

TYRE

SCOOP

SOLAR POWER

SIMPSSSINOGN ! CRO

DEFLATOR COMPARO (WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T AND WHAT DOESN’T EVEN SURVIVE THE TEST)

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CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

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I Am the new Amarok Core 4x4. I Am the biggest tray in class

I Am rear diff lock

I think, therefore I Amarok. Tough to its very core, introducing the Volkswagen Amarok Core 4x4. Built on a robust ladder chassis frame and distinguished by high standards of German engineering—with 16” alloys, Pirelli ATR tyres and rear differential lock—it’s the Amarok you’ve been waiting for. Packed with smart technology, clever and efficient bi-turbo power, Bluetooth facility, multifunction trip computer and cruise control, the Amarok Core 4x4 combines the best and most solid aspects of a range that led this multi-award winning ute to the rank of Carsales’ ‘Best Tradie Vehicle for 2014’ and 4x4 Australia magazine’s ‘Best in Class’ ute. Available in both manual and 8-speed automatic, the new Core 4x4 is the ute for all forms of work and play. To find out more visit IAmarok.com.au or your nearest Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle dealer. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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www.IAmarok.com.au

I Am off-road ABS

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GEAR NEWS Words By Evan Spence

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Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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UNSEALED 4X4 I

LATEST LED LIGHT B

Lately, we have seen reforms on LED light bar mounting from Queensland, South Australia and more recently Western Australia. NSW Roads and Maritime Services is a little late to the party, but has finally released the new amended laws surrounding the fitment of LED light bars. While previously the law dictated that auxiliary driving lights must be fitted in pairs, NSW residents now can run with just one LED light bar if so desired. But as always, there is a catch!

Click here to see all the facts

ADR13 has been amended to remove the requirement to fit lights in pairs, providing the lights: › Do not exceed four in total › Are wired in conjunction with the high beam circuit of the vehicle › Are fitted symmetrically about the longitudinal centreline › Face towards the front of the vehicle Roads and Maritime now exempt vehicles from the requirement to fit additional lights in pairs, as long as all other requirements are met. Hey, I’d call that a win but what do you think?

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BAR LAWS FOR NSW DO YOU THINK THE NEW NSW LED LIGHT BAR RULES ARE FAIR ENOUGH?

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ROAD AND TR

ROAD AND TRACK REPORT If you see or hear of any road or track closures due to weather or restricted vehicle access, get in touch with us so we can let the rest of the four-wheel drive community know. editor@unsealed4x4.com.au

WHAT’S H IN YOUR NECK

BIRDSVILLE ROADHOUSE: PETER BARNES

CAMERON CORNER STORE: FENN MILLER

“There has been a fair bit of rain in NSW by the looks of it, so we are still unsure if it will head this way. All major roads and tracks are open, but please take caution if the tracks start to get wet. These aren’t just four-wheel drive tracks but major roads for locals, so please help us out by respecting the conditions. Hey, if it’s too wet why not stop in for a beer and a feed instead?”

“Things are great out here at the moment (why aren’t you out here experiencing it for yourself?), with the only road causing any issues being Merty Merty with some ponded water and slippery conditions. Birdsville Track from Mungeranie to Marree is open, but flagged with caution required to be taken at some sections as there is excessive wheel rutting. Otherwise, there is no better time to see the place, and we are seeing plenty of tourists through this year. Get out here before the heat returns!”

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RACK REPORT

HAPPENING K OF THE WOODS?Â VICTORIA

There has been significant snow falling throughout Victoria, with seasonal track closures still in place. If you are looking to go playing in the snow, the tracks and hills out of Dargo are experiencing heavy snow, as well as the hills surrounding Swifts Creek. Roads are closed between Pantons Gap to the Summit as the weather and conditions are too extreme, VicRoads stresses that motorists take additional care if driving through snow-affected areas as visibility and traction are heavily reduced.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

There has been road damage throughout the Northern Territory with several roads and tracks affected. Barkly Stock Route is open only to high-clearance four-wheel drives. Broadarrow 4WD Track is closed, as are all park facilities in the area. Owen Spring Property access is also only open to highclearance vehicles, as the road has experienced significant damage. Robin Falls between Moyle Rover and Anopheles Creek requires extra caution to be taken; changed road surface conditions are playing havoc in the area.

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CUB EVENTS

Awesome... Cub camper trailers are

…especially when it comes time to trade up. Cub Campers have a much better resale value than most.

AUSTR MOST P ALIA’S O FLIP TPOULAR CAMPE P R

Proudly Australian made since 1968

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ROAD AND TRACK REPORT

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Western Australia is also experiencing its fair share of bad weather. Waychinicup Road through the National Park is closed due to high water levels at Coopers Crossing. Cape Arid National Park is heavily affected by rain, with the risk of die back disease a vey real threat. Margaret River Pine Plantation is closed whilst a timber harvest operation is undertaken from the 17th of August. D’Entrecasteaux National Park has track closures, including Black Point Track from Black Pint Road to Woodaburrup Track, again due to heavy rain.

NEW SOUTH WALES

All unsealed roads in the Cobar Shire are closed due to flooding, State highways are all open however. The there are several roads in the Central Darling area which are now closed, including those passing through Ivanhoe, Menindee, Wilcannia, White Cliffs, Tipla and Springdale. Needless to say it would be wise to avoid the area. The Narrabri Shire is also affected by flooding, with Bald Hill Road open only to 4WD and Millie Road closed to all traffic. Snow is still falling in the Kosciuszko National Park with roads closed between Perisher to Charlotte Pass Lookout, Khancoban to Cabramurra and Smiggin Holes to Guthega Link Road.

› WARNING! This road and track guide is as up to date as possible, but weather conditions can change in the space of minutes. Before venturing into the bush, check with local police, National Parks or managing authority for the area you are travelling in before leaving.

hemamaps.com.au

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MASSIVE

TYRE DEFLATOR COMPARO

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WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T AND WHAT DOESN’T EVEN SURVIVE THE TEST Words by Evan Spence, Photography by Brett Hemmings

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The verdict is out, the old key in the tyre valve and ‘count to 30’ trick when letting down your tyres simply doesn’t cut it anymore. And with the huge variety of tyre deflators on the market available for less than the price of a good case of beer, they are one item that makes pure sense to have stashed in your glove box. After all, nothing will get you further off road for less money than the right tyre pressures. The sad truth however, is not all items are created equal as we found out in the last product comparison we undertook, (see issue #12 of

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Unsealed 4X4) where we tested to destruction as many snatch straps on the market as we could find. So while most tyre deflators might look the same on face value, are they actually up to the task and will they perform as well as each other?

This is what we want to determine my friends, to once and all find out what is the best product available to deflate your tyre pressure for off-road use. We also want to see which deflator has the best construction, while offering the best bang for your buck. But you won’t find that info reading this intro… go on, get into it you lot!

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TESTING METHOD This might come as a surprise, but we don’t have a test lab here at Unsealed 4X4 HQ. We do however have the Unsealed 4X4 Garage! For this test, we borrowed Print Editor Sam Purcell’s spare tyre from his 130 Defender. As he has internal beadlocks, there are two holes drilled in the rim. One is for tyre inflation, and the other is to inflate the beadlocks. We removed the internal beadlock, and installed a spare tyre valve into the now vacant hole, so we had one valve for the test deflators, and one to measure and record pressure. We used a tyre that is common to many four-wheel drivers, a 285/75R16

(33inch) and set it each time to 35psi. To measure and record tyre pressure, we employed a TD1300A-X tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) made by TYREDOG. The advantage of this system, is the wireless controller and simple screw-on valve sensors were quick to install and easy to use. The sensor was simply screwed onto one tyre valve and left there; each test deflator was then used on the second valve. We also decided to cut the air hose, to measure how thick each of them was. We picked up a set of calibrated digital verniers to measure the wall thickness, the thickness of the protective sheathing as well as how big the internal hole was too. After all, the larger the hose the more air that should come out… right?

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ARB EZ DEFLATOR WHAT’S THE GO: We purchased the EZ Deflator from ARB Penrith over the counter for $69. WHAT WE LIKED: The gauge was the most accurate out of all deflators tested, measuring bang on the mark on each test. It was also fairly quick, however there were slightly quicker units tested. The actual deflator mechanism was easy to use without being overly stiff, and the overall package felt to be of a good construction. The internal diameter of the hose was the second biggest on test too. WHAT WE HATED: It is the most expensive out of the valve core removal tyre deflators tested… but not by much, and you are paying for quality so I guess that is a moot point really.

PRICE PAID: $69.00

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DOBINSON WHAT’S THE GO: We purchased the Dobinson deflator over the phone from the Sydney head office. It arrived two days later for a total of $56. WHAT WE LIKED: The deflator was easy to use, with no stiffness or complaints. The storage pouch supplied was nice and small, and there were no audible leaks during testing. The hose was also nice and thick, and protected by an external sheath. WHAT WE HATED: It felt kind of cheap, as did the storage pouch… and considering it wasn’t the cheapest unit tested cost wise is a shame. It was also off accuracy wise compared to other units tested. Annoyingly, the plastic face over the gauge also rattled around, indicating something isn’t quite right.

PRICE PAID: $56.00

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4 x4

SUV

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DR AIR WHAT’S THE GO: Picked up from Supercheap Auto for $39.99. While it is not a valve core remover style tyre deflator, it is still a tyre deflator so why not include it? WHAT WE LIKED: Well… not a lot really. It is a novel idea that saves you from having to remove the valve for deflation. But in the real world it wasn’t much chop. The hose construction was quite substantial however, which is worth mentioning. WHAT WE HATED: In theory it should be quite easy to use, as the device simply screws onto the tyre valve, and you push down on it to allow air out then twist to lock the unit in place. But it was ‘twitchy’ to use, and also incredibly slow. It is also quite expensive for what you get and the carry pouch is infuriating to use with the zipper mounted on the sides rather the top of the pouch.

PRICE PAID: $39.99

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DUNE BIG RED WHAT’S THE GO: Purchased from Anaconda for $39.99, making it the equal second cheapest valve core remover style tyre deflator in this test. WHAT WE LIKED: The carry pouch is made from sturdy vinyl, and the gauge was nearly bang on accurate. It was also the second quickest deflator on the test too! WHAT WE HATED: It leaked… BADLY! No matter what we tried, air would continue to escape from the deflator mechanism. The hose was of poor quality, looking like it was made from thin garden hose. The deflator mechanism was also stiff to use, and there appeared to be glue coming out from the hose join. So while it has benefits, it definitely isn’t without flaws.

PRICE PAID: $39.99

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GENERIC PENCIL GAUGE (SCA) WHAT’S THE GO: Again, purchased from Supercheap Auto. And while not technically a tyre deflator, who here hasn’t used one to do the job before? We also wanted to see how accurate the cheap pencil slide type gauges are. WHAT WE LIKED: They are dirt cheap to buy, easy to store and just as easy to use. WHAT WE HATED: The deflation aspect was painfully slow, taking nearly 10 seconds to drop 1psi. The gauge side of things was also inaccurate, measuring under on all three testing components. Still, better than using a key, and for $5 or so, you can live with some of the shortcomings I suppose.

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IRONMAN SPEEDY WHAT’S THE GO: We grabbed the Ironman unit over the counter from Penrith Off Road Warehouse for $65. WHAT WE LIKED: It sounded as though it let out more air than the other units tested… there was a serious explosion of air when the deflator was activated! It was actually the second quickest unit tested, and pretty darn accurate too, with only lower pressures upsetting the accuracy by just .5psi during our test. WHAT WE HATED: It is the second most expensive unit tested, but again has the figures to back up the sticker price, and would be a worthy addition in any recovery kit.

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OPPOSITE LOCK WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE GO: We went out and bought the Opposite Lock deflator from Opposite Lock Penrith for $60 WHAT WE LIKED: It was the quickest, and it was the most accurate at lowest pressures too. The operation was silky smooth, and the gauge was quite simple to read. WHAT WE HATED: The base of the hose was kinked during transit. It seems they tie this up too tightly, which caused that nasty kink. I cant help but feel this will only cause damage in the long run, as this is now a potential weak spot. The gauge was also out by 1psi at higher pressures. I know I know, but it is worth mentioning.

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ROUGH COUNTRY (AUTOBARN) WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE GO: We strolled into Autobarn, and walked out $34.99 lighter with a deflator in hand. WHAT WE LIKED: It is cheap, it works, and it looks to be screwed together really well. Which is a surprise from a less known brand, especially for the price. It was also simple to use, not stiff or jerky. The carry pouch is also of good quality. WHAT WE HATED: The mid-range accuracy was a bit off which was strange. The gauge also needed to be reset by depressing the pressure release button. Not a real issue, it just needs mentioning. External sheathing was also a little thin, having said that this is the best bang for buck deflator on the market!

PRICE PAID: $34.99

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STAUN WHAT’S THE GO: We bought these online and had them shipped to the office within two business days for $83.30. WHAT WE LIKED: The simple screw on design, and the fact there are four pre-set deflators means you can do the walk around your vehicle deflating all tyres at once, rather than one tyre at a time. WHAT WE HATED: They are slow, they are expensive and when you put those two facts together it is pretty safe to say the Stauns are out-classed these days by valve core removal deflators. Sure there will be Staun supporters, and the design definitely has its merits… I actually own a set! Put it this way though, after doing this test I won’t be buying them again.

PRICE PAID: $83.30 (SHIPPED)

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DRIVING LIGHT ACCESSORIES

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$269.99 AUSTRALIAN OWNED & OPERATED

QUALITY PRODUCTS & SERVICES

FLEXIBLE DELIVERY OPTIONS

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24 MONTH GENUINE WARRANTY

SAFE & SECURED TRANSACTIONS

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TIGERZ 11 KWIKY WHAT’S THE GO: Bought online from 4WD Supacentre and delivered in two days for just under $40 WHAT WE LIKED: The name made me laugh. HAHA… Kwiky. But in all seriousness, the gauge was pretty darn accurate, and the carry pouch was really small which is a good thing if you don’t have much storage space. WHAT WE HATED: The fact it fell to pieces during our testing. By saving a few cents and using a metal O-ring instead of a decent circlip, the deflator mechanism comes apart with less effort than it takes to open a bottle of tomato sauce. It was also stiff to use, and there are obvious machining imperfections on the deflator mechanism too. Sorry, but for the money, there are better options!

