HERE’S are five reader-submitted 4x4s picks that was recently featured on the September issue of 4×4 Australia.
To get involved post a pic and a description of your rig on our special site here or post it to our Facebook page.
We feature a bunch of readers’ rigs in the magazine each month, where we award one lucky punter with a $200 voucher to spend at Piranha Off Road.
2000 JEEP WRANGLER TJ: CATHERINE KERR (4×4 Australia Readers’ Rigs Winner of the Month)
I’ve had it for just over a year. Kit includes a Smittybilt front and rear bar, Warn winch, Raslarr snorkel, Bushwacker flares, Pro Comp rims with Toyo 35-inch muddies, a light bar, CB radio and Skyjacker lift kit.
It’s currently at Double Black Off Road getting some work done: new leather seats, exhaust and extractors, rock sliders and a long-arm 3.5-inch lift kit. I haven’t done too much 4WDing to date, but I love Bunyip and Kinglake.
1986 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER BUNDERA RJ70: KJELD STREATFELDWEBAL
I bought it in 2013 with 97,000km. Mods include 2.5-inch suspension lift, 33×12.5-inch tyres, Nitro 4.88 diff gears, rear ELocker, braided and extended brake lines, Superior Engineering comp-spec drag link and tie rod, as well as Panhard rods, custom rear bar, unknown steel front bar with Runva 11xp winch, LED spotlights and light bar, custom stainless steel snorkel, dual batteries using TJM management, custom 2.25-inch exhaust, roof rack and awning, and a DIY rear shelf inside. Best place has to be Cape York in 2015; the little Bundy did the whole thing fault-free.
2007 TOYOTA HILUX SR V6: STEVEN LOLLBACK
I’ve had it about five years. Mods… where to start? There were so many little custom modifications to make it how I like it. The major ones include ARB bars front and rear, many lights, and bigger wheels. One trip that stands out is Cameron Corner; I love the desert country.
2009 NISSAN NAVARA: ROD CAMPBELL
I bought it new in 2009. It’s done 360,000km and it’s still going strong. I built it for work and play. The best place I’ve taken it would be Pinnibar and Blue Rag, and every camping trip I’ve been on.
1988 MILITARY DEFENDER 110 PERENTIE FFR: MICK SHIELDS
I bought it stock standard for $14,000, with a 3.9-litre Isuzu 4BD1 engine plus a military trailer. Fitted a KLR Automotive Garret turbo and three-inch exhaust system, increasing power output from 45kW to 110kW, as well as a Redarc BEGT gauge to monitor the turbo.
Also fitted a KLR power steering kit, a 250W rooftop solar panel to a four-battery auxiliary power system, Hard Korr lightbar and spotties, Wanderer camp awning, and a Hema HX-1 Navigator. Been across the top of NSW from Newcastle to the Simpson Desert, visiting Birdsville, Innamincka, Tibooburra, Louth, Boomi and Moree.
THIS weekend’s Rabble.Club Sandown 500 will provide the first opportunity for punters to catch a glimpse of a Ranger Raptor in a new livery, as the off-road performance Ford has been named as the official recovery vehicle of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
The Ford Asia Pacific team based in Melbourne designed the bespoke livery of the Raptor you’re ogling right now, with the crew placing emphasis on the fluorescent yellow “recovery” branding and the ‘’Rockslide” splash graphics applied fore and aft.
“The purposeful looks of the Ranger Raptor are a standout in any crowd, but in the colourful and intense environment of a Supercars race event, the primary objective is high visibility for the safety of the competitors,” Ford Asia Pacific Design Director, Todd Willing, said.
“Working on Ford Performance products such as Ranger Raptor always invokes passion beyond the normal within the team in Broadmeadows,” he said. “Creating a livery that will focus the attention of an eager audience to the awesome new Ranger Raptor is icing on the cake.”
Further modifications include a roof-mounted light bar, specialist side mount lights, night working lamps and specialist communications equipment; otherwise the Ranger remains unchanged.
The Raptor, with its 157kW/500Nm bi-turbo engine, 10-speed auto transmission and Fox suspension, will be an apt vehicle for the demands of trackside recovery, according to Alastair Walker, the head of recovery for Supercars.
“The Recovery Raptor needs to able to respond to incidents at a moment’s notice, whether they be on the race track itself or off-track in the mud, gravel or sand,” Walker said.
“It needs to be able to operate on any surface and be flexible in allowing the driver to quickly shift between the different types of surfaces and different modes of recovery, where you may need to engage 4WD Low Range to pull something out of a fence or gravel trap, for instance.
“I’m looking forward to getting used to the vehicle and really stretching it to its full capacity. I’m sure it will provide an excellent tool to assist the team and me moving forward,” he said. “The standard factory tow points front and rear will be of great assistance to undertake some of the work we do, such as rolling vehicles back over or straightening vehicles up prior to loading them on trucks.”
The Sandown 500 starts this weekend, September 14-16.
Utility and style don’t have to be mutually exclusive; design often makes for a better, more user-friendly product.
Garmin fēnix 5 Plus
Garmin’s latest version of its popular GPS watches features built-in routable full-colour topographical maps, storage for music playlists, Garmin Pay contactless payment solution and wrist-based Pulse Ox Acclimation1 for blood oxygen saturation awareness (just in case you’re scaling a mountain to connect that winch strap).
The three variants of this watch range – the 5 Plus, the 5S Plus and the 5X Plus – range in size from 42 to 51mm and include a bright, sunlight-readable display. The 5 Plus series is available in two finishes – stainless steel and titanium – with each version or model including the full-colour Garmin Chroma display.
Battery life varies from seven days in smartwatch mode with 5S Plus, to 10 days for 5 Plus, and 20 days for 5X Plus.
RRP: from $999 to $1699 Website: www.garmin.com/fenix
CTEK on-board charging systems
CTEK has released two on-board charging systems that are compatible with smart alternators. The systems are available as a 20Amp Off Grid and 140Amp Off Road solution.
The Off Grid system delivers a safe, powerful 20Amp charge to the battery while you’re mobile and is designed so that, even if the smart alternator shuts off, the Off Grid won’t. It includes a specific AGM charge voltage for faster charge rates, for batteries of that type. There’s also a solar panel connector.
The 140Amp Off Road system offers much more grunt and, when battery voltage levels are low, the charging system disconnects non-essential items to ensure critical appliances retain power supply. It also includes a Start Assist function that utilises the service battery’s power to start your vehicle if the actual starter battery is flat.
Website: www.ctek.com/au
Victorinox Wood Collection
Victorinox, the maker of the iconic Swiss Army Knife (SAK), has just released its new Wood Collection, comprising three SAK models that feature a sweet walnut wood casing. Even cooler is that each casing is unique, thanks to the walnut’s natural grain.
The Spartan Wood is an incarnation of the legendary Officer’s knife and includes large and small blades, can opener, bottle opener, two screwdrivers, and more. The Huntsman adds scissors and a wood saw, while the Swiss Champ jams in more than 29 functions and includes a ruler, pliers, screwdriver, bottle opener, corkscrew, fish scaler, wood saw, nail file, sewing awl, scissors and blades.
All three models are compact: Spartan is 91mm long and 57g; Huntsman is 91mm and 95g; and Swiss Champ is 91mm and 185g.
RRP: $84.95 Spartan; $119 Huntsman; $239 Swiss Champ Website: www.victorinox.com
Out here, the simple action of opening a door and getting into a vehicle results in at least 50 (per person!) irritating, buzzy, pesky, small black bush flies buzzing against the windows. Thankfully, we’d knocked off for the day and were able to leave the billions of flies behind double flyscreen doors and find peace at the bar of the Cameron Corner Store, where publican Fenn Miller agreed the flies on this mid-autumn day were the worst he’d ever seen.With wife Cheryl, Fenn has been out here – where New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia meet – for most of the past decade.