This is just how easy it was to break the Kwiky, a proper circlip would have made all the difference!

PRICE PAID: $39.00 (SHIPPED)

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psi @ 10 Sec Actual psi psi @20 Sec Actual psi psi@30 Sec Actual psi Inner Hose External Hose

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ARB EZ ($69)

Dobinson ($56)

Dr Air ($40)

29psi 29psi 25psi 25psi 21.5psi 21psi 5.6mm 9mm

26.5psi 29.5psi 22.5psi 26psi 19psi 21.5psi 5.65mm 10mm

33psi 33.5psi 32psi 32.5psi 29.5psi 30.5psi 4.90mm 10mm

Dune Big Red Generic Pe ($5.26) ($40) 29psi 29psi 25psi 25psi 20.5psi 20.5psi 6.2mm 9.85mm

31psi 33.5psi 30psi 32.5psi 28psi 31.5psi NA NA

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encil Ironman Speedy Opposite Lock Rough Country ($65) ($60) ($35) 28.5psi 28.5psi 24psi 24psi 19.5psi 20psi 5.4mm 9.2mm

28.5psi 29psi 24psi 24psi 20psi 20psi 5.50mm 9.1mm

29psi 29psi 24psi 26psi 20psi 21psi 5mm 9.5mm

Staun ($83)

Tigerz11 Kwiky ($39)

NA 34psi NA 32.5psi NA 31.5psi NA NA

29.5psi 30psi 25psi 25.5psi 21psi 22psi 4.1mm 9.1mm

If it were up to me, it would be a choice between the ARB or Ironman, as they were both quick, easy to use without any leaks and felt to be high quality with no machining flaws. Opposite Lock was the fastest, and only really loses points on the hose kink, which really is avoidable with a redesign of how they ship and package the unit.

WINNERS CO

DEFLATO E R BEST BANG FOR BUCK CO

MPARISON

DEFLATO E R

WOULD AVOID:

You can do better for your money than both the Dune Big Red and the Tigerz11 Kwiky. The Dune unit leaked, was stiff and to be honest quite poorly put together. The Tigerz11 Kwiky was fairly accurate, but loses major points for that stupid metal O-ring used instead of a decent circlip. It was the only unit on this test that we could pull apart and with very little effort, thanks to the wrong part being used all in the name of saving a few cents per unitâ&#x20AC;Ś (See the video to support this).

MPARISON

BEST BANG FOR BUCK:

Man, the Rough Country from Autobarn was a bit of a secret weapon. It felt well made, and it was easy to use without any leaks or issues. It was also the cheapest valve core remover style deflator. In fact, if it were just slightly more accurate it would have won. If you are on a budget, this is the deflator for you!

DEFLATO E R

THE WINNERS:

THE NITTY GRITTY

TY GRITT WOULD AVOID CO

MPARISON

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THE WORST

4X4 MODS 4 THINGS YOU NEED TO STOP DOING TO YOUR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE NOW!

(Assuming you are actually doing them) Words By Matt Scott In my book, functionality, purpose, and reliability are the deciding factors of four-wheel drive modifications. On a street car, you might be able to get away with that faux “race car” tow hook, but on an off-road vehicle, that subpar recovery device could

have some serious—even deadly— implications. Like the Formula One wing sitting on the back of your neighbour’s kid’s Honda, there’s things that look just as stupid on your LandCruiser. Here are my thoughts on a few that shouldn’t be allowed—ever.

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Stinger Bumpers So after scrolling through a few forums, you’ve seen a few competition rock crawlers from Tuff Truck with massive stinger bumpers that are meant to protect the front of your vehicle in the event of a rollover. The next natural step is to put this on your comparatively stock vehicle, because it will make you a rock crawler too, even if it’s ridiculously in violation of Australian Design Rules. The word here ladies and gentleman is…poseur. Stinger bumpers do serve a purpose, on highly, highly-modified vehicles, with a full supporting roll cage, that live for competition, not the daily commute.

The fix? Adding an aftermarket heavy-duty bumper to your 4WD is a perfectly acceptable modification. The first step is to evaluate your needs. Want to have the rock crawler look without looking like a poseur? Consider an ADR compliant tube bumper to improve your approach angle, and the clearance in front of your tyres. Want to keep it things a bit less wild? Forget the stinger bar and get a custom-built full-width bumper that will protect your vehicle against animal strikes while giving you a more aggressive and custom look.

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Mounting a high-lift jack to your vehicle when you have with no suitable jacking points

(or the know-how to use it)

A high-lift jack is an incredibly useful and powerful tool, while simple to use, without proper training it can also be incredibly dangerous. Not having proper jacking points only exacerbates the risk of using a highlift. It’s far too common to see them mounted to a vehicle that lacks those safe jacking points—plastic bumper covers, and no side steps make using a high-lift painful at best. Even if you have everything you need — do you actually know how to use this big, heavy item you’ve lugged with you through the bush? Any four-wheel drive trainer can show you how to properly use a tool that if used wrongly could put you in the hospital.

The fix? The obvious fix is to have bumpers and side steps with appropriate jacking points installed. Just remember, not all side steps are rated to hold the weight of your vehicle safely. Tired of the drama associated with the high-lift? You’d be surprised how capable your factory bottle or scissor jack is when paired with an appropriate base. There are also adapters available that allow you to jack from the holes on your wheels— though it does little good when you need to change that tyre (note- you should never change a tyre with the vehicle supported only by your jack – if you’d gone to a 4X4 driver training course you’d know this).

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Fake Beadlocks I’ve had people tell me they have beadlocks, only to realise they have some Chinese pot metal bolts screwed into the outside of their wheel. In a terrible attempt to justify it, they say it’s alright because they’re cool. Do you know what’s cool about fake beadlocks? Absolutely nothing, they’re terrible. Why are they terrible? In addition to being incredibly ugly (my opinion), they’re usually oversized, and likely made from the cheapest Chinese metal the factory could find.

The fix? Buy a properly sized off-road specific wheel made to handle the abuse of off-road travel. Try to fit the smallest wheel possible, which is usually limited by the size of your brake rotor and calliper. This allows you to have the most sidewall possible, reducing the risk of a pinch flat or sidewall blowout, while giving you a better ride. If you want beadlocks, your best bet will be to get a set of internal beadlocks, which put a canvas and rubber bladder inside your tyre, pushing the sidewalls from the inside out, onto the safety bead, preventing them from coming off.

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Buying Knock-off, Cheap LED Lights It is virtually impossible to walk through a four-wheel drive show without being constantly blinded by the amount of LED lights on display. There’s nothing wrong with LED lighting—and while there’s no doubt it is the future for many applications. Its main drawback is the expense that comes with it; proper light bars from reputable manufacturers aren’t cheap for a reason. Knock-off LED light bars suck, and they suck for a few reasons. For starters, you’ll notice that most of these lights are marketed as “work lights” and that’s because they do not have the distance you need for effective offroad use. Sure, they’re really bright, but when your factory halogens are outperforming your fancy light bar(s) that might be your first clue that something is wrong. Also, take a look

3 4

at this light bar (below) after a trip through a car wash, that condensation is sexy…isn’t it? The fix? Stick to quality items within your price range. You’re better off with a cheaper, name-brand set of halogen lights than you are a poorlysupported set of LEDs sold by a shady dealer. Buying cheap off-road gear that claims to have a high-end punch is false economy. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.

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FIT MY

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CRAZY!

SENSORS ARE A NECESSARY EVIL ON VEHICLES THESE DAYS, SO HERE ARE THE ONES THAT COMMONLY LET GO AND HOW TO FIX THEM WHEN THEY DO Words By Dex Fult

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Every modern vehicle is governed by computers these days. It’s an unassailable fact that you simply can’t ignore. Millions of lines of code go into algorithms that control our engine’s fuel delivery, turbo boost, fuel consumption, ignition timing, our transmission’s shift points…any number of things really.

ECU is no longer receiving the correct information and it throws up a red flag letting you know something’s wrong. While this sounds like a good failsafe practice, in reality it can be a massive pain in the backside, particularly if you’re out in the bush, wondering why your 4X4 has randomly decided to go into limp mode 500km from civilisation.

The ECU takes information from around your vehicle and processes it to give you the best power delivery and fuel consumption it can. Pretty nifty eh? But how does the ECU gather this information? Yep, you guessed it: sensors. These things are dotted about your 4X4 all over the place, and they play a vital role in ensuring things are running as efficiently, powerfully and reliably as possible, so they’re an important part of the puzzle.

So here’s our brief rundown on six of the most important (and potentially annoying) sensors on your vehicle, and how to get out of trouble when one of them decides it’s after lunch on a Friday arvo and stops working.

When a sensor fails, either due to being dirty or because you knocked it completely off on that last log you just drove over, it’ll ‘throw a code’. What this boils down to is that the

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

Vehicle specific diagnostic tools are available fairly cheaply these days, and are worth their weight in platinum when it comes to code-clearing your ECU. If you own a late-model technorich vehicle, we can’t recommend strongly enough that you grab one before your next big trip.

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MAF/MAP Sensor

through everything, the sensor may just be dirty. Remove the unit and Mass Air Flow (MAF) or Manifold spray it liberally with your MAP or Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensors are MAF sensor cleaning spray which is for reading the air entering the engine through your vehicle’s intake – as such, available at just about every auto-parts store. In a pinch, rubbing alcohol will they’re usually found between the do the job too. Also, with MAP sensors, air filter and intake manifold. A MAF closely inspect all vacuum lines around sensor measures the CFM (or flow) of the air and sends a signal to the ECU to the sensor, as a leaky one could cause adjust the fuelling to suit. A MAP sensor a drop in pressure and mess with the sensor’s readings. reads the pressure of the air - on a turbocharged vehicle this can be either Oxy Sensors positive pressure or a vacuum – and Oxygen sensors are those weird again send this down the line to the ECU which works out how much fuel to little gizmos that stick up our of your exhaust pipe and have a couple of dump into your cylinders. Clever, but wires running to them. Many later super annoying when you’re halfway model 4X4s can have a couple of them down the Canning and your 4X4 starts along the length of the exhaust. They’re sounding like a bi-plane or coughing there to measure (surprise surprise) the like a thirty-year pack-a-day smoker. amount of oxygen in your exhaust so You glance down and yep, the check they can tell the computer if the engine engine light is on. Bugger. is running efficiently or if some fuel levels needing ramping up or down. While both of these sensors do occasionally give up the game There’s good and bad news when these completely, you can often get them go south. The good is that they’re an functioning well enough to get you absolute breeze to change (a spanner back to town. First check the wiring or two will knock it over), the bad is that running to the sensor, we’ve seen you’ll need a diagnostic tool to clear the these things degrade over time, code. Check engine lights, weird smells particularly if the vehicle sees a lot of from the exhaust, plenty of smoke out mud or beach work, and it may be a the tailpipe and reduced economy are quick soldering job until you’re back all telltale signs that your oxy sensor on track. If you’re driving in thick dust has given up on life. or have been mud-bogging your way

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Crank Angle Sensor

Also called crankshaft position sensors, these guys monitor the revolutions of your crankshaft and let the ECU know where the piston is through its range of travel at any given moment, so the ECU knows when to inject fuel, and on petrol engines, when to fire the sparkplugs. While they’re not known especially for failing, their position on the engine (right down behind the crank pulley) means they can be exposed to a fair bit of crud in an off-road environment. If you do have a faulty one, you’ll usually be unable to start the vehicle (it’ll crank, but not fire). There’s usually three wires running to them: a positive, a triggering signal wire and a ground. Make sure you know which is which before removing or messing with it in any way. Test the triggering signal wire for a pulse and the positive wire to make sure it’s receiving power – if it ain’t, chances are it’s cactus. Replacing them varies from vehicle to vehicle. While it’s usually not overly difficult, they can be tricky to get to – so bone up on where it is and how to reach it on your 4X4 before leaving.

Throttle Position Sensor

As the name suggest, the TPS is there to determine how hard your boot is mashed down on the go pedal. Symptoms of TPS problems include erratic acceleration, intermittent check engine light flashing, stalling for no reason and difficulties in changing gears. While these guys are generally a throwaway part once they’re shagged, we’ve see some pretty ingenious bushfixes on the mechanical parts that’ve broken. If the inner potentiometer is dusted though it’s time to swap in a new one – not that it’s difficult, they’re usually found right near the skinny pedal or throttle butterfly on petrol engines so access is pretty straightforward. But whether you think it’s risky enough to carry in your spares kit is up to you…

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Wheel Speed Sensors

Wheel speed sensors work in conjunction with the anti-lock braking system and are there to…well, do we really need to tell you? The name is kind of a giveaway. The first sign you’ve got a faulty one is the ABS light on your dash lighting up. Luckily they’re a fairly easy fix and are generally a pretty cheap (around the fifty-buck mark) part for most vehicles. Secure your vehicle on jack stands, pop the negative battery cable off and pull the wheel off. The sensor should be easy to spot and is often held in place with screws or small bolts. Pluck it out and pop the new one back in and you’re good to go.

Knock Sensor

Designed to pick up any undue vibrations from your petrol engine, knock sensors send a signal to the ECU to change the fuel and/or timing to prevent detonation. A bad one will usually exhibit symptoms under load or at highway speeds, losing acceleration and fuel economy thanks to the computer dialling everything back, often going into limp mode. The hardest part about fixing them is finding them. They can be found on the block, the head or the intake – so pretty much anywhere. Once you have it though, it’s usually as simple as disconnecting the wires and plucking it out with an appropriate sized socket, again, using your scan tool to reset the ECU and clear the code.