It’s an isolated but increasingly popular place. Up the road is Innamincka and down the road is Tibooburra, so it’s on a busy tourist circuit, especially during the time of the Birdsville Races in mid-winter.
As well as 4WDers, the Cameron Corner Store hosts club tours – everything from postie bikes to vintage Dodges and World War II military vehicles – and charity rally-type events. You can even play a game of golf. Things slow down a little in October due to the oppressive heat, but they pick up again in late March when many Victorians begin to escape the dreaded, long winter months.
Powered and unpowered campsites are located out the back of the store, as well as a simple camp kitchen, and there are rooms available for those who need a little more comfort for a night or two. There’s good grub available, too, if you need a break from cooking.
As Fenn told us, the growing popularity of 4WD touring means some people are ill-equipped and ill-prepared for travel. “We’ll get called out to a stranded vehicle and people will say, ‘oh, but it shouldn’t be stuck, I had it in 4WD,’ but they don’t know about the free-wheeling hubs,” he said.
Unfortunately, there’s a growing number of other morons, too. “After rain, they come out here looking for mud,” Cheryl said. “They seem to think no-one else ever uses these roads, or that no-one has to maintain them. Often, Fenn goes out to check the fences (the Corner Country Store is adjacent to the dingo fence) to find piles of rubbish and campfires still burning.
“We’ve even had our tyre pressure gauge and some little solar garden lights stolen from just out the front. It’s pretty frustrating.” Despite the minor setbacks and occasional hardships, Fenn and Cheryl love the place, the pace and the people.
And for everyone who waltzes up to the bar to exclaim: ‘Wow, you’re a long way from anywhere out here, aren’t you?!’ Fenn delivers a quick response with a wink and a grin: “Not really… we’re just around The Corner!
- PHONE: (08) 8091 3872
- ADDRESS: Cameron Corner! BEERS: More than 20 varieties of bottled beers – plus ciders.
- FOOD: Breakfast (from 8am): Continental, bacon and eggs, etc. Lunch: Sandwiches and burgers. Dinner: Steaks, chicken and fish. (“We’re trying to get camel on the menu!” Fenn said). Large groups by arrangement.
- GROCERIES: A few basics like milk, bread and meat.
- FUEL: Petrol and diesel. No PULP or LPG.
- ACCOMMODATION: Single, double and family cabins/dongas.
- CAMPSITES: Powered: $35 per vehicle. Unpowered: $25 per vehicle. Bush camp: $10 per vehicle (inc. $5 donation to Royal Flying Doctor). Male and female toilets and showers.
- CAMP KITCHEN: Fire pit with hotplate/billy post. Gas hotplates and sink with potable bore water.
- WHAT WE RECKON: Great place! Thank goodness for those double flyscreen doors.
FORD added the Raptor’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel and 10-speed automatic transmission to its updated Everest, and we punted the family-focused wagon down a few dusty trails.
We also peeked through the microscope at three killer custom builds: a ‘plastic-fantastic HJ47 Land Cruiser, a re-imagined 1960s Wagoneer, and a unique Mitsubishi Challenger that stands out from the crowd.
Toby Hagon wrangled an X-Class and took off in search of the centre-point of Australia – all five of them, in fact. We also sink some rubber in the Border Track’s soft sand, list a bunch of off-road destinations within cooee of Perth, and go digging for gold in the Victorian High Country.
We were also a fly on the wall as Cooper Tires punished its AT3 tyre in the Australian outback, all in the name of research.
In addition, the second DVD in our Corner Country Adventure Series is included.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
- Isuzu’s I-Venture trip to the Blue Mountains
- 2018 Winter Ramble festivities
- 4×4 Shed: Colorado LTZ and Defender 110 Perentie
- New gear and product tests
- Monthly columns by Fraser and Moonie
The October issue will be in stores – as well as magshop – on September 13.
IF YOU thought this year’s Finke Desert Race was insane, think again. Event organisers are keen to cram even more off-road goodness and tweaked metal into the 2019 race calendar.
That’s a big call, considering Finke 2018 was a massive success on two fronts: a record number of spectators flocked trackside; and a record number of competitors fronted up with either two wheels or four.
“This year we had the largest number of spectators at the start line over four days we have ever had – over 7000 on Friday night and just over 6000 at the prologue on Saturday, which is just unheard of. They are pretty phenomenal numbers,” Finke Desert Race Club President, Antony Yoffa, said. “In terms of competitors, we had 130 cars on the start line plus the biggest number of bikes we’ve ever had.”
The number of participants is expected to rise from 130 and hit the 150 mark next year, with Yoffa contributing this to the growth of the SXS categories, which have increased year on year.
Event organisers are also keen to replicate the satellite link that was implemented this year, which telecast the race to countless lounge rooms across the country.
“We got a lot of people that were pleased to see family crossing the finish line from their lounge room at home and getting a feel for the carnival down there,” Yoffa added. “Longer term, we’d like to have that set up at points down the track, but at this stage it’s still too expensive.”
“We are also working through feedback from the competitor survey – we asked whether people want the event expanded to be run over four days rather than two. We are yet to make a decision on that.”
The 2019 BFGoodrich CAMS AORC will start with the St George 399 on April 5-7. The 2019 Finke Desert Race – officially confirmed as Round 2 of the AORC – will be held in Alice Springs on June 7-10.
More race dates will be released shortly, so stay tuned.
As the winter cold fades into memory, towns and city around Australia spring to life with cultural shows, expos, and 4×4 activities in celebration of balmy months ahead.
DESERT SONG FESTIVAL (NT)
For those keen to experience the richness of Red Centre culture, head to Alice Springs and check out the Desert Song Festival from September 7 to 16.
The festival attracts musicians from all over central Australia and showcases the unique multicultural vibe. This is the festival’s fifth year and its continuing growth is recognised nationally as one of Oz’s major music and cultural festivals.
See www.desertsong.com.au for more info.
PADDLE THE HIGH COUNTRY (VIC)
With spring comes snowmelt, which also means the Vic High Country’s many waterways are flowing, making it an ideal destination for keen paddlers.
This region has a number of rivers suited to various skill levels, from beginners/families through to white-water warriors. With its gentle flow and many put-in points, the Ovens River is an ideal family destination.
The paddle from Bright to Porepunkah is a great option (you can hire kayaks from local guiding companies, who will also organise pick-ups). Another great still-water adventure is exploring Mt Buffalo Park’s Lake Catani in a canoe.
Visit www.victoriashighcountry.com.au
CARAVAN CAMPING OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE EXPO (NSW)
Head to Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park from September 20 to 23, and check out (or buy) the latest caravans, camper-trailers, camping equipment, and boating and fishing gear.
There’ll be some new 4x4s to gawk at too, along with accessories. For tips and advice, the expo has plenty of experts on-site, daily demonstrations and free kids’ entertainment. There’s also the Discover Zone, where you can plan your next holiday park stay.
See caravanexpo.com for more information.
REDARC 4WD OCTOBERFEST (SA)
The four-day 4WD Octoberfest is a brilliant 4×4 escape, where off-roading clubs converge on the Willangi Bush Escapes campground.
The long weekend event (September 29 to October 2) comprises tagalong tours, camp-cooking competitions, a performance by the Strickland Road Band on the Saturday, Sunday night kids’ movies, a night navigation event, and a 4WDSA Big Brekky aimed at raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Vehicle numbers are limited (120) and the cost is $155 per vehicle (includes camping and track fees). It’s a great event for a great cause. For more info, visit www.mountloftyrangers.com.au
LAKE MOONDARRA FISHING CLASSIC (QLD)
Bring your fishing gear for the chance to snare a barra or sleepy cod at the Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic, held 17km north of Mount Isa, QLD, from October 27 to 29.