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N O S A E R E N U O Y R E P M A A C

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NS EED ! R E L I R TRA

A LIFELONG SWAG-GUY’S TAKE ON WHY TOWING YOUR ACCOMMODATION BEHIND YOU MAY REALLY BE THE BETTER OPTION Words by Dex Fulton

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I’m going to go ahead and put it out there, I’ve never really been much of a camper trailer fan. Up until recently I’ve been incredibly happy with my swags, roof top tents and, if the particular trip called for it, my fiveperson 30 second tent. Then I went on a weekender with a couple of mates, including Deputy Editor Ev, who had a Cub

Camper in tow. I’ve taken camper trailers away for work plenty of times before this, but I’d never considered owning one, and now I think I may have been camping all wrong these past few decades. Here’s why I’m changing my tune on camper trailers, and if you’ve never considered them, why you should too. Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

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1 THE SET-UP

Setting up my swag consists of three poles and two guy ropes. All up it takes me about a minute from pulling it off the roof to being ready to jump in. I wasted no time in doing just this, before looking smugly over to where Ev had positioned his trailer, ready to offer some wisecrack on his apartment-sized trailer taking longer to set-up than an Olympics. Only he was already done. Yep, in the time I’d taken to roll out my swag, he’d folded the hard floor trailer open and put up the two internal poles and had the kitchen pulled out ready to cook dinner on. Not to mention had a bigger bed and enough internal room to host a dance party. Bugger. Score one for the camper trailer…

2 THE COMFORT

That night was cold, bloody cold. The chill seeped through the ground, my swag’s canvas, right through the mattress and on through me. I woke the next morning with teeth chattering and wondering if my toes were all still attached. Ev, on the other hand, came out of the Cub looking like he’d just had a Jacuzzi and a rub down, exclaiming over how warm he was the previous night under his thick doona, laying on the inner-sprung mattress…bastard.

vehicle. While it may not have been an advantage on the tracks, not being in danger of having his camp oven sconing him in the back of the melon over the bumpy sections was probably really nice. Once we were back at camp, all he had to do was slide the kitchen out and he was ready for lunch. Chalk another point up for the trailer.

4 THE EXTRA SPACE

Yes, having the extra space inside the trailer would be nice, particularly for those with families, or if the weather turned nasty, but the thing that struck me was how little Ev needed to carry in the tow vehicle. His fridge, clothes, cooking gear, food, water and of course his bed were all in the trailer. All he had in his 4X4 was his recovery gear and some light snacks. Meanwhile, the amount of gear in my truck was making it difficult to breathe.

5 THE OFF-ROAD ABILITY

I thought my way of camping would have the clear advantage here, and I was right – but not nearly as much as I thought I’d be. Having the trailer in tow made four-fifths of stuff all difference in Ev’s vehicle’s off-road prowess. Sure, you wouldn’t want one if you’re tackling dedicated hardcore tracks and backing up to make a tight turn would be more difficult, but for 3 THE CONVENIENCE 95% of the tracks we went on the trailer We were visiting a private property was happy to follow in the tow vehicle’s that has numerous tracks dotted all throughout – perfect for setting up camp wheel tracks. Shod with independent suspension and all-terrain tyres, the and then hitting the tracks. While the rest of us were piling our fridges, clothes thing didn’t look like slowing him down at all. And fuel consumption was only and cooking gear back in our vehicles, marginally higher too – Ev simply dumped his stuff inside the camper, threw a padlock on the zippers a small price to pay for what you get I reckon. and was ready to go, in his empty NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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THE VERDICT

So am I going to buy a camper trailer and step into the new world? No, not yet. But only because I’m lucky enough to work in a job where we take a lot of different trailers away with us. Which is lucky, because I’ve got to determine which one I want…

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THE ESSENTIAL TO

SLIDE-ON

CAMPERS

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT LEVEL IN OFF-ROAD ACCOMMODATION? HERE ARE THE BEST SLIDE-ON CAMPERS AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA. Words By Evan Spence NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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Not that long ago, a roof top tent or touring tent with a self-inflating mattress was considered the pinnacle in off-road accommodation. More recently, with the advent of camper trailer popularity, people have started expecting higher levels of comfort on their off-road journeys. But what if the idea of towing a box on wheels is as about appealing as working unpaid overtime on the weekend to you? Well, the answer is a slide-oncamper… sort of.

Let me rephrase that. If you have a ute, and would rather help the in-laws paint their house than tow a trailer, a slide-on is the answer my friend (while providing the perfect excuse to get away from your free-time depleting extended family). Similarly, they allow you to tow a boat or bike trailer, so you’re not going to miss out on catching the big one or the ride of a lifetime because you had to bring the camper trailer along.

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There are other advantages too. Trailers and tents can take a fair while to get setup properly – and the last thing you want to be doing is wrestling with poles and guy ropes when you’ve arrived at your campsite after dark and it’s just started bucketing down. Most slide-ons will only take a few minutes from putting your vehicle in park to being ready for a good night’s sleep, and some of them don’t even require setting up at all. Throw the handbrake on, turn your engine off and simply walk around the back of your vehicle and you’re ready to enjoy being warm, dry and surrounded with more comfort than a five-star hotel.

But where do you start I hear you ask? The first point to determine is what sort of vehicle do you own or hope to own? Can you live with a single cab or must you have a dual cab to transport your tin-lids during the week; would an extra-cab foot the bill? Once the vehicle and subsequent slide on design has been decided the fun really begins. Do you want a pop-top with canvas, or are hard sides the only way? Do you need a shower and toilet, or are you just looking for somewhere to sleep after a hard day’s fishing? The good news is that there are plenty of options on the market, so once you’ve determined what you need, and the style of camper that’s going to suit you best you’re sitting pretty. This essential guide is here to fill in the gaps - these are the slide-on-campers available that we would happily sell our houses for.

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ACTIVE CAMPERS

Active Campers have been manufacturing their slide-ons since 2002 so have had plenty of time to get their product well and truly sorted. One of the big advantages of the Active Campers is that they can fit on some dual-cabs, which means you don’t have to sacrifice cabin space to be able to carry one – perfect if you’ve got a couple of kids or a four-legged mate along for the trip. Active Campers reckon that these are built with serious touring in mind, and have successfully been taken over tracks like the Gibb River Road, up the Cape and over to Fraser Island without a worry, so they’re not exactly expecting you to be camping at the local caravan park. With the fibreglass and canvas construction, they weigh in around the 450kg mark, which is within most utes’ GVM, which is an important consideration when selecting your camper. The opening and fold-down times are said to be within a couple of minutes too, which is always a plus in our eyes.

AUSSIE EAGLE CAMPERS

Jim, the owner of Aussie Eagle Campers, reckons that he first tackled Cape York in an old EH Holden back in the late 60s. Anyone who’s up for that probably knows what they’re talking about if you ask us. That trip inspired him to build his first pop-top camping unit and interested travellers and word of mouth encouraged Aussie Eagle to start manufacturing their slide-on campers full time. That was 18 years ago now and they’re still going strong. While the design ain’t nothin’ fancy – basically just a big box with a pop top roof, they’re claimed to be built very rugged and capable of handling anything your 4X4 can, plus they’ve got a couple of handy design features like a hinged bed so it can be folded out of the way when it’s not in use and heavy duty door catches that can apparently handle even the worst corrugations. If you’re not looking for all the bells and whistles and you’re a firm believer of the adage “simpler is better” then this one could be right up your alley.

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BONETTI CAMPERS

Ok, you could be forgiven for being a little taken aback by the appearance of this one. I mean, it does kinda look like your ute is being mounted by some sort of odd-shaped alien spacecraft, but give it a sec - it’ll grow on you. Especially once you read the specs list of the most expensive tray back camper on our list. Let’s start with the outside, it’s all one piece fibreglass, Kevlar or carbon fibre (depending on how deep your pockets are) so it won’t leak and the thermal insulation qualities should be pretty top notch. While the ‘amorphous blob’ look may not be for everyone, it’s apparently designed that way for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. It’s big too, able to sleep up to four people and the interior appointments let you know you’re in serious glamping territory. Also, it doesn’t require any lifting or folding, so set-up time is literally nil. If that’s not enough, it also lifts itself off your ute tray using electromechanical legs via remote control. Anyway, you get the point this ain’t no polyester dome tent.

CAMERON CAMPERS

The Cameron Campers Slide-on may look like a sort of cross-between a roof top tent and a utility tray but the manufacturers actually claim that it’s easier to set up than a hard floor camper and thanks to having no pegs, poles or guy ropes pack up is quick and easy, especially for those who may be physically limited. Also, the bed is configured so that you’re actually sleeping across your vehicle, which means you won’t have to climb over anyone if nature calls at 3am, as someone who’s copped a few knees and elbows from such efforts in the past, this is a great design feature in my book. They’re available for single-cabs, dualcabs and even styleside tubs which makes them pretty versatile and the extra room that’s part of the fold-out design is a good use of available space. Cameron Campers certainly stand behind their product with some pretty big claims, but they also reckon a seven year old girl can pack their product up, so it makes you wonder…

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CARRY-VAN

Another one of the larger ‘no set-up required’ slide-ons on our list, the Carry-Van has been dubbed “the motel room on wheels” and the Aussie made product is perfect for those that don’t mind their ute looking like it’s been cross-bred with a Winnebago. First is the slide-out sofa. Similar to larger caravans and motorhomes, the entire wall extends out over the rear of the vehicle and allows extra room inside (the lounge actually looks pretty comfy too). There’s also the usual host of bells and whistles designed to make your camping experience as much like checking into a luxury hotel as possible. BUT, the thing we found really interesting is the patented Quick Hitch System that allows the Carry Van to be bolted onto the back of dual-cab utes. It works by slotting in an extra length of chassis and a lazy axle to take the weight of the camper. It’s all ADR approved and is totally reversible (in a claimed five minutes no less) if you want to use your dualcab for daily driving duties. Is it cheap? No, not by a long shot, but full marks for sheer versatility.

CARRY ME CAMPERS

While this slide-on may not have much in the way of bells and whistles, and may have a few more poles and a little more set-up time, it more than makes up for it with good basic simplicity and strength. And to cap it off, they’re priced extremely well for what you get. There are several models in the range and the Carry Me Camper can be made to fit just about any ute that can handle the payload (which is almost all of them). Due to the slightly increased set-up and pull-down times (we’re still only talking about a few minutes here remember), we reckon this one would be better for those types of trips where you pull up to one spot and camp for at least a couple of nights. With that said, we did really like the fact that with this slide-on, you don’t have to set up the tent section to access your food and fridge, so trackside cuppas are a piece of cake.

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CURLEW CAMPERS

Born from the need to tow a boat yet still camp in comfort with a minimum of set-up times, the Curlew Campers are another camper that fall into the “uglier than a smashed crab, but damn functional” category. Ok, maybe that’s being unfair, their campers really do look pretty good on larger 4X4 trucks like the Iveco Daily and Isuzu NPRs, but their sheer size tends to dwarf an average 4X4 ute. And looks aside, it’s not a bad thing necessarily. There’s more creature comforts onboard than the Rolling Stones’ tour bus, and the aluminium chassis means that it’s a good bet to last over some pretty severe off-road conditions. If you were heading off on a hot lap, these’d definitely be worth a look.

INNOVAN

Ok, this one gets an A+ for pure Aussie ingenuity. The Innovan makes better use of available space than an entire Ikea catalogue and the build quality looks pretty good too. We liked the fact that the furniture inside the Innovan is all moulded fibreglass, which is joined to the base structure to give it considerable strength while keeping things light, in fact, Innovan claim it’s stronger than a similarly built caravan made from steel. Pneumatic rams raise the roof and there’s an option to use 12V actuators to make the whole set-up process a hands-free affair. While there’s ample storage, provision for a fridge, gas stove and a table with seating for two, one thing worth noting is that the sleeping arrangement consists of two separate half-queen single beds on either side of the van. So it’s not exactly the best thing for those who enjoy a snuggle with their other half, although whether that’s a good or bad thing will vary depending on who you ask…

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LANCE CAMPERS

Another over-the-roof style of slideon, Lance Campers are already well established in the US as a premium brand of ute-tray accommodation and as you’d expect from a product from the land of gallon milkshakes and Cadillacs, it’s not short on creature comforts. Think stepping into an Elk Lodge with wood panelling and modern conveniences all over the place. We could definitely get used to this sort of luxury, although tracking muddy boots over the plush-pile carpet may not win you any brownie points… One thing worth noting is that these things are designed around the American F-250 and Dodge Ram style of “truck” so make sure you get in touch with the Aussie distributor regarding GVMs and tray sizes before you buy one for your Great Wall dual-cab.

METALINK CANOPIES

Tough, no-nonsense, and practical are words you’ll probably hear being thrown around by Metalink owners, and they’re not wrong. A relatively simple design compared to some slide-ons on our list maybe, but simple works. The popup roof provides a standing area at the rear of the tray for changing your clothes comfortably and the bed can easily accommodate a couple. The interior of the canopy can be configured around what you need to carry with you on your trip, and Metalink will custom build just about anything you need into it. Would we live out of it for months at a time? No. But you could tackle just about any trip in Australia in one of these for a few weeks and not be disappointed.

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MILLARD RV

Millard RV are already known in caravanner circles as a reputable brand, and their pop-top slide-on is another well-appointed product. There’s option for a toilet/shower and it comes standard with a fridge, microwave and over the cab double bed. These are a relatively economical option too, which makes them very high in the bang-forbuck stakes. While not especially revolutionary, we’d be more than happy to spend a night or ten aboard one of these. If pulling up at your campsite after a long day’s dusty driving, opening the door to your camper, having a shower while your dinner cooks on the stove before jumping into a warm bed without having to set anything up doesn’t sound appealing to you, you’ve either got way more energy than we do or you’re some sort of masochist…

NAKED RV

The Naked RV pop-top slide-ons are made with fibreglass sandwich panel construction, meaning there’s no frame which keeps the weight down and makes construction costs lower. A layer of foam core is sandwiched (hence the name) between two sheets of fibreglass which is cut to size and then glued to the other panels using modern adhesives. It’s a simple and strong design which allows a degree of flex over rough roads (a good thing) while keeping the structure pretty rigid overall. Yeah yeah, they’re not the most pleasing to look at, sort of like a big refrigeration unit on the back of your ute, but they’re comfy and reportedly dustproof, so they’re more than up to the job. There are five different models available in three different sizes, dependent on how big your ute tray is and how much weight you can legally carry. The interior is also customisable to suit your needs and there are options of shower units, AC, electric lift-off legs and solar systems. Aussie made too which is always a big tick in our book.

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OZCAPE

The Ozcape slide-on is another one that essentially turns your ute into a caravan with an engine and four wheels, but the Aussie made camper has some undeniably trick inclusions that could turn an otherwise rainedout weekend into a peaceful and relaxing getaway. The thing we found particularly handy was the ability to lift the cushion seating from the dinette and slot them into the foot of the bed, transforming it into a truly giant sleeping area, like one you’d expect to see in a rock star’s hotel room.

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There’s another handy innovation too in the form of a self-centring system that utilises alloy cones to guide the camper onto your ute tray in perfect position. Gotta love functional thinking that makes life easier!

Contact

Designed & Manufactured in Australia

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QUICKPITCH CAMPERS

When it comes to maximising the available space, the Quickpitch Camper is a veritable Tardis – it packs a lot into a camper that fits just about any ute configuration – single, extra or dual-cab and the unique fold-out system sets up and pulls down in under a minute. It’s another camper that utilises the twin-single bed arrangement and a full fold-out kitchen and ample drawer space for clothes, food and camping equipment. It carries no less than 3 individual patents, including ones on the kitchen and fold-out shower with inbuilt shower curtain. There’s even an inside loo for when you realise that last night’s chicken curry could’ve done with another five minutes in the camp oven. You can even plug in things like TVs, laptops and other electrical gear so your teenagers won’t miss out on any Outback Facebook updates. While the single bed sleeping and fold-out tent option may not be for everyone, you have to appreciate the out-of-the-box engineering and sheer ability to fit 10kg of features into a 5kg bag.

RHINO CAMPERS

We’re going to say straight up that the Rhino Camper appeals to us in a big way for no other reason than it’s simple and looks like it just works. But then again, we still like mechanically injected diesels and roll out swags so take that with a grain of salt. There’s no aged oak panelling, no air-con, no electronically activated pop-up, slide-out or flip-up roofs, just the things you need when you’re in the bush and nothing you don’t. The manufacturer claims it’s fully dustproof, and the passenger side gullwing opens to reveal a comprehensive camp kitchen and fridge slide with a removable prep table, while the driver side opens to reveal a full double bed. If you’re travelling solo or as a couple and can do without the finer things, we reckon you could do a lot worse.

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TAILGATE CAMPERS

So we’ve seen campers with opening roofs, sides, and pop-tops, but this is the first on our list where the tent opens out via the tailgate. It’s actually a clever design with the tailgate folding down to provide a standing up platform in front of the bed, while the sides have storage for up to two fridges, a fold-out kitchen and plenty of storage options. Designed for single or extra-cabs only, the Tailgate Camper does rule out those with five-seater utes, but still, being completely Australian made and owned indicates it’s going to be top quality. The aluminium frame is lightweight and strong, with most units weighing in at under 400kg depending on fitted options.

THE BUSH COMPANY

The A-HA Camper from the Bush Company features another unique clamshell-style opening system that allows it to be used as an open-ended day shelter for a quick cuppa, or the ends can be zipped into place so it’s fully enclosed and you can grab a night’s sleep on the single or double beds. This one was originally designed in Africa, where they can encounter terrain similar to our Outback, and given the compact collapsed size and relatively light sub-300kg weight, it’s pretty impressive engineering if you ask us. We’re not totally sold yet on those mattresses yet though, they seem a little thin to us. I guess that means we’ll just have to get our hands on one and find out for ourselves, right Dex?

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PROTECT YOUR

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TRAVELANDER

If you’ve not heard of Travelander, you may want to check your surroundings aren’t under a rock. Arguably the most well-known of the slide-on camper manufacturers, these guys feature a side-opening tent with plenty of inbuilt bells, whistles and camp comfort. It’s also one of the easiest to open, you literally press a button and she opens and closes automatically – no lifting things like a sucker! There’s an option of double bunks in the room area for the kids while Mum and Dad sleep on the queen bed up top. They’re available in the popular single cab arrangement or, due to popular demand, the more recent dual-cab compact range. We actually have firsthand experience with these things and they offer a lot of comfort and versatility without unduly affecting GVM or fuel economy too much.

TRAYON CAMPERS

Another side-opener, the Trayon makes good use of the available space as the double bed is actually attached to the roof, so folds out leaving the rest of the ute tray for a dinette/single bed, 110L fridge and a bunch of storage. It doesn’t feature the extra “room” of the Travelander, instead using the roof as an awning area. The two-burner stove can actually be removed from inside the camper and fired up as an outdoor barbie. One of the things we liked about the Trayon is the ability for everything to run on 12V, 240V or gas, giving a good amount of versatility for remote travel, plus it’s under 400kg and has a low profile when you’re driving, so fuel economy isn’t affected too much.

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TRAYTEK

The Traytek is similar in specs and operation to the Tailgate Campers, in fact, just to muddy the waters they even call their campers ‘the Tailgater’ so be aware they’re different products when you’re doing your research. These ones extend out over the roofline a little to get some more room in the bed area. The bed itself is on gas struts so it can be lifted up to access a fair amount of storage underneath – ideal for clothes, food, misbehaving children, whatever. There’s also a winch fitted to enable the tailgate area to be folded up which is good news for those with bad backs or who are just good old-fashioned lazy (raises hand). They actually look pretty good when folded up too.

WEDGETAIL CAMPERS

One thing we will say about the Wedgetail is that you can tell that it has had a lot of thought put into it. Just about every storage compartment is accessible from both the inside and outside, as can the kitchen. It packs in a dinette, inner-sprung queen sized bed and a indoor toilet/shower as well as about an acre of storage room into a box that fits on the back of most single or space-cab utes. That’s impressive if you ask us. It does take a little longer to set up than some of the other campers we’ve featured here, with owners reporting 8 minute set-up and around 10mins to pull down, but considering what you get, it may be well worth the extra time to you. There’s even the option for a diesel heater for those winter trips.

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THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A SLIDE-ON CAMPER

CONSTRUCTION

WOMBAT CONVERSIONS

The Wombat Glide-on campers are built to order, so you know you’re getting something that’s tailored to you. Featuring the bed-over-cab design with an incorporated pop-top so you’re not hitting your melon on the roof, they’re a camper that’s really aimed at people who want a caravan, but either don’t want to tow it or would rather tow their boat/race car/ bikes/mobile meth lab behind them. The interior is largely left up to individual requirements, and can be made as plush or as hose-out as you like. Chances are though you won’t be waking up in the morning complaining of a crook back or an uneasy night’s sleep that you’d get from the uneven ground and the swag’s foam mattress like we usually do…

Depending on the style of camper you go for, you could be getting something made from a combination of fibreglass, canvas, wood, alloy or even carbon fibre, so ask a lot of questions regarding the methods used, how strong it is, the weight of any canvas and how the frame goes together and are bonded with the panels. Ask your manufacturer LOTS of questions before you sign on the dotted line.

WEIGHT

Campers are generally not light. They will have an affect on your rear suspension, load carrying and most importantly – your GVM. We cannot stress enough how important it is to stay at or below your vehicle’s rated carrying capacity. If you don’t and you come a cropper, you can forget about your insurance paying you out and in the worst case scenario, you may end up in prison. GVM upgrades are available for most 4X4 utes, so if you do need one for your chosen camper, factor it in to the cost.

AERODYNAMICS

This can actually have a marked effect on your fuel economy, especially at speed, so make sure you consider it before purchasing. This one is a bit of a catch-22. If you go for a cab-over style camper you’re gaining a heap of room otherwise taken up by the bed. If you go for one that’s only as big as your tray, you gain aerodynamic efficiency but lose out on the increased space – six of one, half a dozen of the other.

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SOLAR

POWERED SIMPSON CROSSING! THE AUSSIE OUTBACK SOLAR CHALLENGE WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT GETS BEATEN BY THE SUN Words and photography by Anthony Kilner

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A stunning sunrise signalled a problem with the weather.

The sunrise was stunning, with the clouds lit up in gorgeous reds, pinks and golds. As the group stood around in awe of Mother Nature, the sad fact dawned on the Aussie Outback Solar Challenge organisers that this would be the second day where charging the little electric Suzuki was going to be a nightmare. This led to plenty of discussion amongst the crew as the sunrise colours became muted and the grey clouds rolled in around us. The Aussie Outback Solar Challenge (AOSC) was the brainchild of Mark and Denny French (Ex Marks 4WD Adaptors) and Alan and Barbara Johnson (Piranha Off Road Products). Both men over the years had discussed crossing the Simpson Desert in an electric powered 4WD charged only by the Sun. Both vehicles started life as Suzuki Sierras. Alan worked on a budget ‘narrow track’ version which was based around an electric forklift motor while Mark went hi-tech with his ‘wide track’ model and a purpose built electric motor. Alan went for

Mark and Alan ready the Suzi for the big adventure. deep cycle batteries with older technology compared with Mark using Lithium batteries which are new tech in battery design. Between them the rivalry started to grow and it was Alan who got his vehicle running first.

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WithNON-INTERACTIVE the vehicles wellVERSION underway it wasCLICK recording toINTERACTIVE make this attempt | PLEASE HERE FOR MAGAZINE meeting after meeting to organise the work, so it was a big crew that met event. Most sane touring folk don’t at Renmark and Mt Dare to get this just wander across the Simpson. It amazing event off the ground. takes plenty of planning, permits The problems set in before that and because the attempt was being meeting though and in a way set the recognized by the Guinness World Records, there was so much additional tone for the event. Mark’s Suzi had a controller melt down and after work to do it was frightening. trying to move heaven and earth they Mark and Alan gathered a big team of had to pull out at the last moment. photographers, a film team, a group Although feeling crushed, Mark and Denny still went on the trip to organiser in Peter Horan and plenty of support to carry out the correct support Alan.

Alan dusts off the electric motor in readiness to drive to Mt Dare thanks to the broken trailer.

The engine compartment looks like an electrician’s nightmare.

Steve did an amazing job welding the main spring on the car trailer in the middle of nowhere.

Alan returned to Mt Dare with the Suzi under blue skies however rain followed the next day, and the next, and the next!

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ALL NEW INTREPIDOR 2 GET INSPIRED

Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see in all its gloryand go to The Intrepidor 2 isitdesigned to inspire get you out touring! Ideal for SUV and soft unsealed4X4.com.au roaders, the Intrepidor 2 uniquely features a tropical fly with triangle side vents. Constructed with tough 260gsm cotton poly ripstop canvas, a 2.1m square alloy slide ladder, light weight alloy base and a comfortable 65mm mattress. Visit darche.com.au to learn more about the Intrepidor 2 and our complete touring range.

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The trip through South Australia to Coober Pedy went smoothly with the crew hitting the dirt and crossing the Painted Desert to Oodnadatta before heading through Hamilton Station to Mt Dare. It was on this last stretch of road though, that the car trailers decided to go to pieces. With help from the crew, repairs were carried out although in the end the electric Suzi was wheeled off the trailer and after some dust removal, was running and driven to Mt Dare. We also had another special LJ50 Zook in the group. Dave Raeburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-stroke was going along for some fun (you will be able to read all about his adventures in an upcoming story in Unsealed 4X4).

The crew worked feverishly to get the Suzis ready to drive and the trailers ready to for the return trip. The trailers were to be shipped back through Oodnadatta to Birdsville while the group headed straight across the Simpson. Under bright blue skies Alan, who had asked Mark to join him in the Suzi for the attempt, headed off for stage one to get from Mt Dare to Alkaseltzer Bore for the official start to the Guinness World Records record attempt. The planned route was to follow the French Line across the Simpson Desert, which encompasses the Witjira National Park, Simpson Desert Regional Reserve and Munga-Thirri National Park.

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The first charge on the crossing was nearly 40km from Mt Dare.

Nearly 40 kilometres from Mt Dare, the crew pulled up to set up the solar panels for the first sunpowered charge. It was here that Alan and Mark excitedly got to work laying out the panels and ensuring as much sunlight was captured as possible. It was also here that they discovered a weakness in the charging schedule and the charging was not going to go to plan.

With all panels out the boys realised the charge situation needed re-evaluation.

A meeting between the organisers created a new plan for drive and charge and the group set off for the next camp an hour or so down the road. The travel time for the Suzi on one charge was about an hour and around 30 to 40 kilometres in range. This doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem much however with the right planning they would cover the desert in around 8 to 12 days.

Rocky going as Alan and Steve towed their Zooks to Mt Dare.

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The panels are set up and charging at Mt Dare.

Mark and Alan worked feverishly at the next camp capturing the last few hours of light and tried to nut out why the charge rate was down markedly from what was working in Melbourne. In the end though they couldn’t fully charge and the group waited for morning to continue the charge. The discussion around the fire that night was all about the weather. Some cloud was coming through however it was going to be high and light. In the end it turned out to be a stunning sunrise before the clouds rolled in and blocked the sky.

A cloudy sky stopped the charging dead and tough decisions were made.

After much deliberation and a satellite phone call to check the weather forecast, the attempt was called off. In the end this decision proved to be a smart one as the skies didn’t clear for four days and there was rain for three of them.

Alan’s 80 Series towing the Suzi well until the front diff broke.

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This would have blown the trip out to a month or more. Plans were re-jigged and the crew split up. Those that would continue through the desert stopped at Dalhousie while a small crew returned the Suzi to Mt Dare and a return to Melbourne. A fragment of this group met the rest back at Dalhousie Springs and continued across the desert together, planning camps and strategy to complete the event the following year. To add insult to injury Alanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s front diff blew up in the Cruiser at Dalhousie Springs and so he and Barbara and their son Michael limped

their 80 Series back to Melbourne. In the end a group of six vehicles continued on to make a successful crossing of the Simpson Desert. In 2016 the boys will be back even more determined than ever to succeed in their objective of crossing the Simpson in electric solar powered 4WDs!