Besides the fishing and casting competitions, there will also be a dragon boat regatta, a beach volleyball event and yabby races to keep everyone entertained. The lake is surrounded by shady trees, with a number of picnic/barbecue areas dotted around it for families. The lake is a goldmine for birdwatchers, with pelicans, cormorants and other native and introduced birds found in this area all the time.
See blog.queensland.com for more information.
Going on a 4×4 trip isn’t like your average holiday, you have to consider the rough terrain, lack of modern amenities like electricity and water, and of course space and weight considerations.
All these considerations doesn’t mean you have to rough it out like a vagrant, you just have to be smart and pick the right sort of 4×4 gear to suit life in the bush like these examples.
Yakima Gatekeeper
Lugging multiple mountain bikes in your tray just became easier thanks to Yakima’s new GateKeeper tailgate pad, with its five-bike capacity. The GateKeeper’s tough nylon outer material is great, while under the GateKeeper is one of its unique features: soft-felt backing that protects the tailgate from wear and paint damage.
In addition, the GateKeeper’s integrated SitTight padded bike cradles do the same for your MTB’s paintwork. With this new cradle closure system, the bikes are well secured and stable, which means they don’t move around or rub on the bike downtube. Add in the cool HindSight tuck-away cover for the ute’s reversing camera and you’re all sweet.
RRP: $199 Website: www.yakima.com.au
MSA 4X4 travel cup set
Forget ever needing to replace those always-cracking and breaking plastic camp cups with MSA’s travel cup set. The six anodised aluminium cups (housed in a canvas storage bag) will last years.
Available in three colours (two blue, two pink, two green) these jobbies will keep drinks cool and won’t deteriorate over time. They also won’t affect the taste of your drink, like the crap plastic cups do.
The kit weighs just on 1kg and is compact. They remind us of the tough aluminium cups from decades ago, and we reckon these MSA 4×4 cups will be just as long-lasting.
RRP: $38 Website: www.msa4x4.com.au
Lost Battalions
Aussie writer Tom Gilling brings us the intriguing and little known story of two Australian battalions abandoned in Java in February 1942.
Gilling recounts the circumstances that led to the battalions’ capture by the Japanese, and follows the 2000 diggers’ continued misfortune as they spend years as prisoners of war working on the Thai-Burma Railway and in Taiwanese and Japanese coal mines.
Trying to stay alive during this experience saw WWII veteran, Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, write that the diggers showed “fortitude beyond anything I could have believed possible”. Gilling draws on personal diaries, army records and interviews with survivors to recount how the diggers fought the Japanese before surrender, and then fought harder to survive in captivity.
RRP: $33 Website: www.allenandunwin.com
WHY over complicate matters when the simple approach often works best, as this trick GU Patrol proves.
Owner Todd Bonnard wanted a 4×4 ute that was, in his words, “the perfect all-rounder”, so when this half-finished project vehicle, complete with transplanted Duramax 6.6-litre V8 turbo-diesel and six-speed auto, came up for sale, Todd jumped on it.
As a long-term GU Patrol fan – the other rig in his garage is a 4.2TD wagon – it was an easy decision to make. The modified 4×4 belies its subtle, understated exterior by offering incredible on-road performance; plus, it’s nigh-unstoppable in the rough stuff. And it all starts with that bloody big engine.
Enlarged Heart
IT’S a straightforward answer when Todd is asked about the appeal of the Duramax nestled inside the Patrol’s engine bay.
“Definitely the power,” he enthuses. “And in terms of what you can do with them to extract more power. They’re pushing pretty big power over in the US in those big utes and rigs there, so you can imagine what it is going to do in a smaller Patrol – the power-to-weight ratio is much better.”
As with any engine/gearbox transplant, it’s no easy task, requiring a few mods to the engine bay to ensure proper fitment (a cut and plated firewall, for one), along with numerous add-ons, to make it run smoothly with the rest of the big Nissan’s drivetrain while punching out copious grunt.