Click here to find out more about the Aussie Outback Solar Challenge or visit the Facebook page at: /aussieoutbacksolarchallenge

The Suzi powering across the gibber plains out from Mt Dare.

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WE DRIVE MITSUBISH

WE’RE SPOILT FOR CHOICE WIT SO LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT H

Words By Ma

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THE NEW HI TRITON

TH NEW DUAL CABS THIS YEAR, HOW THE NEW TRITON COMPARES.

atthew Scott

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RIGHT NOW

EXTRA GRIP IS WORTH GOLD

That’s why you fit Cooper tyres

Beware of tyres that imitate the Cooper look but are not built to perform

ost 4WD tyre brands make only one all terrain tread either one with a round edge or one with a square edge. Cooper

tyres come in a choice of tread edges so you can match your tyres to your terrain. The result? Extra grip off-road.

To find out more visit coopertires.com.au or call 1300 COOPER

CHECK OUT ROOTHY’S TIP ON GETTING EXTRA GRIP

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Comparing the new generation of dual cab utes to one another is a bit like comparing your favourite brand of canned tuna. At the end of the day one may have a fancier label than another, but they both come from the same boat off the coast of Thailand. It’s a bit of the same with dual cabs these days. Most, if not all, of them are built in Thailand within a stone’s throw of one another using a handful of the same local suppliers. Sure, they’re assembled in different factories and have different designs (Isuzu and Toyota’s ute factories are within less than a kilometre of each other, Mitsubishi’s is a little further

away) but they all end up at the same port for export to Australia. Also, they’re all pretty damn good. Want a fancy ‘upmarket’ interior? They all have it. Rear diff lock? Yep, you can get it on all of them. They all have independent front suspension with a coil-over architecture, with a solid axle out back supported by leaf springs, except for Nissan’s new Navara which has coil springs. So when it comes to purchasing one, it really comes down to the price you’d like to spend, and it seems a lot of Australians (presumably tired of the Toyota tax) have been switching to Mitsubishi’s Triton.

An aggressive ‘in your face’ grill flows into the projector headlights with daytime running lights on premium models.

The headlights are aggressive, but not too ‘in your face’, and should age well.

The Exceed has alloy wheels you’d actually want to keep.

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And after driving the new steed from the triple-diamond brand, you’d have to think that trend will continue, because it’s light years ahead of the previous generation. Perhaps mostimportantly, it looks better than the outgoing model, and while that isn’t saying much, it will help to solidly position this vehicle against the HiLux and the Navara which have always been a bit more put together. Prices are reasonable too, with a base-spec Triton running $3,000 less than its

Nissan counterpart, at $36,990. If you’re in the market for a loaded dual cab ute, equipped with all the bells and whistles, you’ll pay $47,490 for the Exceed model, which I have to say was quite impressive. I especially like the MATT traction system on the Exceed, which gives you a plethora of drive options, ranging from 2WD for the ultimate in fuel economy, to the security of AWD, and the get-youanywhere attitude of proper high-andlow range 4WD.

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You don’t get that on the Nissan Navara that’s priced at $7,000 more, and while you do get the fancy coil sprung rear end that’s heaven on corrugations, for some reason the Triton just feels better, lighter, and more agile on the bitumen.

ever driven the prior Triton, you’ll be happy to know they’ve fixed the seats; the new ones are comfortable even after the roughest day in the bush. The old ones were granite slabs.

I’d bet that just like the previous Triton, this one ends up becoming a bit of an The interior is well thought out, striking unsung hero. I still think that the HiLux a good balance between that high-end will win the awards from the motoring modern feel and the ability to be wiped press, likely due to its Toyota pedigree; down after a day on the tracks. I do but if you’re smart, that won’t bother remember the air conditioning being a you. The Triton is a strong contender bit weak though, which was surprising at a serious value, and one that you’ll likely be able to pick up for a healthy as our long-term Pajero practically discount. Without a doubt, it’s the best turned the car into a portable freezer, these were pre-production models we ute they’ve released to date. were driving but it might be something to pay attention to. Oh, and if you’d

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HJ47 TROOPY

TOUGH TOURER A P ROFESSIONAL QUALITY BUILD FROM A YOUNG BLOKE WHO’S ONLY HAD HIS LICENCE A COUPLE OF YEARS Words By Evan Spence, Photography by Brett Hemmings & Evan Spence

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The Name in the Outback Touring Market

Check out the

VistaRV Caravan Models

Every now and then, you see a custom truck that is so good it makes you want to sell your worldly possessions and hope the owner will accept your lowball offer, even if they aren’t technically selling it. Everything about the vehicle makes you want it, nay need it! It’s a case of love at first sight if you will, and it’s causing you to lose sleep. Jacob’s Troopy is one of those trucks. Even though it might not be the most comfortable or sensible touring machine in this day and age of cushy modern trucks, I say screw cup holders, electro-wizardry and ANC(R)AP safety ratings. The thought of bouncing along the tracks in this a one-of-a-kind machine is so appealing I almost want to go pick it up right now.

The VistaRV Crossover

The Vista RV Crossover is the mid sized all round caravan designed to work just as well off road as it does on the highway. It’s made for Australian conditions. This is the caravan that started a revolution on Australian roads!

The only minor detail stopping me from doing so though, is the fact Jacob won’t sell it. Sheesh, and I thought we were mates too! Even when I offered to take it off his hands after our trip through the Victorian High Country to save him from having to wash it, he simply laughed and said “take a number and get in line mate, plenty of people have tried to buy this one off me… do you want to buy my clapped out GU Patrol instead?” So, why won’t he sell it?

Read More How cool is this idea! Storage space built directly into the body while the ‘chop’ was being performed

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Well,NON-INTERACTIVE you see he built itVERSION himself,|which andHERE turbo-diesel engine conversion, PLEASE CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE is putting it lightly - a torturous process and you might notice Jacob’s truck is a (for those who have built a custom - you little shorter than most Troopies. This know what I’m saying) that tends to build is because he has performed what a bond between man and machine. is known as a ‘bob’ which I can only Jacob has also done a really (REALLY) assume stands for Butcher Off Back. good job too, which is even more Well, butcher is definitely the wrong impressive when you consider he is a word; I spent hours up-close-andyoung lad still on his P plates. Yep, Jacob personal with the Fire Truck (it’s name has more fabrication and mechanical for obvious reasons) and couldn’t even skills in his pinkie toe than most of us see where the cut was made. have in our whole bodies. The most “It is a bit of a trade secret”, says impressive of all modifications he has Jacob. “Essentially I cut in places you performed is a little more involved and wouldn’t quite imagine, like through harder to spot though, so lets take a the side window. Overall, except for closer look at what has to be the best the engine conversion, cutting off the custom HJ47 Troopy in Australia. rear overhang has been my favourite modification and thanks to the flat THE TRUCK sides it was actually less painful than I The Troop Carrier didn’t look anywhere had anticipated”. near this flash when Jacob picked it up. It was a pale blue/grey colour, rusty Other than that, Jacob has been careful and in many ways it looked more like to keep the Troopy looking as period a terminally ill Smurf than four-wheel drive. As Jacob is in the mechanical trade, he had the expertise and resources to change things around though. Still, he was in love with the old girl, and even thought he got too much car for his money… so he cut the back off it. Look deeper than the fire-truck red paint job, custom handmade barwork,

How the Troopy originally looked… not pretty

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correct as possible and use Toyota parts where he could. Like the seats he pinched from a Toyota Surf for example. Sure, he could have gone all out and put some ‘hectic’ racing seats in to replace the stock vinyl pews, but why ruin the vibe of one of the most iconic four-wheel drives Toyota ever built? Speaking of ‘hectic’ modifications though, are the flash LED headlights, which have been installed to replace the aging candleholders originally fitted to the Troopy. We wont give him too much grief about those though, as they definitely are an improvement over stock. Then there is the red paint job, which was definitely not a Toyota factory option. “I was going to just paint it with rattle cans” Jacob confesses. “But once I saw how good it looked with the shortened body I decided to go all out and have any rust removed and the body professionally painted”. And the effort was definitely worth it, as Jacob also mentioned the only rust now in the vehicle is new stuff, none of the work he has done has rocked the boat in terms of dreaded metal-cancer. While surgery was being performed on the body of the Troopy, Jacob decided to build a small storage box on the drivers side, which houses any recovery gear he may need. A very clever decision which should have been a stock inclusion from the factory.

THE MODIFICATIONS Now, we mentioned engine conversions earlier, and Jacob’s Troopy has the holy grail of Toyota turbo diesel engine swaps. “I found an old 60 Series with

the factory 12HT engine in it going cheap” he tells us. “A few days later, we had the old engine out and the new one sitting in place”. It hasn’t been all beer and skittles for Jacob and his new found power plant though. “It spat a turbo while I was up in Cape York, What happened next was pretty cool though… Facebook saved my bacon” he laughs. “I put a call out seeing if anyone had a spare turbo anywhere close by, and a bloke got back to me saying he would give me the turbo off his truck, if I paid for a new one to be put on when he returned from a trip to the big smoke. Not only was he willing to help me out, but the turbo he had was a performance G Turbo, so I ended up with a better than stock set-up anyway”. Getting traction to the ground (now that he has more than the stock15kw to play with) is a set of 33in Maxxis Bighorns, which work well in the slush around Jacob’s native Victorian High Country. He also experimented with an auto-locking differential in the rear end, but found it was chewing out rear tyres and putting a fair amount of stress on the driveline. An ARB Air Locker recently replaced the auto-clunker, and Jacob hasn’t looked back. Literally - his truck now goes anywhere! The custom barwork looks store bought, but no, Jacob built that too. Rather modestly he says “it looks okay I guess”. Take it from me though it looks as professional as the rest of the build. The front bar houses a 12,000lb winch, and an LED light bar, both of which are working well and are essential for the places this bus gets taken. The rear bar

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The look of love… here we have a man who is happy with his choice of engine

“

“IT SPAT A TURBO WHILE I WAS UP IN CAPE YORK,

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WAS

PRETTY COOL THOUGH… FACEBOOK SAVED MY BACON”

”

Maxxis Bighorns are working well for Jacob, he rates them highly in the Vic slush

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JACOB’S TROOPY HAS THE HOLY GRAIL OF TOYOTA TURBO DIESEL ENGINE SWAPS

also acts as a swing-away tyre carrier, terrain in Australia. Something he likes which takes some pressure off the rear to take advantage of on a weekly basis! door, and looks pretty darn trick too. He has also (as mentioned) recently completed a trip to Cape York, with a Inside, Jacob has ditched the rear group of like minded 40 Series owners. seating and built a set of custom drawers to suit, which run the full When not working as a diesel length of the cabin. Well, not the full mechanic, Jacob is out four-wheel length. Jacob still wanted enough driving or deer hunting with his room to fit his Engel, which has girlfriend. Well, that or working on the been positioned directly behind the next project vehicle. A Toyota HiLux passenger’s seat for easy access. with a LandCruiser 3B engine. When Next to the fridge sits an inverter for asked why he decided to go down this powering any electrical gadgets Jacob unusual engine conversion path, Jacob or his partner Bree brings along. simply replied “Something different”. Hard to argue with logic like that.

THE OWNER

Jacob might be a young fella, but he has seen more of this country than most of us. He lives in Victoria, so has regular access to some of the best

If you happen to bump into Jacob on the tracks, make sure to say g’day. Just don’t offer him money for his truck, as refusal can often offend.

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We’ve traded archaic leaf sprung suspension for multi-link, fully adjustable coil spring arrangements. The manual locking hubs have gone, in their place you’ll find a plethora of acronyms, all designed to make off-roading easier and minimise the strain on your 4X4. And while it is true the modern 4X4 can do more and do it easier, entering the family wagon in an off-road competition is a sure fire way to ensure you’re sleeping on the lounge for the foreseeable future. To help keep you in the good(ish) books we’ve made a short list of the 5 best budget 4X4s to take the grinder to and line up for a shot at mud and glory. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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GQ PATROL Bigger and uglier than its Toyota counterpart, the GQ offers what no other vehicle does. Cheap, reliable strength. Couple that with the almost unbelievable rear suspension flex and a near perfect wheel base in the two door model, and it’s clear why they have been a competition favourite for years. Expect to pay around the $5,000 mark for a decent runner. From there a bolt-in lift kit, mud tyres, and bar work front to back will get you on the tracks. The front end is notorious for abysmal flex so factor in at least one locker to be competitive.

Front and rear diffs are surpassed in strength only by GU units, if you break these you’re doing well. The five-link rear suspension makes the flex very rear biased. Not overly stable, but enough travel to walk through most obstacles.

Absolutely everything has been done to GQs, so there’s no shortage of available parts or knowledge on how to build one from mild to wild NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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SUZUKI SIERRA Put simply, if you’re building a 4X4 to compete in and it’s not a Suzuki, you’re entering a fight with both hands tied behind your back and a sprained ankle. They’re cheap, nimble, easy to modify, and small enough that just about any part you fit will be an upgrade. Hunt around online and they’ll often turn up in various states of complete for sub $3,000, around the price of a new set of tyres. A healthy guard chop, some longer leaf springs, front and rear axles from a Toyota FJ62 with auto-lockers and a second hand set of 37in tyres are enough to have you competitive in the rocks.

If you can find one, the long wheelbase versions are the pick of the bunch

With a narrow track and narrower body Sierras and LJs are able to squeeze through tight spots where others require expensive rear steering. Sierras have a huge following with our mates in the States, so aftermarket parts from the USA are just a click away.

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FJ40 LANDCRUISER Throughout its various forms the 40 Series LandCruiser has become an icon of the off-road world. Classic styling meets serious off-road ability, the perfect combination for a competition 4X4 with a little style. While pristine examples have sold recently for over $100,000 across the pond (obviously to someone who’s never driven one over outback corrugations on a 40ºC day), with some careful searching you can still pick up reasonably rust free examples for under $2,000 locally. They’re the original rock crawler so the path to capability is well trodden. A decent suspension set-up (spring over or links are equally popular), FJ62 axles and power steering conversion with a dirty big V8 between the chassis rails and you’re ready to rumble. It’s old school cool and exactly what a 40 Series LandCruiser should be.

Leaf spring suspension isn’t known for comfort, but it’s cheap and easy to achieve serious articulation. The 45 Series ute has all the off-road credentials of the SWB 40 with half the sheet metal to dent.

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SOLID AXLE HILUX The early solid axle HiLux earned its spot on our budget rock crawlers list for a very good reason. With a weekend worth of fabrication, a couple grand’s worth of parts and some second hand mud tyres you could enter just about any competition you wanted. It’s a bargain when you consider running examples without current registration can be picked up for as little as $500. The early 84-85 Xtra-Cab is the pick of the bunch, maximum interior space, easily upgradable transfer cases and a factory braced front axle. A mix and match of factory leafs with extended shackles and upgraded steering are popular upgrades, although you’ll need aftermarket axles for anything larger than a 35in tyre.

Factory solid axle Luxies have a curve in the front chassis rail for clearance, up travel and a low centre of gravity which makes for a capable 4X4. The stock front axle is weak in stock form, but upgrades are readily available to handle up to a 40in tyre.

A big, dirty V8 is guaranteed to make any old Luxy get up and boogie with the best of them NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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JK WRANGLER The JK Wrangler might be stretching the budget angle a little too much, but dollar for dollar it’s one of the most capable rock crawling platforms available today. When you take into account you can literally buy every component off the shelf to bolt in coilover suspension, a Hemi V8, full width axles and bolt-on high clearance fenders for large tyres and low centre of gravity, the higher purchase price seems a lot more reasonable. Cheaper examples can be had for sub $15,000 but a $20,000 budget will net you a more solid foundation for your build.

Axle manufacturer Dana offers bolt in Dana 60 conversions that’ll handle a 54in tyre, almost makes it too easy. Factory 5-link suspension front and rear make the JK one of the most capable 4X4s straight out of the box.

Yep, there’s even kits to turn ’em into utes (they call them ‘Brutes’). Oh, did we mention this one is running a Hemi V8?

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FORGOTTEN THE HIGH C

WE EXPLORE THE OFTEN CAMPSITES AND HUTS OF THE

OH YEAH, IN

Words By Evan Spence, Phot

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EN HUTS OF COUNTRY

N OVERLOOKED TRACKS, E VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY…

N THE SNOW!

tography By Brett Hemmings

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You know those big trips you always plan on doing with your mates, but something always seems to get in the way? Like driving a Suzuki Sierra up the Cape, or riding a postie bike across the Simpson Desert. The interesting, weird and let’s be honest, slightly ridiculous trips that are born late at night around a campfire. The ones we dream of, but once the reality of the next day’s hangover kicks in, never get off the ground. Well, this trip was one of those dreams that we somehow managed to turn into reality. Exploring forgotten huts of the Victorian High Country in the snow. Now, my normal idea of a good time is relaxing on a warm beach, or fishing in a nice quiet tranquil setting. Snow, winter and cold weather aren’t terms in my adventure vocabulary. What makes a trip a real adventure though, is being thrust out of your comfort zone. So instead of dreaming of doing this trip

(and subsequently making excuses to bail), we set a realistic date, bought as many warm items of clothing as we could pack, and devised a plan too good to pass up on. Here is what we discovered on what was one of the most unforgettable four-wheel drive adventures of my life.

THE TRIP

Pretty simple really, meet at the most iconic pub in the area, the Dargo Pub. From there we headed to Dog’s Grave campsite which was only an hour or so away. The following day started with a quick stop in Omeo for pies (what else?) and alpine diesel as we had a few issues with fuel ‘glugging up’ overnight. From Omeo, we were off to Moscow Villa, which would be come base camp for the rest of the trip. Day trips from here were simple and plentiful, so rather than bore you with a recount of the trip, here are some of the highlights and low points of exploring the High Country in the snow.

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HUTS OF THE HIGH COUNTRY

Y’see, I have an unhealthy obsession with mountain huts, particularly the ones that not many people know about, which were the real catalyst for doing this trip. Perhaps it stems from the fact I have lived in many Sydney rental properties, which were mere seedy shelters disguised as houses and charged for at alarming rates, thus feeling quite at home in a hut? Or perhaps they are just awesome (sorry grouse… refer to breakout on speaking Mexican).

Here are the huts that resonated with me. Some were gorgeous creations that will be here for years to come, others were so creepy you couldn’t pay me to stay the night.

WOULD SELL MY HOUSE TO LIVE HERE: Moscow Villa

I would! I would honestly live at Moscow Villa and dare say I’m not alone in making that comment. What a spot, what a building and what a fantastic place to have access to. Built in 1943 by Bill AhChow with the help of an experienced timber worker, In fact, I actually aspire to build a hut on my own property in the near future, so this it was Bill’s summer cottage where he could stay while working as a fire spotter. was really a research mission to see what It was named Moscow Villa as construction construction methods stood the test of had wrapped up on the day the Battle time, and what failed. The workmanship for Moscow was being fought. Local and designs incorporated are all so authorities considered this to be offensive, uniquely fascinating, as are the stories behind the huts themselves, ranging from so Bill, thinking on his feet, declared that Moscow Villa was actually an acronym mundane to chillingly disturbing. for My Own Summer Cottage Officially Then, when you visualise the awful weather Welcomes Visitors Inside Light Luncheon and conditions these huts were built in, Available. The main feature of the hut combined with the lack of power tools or is a large fireplace, and loft upstairs resources, these iconic bush-structures and believe me, this is as luxurious and become even more special. comfortable as camping gets.

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THE BUSH HILTON: Seriously… It was actually called that! Technically, the Bush Hilton is called Bentley Plain Hut… but nobody calls it that. The Bush Hilton is located literally just down the hill from Moscow Villa, so if the main hut is full, you have backup accommodation a few hundred metres away. While the hut is much smaller in size, it is really neat and there is actually plenty of space in the surrounding Bentley Plain Reserve camping area for additional campers outside the hut. You will also find some decent fireplaces and a rather unusual picnic shelter with wood fired BBQ too. Perfect for a quiet and relaxing camp.

CREEPIEST HUT: Mad Lucy’s Hut

(do you dare enter?)

North of the small town of Swifts Creek, is where you will find the legendary Mad Lucy’s Hut., which is technically called Strobridge Hut. Lucy Strobridge who lived here was quite the local character, preferring to live the quiet life of a recluse. A rather traumatic upbringing had taken its toll on poor Lucy, and as such the people of Swifts Creek were left to look after her. It is said that Lucy had secret tracks darting around the property ready for a quick escape if members of the public were to come too close. She would also make wild dog noises and such to scare off inquisitive travellers. Lucy passed away in 2006, however some locals still believe she is alive and hiding in the hills. It must be said, there was a really, really creepy vibe here, and all the locals on the trip were particularly keen to leave this hut. It seems old Lucy really left her mark on this part of the world.

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BIGGEST SHAME: Delusions Hut IT’LL HAVE TO DO: McDonalds Hut This place had it all! A large dam out the front for water, an underground bunker designed to shelter people in the event of bushfires, and the tracks to get here were the most technically challenging of the entire journey. So what was the problem? The hut, which was originally built as a forestry hut from timber, weatherboard and iron, was in a poor state of repair. So poor in fact, it had been fenced off. It turns out an all too common problem with these huts - the fireplace collapses rendering the hut unserviceable. The future of huts like this remains uncertain, as funds and resources to restore them needs to come from somewhere. And it is cheaper to knock down a hut than fix it sadly. Here’s hoping this once mighty hut is restored to its past former glory.

McDonalds Hut was a bit of a let down for me. I was expecting something pretty special but in reality it was run down and kind of spooky. And fair enough really, considering it was built all the way back in 1952 by William McDonald, who was commissioned to cut tracks in the area for logging purposes. It has everything you need for an overnight stay, but I wouldn’t really want to do any more than that unless I had to. Sorry to be that guy, but there are better options in the area if huts are what you are looking for. Having said that, with a warm fire roaring on a cold night, it would be much more inviting.

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THE BEST TRACK Where do you start… literally? There are so many tracks to drive you could spend a month in the area and not even scratch the surface. The best piece of advice I could offer is to grab a Roof Top Adventure Map, and plan your own special adventure, there is so much to see and do down here. We also recorded trip details inside our vehicle on a Hema Navigator, which proved to be a worthwhile exercise.

NEWEST HUT: Dogs Grave What a pleasure and awesome (sorry, grouse) start to the trip this was. Dogs Grave Hut has just been rebuilt when we arrived. The original hut was built in the early 1950s so it was a treat to stay in a freshly recreated shelter. And boy, did we appreciate the warm fire inside! The real treat when exploring Dogs Grave is finding the massive and amazingly intricate grave and granite headstone down from the hut towards the creek. This is in memory of (legendary cattleman) Peter Meehan’s dog, and all working cattle dogs of the area. A traveller was so moved by the story of these hardworking animals, he took the time to engrave a poem written by stockman Jack Treasure into a huge slab of granite and build a commemorative grave. If you didn’t look for it, you wouldn’t believe it existed.

The highlight from our trip (if you were looking for a challenge) was the South Escarpment Track, just a few minutes down the hill from Moscow Villa. In the dry, it wouldn’t present an issue, even though it is steep and quite rutted. When we drove (or should that be attempted?) the track, there was the combination of fresh snow, mud and a large rock that presented itself near the top of the track. Most vehicles made it to this rock with some perseverance, however not one of us made it over the now notorious rock without resorting to the trusty winch. Definitely worth a look of you are feeling confident. We found the most snow whilst driving out of Dogs Grave near Dargo, on Mt Phipps Track. This darts towards Omeo before reaching Zig Zag Track and back onto Birregun, which is a main artery through this area. The climbs around Mount Delusion and McDonalds Hut also rate highly, as they are slipperier than a tub of grease left in the sun. Don’t rush around here, as what may look like a sedate track one minute, could see you slipping-andsliding uncontrollably at a rate of knots the next. Ask me how I know…

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Jump on board with us for a ride to experience what it was like driving in the snow

SNOW DRIVING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS (like

me)

I’ve spent my entire life four-wheel driving and am confident on just about any terrain, however this was my first time driving in snow, so there were many things to learn. Avoid the mistakes I made, by using these handy tips picked up over a week of trial and error. Throttle control is very important when driving on snow. While it is similar to driving on sand, you need to use your right boot to steer the vehicle rather than using sharp steering movements. Back off the throttle before a corner, gently steer into it, and then reapply throttle to straighten the vehicle up. Sounds weird, but it works a treat. Tyre pressures were critical, and something we had to play with throughout the entire trip. Snow driving

in the Ironman 4X4 Isuzus fitted with Mickey Thompson P3 A/T tyres seemed to love 20psi. Once the tracks turned to clay, I went as low as 16psi to gain as much grip as possible. The moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to experiment with tyre pressures on a trip such as this with varying terrain. You will be amazed at the difference in traction available, and best of all adjusting tyre pressure doesn’t cost you a cent! Engage Four-Wheel Drive! Sounds simple, but if you forget to engage four-wheel drive, you could find yourself losing control on a bend in the track, or even sliding backwards down a steep climb as your vehicle fails to gain traction. Patches of slushy mud and deep snow presented themselves at random, so having the vehicle in high-range at most times while on the tracks definitely saved our bacon on a few occasions.

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Smooth steering inputs will give you control on the snow. If you get a little grumpy with your steering action, you could find the vehicle understeering through corners. Not ideal! Learn to use your throttle (as previously mentioned) and steering wheel in tandem. A technique that requires some skill to master, but as they say… practice makes perfect. Buy alpine diesel! I can’t stress this enough. I hail from the Blue Mountains in NSW, and while it gets cold here it certainly doesn’t snow at my house. Alpine diesel slipped my mind. This is a mistake you only want to make once, as your vehicle will be particularly unhappy with you come morning when you attempt to kick it over. Lift your windscreen wipers off the vehicle’s windscreen before stopping for the night. This is something all the locals we brought on the trip did religiously; otherwise your wipers will be stuck to the windscreen come morning, (insert voice of that famous online video) “ain’t

nobody got time for that!”

Don’t make the same mistake we did, remember to lift your windscreen wipers!

HOW TO SPEAK LIKE A MEXICAN: SIX THINGS ONLY VICTORIANS SAY

GROUSE: Meaning something is awesome (if you are from NSW like me). Example: “That chicken pie was grouse”.

2 3 4

SH!THOT: See grouse. MINT: See sh!thot.

PISSER: Meaning a comical scene or event has taken place (not in reference to a toilet). Example: “What a pisser, you got your car bogged and is now filling with stanky mud”.

LOW-BOX : Meaning low-range transfer gears selected. Example: “Chuck it in low-box mate”.

ROOFTOPPER: Meaning Rooftop Adventure Maps, which can be purchased from information centres and stores in most towns of the High Country. Example: “Bugger the GPS, I’ve got a Rooftopper”.

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TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO BRING TO THE HIGH COUNTRY IN WINTER: › Winch (we recovered vehicles on a daily basis)

› Good Tool Kit (we also broke vehicles on a daily basis) › Chainsaw (fallen trees are everywhere) › Recovery Gear (no point having a winch and nothing to hook it to) › Traction Aids (saves having to run the winch cable) › Winter Fuel Additive (if alpine diesel isn’t available) › Warm Clothing (well… duh!) › Even Warmer Socks and Shoes (my kingdom for a pair of wool socks)

THINGS DO GO WRONG

We had several incidents throughout the week-long duration of this trip, all of which were fuel related. Well, one tyre popped off a rim due to a combination of low pressures and a large immovable object that decided to jump in the way. But other than that, fuel systems were what kicked our butt!