The Allison six-speed auto is mated to the Nissan transfer case via an adaptor, while engine management is through an Edge Insight CTS2 system (with in-cabin scanner/monitor). There’s a custom-made ARE Cooling radiator and front-mount intercooler fitted, and the transmission cooler has been moved beneath the tray with an additional fan to aid cooling.
Induction is taken care of with a Patroldocta four-inch snorkel and airbox, and three-inch hot-and-cold side piping. Pushing it all out the back is a four-inch custom-made (from scratch!) titanium exhaust with a 100 cell catalytic converter.
The Patrol’s donk now punches out 335kW and 1200Nm (it was dyno’d at PID Diesel Conversions) at the rear wheels that, rather unsurprisingly, adds up to a vehicle that Todd says nonchalantly, “does pull pretty hard”. Smartly, Todd had a hydro booster fitted to the brakes.
Over and Above
ADDING that huge V8 diesel clearly enhances the vehicle, but it’s not the only trick to this rig. The Patrol’s common-sense suspension comprises of a three-inch suspension lift and a two-inch body lift, which ensures the Patrol’s underbelly is well clear of terra firma. If the near-impossible does happen and the belly touches the ground, the custom rock sliders keep it all well protected.
Boosting ride and handling is a set of AmadaXtreme remote-reservoir dampers, front and rear. Todd initially had a problem with the front-end units leaking oil, but it was a quick fix, with Todd fitting new seals and O-rings and enjoying reliable performance since.
Todd also changed the front springs, citing the coils that came with the vehicle when he bought it as a bit too soft for his liking. He upped the ante and fitted custom-made Pedders coils, rated to a 500kg constant load.
Superior Engineering Superflex sway bars front and rear tie it all down, along with Super Engineering Superflex radius arms, Panhard rods and long arms. The Patrol now rides firmly (but not uncomfortably) on-road, but has plenty of suspension travel and flex for when things get challenging off-road.
Rolling stock is a set of tough 17-inch Walker Evans Beadlock wheels, shod with chunky Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ LT315/70R17 rubber that, on occasion, have been known to emit a chirp or two when Todd puts the foot down to access that 1200Nm.
Bush Ready
AS WELL as the top-notch suspension setup, Todd’s Patrol contains more smart choices including fitment of an ARB Air Locker diff lock to the front axle (with air supplied via an under-bonnet compressor). Perhaps surprisingly for some, he hasn’t fitted a rear locker; although, his reasoning is super sound.
“The rear isn’t locked, it’s just an LSD,” Todd explains. “That’s the combo I would rather have. The Nissan LSDs are pretty good; they don’t need a locker. If you fit one, on the road you lose the LSD… it becomes an open centre, so I would rather keep the LSD for when I am towing.”
The ute tray is a relatively straightforward setup, albeit with a slightly wider than usual cage. Apparently the previous owner had two 80-litre fridge/freezers and preferred to run them lengthways so he could fit them both in, but Todd prefers running his fridge across the cage and throwing his swag and camping gear in there instead.
The spare wheel mounts securely to the back of it, and Todd reckons there’s more than enough storage in the cage – as well as on the rest of the tray – to hold all the gear needed for a bush trip.
More sensible touring mods make their presence felt under the tray, with two 40-litre water tanks fitted. A separate but no less important underbody mod is the FASS fuel pump ensuring quick ignition and a Facet pump ensuring the juice from the main and sub tanks keeps flowing.
Walking Quietly
WHEN Todd bought the Patrol it still needed plenty of work. “It was driving, but it was a bit rough and needed some time spent on it to get it all sorted for engineering and rego,” he says, with the main issue getting the wiring sorted so the engine/gearbox transplant worked perfectly.
Once that was done, it was onto the body itself, with fitment of a heavily modified Nissan factory bullbar (that now looks way tougher than the ‘standard’ unit) to the front end.