Fuel tank: One kind of fell off: Yep, the big GQ Patrol on the trip dropped it’s tank. It was on the first day of the journey, just after leaving Dargo Pub and hitting the tracks towards Dogs Grave Campground. We noticed something hanging from under the truck -lucky we had a few spare bolts found in the other vehicles, and we were able to carry out an effective bush repair that lasted the trip duration.

› Gas Cooker or Fire Plate (butane cookers tends to freeze up; thus useless here) › Fire Lighters (you WILL need a fire)

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Injector Pump: How’s this for a story? That same day Darren in the tough 75 Series LandCruiser was experiencing power loss and poor running. After a detailed inspection, metal shavings were found in the 1HZ injector pump. Normally, this would be game over and a tow truck would be called, but when you are with a group of diesel mechanics, all it took was a phone call and we had one dropped off at Dargo that afternoon. Daz swapped it out over night, and was running again the next morning. Top effort!

Fuel Filter: It kinda got smashed. The clear-bowl fuel filter on Jacob’s neat-as 47 Troopy sits quite low(check out the custom feature on this thing earlier in the mag). So low in fact, he built a guard for it. The same guard he decided to take off and leave at home, only to have the fuel filter knocked off by a stray rock… ouch! The solution here was to seal it up with silicon, and keep a close eye on it. Hey, it worked and survived the trip. However, we are

fairly sure Jacob will be installing that guard again once he’s home.

Wrong Fuel: On day two of our adventure, the mighty Ironman 4X4 Isuzu MU-X started and idled fine, but there was a fuel light glowing on the dash. Things went pear-shaped after attempting the first hill climb of the day as the truck lost power and surged like a leg-humping dog. Bugger, we forgot to run alpine diesel, and the fuel had ‘glugged up’. A few minutes in the sun, and running the truck in lowrange had the problem sorted, but we were sure to fill up with alpine diesel at the next fuel stop.

Fuel Pump: The big GQ again had a bit of a nap, as the fuel pump appeared to not be supplying enough fuel to the engine. We filled it up with as much petrol (the only gas-guzzler on the trip) as we had to put a bit of pressure on the pump, and we managed to limp it home… even if the truck was bunnyhopping as if it were being driven by an L-plater with short legs.

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THE VEHICLES So you might have noticed the Ironman 4X4 Isuzu four-wheel drives in this article. Well, the people at Ironman 4X4 were kind (should that be crazy?) enough to loan these vehicles to us for the duration of the trip. They wanted real world feedback of the modifications they have performed, and what better testing ground is there? The only catch, was these vehicles needed to be on display at the Melbourne 4X4 show the following week, so any scratches or dents would be a no-no. So here you had a motoring journo, driving unfamiliar vehicles, on unfamiliar terrain.

And the results? It must be said, both the D-MAX and MU-X performed flawlessly on this trip, with the only issue being my stupidity at not running alpine diesel on the first night. How did I go? Well, lets just say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d kiss the inventor of traction control. The vehicles went everywhere we pointed them, yet were returned unharmed, albeit covered in mud, snow and clay. Sorry Ironman 4X4 team, I owe your detailer a beer! Stay tuned for a full feature on these vehicles, as we take a closer look at the accessories installed and what we loved or loathed about the Ironman 4X4 Isuzu projects.

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OUTBACK GOURMET

APPLE BERRY

MUNCH

By Jo Clews

COLD WEATHER CAMPING IS ALWAYS BETTER WITH A HOT MEAL, AND A TASTY DESSERT TO FOLLOW IT UP. HERE’S A DELICIOUS RECIPE USING WINTER FRUITS THAT’LL WARM YOU UP AND THAT’S SURE TO BE A HIT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE THIS SEASON.

If stewing apples and using canned berries use the drained liquid from the berries to cook the apple with a little sugar. Combine apple and berries together in a small to medium camp oven In a saucepan melt together the butter and honey and add the crushed nuts. In a large bowl measure in the corn flakes then pour over the melted butter and honey then thoroughly combine. Spoon the cornflake mixture over the apple berry mix place the camp oven lid on and set the camp oven over a small bed of coals place coals over the lid and cook for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and apple berry mix is hot. Serve with custard or ice cream.

TIPS › Be careful not to put too many

coals on the lid or the honey on the cornflakes will burn, it pays to check half way through the cooking so you don’t end up with a disaster.

› Other canned fruit or even

reconstituted dried fruit work a treat as an alternative if you don’t have apples and berries.

› To simply make this recipe gluten

free just substitute the cornflakes for Gluten free cornflakes.

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INGREDIENTS › 1 400g can berries or equivalent frozen or fresh › 1 400g can pie apple or equivalent stewed apple

› 2 tablespoons of melted butter › 2 tablespoons of crushed nuts › 1 ½ cups corn flakes › 2 tablespoon honey

See Jo cook this

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WE PUT ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE 4X4s AVAILABLE IN THE COUNTRY THROUGH ITS PACES OFF-ROAD. THE RESULTS ACTUALLY

SURPRISED US… Photography by Matt Fehlberg

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Solid axle 4x4s are a dying breed, soon to be relegated to the history books for their poor handling and uncomfortable ride; at least thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the Japanese manufacturers would have you believe. Unfortunately for them, MercedesBenz have made the whole country of Japan look foolish with one fell swoop. Sure, the swoop might have started way back in the late 70s, and might cost more than a modest three-bedroom house anywhere outside of Sydney or Melbourne, but the point still stands. The solid axle is alive and kicking. Through luck, or poor judgement from some naive marketing executive, we were recently handed the keys to a black 2015 G500

G-Class, more commonly known as the G-Wagen. The plan was simple, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d fill the back with food, the tank with fuel, and hit the back-roads out of Sydney to the mid-western region to give the G500 a hiding it would never receive again, no doubt destined for the secure garage of an inner city dentist, rather than the wide expanses of hostile desert it was built for. The G500 is a bit of a bastard child in the luxury 4X4 market. The remnants of a vehicle designed for the military over 40 years ago, and clocking in at a not-insignificant $179,896 on road we were apprehensive at best, expecting nothing more than the automotive version of a pig adorned with lip-stick. We were blown away.

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It’s an odd platform to build a luxury vehicle, an even odder platform to shoe-horn a 285kW 5.5L V8 into. Especially when you consider for the same sort of money you could purchase six modern dual cab utes, or a vintage Porsche 911 and fully optioned 200 Series LandCruiser with cash to spare. But that’s kind of the appeal of it. It’s absurd, over the top, an affront to sensibility and frugality, sure to have accountants and angry wives baying for blood. Fortunately, with a little pressure from your right foot they’ll be left behind, drowned out by the aural porn of a German engineered V8 roaring through the tuned-length twin exhaust systems. The G500 can’t be measured against a normal 4x4, it isn’t one. It’s the offroad equivalent of a Lamborghini, a Ferrari with a transfer-case. While a LandCruiser may be pieced together

by a team of engineers, drafting boards, and computer aided design, the G500 is built around the senses. The exhaust tuned for perfect sound, rather than perfect power. The interior feels every bit as luxurious as the Mercedes road-cars, despite being stuffed into what is essentially a smaller version of a Unimog, it’s a car for enthusiasts, not for those who view a 4x4 as nothing more than a tool. Rolling through the winding country-roads and switch-backs on our way to Mudgee, the G500’s V8 responded effortlessly with every input of the throttle. A quick bark from the exhausts as it blipped down a gear built into a roar as the revs climbed, effortlessly overtaking countless grey-haired nomads in their beige tow-vehicles and equally boring caravans. Peasants.

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The suspension effortlessly soaked up every corner, no matter how hot the German brute entered, something remarkable when you consider it has essentially the same suspension setup as a GQ Patrol, solid axles, radius arms, and coil springs. A true testament to the fact tuning, and the right combination of components can make any 4X4 handle, even an exmilitary vehicle 30 years past its prime. While the suspension impressed us on road, it was equally impressive off-road. It was never going to win any awards on a flex ramp, but twisted and contorted as we piloted through the rocks and ruts, on-par with any of the main-stream solid axle offerings from other manufacturers. The ground clearance was one major setback, and while an off-the-shelf bolt in lift kit may rectify this, it’d more than likely come at the cost of the G500’s cornering prowess. When you factor in the G-banger comes rolling out of the show-room floor with front and rear diff locks, and a centre diff lock for the full time 4X4 arrangement it’s obvious that underneath the perforated leather seats and billet aluminium door handles is a serious off-road machine, just as capable as literally anything else you can buy. But with a little more lipstick on than others. Despite the eye-watering performance and luxury that would have a Saudi Arabian oil tycoon feeling embarrassed, it is obvious the basic design is still pushing 40 years old. The leather wrapped dash is compact and angular to afford a semblance of leg room. The transmission tunnel occupies enough real-estate up front it feels a little rude it’s not chipping in for a portion of the price tag. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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The hinges and hardware are exposed, as are the door latches. Yet inside is crammed with the latest and greatest in refinements. The doors shut with a definite thunk, the steering is responsive, brakes ample, even the steering wheel alone felt it was worth more than anything I own. It was as if someone had bought a H1 Humvee and had it completely rebuilt from the ground up by Bentley, the performance and comforts of a supercar, the rugged ability and styling of a military vehicle. Look, it’s obvious the G500 isn’t for everybody. It’s loud, brash, over the top in every way conceivable, offensively expensive and if it had come from any other manufacturer would feel just a little tacky. But there’s nothing else like it. If you baulk at the price, there are better 4X4s you can buy. If it seems reasonable to you for one of the most entertaining vehicles on the market, you won’t be disappointed.

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THINGS I LEARNED

CROSSING

SAM PURCELL WALKS US THROUGH HIS TOP TIPS FOR TACKLING THE NOTORIOUS SIMPSON CROSSING By Sam Purcell

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Sam Purcell is back from the hardest crossing of the Simpson Desert, across the Madigan Line. Following Cecil Madigan’s 1939 expedition as closely as possible from Abminga Siding to Birdsville, he covered over 900 kilometres in fourteen days in his trusty Defender 130. Last month we brought you his preparation for this truly epic trip, now he’s back from what is arguably the toughest four-wheel driving trip you can do in Australia.

Here is what he learned.

IT’S HARD GOING Compared to other, more popular crossings of the Simpson, the Madigan Line has only been cut in by 4X4 usage, not machinery. That means it is much rougher and slower than the QAA, WAA and French lines. It’s not the dunes that are rough (although they are pretty bad), it’s the hummocky swales that test your endurance. This also puts pressure on your fuel capacity and supplies, making the journey technically much harder as well.

IF YOU’RE SMART, IT’S NOT THAT HARD That being said, the Madigan is certainly conquerable. You just need to carry enough fuel, food, water and spare time. People who have trouble on this track are either going too fast, are overloaded, or both.

ESCAPING CIVILISATION IS THE BEST THING FOR YOUR SOUL We had two glorious weeks of complete disconnection from the modern world, and apart from the camp markers, spent twelve days without seeing any sign of humanity. I took off on this trip stressed, worried and not sleeping well. After this trip, I felt like I made Matthieu Ricard look miserable. NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

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LONG RANGE FUEL AND WATER TANKS

THE BIG TANK

BIG COUNTRY BY THE LONGRANGER

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YOU CAN’T BE OVERPREPARED, BUT YOU CAN BE OVERWEIGHT Success in this trip comes down to preparation: Madigan’s Crossing The Dead Heart explains this with scientific accuracy. Know what condition your 4X4 is in, and do as much preventative maintenance as possible. Carry spares and tools, but don’t fall into the trap of overloading into failure. Google search bending chassis and structural failure on 4X4s: I’ll hazard a bet that every one of those cases was a direct result of overloading, or shock loading the chassis through driving too fast, which leads me onto my next point...

TAKING YOUR TIME CAN BE THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO The roughness of the Madigan will put every nut, bolt, weld and structural member of your 4X4 to the test, and will expose any weakness with impunity. Simply slowing down over the rough country solves 95%

of these problems, taking the sting out of the bumps and allowing your suspension to do its job.

LOWER YOUR TYRE PRESSURES I ran my tyre pressures way down, running at 12psi for the majority of the crossing. Keep in mind I have Secondairs, internal beadlocking devices in each wheel, fitted which gave me the confidence to go this low. Don’t just go down a few psi for sand dune country, you are putting your 4X4 under much more pressure this way. You need to knock a fair bit of wind out of the wheels to make progress easier. There is no hard-and-fast rule for this, every 4X4, load and driving style is different, let alone tyre size, style and construction. You have to know your vehicle well to dictate what pressures will work. But don’t be afraid to go down low: drive sensibly, and you won’t have a problem.

SAM’S NO 1 TIP:

r rig with Fully load you , gear and fuel, supplies en run it people, and th hbridge. You over the weig asty surprise n a t e g t h ig m o some and need to d recalculating…

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GOOD QUALITY GEAR IS WORTH IT Here’s a quick list of my gear that was put to the test every day (and performed faultlessly): › Bridgestone Dueler M/T 674 tyres › Bilstein B6 Off-Road shock absorbers › Pelican Spacecases › Engel MT80 FCP fridge Freezer › Bushranger Seal 9.5TH Winch › Secondair internal beadlocks › The Long Ranger replacement fuel tank › King Springs › Darche Enduro 85 litre bag › Hema HN7 Navigator Good quality doesn’t mean the most expensive, mind you, but please, please don’t shop for gear purely based on price. Do your research on good quality gear in your price bracket, and know what you are getting into.

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TAKE LOTS OF FUEL – AND KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE USING My Defender used almost double the amount of fuel it would normally use around town: around 22 litres per hundred kilometres. Don’t budget on any less, and carry more than you need. Every now and then, re-fill your tank to the brim, and make an accurate calculation of how many kilometres you are getting per litre. There’s nothing worse than watching the gauge instead of enjoying your journey, so try to roll up to your next fuel stop with 40 or 50 litres spare.

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THE BEER AT BIRDSVILLE IS DELICIOUS If you want to really enjoy that first beer at the Birdsville Hotel, do what I did and go without beer for the majority of the trip. This might sound like heresy, but absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. I unwound with the help of shiraz and a bottle of Irish whiskey around the campfire during the trip (no, not per night), and then indulged in probably the best and most coveted schooner of my life in Birdsville.