Panel work was limited on the Patrol, with the most noticeable mod being the fitment of custom-made Fairline fibreglass front guards and an air intake atop the bonnet.
With the wider rubber the extended guards could have looked over the top, but the styling and shape of these retains a subtle, under-the-radar exterior appearance. A set of Lightforce HID spotties, a GME radio aerial, and a custom-mesh grille complete the front-end styling.
Keeping the sound of that big V8 donk subdued in-cabin is a Kenwood head unit with six-inch speakers and tweeters, plus a 10-inch sub and amp set up behind the passenger and driver seats respectively. A raft of gauges – boost, EGT and oil pressure – keep Todd informed of what’s going on under the bonnet, while an Oricom UHF tackles bush comms duties.
A Bigger Stick
TODD’s goal with this Nissan Patrol was to make it the perfect all-rounder and, with thanks to Wild 4×4 & Customs, PJM Auto Electrics, Dave’s Paint & Panel, Precision Paint & Panel and PID Diesel Conversions, the end result is pretty damn close to that ideal.
But, like all off-road enthusiasts, once you start it’s really hard to stop, and he reckons there’s still room for more, mentioning his future plans to “crack the 500hp mark”.
In the meantime, Todd’s got a few adventures planned for the big white rig including an upcoming Vic High Country trip and then, perhaps, Cape York. With that grunty engine, impressive suspension setup and smart touring mods, we reckon the Patrol is a shoe-in for both adventures.
Here at 4X4 Australia, proper 4×4 gear isn’t limited to chunky off-road tyres and differential lockers. There are plenty of products that aren’t related to a 4×4’s drivetrain that can prove handy on any trip.
From winches to canopies to even books, this selection of new gear is ideal for your next adventure.
Sherpa 4X4 Stallion winch
This uber-winch has a massive 25,000lb rating. It comes with 35m of 12mm synthetic rope (or steel cable) and is powered by an 8.9hp motor with 12 or 24V options. Sherpa 4×4 winches are compatible with all types of synthetic rope, as the brake is designed into the gearbox which results in a trouble- and heat-free winch/brake combo.
Inside, the Stallion includes a fully sealed (water- and dust-proof) Albright International solenoid pack for optimum reliability regardless of the conditions. The Stallion also features higher-load brass bushes for the heavier loads it is capable of.
There’s also an optional remote wireless kit available. Sherpa 4×4 offers an excellent five-year warranty.
RRP: $1799 (steel cable); $1999 (synthetic rope) Website: www.sherpa4x4.com.au
Sammitr steel canopies
Utilising the most up-to-date manufacturing processes, Sammitr (SMM) steel canopies are made using high-quality automotive steel to provide maximum strength, durability and security.
SMM produces three canopies – SMM V2 Executive, SMM V2 Tradesman and SMM V4 Executive – suitable for a variety of dual-cab utes. Features vary for each model, so head online to check them all out.
An example is the range-topping V4 Executive that includes tinted lift-up side windows, a strong-pressed GalvanNealed 0.8mm steel shell and frame, colour-coded baked paint system with EDP coating, twin-rotary door locks, remote-control locking, rear window demister, auto interior light, fully lined interior and epoxy-coated roof rails. The SMM canopy range comes with a five-year warranty.
Website: smmcanopies.com.au
4WD Treks of the High Country
Now’s the time to start planning that spring/summer High Country epic, with Boiling Billy Publications’ new spiral-bound guidebook to 26 of the best off-road adventures in the Vic/NSW alpine region.
The guide, written by touring gurus Craig Lewis and Cathy Savage, includes more than 150 colour photos as well as plenty of information on the history and highlights of this popular touring destination.
There are old gold mining towns to discover, vistas to enjoy from mountain peaks and a thorough guide to the best campgrounds in the High Country. Add in comprehensive route directions and you’ve got the perfect planning tool to make that mountain trip an unforgettable one.
RRP: $49.95 Website: www.booktopia.com.au