IT’S REALLY, REALLY DOABLE. After all is said and done, it must be said that the hardest part of the Madigan is in the preparation. Jump into this journey unprepared, and you’ll likely pay for it along the way. Keep the ‘Six Ps’ (in case you’re unaware – Prior Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance) in mind leading up to leaving, and all of the hard work will have already been done. You’ll be able to enjoy the journey much more, which is an incredibly rewarding one. Get out there, you won’t regret it!

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THE EDITOR

Dex.

WHAT IS TH

FOR FOUR-WH

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO FALL IN LOVE W The last decade or two has seen the rise and rise of technology in our 4X4s. Not so long ago we were all clinging to our mechanically injected diesels and solid front axles proudly declaring that we’d never go to one of those unreliable computer-controlled engines or IFS crap!

I think the technology thing often comes down to manufacturers. Big players like Toyota and Land Rover have got it dialled. Just take a spin in a LandCruiser Sahara or a Range Rover and try to tell us it isn’t bloody nice to drive, I dare you.

Hell, we recently took delivery of a But here we are, down the track a couple of VW Amaroks and while I really little and it seems that if you want a didn’t want to like them, after a couple new 4X4, (with a couple of notable of hours in the saddle I couldn’t help but exceptions like the Wrangler, be impressed. The tech in these things Defender, GU and Jimny) your only is flat out amazing. If you’re cruising option is to go IFS, and there isn’t a along at three-quarters throttle and single new vehicle on the market that’s you suddenly lift off the accelerator, still sporting a carby or mechanical the computer actually takes up the fuel pumps. slack in the brake pedal travel, just in case you’re going to jump on the picks And is that really a bad thing? to avoid a collision. It may save only milliseconds of reaction time maybe, Sure, when technology is new it can have its teething issues. Early on there but we all know that sort of thing can count big time. were no shortage of stories of blown up common-rail diesels, and we’ve all As for common-rail technology, does heard the old bloke at the bar telling anyone really think it’s a bad thing us how “ya can’t even lift those IFS rigs any more? It provides us with hugely more than an inch or two, don’t waste improved power, economy and yer money!” But two decades down driveability and all it takes to get more the track, can the same tired old lines out of them is to plug in a chip and still be trotted out? throw an exhaust on and Shamwow, 30% more grunt. As for reliability, these

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R’S COLUMN

HE FUTURE

HEEL DRIVING?

WITH THE MODERN FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE? days whenever something goes wrong it’s down to a faulty sensor. Plug a $60 scan tool into your on board diagnostics port and it’ll tell you what’s gone wrong. If you brought your laptop with you, you can probably clear the fault with a couple of keystrokes and keep driving. Compare that to getting down in the dirt, getting doused in diesel as you try to check the filter, burning your forearm on the still-hot exhaust and banging your head on the transfer case causing you to lose the bolt that you needed…

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the old tech stuff and I loathe what I consider to be redundant systems – things like EGRs, DPFs or anything that’s counterintuitive to the driveability of a vehicle. But I have to admit I’m coming around to the new school way of doing things. I’m not sure if I should be happy about that or if I should hate myself for even typing that last sentence out… Dex.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, IS NEW-TECH IN OUR VEHICLES A GOOD THING OR A PAIN IN THE ARSE?

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WHAT

ABOUT THE

I LOVE SUZUKI JIMNY

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OUR RESIDENT “NOT QUITE RIGHT” DEPUTY EDITOR GIVES US HIS APPRAISAL OF THE LATEST IN SUZUKI’S LINE OF PINT SIZE OFF-ROADERS Words by Evan Spence

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Like many of you I’m sure, I cut my teeth in the four-wheel drive game behind the wheel of a Suzuki Sierra. I worked every weekend, and public holiday I could to save for my dream car, and ended up buying a clapped out SWB Sierra for the grand sum of $1200 at the age of 16, and promptly began modifying it. She was rough but solid, and just needed a gearbox and clutch replacement to be perfect again. I’ll never forget the first drive, the windows rattling in their channels so violently I was sure they would shatter, the ride was so stiff you would think the shock absorbers were welded shut, and the noise from the soft-top made me feel I was driving a tent. But it was so much fun – I was hooked! It’s no surprise then, that I can’t drive a normal car. I get bored. Which is why I keep going back to trucks like Zooks and older HiLuxs

that have heart, soul and character. Which translates to rattles, rust, and broken parts according to my long-suffering wife. But when you’re smiling so much who cares what people say? Or so I used to think… I was asked to do a comparison on the New Jimny after Unsealed 4X4 recently road tested one. As always, the editor wanted an honest perspective of the new model from someone who has owned more Suzukis than pairs of shoes, a truthful statistic that I am not proud of. I was worried that the fun factor would be replaced with cup-holders, air-conditioning and a tacky plastic interior. Well, lets just say not only am I blown away by how much heart and soul the Jimny has retained, but I genuinely want to buy one. Here are ten reasons why I feel the latest Jimny Sierra is perhaps the best four-wheel drive Suzuki has ever manufactured.

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2 1

IT’S STILL A SIERRA

One look underneath and I was transported back to 1988 in the best possible way. The chassis is still very Sierra-like and off-road ability is definitely the name of the game here. Coil springs, full-ladder chassis, a dualrange transfer case and live axles front and rear make this ‘ere Zook-loving journo a happy lad.

AIR-CONDITIONING

Again, I know I ragged on creature comforts at the start of this article and the old Sierra owner in me is screaming IF IT’S HOT JUST TAKE THE TOP OFF. Screw that guy, air-con rocks!

AUTOMATIC GEARBOX

I loved the auto! Initially it was thought the 1.3L engine would be a slug with the slushbox and a 5-speed CUP HOLDERS would be the only way to achieve decent Yeah I was paying them out before, highway speeds, but it is actually really but only out of ignorance. Having well paired to the 1.3L engine. In-fact, somewhere to put a drink while bouncing the Jimny was only revving at 3100rpm around the tracks is a pretty cool novelty while doing 110kmph on the highway, for an old Zooker like myself. Sierras which is lower than most small cars. barely have seats let alone luxury items, Once on the dirt, the auto was in its so the entire interior was a comfortable element too, offering far more control in and pleasant surprise. Special mention technical situations over a cog-swapper. must also go to the amount of headroom available, I’m over six-feet tall and had more than enough space.

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PLAY VIDEO

a Brumby Camper Trailer from Cub Campers

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5 5

RECLINING BACK SEAT

draining. I couldn’t help but chuckle while comfortably sitting in the Jimny Zooks are fun, so it’s inevitable cruising at the speed limit, the air-con that passengers will want to come for a blasting and power steering ironing any ride. But the idea of squeezing two full- kicks out of the road surface. I drive over size mates in the back of a Sierra… well 100km to work each day, and the Jimny let’s just say they probably aren’t good handled the commute without a hiccup. mates of yours if you even consider it. The Jimny has split-folding rear seats, BOOT SPACE which further recline to allow for more room when carrying passengers. It’s Calling it a boot is like calling a the simple things, and I found this to soft-top Suzuki a convertible sports be a very clever use of space. car. The Sierra of old had just enough storage space to tuck in a snatch strap. The Jimny, however, swallowed IT CAN DO THE a weekly shopping trip with ease SPEED LIMIT and also passed the all-important consumer test: A case of beer fits Driving a Sierra on the highway is a without having to fold the seats down. lesson in patience, and can be flat out

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9 8

CHEAP TO RUN BUT NOT CHEAP

Most Suzuki’s are cheap to run, but after driving a GU Patrol for the last few weeks, it was so refreshing to put $20 worth of unleaded in a 4X4 and see half a tank appear on the digital dash gauge. Oh, half a tank would see me drive between 200km and 250km before the fuel light would come on. This is a very affordable car to run and own, and that is before you even consider it is a capable fourwheel drive with an impressive list of standard features. Even these flash alloy wheels looked really well made, and genuinely enhanced the overall aesthetics of the vehicle.

FACTORY ROOF RAILS

There isn’t much room inside (more than a Sierra though) so being able to maximise space is important. While mucking around one day, I concluded the Jimny would carry my large double swag, and single kayak on the roof with just a set of readily

available bolt-on roof rack cross bars that would then accept a vehicle mounted awning. So all that needs to fit inside is a fridge and some clothes and you are set for a weekend at the beach with one or two people. Whoever says you need a full-size wagon to go touring just isn’t trying hard enough.

IT’S STILL BUILT IN JAPAN

Enough said really, Japan knows how to build a quality automobile and Suzuki has avoided following the rest of the pack by shipping production off to Thailand. If you shop around you will be able to find a Jimny brand new for sub $20k. So you could either buy a small run-around hatchback from a lesser-known manufacture, or this pocket sized off-roader that also functions well as a small car. The decision is an easy one to make for me, but what else can I say…

My name is Evan and

I’m a Zookaholic.

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4X4 BOX

4X4 ADVENTURE CINEM

The very best moments of Aus and outdoor film makers

MALCOLM DOUGLAS VS. A BIG RED KANGAROO…

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!

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X OFFICE

MA AUSSIE EXPLORERS

stralian explorers, adventurers s. Oh, and Russell Coight.

ALBY MANGLES

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THE COLLAPSE OF LEYLAND BROTHERS WORLD (EXCUSE THE POOR QUALITY - BUT IT IS A STORY WORTH HEARING).

RUSSELL COIGHT SHOWS YOU HOW TO MAKE A CAMP CHAIR,

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UNSEAL

Want to see your pride and joy featured in Unsealed 4X4? All you have to do is email evan@unsealed4x4.com.au with a few pictures and /or videos of your four-wheel drive, and a couple of words letting us know what you have done to it, and where you like to take it.

BARRY’S TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES Here we have Barry’s 2010 Toyota LandCruiser VDJ79 Series, which he has set-up for camping and fishing trips around his native area of Shark Bay in Western Australia. He also loves to head north to the Kimberley for more remote fishing trips when time permits. The ‘Cruiser has Old Man Emu suspension, factory diff locks and a 3in exhaust system made

READER Because you’ve heroically chosen to download your copy of Unsealed 4X4, you can’t see what’s on this page. But trust us - it’s well worth looking at. To see it in all its glory go to unsealed4X4.com.au

by Beaudesert Exhausts for a bit more power and a nicer note. A mate of his fabricated the impressive alloy canopy, as well as the side rails you can see bolted to the ARB bull bar. Keeping the fish cold (assuming they are biting) are two Engel fridges, 60L and a 21L in size which are fed by a massive solar panel, into a 120amp deep-cycle battery. A very cool touring rig indeed!

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LED 4X4

R’S RIGS

JAMIE’S DEFENDER 110 AND G-WAGEN

Jamie wrote in all the way from Swindon in the United Kingdom to show us how they do things over there. Apparently it’s mainly Land Rovers (well duh) and Zooks that go ‘green-laning’ so after owning “about 20” Landies over the years, as well as building up his current very well appointed TD5 110 Defender, complete with a fresh paint job and fully galvanised chassis, he’s decided on something a little different. Well, not that different in shape, but still pretty cool. He’s now spinning spanners on his 1989 Mercedes

G-Wagen (funny that, we took the new one for a squirt earlier in this issue). First cab off the rank was to hoick the stock 2.8L straight-six petrol engine and 4-sp auto and replace it with Merc’s OM606 diesel engine which boasts a 3.0L capacity and is backed up by a modern 5-sp auto from an E300. Should be bit of a weapon when it’s done. The diffs on these things are strong as oxen and nothing’s tougher than wheeling a big rectangle box we reckon. Even the interior on this one isn’t too shabby, “in an 80’s-tastic sort of way” says Jamie. Make sure you flick through some more shots when she’s done and wheeling mate!

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UNSEAL

READER

SHANNON’S TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 40 SERIES The story behind this one is very cool. This truck has been in Shannon’s family since new. It was rusting away sadly in a paddock when she decided it was time to get her licence and bring it back to its former glory. She wasted no time, fitting an ARB bull bar she picked up for a bargain, as well as a set of Maxxis Bighorn muddies (which she needs living in soggy Victoria). There is a bit of rust to sort out still, but that’s nothing she can’t handle. Just like the engine swap she and her mates had nutted out in just a few weekends after the stock diesel engine went bang. Best of all, Shannon is still driving this Shorty-Forty every day she can, both on and off road. It damn near brings a tear to the eye.

Modular. Removable. Safe. Quality.

You will use it every day on every trip

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LED 4X4

R’S RIGS

RS!

TDOO

IAN

RA U ST L

. NO refrigeration required . NOT freeze-dried or dehydrated! . 18 months shelf life . NO artificial preservatives . Gluten free & vegan options . All Australian meat used Simply heat the pouch in a pot of boiling water or in a microwave!

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FOOD

Now how is this for a well sorted custom truck? One look at how much suspension travel this has is enough to realise it hasn’t been built for wheeling shopping centre car parks or the local drive-thru. Nup, this one is for Searlie (as his mate’s know him) to cut loose and have some fun out in the bush with. The TD42 has had a high-mount hairdryer strapped to

the side running about a thousand psi (if the turbo whistle is anything to go by) and she’s locked front and back too. The fast blue paint was done and the custom tray were both handled by Searlie, who also doesn’t mind having a blat on the dirtbikes given the opportunity. In fact he’s almost as handy behind some Renthals than he is on the tiller of his 37in tyre sporting GQ brute. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a fair amount of drool that needs wiping up…

NATHAN’S NISSAN PATROL GQ UTE

& OWN

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This edition of Unsealed 4X4 was brought to you by the following sponsors:

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INSIDE

NEXT ISSU E O

NE WEEK , ONE TH OUSAND DOL Where we LARS ’d go wit

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h se days and a grand u ven p our sleeve. Ev ery state, every terrain, ev ery set-up covered.

3 NIGHTS, 3

BEACHES Summer is c oming. We t hought we’d kick th ings off early with a sneaky long -weekender . + 5 TIPS TO INCREASE

YOUR FUEL RANGE

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